Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Daddy's Girl
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 16 | Aired on 02.13.2000
Cut to Lily at her bathroom mirror as the girls burst into her room. Lily oohs and ahhs about how great they look, and her dad comes in and does the same. When he points out that Lily's not close to being ready, she looks hesitant. He sends the kids downstairs to wait for him, and Lily tells him how good he looks. She sounds surprised and a little worried at how much weight he's lost. (Could this be a hint toward health problems?) Lily then tells him she's not going to the party, mainly because she put the restaurant into receivership. Her Dad gets very upset, saying that she's going to destroy the business and that she can't humiliate a man (Jake) that way. Lily's incredulous that he's worried about Jake's ego because there are clearly larger issues at hand. Her father's attachment to the restaurant becomes clear, and he understandably resents its being put into receivership, as he points out that it was the restaurant that provided for her all along. Even though she had no interest in working there, the restaurant still provided her with everything -- nice clothes, summer camp, riding lessons -- without her ever having to worry about where they came from. She "just expected it to be there and [she] expected Jake to take care of [her] the same way...well, thank God he was a good boy and he did," her father says. Lily blows up at this: "All right, I get it, I get it. I'm a weak, spoiled, dependent little girl!" Her father's words have struck a chord, and Lily is crying as she tells him that standing on her own now is the hardest thing she's had to do, and she asks him to try and respect her, to let her earn his respect. She's doing what she has to do to protect herself and her kids, she insists. Her father offers his support and they hug. Lily sends him on his way, saying that there's something more important she needs to do.
Cut to the party, which looks to be in full swing. Lily's father raises his glass to Jake across the room, and Jake returns the gesture.
Lily, meanwhile, has set herself up in front of the fireplace with a newspaper and a red marker. She's scanning the want ads and circling an unbelievable number (two, I think) of jobs for writers and editors. Many of us English grads/writers/editors have already grumbled over this fantastic bounty in the forum.
At the party, Jake is dancing with Grace and asking her how things are going. She starts to tell him that she's changed her mind about camp, but he says it's already taken care of. The big fat liar. Somebody, please, torch those pants already. He tells her that he and Lily handled it last week. The dumb-ass -- she knows he's lying, because she overheard them fighting about it the night before. Ever the hero, Jake launches into his "daddy's little girl" spiel, telling Grace that "Daddy will always take care of [her]. Okay? Remember that." I think he's the one who needs to remember that, the putz.