Episode Report Card Niki: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Disoriented
By Niki | Season 3 | Episode 14 | Aired on 03.10.2002
Over at Creepitri's, Grace is busily scrubbing dishes. Creepitri shoos her out of the way and insists that he can do it. Reluctantly, Grace hands over the cloth and wipes her hands. They're standing very close. She takes a deep breath and smiles brightly, trying out a line: "So, I didn't know you wrote poetry." She realizes how presumptuous she sounds and adds that there are probably a lot of things she doesn't know about him. Creepitri smiles uncomfortably and turns toward the sink. Grace sputters, "Like, with the Gay/Straight Alliance, I didn't know that you..." She's interrupted by the phone, for which Creepitri seems grateful. Grace watches him depart and silently chides herself for being stupid, stupid, stupid. She listens as Creepitri's voice oozes affection all over the receiver. Defeated, she gestures toward the dining room and heads to retrieve her coat. Along with the book of Creepitri's poems.
Jessie and Tad wander into Manning Manor, where everyone has been sucked in by the movie. Rick asks where they were, and when Tad tells him, Rick asks, "You joined the Gay/Straight Alliance?" Jessie snuggles into his armpit and pouts, "Not exactly. Grace dragged me." Rick is surprised to hear that Grace joined. Lily suddenly finds the lint on the couch fascinating, and mumbles that she thought she mentioned it. Judy and Rick claim that she didn't say anything to them. Tad says that Grace is more excited about the group than she was about the play. Lily pops off the couch as if the cushion bit her, and asks if they'd like something to eat. Everyone declines, but she heads for the kitchen anyway. Tad helps himself to her seat. "What movie?" he asks. "Oh, nobody knows," Rick says. Someone on television coughs, and Rick mentions that that person will be dead soon. That's good enough for Tad. Judy turns over the information about Grace a few times then jumps up and heads for the kitchen.
"So she joined the Gay/Straight Alliance?" Judy asks the back of Lily's head, which is stationed in front of the microwave. Lily plays it off like it's nothing. "Come on! This is huge!" Judy insists. Why does everyone assume only gay kids join this club? Anyway, Lily sets her deflector shields on maximum and heads for the freezer in search of ice cream. I guess we're supposed to believe that she's an emotional eater. "You know, I never would have predicted this," Judy mutters. "Predicted what?" Lily demands. "But now that I think about it, it does sort of make sense," Judy continues. "It does not!" Lily snaps, slamming the freezer door. "Lily!" Judy exclaims. Lily whispers, "So what are you saying? Are you saying that Grace is gay?" Judy says it's obviously possible, "which is not what's shocking" her; it's more that Grace has a sex life of any kind. "She's. Not. Gay," Lily insists. Judy wonders what happened to accepting your kids for who they are. Lily shushes her. She insists that she is accepting Grace for who she is: "She happens to be straight." Lily reminds Judy that the club is the Gay/Straight Alliance. Grace comes through the back door, putting the kibosh on any further speculation over her orientation. Lily asks how the meeting was. Grace can't wait to get out of the kitchen, and mumbles something about homework before slinking out. "Did you see that?" Lily whispers, alarmed. "She couldn't even look me in the eye!" Judy looks at her sympathetically. Lily's stomach sinks, and she mutters, "Oh, my god, maybe it's true." That's right, Lily. Cram that in your microphone.