Episode Report Card Aaron: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Dead Man Running
By Aaron | Season 2 | Episode 2 | Aired on 03.09.2002
Now Keith and David arrive at the niece's house, where Keith is warmly greeted by a cute, glum little girl in braces. When they get inside and discover that there's no birthday party to be found, however, Keith starts getting angry. It's even worse when he notices the laundry and dirty dishes strewn about the apartment. ["Remind me not to give Keith my address." -- Sars] Keith hands over his gift, which turns out to be an E-Z Bake Oven, and then heads into the back bedroom to speak to his still sleeping sister. He wakes her up and immediately starts with the yelling and screaming. First he accuses her of being back on drugs, and then he insists that she needs to "stop living just for [herself] and start taking care of that little kid out there." Mom explains that she's been clean for seven months, and is tired from working two jobs, but then undermines her own argument a bit when she adds, "So I forgot her motherfucking birthday, you want to arrest me for that?" Keith grabs her by the arms and shakes her pretty violently as he yells some more, but she's just not having it. "Take your hands off me," she whispers angrily. "I will file an assault charge and you do not want that."
Out in the living room, David and the niece are getting acquainted. David explains that his own sister used to have an E-Z Bake Oven, but he broke it by putting a three-hundred watt bulb to try to cook a pizza. "That's dumb," says the niece. "I know," replies David. "And I was seventeen." As has been noted on the forums, that would have made Claire about three at the time, so either Lauren is really, really precocious (which I don't have a hard time believing), or David was just embellishing a bit to get the girl to laugh. And quite frankly, she needs all the humor she can get right now, as we hear the sounds of Keith and Mom's argument drifting out from the bedroom. The niece looks like she's heard it all before, and then she asks David if he's "got a daddy." "I used to," replies David, before Keith comes back out and joins them. You can totally see him trying to hold back his rage as he promises to take his niece out to a movie the next night, and then he quickly hustles David right on out of there.
Back at The Boudoir, Nate and Brenda are discussing the dinner. "Oh my God. What was I thinking?" wonders Brenda. "Well, I was only nineteen…what a dork. And his ears were filthy. Did you notice that?" Ah-ha! So that's why she likes Nate. The mutton chops cover up his dirty earlobes. You see? It all makes sense in the end. Nate suggests that they make friends with some couples they don't hate, and Brenda thinks they should volunteer somewhere that will help make a positive change for the world. You know, like a "needle exchange program" or something. "Brenda, I'm dying," Nate suddenly blurts out, and then we get an extreme Kathy Bates close-up as he explains his condition. It's a touching moment as he confesses his fears about death and starts crying, but then Brenda smacks him on the forehead and asks if he's been listening to her. Psych! It was just a dream sequence. And now it's Brenda's turn to flip out (some more) as she starts rolling a joint and babbling about whether or not she's a "self-fulfilling prophecy" who really is a borderline personality. "I spent my childhood performing for clinicians, the rest of my life taking care of my train wreck of my brother, and I have no idea who I am," she moans. "I'm gonna make a cup of tea. Do you want one?" Ahh yes, that's right. It's always all about Brenda. Nate just looks sad as we fade to white.