Episode Report Card Aaron: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT To Your Scattered Bodies Go
By Aaron | Season 3 | Episode 1 | Aired on 03.01.2003
We fade back up on Nate, holding Maya and explaining his AVM surgery to a guy we've never seen before. "I never actually flatlined," he says. "I just woke up and they told me that the AVM had ruptured…my head actually exploded." Aargh! Too! Many! Rectangle jokes! Not! Enough! Time! Must! Not! Mention! Flammable hair gel! "You're really lucky," replies the guy. "I am SO fucking lucky," agrees Nate. Well, he is SO right about that, isn't he? From there we cut to Lisa, who is showing off her engagement ring to a woman we've never seen before. For the record, we're at some sort of backyard barbecue, one that's obviously being thrown by Mr. and Mrs. Random. Nate, Lisa, the Randoms, and a few other people gather around a table to eat, and they're joined by a guy who looks just enough like Harold Perrineau to induce a quick post-traumatic Oz-stress flashback. The lunchtime conversation starts out being about astrology, but we somehow quickly end up on the topic of lactation, and Lisa's inability to keep up with Maya's leviathan-sized milk demands. After telling us way more than I ever needed to know about the internal workings of her breasts, Lisa admits that she's been taking fenugreek to help produce more milk. "The only drawback is that my sweat smells a little bit like maple syrup," she adds. Nate is jolted by this revelation, but he doesn't say anything, and just sits there looking confused for a few moments. Meanwhile, this entire scene has featured a running gag where Mr. Random keeps instructing his young son to leave their cat alone, and it reaches a climax here with a loud, plaintive "meow!" on the soundtrack. Uh-oh. Looks like Kitty didn't make it.
Later on, the male contingent of partygoers gathers in the garage to smoke a quick joint. The fact that Nate is not among them is merely the first clue this scene has to offer that the new Nate is actually something of a wuss. In fact, when he finally does come out to join them, it's only to say that he's leaving because he has to work later than night. Then he turns down a "hit for the road," and even admits that he sold his motorcycle soon after the surgery. What? He sold the motorcycle? Say it ain't so, Nate! Sniff. This sucks. I miss the wild-and-crazy Nate. I miss the Nate who has sex in supply closets and flirts with highly attractive female rabbis. Hell, I even miss the Nate with the neck stubble and the trapezoidal sideburns. At least I knew I could always count on that Nate when I needed a joke. This one just kind of sits there like a lump of wet fenugreek.