Episode Report Card Aaron: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Speaker For The Dead
By Aaron | Season 2 | Episode 3 | Aired on 03.16.2002
Meanwhile, Nate and Brenda are eating dinner. Brenda blah-blahs about her day at school, referring to academia as "a giant circle jerk," and announcing that she's decided not to go back to school. Nate then describes his day, and mentions that his psychic client truly believes that her husband is still with her. "Well, she has to say that, right?" says Brenda. "If she claims she's a psychic." Nate calls Brenda on her newfound nihilism, reminding her about the time she told him that things leave marks on places and in time. Thanks, Nate. I was trying to forget that one, myself. Brenda yaps some more about energy, physics, and matter. Then she adds that "talking to dead people is delusional." Shout-out? There's more discussion about life after death, and whether or not there's a "plan," but my meta-meter pegged in the red-line about twenty minutes ago, so I'm not going to recap it. Let's just say that Brenda's been prepared to face her own death since she read a report about nuclear war at the age of six. "I don't understand how you can live like that," says Nate. "Well, I thought we all did," answers Brenda. Then she waves to Grant Show, who's gotten up to leave the bar. When Nate asks, she says he was a high school classmate, and that "clearly, he's had a nose job." Whatever, Brenda.
And yes, Virginia, there really is a "Plan." And we're back to it now, as the Borg Queen insists that everyone in the room close their eyes and pretend that everyone is laughing at them because they're an idiot. Then she asks if anyone gets the joke. For the record, it's been a week, and I still don't get it. Then again, that's how you people probably feel about the recaps, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Gosh, I hope that wasn't too self-effacing. Anyway. Queen Alice picks on Ruth some more, forcing her to reveal the details of her private letter to herself. Ruth, on the other hand, claims to be perfectly happy and not interested at all in the opinions of "a roomful of complainers." And here's where Ruth gets to deliver HER rant of the week. I'll transcribe it verbatim, as I wouldn't want to miss a single "fuck":
Ruth: You want me to complain? All right, then. Fuck this. Fuck you. Fuck all of you with your sniveling self-pity. And fuck all your lousy parents. Fuck my lousy parents while we're at it. Fuck my selfish bohemian sister and her fucking bliss. Fuck my legless grandmother. Fuck my dead husband. And my lousy children with their nasty little secrets. And fuck you, Robbie, for dragging me to this terrible place and not letting me have a Snickers bar. I'm going to get something to eat!
Touchdown! The crowd goes wild! Queen Alice congratulates Ruth for knocking down her old, "flea-bitten" house, and tells her that now she "can build the house of her dreams from the ground up." Ruth is surprised to see everyone applauding her, Robbie the loudest of them all.