Episode Report Card Sobell: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Get out, Nate. Seriously.
By Sobell | Season 3 | Episode 7 | Aired on 04.12.2003
Brenda's decided she wants to talk about her dead dad now. We learn that Bern died three months to the day after his diagnosis of gastric cancer. She says, "It was everywhere, it was all up and down his alimentary canal. It was fun learning the jargon." At least she could learn it. Come to think of it, a few medical facts seeped into Nate's blockhead: "I know what you mean. I never even knew I had a medulla oblongata; now I could draw it for you, along with everything else in my head." What medium is he working in? Etch-a-Sketch? Crayon? Brenda asks if Nate has a scar; he counters, "Is that a rhetorical question?" She asks to see the scar, and he shows her. Brenda reaches out to touch it, and finally loses it, turning away to begin weeping. Nate tells her, "Bren, it's okay. I'm okay." Because, you know, being at her father's funeral would have nothing to do with her bursting into tears. Brenda pleads volatile funeral-related emotions, and Nate hangs with her until she calms down enough to remind him that they're in the very place they were supposed to get married. Nate knew that. They sit there, weirdly comfortable. Since I'm in an overanalyzing mood, I'm going to guess that they're probably also grieving for the way things played out between them.
Brunchtime. Keith is the sole leading lady who has not figured out who she is. He's Jeanne Tripplehorn, and while aficionados of bad movies (i.e. me) would know who she is, Keith is among that giant segment of the population which had the good sense to stay away from Waterworld. As more and more people begin tossing Jeanne Tripplehorn's CV at Keith, he has a Social Hell kind of daydream where everyone's turned into a dreadful Catholic schoolgirl chanting, "Waterworld!" Poor guy. No wonder he has rage issues, which he threatens to air during the brunch by blurting angrily, "I have no idea!" After the awkward silence that follows, HwtM resigns himself to pulling Keith's sticker off his back and telling him who he was. Over in the kitchen area, David dies a thousand deaths because Keith's embarrassing him in front of his friends. Poor Keith looks miserable.
Out in Malibu, the sun's going down and Brenda's still talking with Nate. She tells him, "Watching him die was like watching someone get washed out to sea, only they're sitting right there in bed. A wave comes, takes them a little away, another waves comes, takes them a little away. Every wave is a day. Little by little, off they...off they go." Nate just watches her talk. After a moment, Brenda starts talking again, and she tells him, "I don't want to put you in a weird position..." "I'm already in a weird position," he tells her. Well, not with Lisa; they have the boring sex, remember? Anyway, Brenda tells him she missed him through the whole thing with Bern. Nate immediately responds that he's missed her too. They basically tell each other that they liked themselves better when they were with each other, and their lives now are pretty weak in comparison. Brenda says, "You know what I think?" Nate asks, "About what?" Brenda replies, "I don't know. About life." Nate asks again, "What?" Brenda tells him, "I think it's all about timing. I think timing is everything." Now would be an excellent time for Nate Sr. to stroll on the scene and say, "She's right, buddy boy." Instead, Nate simply agrees with Brenda, and the camera pulls out to show the two of them sitting close together, facing each other as the sun slowly goes down over the ocean.