Episode Report Card Deborah: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT "The Lamps Are Different, But The Light Is The Same"
By Deborah | Season 2 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.23.2004
At Mocha Mike's, Helen and Lily attempt to settle in with their coffee, but Helen's obviously unable to relax. Maybe it's because she seems to have completely forgotten that she's a high school teacher and it's the first day of school and classes have already begun. Seriously, shouldn't she, like, be there? Lily doesn't pussyfoot: "So you wanna talk about God." Helen says she just wants to talk about being Catholic. Lily doesn't seem to understand how you would talk about being Catholic without bringing God into it. Helen states that she's not a fanatic. Lily asks if she's at all familiar with the Catholic doctrine. Helen: "Give me a break -- I was raised in the Church. Catholic school, eight years of plaid. I just wasn't confirmed in the Church, but I'm very familiar with the whole thing, so we could probably just, um, do the fast version, if you have one of those." Lily: "And get right to what? Fundraising?" Helen says she doesn't need to be sarcastic. Lily says finding out why Helen wants to do this is part of the process. Helen: "What, you're screening people now?" Lily asks about Helen's family, how they feel about her returning to the Church. Helen doesn't know what to say, and Lily realizes Helen hasn't told them. Helen insists they'll be fine with it. Yeah, I'll bet Will throws you a party. Helen tries to change the subject, asking Lily about surfing: "I've heard it's a very spiritual experience." Lily says, "You know…the first step of confirmation is not lying to your family. It's pretty much not even a step." She pulls out a book for Helen and tells her to look through it and decide if it's really what she wants to do, adding, "Tell your family, and then we'll talk." She gets up and leaves without another word. Helen calls out after her, "Okay, well, it's amazing that you didn't fit in at the convent!" Heh. How very Joan-like. Lily just kind of glares at her on her way out.
Joan's shelving books at the bookstore. She grabs one fat tome, muttering, "Thomas Wolfe." She grabs another hefty volume and says, "Tom Wolfe…" Frink and I: "'Ketchup…catsup. Ketchup…catsup.'" Joan: "Not the same guy. Both very long-winded, though." Sammy's lurking in the background watching her. He asks her if she's talking to herself. Surprised, she fesses up, but adds, "Not in a way that's crazy, though." As Joan attempts to shelve the books in a section that's too short to accommodate them, Sammy says she arrived on time, completed the inventory, and is now unpacking stock: "What did they do to you at that camp?" Joan mentions drugs and shock treatment. Sammy looks apprehensive until Joan says she's kidding. Sammy asks, "So, uh, what did this breakdown look like?" Joan explains she was just imagining things because of the Lyme disease. Sammy wonders, "Did you think animals were reading your mind?" You mean, animals other than Friedman? Joan, confused, says nothing. Sammy elaborates: "Not animals…just this one rabbit?" Joan still doesn't know what to say, so Sammy explains that his wife spends a lot of time at home. Hey, so do I, and I don't think animals can read my mind. Um, usually. There's this one squirrel… Sammy continues, "She's an artist. She's needs a hobby or a job. I'm sure it's just temporary, the rabbit thing…" He seems a lot wearier than he did this time last year -- and if you'll recall, his wife was having some rabbit issues then, too, so I can only imagine what the past year has been like for him. Joan: "I'm not really the go-to girl for crazy behaviour. I had a one-time thing." Sammy: "I guess it's a broad spectrum. Continuum, really. What's normal, what isn't…without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. That's Sartre. Or Zappa." Heh. A customer has come in, saying, "Excuse me." It's Mrs. LandingGod! As Joan turns and stares, Mrs. LandingGod adds, "Am I invisible? Can anyone see me standing here?" Hee! Sammy doesn't turn around, and Joan tries to hide behind a book propped up for display on a shelf. Sammy says, "We have a customer." Joan says she's busy, and asks Sammy to look after her: "You're so much better with people." Yeah, that's Sammy. What did they do to her at that camp? She ducks down behind the shelf.