Episode Report Card Niki: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Flirting with Disaster
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 12 | Aired on 02.06.2001
"Hey Zo," Rick says comfortably as he enters the kitchen. She seems equally at ease, saying, "Hey Rick!" Zoe makes a deal with Lily to do her homework after she watches Wild Discovery for half an hour. She wants to learn how to make houses for bats. Because you never know when such knowledge could come in handy. She heads for the television, and Lily tells Rick, "I'm so glad you’re here!" He admits that, with being so busy lately and not seeing her much, he's started letting his imagination get the better of him. She apologetically says, "I know. I've just been...what?" "Distracted?" he supplies. She assures him that it doesn't mean anything: "It's just all this...office stuff." Rick says he completely understands, and, moving to hug her, says that he misses her. He kisses her, and she pulls away and moves to the sink, still distracted. "We should plan something this weekend," she says. Rick looks a little surprised at being rebuffed. "You okay?" he asks. He says she doesn't seem like herself. "I'm me," she says, loading the dishwasher. "Is it Christy?" he prods. "Is she on your case again?" Lily talks over his questions, insisting that she's fine. "No, please!" she finally says, wearily brushing at her hair. "'Please' what?" Rick asks, genuinely confused. Lily presses a finger to her brow bone and pauses for a moment, seemingly to keep herself under control. "Please just don't try to fix everything," she almost snaps. Rick watches her sadly, then looks down. Lily continues loading the dishwasher.
Cut to Jessie, flopped in an armchair in a darkened living room. She's staring listlessly. Behind her, the front door opens, and Karen is briefly illuminated by the streetlight. She flips on the living-room light and is startled to find Jessie there. When she's able to breathe again, she asks why Jessie is sitting there in the dark. She asks whether Jessie and Leo had a good time at the museum. Jessie stares straight ahead and flatly says, "He never came." Karen is taken aback. "What?" she asks, slowly tucking her hair behind her ear and trying to register what Jessie just said. Jessie repeats it, this time turning to look at Karen with a heartbreaking expression. She looks like she's fighting tears. Karen moves in to dispense some sympathy, but Jessie shies away. "Did he at least call?" Karen asks. Jessie looks at her then looks down. "I don't believe this," Karen mutters. She rubs Jessie's back and says, "There's got to be some reasonable reason why this –" Jessie interrupts with noises of agreement. She says that he probably forgot and had a million things to do. "Well, then he shouldn't have made plans with you," Karen Miss Manners. Jessie makes brush-off gestures, pushes herself out of the chair, and says she'll just finish the report. Karen rubs her eyes, and Jessie pauses behind her and says, "It was about True North." Karen asks what she means. Jessie explains the theory that the pyramids were built using two stars as a guide to align them with True North. "It was the one thing that was constant. To guide them," Jessie says ruefully. I'm guessing that she's thinking Leo isn't exactly True North. Cue Leo. He comes barging through the front door, apologizing profusely. He calls Jessie "penguin," which sends his stock soaring on my exchange. He explains that one of his patients had a reaction to his medication and wound up in the emergency room, and it was pretty intense there for a minute. He moves in to peck Karen on the cheek, and gets a chilly reaction. He moves to kiss Jessie's cheek, but she fidgets self-consciously, so he backs off at the last second. He apologizes emphatically. "Uh, it's okay," she says, glancing uncomfortably at Karen and moving past him toward the door. "I'm...I'll just do my homework," she says and bolts. Karen pops up and starts to go after her. Jessie pauses in the hallway and looks back, teary, before booking to her room.