Episode Report Card Deborah: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Collision
By Deborah | Season 1 | Episode 19 | Aired on 04.01.2004
At home, Kevin's setting the dining room table while Joan practices piano in the background. I never noticed that the Girardis had a piano, but then, it's not the sort of thing I usually pay attention to. Helen, who's preparing supper in the kitchen with Luke, says, "I've learned with your sister it's best not to ask. She might try to explain." Joan hits some wrong notes and bangs the keyboard. Kevin, hopefully: "Maybe she broke it." But she starts up again. Helen mentions that their insurance company called to tell them that Kevin needs pre-approval for the second opinion he's seeking. He says he'll take care of it. Helen wants to know why he needs a second opinion. Kevin evades the question and insists he'll handle it. Joan comes into the dining room, asking if something's wrong. Kevin says no. Will comes in the front door and asks if someone was playing the piano: "I thought I heard…" Kevin: "Pounding? You heard pounding." Joan: "I'm doing a lot better." Kevin: "At pounding." Joan: "You want me to do well in math, don't you?" Helen says, mostly to herself, "This is why I don't ask." Luke, who wouldn't miss an opening like that: "Well, all music is based on the mathematical certainty that vibrations change when the ratio between whole numbers change." (Luke is wearing an awesome t-shirt with an anatomical graphic of the organs in the torso on it.) Joan comes to the dining room, saying, "Ahhh…and Joan flunks math!" She asks Kevin, "So…what's wrong with you, anyway?" Will calls from the kitchen, "Something wrong?" Kevin insists he's fine. He wheels away. Please note that the powers that be have heeded Sars's plea, and Kevin is now sporting some sideburns. ["I know. Sometimes the answer is yes, too." -- Sars] Or maybe Jason Ritter took it upon himself. Joan asks, "Did we join the CIA and I just didn't get the note?" Helen asks what she's talking about. Joan: "Secret doctors…" How would she have even figured out that much of the conversation? She was playing the piano when Helen was talking about it. She continues, "The mysterious…Richard…" Luke asks, "Who?" Joan says it's some relative of their father's that their mother won't discuss. Will tries to act casual: "Why are you asking about Richard?" Helen tells him about Joan finding the letter. Will asks what it was doing there. Joan: "So who is he? A criminal? A pervert? What?" Will says, as he pours himself a drink, that he's a distant relative. Joan: "He's a Girardi?" Will claims again that he's a distant relative: "I barely knew him." Joan persists: "Grandpa said in the letter you were mad at am." Will shrugs: "Stuff happens when you're young." You can tell Joan's not buying it. He changes the subject: "Can we eat? I didn't have any lunch." Then the scene just fades out abruptly.
After the commercials, Helen's getting ready for bed while Will sits in the bedroom looking at the box of stuff Joan was pawing through earlier. He says he thought they threw all that stuff out long ago. Helen figured he might want to look back someday. Will: "Why would I want to look back at Richard? For what reason? You should have thrown it all out, Helen!" Well, then, I guess you're even. Helen's getting pissed: "Why did you leave it all up to me? I never liked getting dragged into this lie." Will says it's not a lie: "It's just a part of my life that's over. My family, the family I have now, that's what matters to me. That's all that matters to me now." Helen says she doesn't want to lie if Joan asks again. Will: "If you don't bring it up, she won't." Uh, sure. Will puts the lid on the box and says he'll just throw it out himself. Bet he doesn't, though.