Episode Report Card Cate: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Consideration
By Cate | Season 6 | Episode 10 | Aired on 12.09.2001
Down at the Glenoak DMV, Simon is the proud owner of a learner's permit. He thanks Grandpa for taking him to get the permit. At least someone is finally being polite to the old man. Gramps tells Simon he can drive them home. That's nice of him, but is it really such a good idea? I remember that my first attempts at driving were not exactly expert. Even before I got my learner's permit, my dad used to take me out to drive where everyone else in our neighbourhood learned to drive -- in the parking lot of the Catholic school. I can't imagine RevCam's been doing the same with Simon, so this would have to be the boy's first time behind the wheel. And he hasn't even taken driver's ed, with that driving simulator thing that they have -- or as we used to call it, the "Stimulator." Is Gramps delusional, in addition to being forgetful? Or maybe he just doesn't like Ruthie and the twins very much and doesn't care if they die. He settles the issue by getting into the passenger seat. Still, Ruthie tries to stop Simon, arguing that he shouldn't be driving unless Annie or Eric are in the car, since that's how it was for all the other kids. The logic of that escapes me, since all Simon needs to drive is to have a licensed driver in the car with him, and old or not, Gramps does qualify. I'm rooting for Simon here, until he has to go and wreck it all by making up some stupid stuff about how RevCam would be in the car if he'd honoured his promise to bring Simon to the DMV. He really works my nerves by saying, "I shouldn't be punished for his inconsiderate behaviour, should I?" Oh, shut up, Simon. At least Ruthie calls him on it and says his bizarre justification doesn't even make sense. Come on, writers -- just end this scene already. You've already dropped the theme word into it, so what are you waiting for?
Lucy's holding up the ugly see-through phone receiver and thanking the operator, saying she was just checking the line. She starts to hang up, then decides against it, asking the operator if she has a boyfriend. I see some wacky hijinks on the horizon!
Simon's driving home, and there's a cop cruiser riding his ass. It's almost impossible to miss, but he doesn't even notice until Ruthie points it out. He starts looking back at the cops nervously. Grandpa admonishes him to keep his eyes on the road, but Simon's too freaked. Ruthie suggests that maybe the cops are suspicious since he's only driving about ten miles an hour. He wants to pull over -- even though the cops don't even have their lights or sirens on -- but Gramps tells him that since he hasn't done anything wrong, he should just keep driving. Grandpa is right, actually, but that doesn't make Simon any less nervous. Ruthie says she has "a bad feeling about this." I'll just assume she's referring to this entire subplot.