Episode Report Card Cate: D+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Ay Carumba
By Cate | Season 6 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.18.2001
As Dopey finishes off his pie, he asks Ruthie whether she laced it with a laxative or something. Really, Dopey, the time to ask that question would have been before you started eating it. This engaging conversation is interrupted by Mary, who has come upstairs to offer yet another round of apologies and info about The Big Split. This wins over Ruthie and Dopey, who offer her the Treehouse -- not that it's theirs to give. If there's any winner in this whole stupid Survivor rip-off game -- and really, how could there be? -- I'd have to say it's Lucy, who no longer has to share a room with Mary. Everyone starts down the stairs, but as soon as Dopey and Mary are out of the Treehouse, Ruthie hurries back up and closes the trap door, bolting it shut. She's really excited to be the last one in the Treehouse. Has she forgotten that there are no toilet facilities up there?
Dopey sits Mary down for some Helpful Patriarchal Correction. Ah, she must have really missed that while she was in "New York," even though she did receive her fair share of it from her younger cousin George. What's that? You don't think George is in any way qualified to give people advice? Of course he is, silly. He has a penis, you know. At least I assume he does. Dopey feels the need to chastise Mary for kissing someone other than Wilson. Okay, duly noted, jerk. He also wants to tell her that he thinks she made the wrong decision when she chose Wilson over Robbie. Is he going to suggest he arrange her marriage to Robbie? Or that he punish her for shaming the family by cheating on Wilson? I'm sure I wasn't the only viewer made highly uncomfortable by this scene.
Robbie and Joy walk into a nightclub, which turns out to be owned by Joy's father, who is an entertainment lawyer. In Glenoak? Whatever. Robbie's all nervous about not being twenty-one and about the fact that he doesn't drink. Believe it or not, Robbie, bars don't actually force you to consume alcohol. It's just there if you want to order it. Joy takes off her jacket, and the band starts to play, right on cue, as she walks onstage. I'm sure that's how all the big rock stars do it. The club is called the Conga Room. I'm not sure, but I think "Conga" is Spanish for "crappy music." As Joy launches into one of her forgettable tunes, I just hit the mute button and count my lucky stars that there will be less senseless dialogue for me to recap.
The CamRents come home from their date to receive another apology from Mary. Oh, enough already! I like to see Mary down on her knees as much as the next person (no, not in that way, though I'll bet her Penthouse shoot is not far off -- after all, she is leaving the show next year and will most likely have no career), but I think we've seen enough of her groveling for one evening. But no. her apology goes on for at least three or four decades before she offers up a cheque for the car payments the CamRents made for her last year. She's even added interest. Okay, now I really want to know where she's getting all this money. Between shelling out for an expensive plane ticket and throwing away money on those hideous, sparkly pink jeans, shouldn't the parents be questioning the source of her income? The girl works part-time in a homeless shelter, for crying out loud. Instead of questioning, Annie is smugly beaming, as if this belated action of Mary's somehow vindicates SuperMom for all her psycho behaviour of the past two episodes. She even forces Eric to apologize to his daughter. As Mary leaves, RevCam and Annie start dancing in the kitchen while he hums something tuneless. It's probably one of Joy's songs.