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
"There is a problem. God, I feel like I'm jumping off a cliff," he mutters. "What are you talking about?" Lily asks. He stares at his feet and gathers his courage for a few seconds before looking up. "I care about you," he says quietly. Lily is stunned speechless. He says he knows it's ridiculous, and she can say whatever she wants. "But I've been thinking about this, like, twenty hours a day, and I really like you," he purges." Lily looks like she might faint as Graham rambles on, gaining momentum: "I know, I'm not supposed to be saying that. I'm not even supposed to be thinking that. But you're like, like, an eclipse, and I can't not look at you. I have to risk --" "Blindness?" Lily asks, finally able to speak. "Everything!" he finishes. Lily looks like she's struggling for words again, so Graham plunges in, saying, "I wasn't going to say anything, I wasn't even, I wasn't even going to bring it up. I was just going to live with it. But I saw something in your eyes, that maybe you felt something, and it scared you. And I just want you to know that you don't have to be scared."
Graham reaches for Lily's hand, and Lily is starting to protest gently when Rick walks in. Oops again. He surveys the scene in front of him and stays incredibly calm as Lily introduces him to Graham. Graham asks, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?" probably just to turn the screws and make Rick feel like Lily's never mentioned him before. Rick apologizes and says he hopes he didn't barge in on anything. Lily assures him that he didn't, but she's a little rattled. "Obviously you guys are not quite done, so I'll just --" Rick says, making for the door. "No that's okay," Lily insists, but Rick slips out with a little half-wave. Graham looks at Lily, who just says, "Excuse me," and hurries after Rick. Graham closes his eyes for a second, like he's about to think he just blew it, but then stops himself. Lily catches up to Rick in the big main room, and he apologizes for being early. She assures him it's no problem, and says she just has to get her purse. Graham paces the perimeter of the room, watching them from the background. He almost collides with Rick once Lily is gone. Both men look uncomfortable and do the little this-way-that-way dance before they finally move around each other. Lily apprehensively watches the scene as she gathers her coat and purse. When Rick looks her way, she doesn't smile, but looks troubled instead.
After commercials, we return to find Lily and Rick in the middle of dinner at a cozy little bistro. Rick's regaling her with tales of concrete. Lily, astonishingly, seems distracted. Rick notices and says, "You're tired." Right, it couldn't be that she's not interested in building materials. Lily denies it, then adds, "I mean, no more than usual." She props her chin on her hands and appears to give Rick her undivided attention as she murmurs, "I'm so proud of you." Nice diversionary tactic, that. Rick asks if there's something he should know – about Graham. Lily looks startled and repeats the question incredulously. She says, "Of course not. Oh, Rick!" and gives him a big winning smile. She says that Graham is "like a puppy." Rick puts down his coffee cup and asks, "You mean he likes you like a puppy?" Who'd be threatened by a puppy? They're not the most fiery sexual things out there. She says, "No, no! I mean...He's just all over the place, like a puppy. He has the energy of --" "O-Okay," Rick says, pacified. "He's not threatening," Lily assures Rick, and he looks suitably sheepish for being insecure. Then he says, "Because he knows you're mine." Or rather, he grunts and waves his arms around and pounds his chest. "My little caveman," Lily smiles, not at all bothered by Unga Bunga's claim of ownership. Unga smiles and looks quite pleased with himself. Ugh.