Episode Report Card Niki: D | 1 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Sneaky Feelings
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 14 | Aired on 01.30.2000
At Rick's place, everyone's having breakfast when Jen calls. Rick answers and is about to hand off to Eli, but Eli waves his arms to signal that he's not there. Rick backpedals to cover for him, and Jessie looks peeved. When Rick hangs up, Jessie says, "I'm so disgusted right now," and flies out of the room. "What was that about?" Rick asks. "I don't know. She's a brat?" Eli says. Rick clarifies the question: He was referring to Jennifer's phone call. Eli says he just didn't want to talk to her. "I have to see her every day, isn't that enough?" You were saying something about brats? Rick does his very best sponge impression and says that's fine, and he doesn't want to interfere. "I still like her," Eli says, "But she expects me to spend every minute of the day with her, and sometimes I just want to do things without her. She just shows up." Well, I can see how it would be a drag having your girlfriend around when you're busy trying to get with another girl, so maybe his point is valid. Okay, his wanting to have time to himself is valid, but I don't think Eli's being entirely honest in his motives, that's all. Rick suggests that he tell Jennifer how he feels. "I don't wanna hurt her. Girls her age are so sensitive," Eli says petulantly, imitating Karen. "And manipulative," Rick adds, with a trace of bitterness. Whoa, wait a minute, pal. The only manipulator here is Eli, in his handling of the truth. Eli asks how you know when something is over. Rick responds by telling him that he's "only sixteen, and [he] shouldn't have to think in those terms. [He] shouldn't have to feel that responsible. It's noble but not necessary at this point in [his] life." So at exactly what age should you become concerned about other people's feelings? Is this really the kind of advice teenage boys get? Because if it is, it explains a lot. Rick tells Eli to do what he really wants. Eli leaves Rick to finish his coffee and make indecipherable faces. Rick could either be wishing that his advice were that easy to follow (thinking of Lily, perhaps); or that he can't believe how crappy it is to be sixteen, and he'd never want to be that age again; or that he's unsure whether the advice he just gave his kid was really all that sound.
Cut to a pair of chopsticks suspending a calamari in front of Jessie's face. It's one of those bits that are a mass of tiny tentacles, and Jessie's reaction about sums it up: "It's heinous!" Then, in the same breath, she exclaims, "Eat it, Lloyd!" She shudders as he pops it in his mouth with an audible "chomp" and then chews it with relish. Jessie picks through the dish in front of her for more disgusting things to feed to Lloyd. He looks across the table at Karen and asks if she's okay. She says she's just tired. "How far did you guys get?" he asks. The force of the double-entendre sends Karen's elbow into her water glass, which she tips nervously. She stammers that they finished. Watching her closely, Lloyd asks if she has to work the next day and, almost snapping, she replies, "I told you we were finished." "Right," Lloyd says quietly. There's an uncomfortable silence, which Jessie feels responsible to dispel. She shows Lloyd how to get the splinters off his chopsticks by rubbing them together. They then have a chopstick sword fight, and Lloyd gamely pretends to be mortally wounded.