Episode Report Card Heathen: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Falling In Place
By Heathen | Season 3 | Episode 13 | Aired on 03.03.2002
Rick and Lily cook up breakfast for the brood. As opposed to Eli, who cooks up a nice long brood. Lily offers Grace half a bagel; she's all, "Half?" Lily puzzles at Grace only being hungry for breakfast on Saturdays. "I do it merely to puzzle you," Grace says. And that's her only contribution to the episode. Zoe, meanwhile, has a brown placemat on her head in a half-turban, half-Flying Nun getup, and buzzes over to accept eggs from Rick. Jessie arrives downstairs, looking very fresh-faced and pretty in a mock turtleneck sweater, and announces that she needs a ride to the hospital. Rick offers to take her, if she'll let him stop by Sam Blue's place first; in the background, Lily subtly and without fanfare -- and without even looking at her daughter -- plucks the placemat from Zoe's passing head. It's almost a lost moment, but it's so honest, and stuff like that is why I love Once and Again. Jessie rejects Rick's offer primly, because she doesn't want to wait. This presents Lily with the perfect opportunity for martyrdom, and she seizes upon it hungrily, offering to take Jessie to see Karen immediately. As Rick is thrilled and Jessie glowers, Zoe's crafty little hand reaches into the background of the shot and yanks the placemat off the counter, because by now, Lily isn't paying attention to it. Again, a completely honest moment, and again, it's a lovely little gift for people who get a chance to look for it. Off-camera, we hear Grace say with the utmost exasperation, "Zoe!" To which Zoe whines, "What?!" All that happens while the viewers watch Jessie sulk a tad, but ultimately resign herself to accepting Lily's assistance once more.
Judy calls for Eli, and Rick answers; he asks Grace to brave the Pot Barn, but Zoe butts in first and innocently blabs that she doesn't think Eli came home at all last night. Grace kicks her flagrantly under the table, without bothering to conceal the universal sign for "Hey, stupid, that was a secret." Rick's hardly happy, and asks Judy if Eli was supposed to show up for work. "No," Judy hedges. "He just...left a little early yesterday." Rick is angry that Eli bolted without explanation, and clenches his jaw.
As the car pulls up to the hospital, Jessie makes a move to get out, but Lily stops her. "I know you don't want to have this converation, so I'm sorry, but I have something to say and you need to listen," Lily begins. "I have no intention of trying to replace your mother. I can't! Nobody can. But I do have a role in your life now, and I happen to be really happy about that." Lily's face is utterly open and honest. She means this; even Jessie can see that. "I think you're terrific," Lily adds. "Smart. And I'm proud to be a part of your life." Jessie looks sad, but her expression is just inscrutable enough that I can't tell if she's inwardly eating crow or just trying to be polite while silently disregarding everything Lily says. "I know this is a difficult time for you," Lily continues. "It's a difficult time for everyone, and I need you to know that I'm here for you. Anything you need. Just know that." Jessie sighs and stares out the windshield, leaning tiredly against the seat. She looks up at Lily and takes a deep breath. "Thank you," she says, very sincerely, and even a tad moved. But she's not ready for anything more than that, so she hops out of the car and doesn't see Lily reach for her. Lily's outstretched arm and hand barely graze Jessie's shoulder before she's out of the car and the door is closed. Lily instinctively clutches at the air, then lets her arm drop cheerlessly to the seat. Her breath catches in her throat, and she heaves a loud, choked breath. She sniffles and stares after her troubled stepdaughter.