Episode Report Card Niki: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Won't Someone Please Help George Bailey Tonight? (2)
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 20 | Aired on 04.17.2001
Cut to Rick and his associates huddled around the Atlantor model, musing about moving walkways and once again proving that "architectural humor" is an oxymoron. Rick gets a call and excuses himself. The associates lean in conspiratorially, flicking their whiskers and doing their best impressions of rats on a sinking ship. Most of them are planning their getaway, but Cho chides them by reminding them how great Rick's been to them over the years. Yeah, well, "great" doesn't pay the mortgage, does it Cho?
Cut to Rick on the phone, saying that "it's not something [he'd] be interested in." Cho wanders over and asks, "Your adoring public?" Rick wearily sighs, "A reporter." Cho leans on the desk and mutters, "The natives are getting restless." And so are Cho's pants, if I'm not mistaken. And I rarely am about such things. Something in the way she looks at Rick says that she sees him with more than employee loyalty. Rick glances over at the huddled masses and assures her that they'll get through it. He insists that Atlantor has too much invested in the project to turn back now. Rick apparently has never heard of "cutting your losses." He says everyone will "just have to hang in there. And so will you." She smiles, "Do I look like I'm going anywhere?" I knew it!
Karen, meanwhile, is entering Dumanjiak's lair, and looking extremely nervous doing so. He thanks her profusely for coming and offers her a cup of coffee, giggling, "The cup is clean. I think." He really does giggle. Like a little girl. She asks how he's doing, and he mistakes the perfunctory question for actual interest, launching into a description of his basketball team's latest performances. Dumanjiak can read by her eyes that she's not really interested, and asks, "I thought you knew basketball. Doesn't your son play?" She says he does, and Dumanjiak asks where. Reluctant to give up even this tidbit of information, Karen warily sips her coffee and says, "He quit." She steers the conversation to the point of the visit. He starts to answer, and then says, with an embarrassed chuckle, "I'm just really happy to see you." She doesn't return the smile. Looking into her cup, she stonily asks, "So you can trick me into revealing more about my ex-husband?" Dumanjiak looks wounded, and stands up, moving around to the other side of his desk. He says he was just trying to do his job. She informs him that the police searched Rick's apartment while her children were there. Dumanjiak leans on the desk and says, "The indictments are coming down today." Karen's breath catches. "And?" she asks after a second. Her eyes are full of fear. Dumanjiak: "Rick's gonna walk." Karen's eyes widen with relief, and she exhales, letting her shoulders slump. She takes another breath, not trusting herself to speak yet. Then she sighs, "Oh, thank god," and looks like she's about to sob. She's puzzled, though, as to why he's telling her. He says he knew it was weighing on her. Her ass-pole gives her a wiggle, and she starts to protest that he's "not supposed to --" He blows it off, "Everyone else leaks around here. Why shouldn't I?" She says she doesn't know "what to do with this information." "Be happy?" Dumanjiak suggests. Karen softens, and thanks him emphatically. He tries the "aw shucks" routine as Karen stammers that she has to tell Rick; she asks if she's allowed to. He says no, but who's going to know? Her ass-pole relaxes into something like a limp noodle. For once, she actually returns his smile. She stands and thanks him again, full of sincerity. He stops her. He studies her face, wanting to say something, but all he can come up with is, "It's nice to see you." Her smile is restrained as she looks at him, shuffles uncomfortably, and then leaves his office. She doesn't hear him berating himself: "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"