Episode Report Card Niki: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Where's That High Road?
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 7 | Aired on 12.18.2000
Tiffany finds Grace, Zoe, and Jake at the restaurant, and excitedly informs them that "it's all set." They have no idea what she's talking about. She clarifies: she got Jake an exclusive interview in the Evanston Review. ["Hey! When I went to Chicago last summer, I stayed in Evanston! It's a lovely town -- really great Mexican and soul-food restaurants there." -- Wing Chun] Jake is blown away. Tiffany continues jabbering away about the premise of the article -- the lost tradition of the family restaurant -- and how she called in a bunch of personal favors to arrange the interview. Zoe asks if that means they'll get their picture in the paper. "Uh huh! Isn't that the coolest thing ever?" Tiffany says. Grace smiles at her, but it's a sad world-weary smile, because she knows that Jake's screwing Tiffany over. Tiffany nuzzles up to Jake on his bar stool, saying that she wanted to contribute something, especially now that she's going to be a bartender. Tiffany gets herself all worked up again and then announces that she has to go to the bathroom or she'll die. Grace takes a slug from a bottle of water and watches her leave, expressionless. Zoe asks Jake if he's going to marry Tiffany. Grace pauses mid-slug while Jake half-chuckles/half-chokes. Grace watches him with disappointment in her eyes as he avoids the question by drinking his Coke.
We return from commercials to find Grace preening in her mirror and looking dissatisfied. On the Stool, she informs us that Carla says, "Being pretty can be like a decision that you make." Fighting the urge...to...be...catty.... Grace demonstrates the steps for us, which involve holding your face really still, opening your eyes wide, and then looking blank. Good advice, that. And it makes speaking nearly impossible, which, if you read The Rules, is apparently something boys like. Anyway, Grace actually does look pretty in this sequence -- probably because her hair is actually down and relaxed for a change. Unlike the hair she's sporting for her date, which is clamped in place with -- wait for it -- barrettes. Lily hollers to see if Grace is coming. Lily's heading down the stairs with Zoe, who informs her that Grace has a date. Lily stops dead and looks as though Zoe just dropped a stink bomb. "She does?" she snots. Oh, here we go.
Yep. We cut to Lily on the phone, complaining into the mouthpiece that no one informed her highness about Grace's date. Jake, lounging in his darkened bedroom, informs Lily that he did know about it. Lily is speechless for a minute, and her face sinks. "She told you?" she snots. Jake holds the phone away from himself, looks at it like it's a turd, and then puts it back to his ear. Hah! Lily asks if Jake's met the boy, and Jake promises that he's going to. It seems that sound doesn't travel too well to the center of the universe, as Lily's having trouble hearing him. She says again that one of them should meet the boy. Jake tells her to take it easy and then repeats that he's going to meet the kid. "Okay...thanks," she grudgingly says and then hangs up. Jake takes a second to process the exchange, and then shakes his head, muttering something. "Grace has a date," Tiffany says sagely, propping her naked self on Jake's chest. God, I hope she doesn't launch into a debauched tale of her own first date. Jake confirms and then mockingly says, "Horror of horrors." "Not for you?" Tiffany asks. "No, for her mom," Jake says wearily, dragging his arm across his eyes. "It signals the end of the world, apparently." Hah, again! Tiffany starts revving up Jake, and out of consideration for you, beloved reader, I'm going to leave it at that. Trust me, it's better this way. Jake ultimately insists that he has to get to the restaurant, so Tiffany stiff-upper-lips it and says she'll wait until later that night. Jake begs off, saying he has to meet a guy to do some deal. Is that what the kids are calling it these days? "All night?" Tiffany pouts. "As long as it takes," Jake says. Oh, the double-entendre is killing me. Tiffany's disappointment is palpable.