Episode Report Card Niki: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Disoriented
By Niki | Season 3 | Episode 14 | Aired on 03.10.2002
"Okay, so the fact that your friend is gay --" Dr. Wise-Ass says. Jessie interrupts to clarify that it wouldn't bother her if her friend were gay; it bothers her that people are saying that Katie is gay when Jessie knows that she isn't. Jessie claims that she knows Katie really well, and she just doesn't think that she's gay: "And if she was, she'd be going to that meeting tonight." Right, because she'd have gotten the memo, printed on rainbow stationery, that attendance is mandatory. "Well, that settles it, then," Dr. Wise-Ass mocks. I love this man. Jessie realizes the silliness of her argument, and that she's being teased. She levels a phony glare at Dr. Wise-Ass, but she can't quite keep the smile out of it.
The doorbell rings at Creepitri's place, and he comes barreling down the stairs in a red robe and jammies. Half his face is covered with shaving cream, and the front of his hair is tied back in a ponytail. Aside from the shaving cream, he and I could be twins right now. He throws open his back door and finds Grace and Jessie standing there with bags of groceries. Grace lets him know that they're a little early, in case his state of undress wasn't enough to tip him off. There's a moment of uncomfortable silence, which Jessie breaks by announcing that they brought chips and salsa. Creepitri takes the bags and invites them inside, gesturing toward the living room. Grace looks like a kid stepping into FAO Schwarz for the first time. Creepitri suggests they put on some music, and excuses himself to finish scraping his face.
"So, why did you want to come to this?" Jessie needles. Grace tries to keep up the pretense, stonily saying that she thinks it's a very important cause, blah blah blah Creepitricakes. Jessie's itching for a fight. She laces up the gloves, saying that she doesn't think it's right to label someone as gay "just because you heard it somewhere." Grace easily deflects the shot, snarking that she doesn't think it's right, either. Jessie lets fly a right hook, claiming that's exactly what Grace did. Grace dodges it, saying, "That's not labeling. That's truth." She picks up a framed picture and studies it. Her nonchalance inflames her opponent. "How can you say that when you only heard it somewhere?" Jessie cries. She watches Grace with the picture, then looks away with distaste, looking for a strategy for round two. She decides the only choice is the low blow, and drags Creepitri into the ring with them, claiming that everyone thinks he's gay. She mentions the vast number of musicals in his CD collection. Grace dances, avoiding the shot with a deft "Like, how many musicals?" The fighters retreat to their corners, settling for a draw. Something on the bookshelf catches Grace's attention. She pulls out a slim hard-covered volume entitled Accidentally On Purpose. She flips the book over so we can see the back cover's photograph of a much younger, trimmer Eric Stoltz, straining for beatnik with his little goatee and black turtleneck. Jessie suggests that they shouldn't be snooping around. The front door opens on cue and students start streaming in. Katie's among them. She says hi to "Billie." Jessie, surprised, stammers, "Hi, Billie." She manages to ask why Katie's there, since she thinks these clubs are stupid. Katie assures her that she does. "I just felt like seeing Dimitri's house," she explains, tugging off her coat and moving around for a closer look at the place. Troubled, Jessie watches her. Creepitri enters, and Grace murmurs, "You're a real poet." He plucks the book from her hands and returns it to the shelf. She asks if she can look at his poems. Creepitri fidgets and hedges that they're "not really worth looking at."