Episode Report Card Niki: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Pressure Cooker
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 4 | Aired on 11.20.2000
Then Rick hops on the Soliloquy Stool (tm Heathen) to clear things up for us. He remembers how his father kept the carving knife "perfectly sharp," and that when he cut the turkey, the pieces came off "exactly the same thickness as all the others." Anyone else getting the feeling that Rick still has some issues with his father?
Meanwhile, Rick is still jabbing and hacking away at the poor turkey, and he's got this dazed zombie face while he's doing it. Actually, maybe he's holding in tears. Dude, it's turkey. Let it go.
Back on the Stool, Rick continues, "You weren't allowed to speak while he was carving. Not that that was very much different from the rest of the dinner." Can I just say that Rick's dad sounds like a dick?
Rick's mom proudly watches him lay a slice of turkey on a plate. She seems to think he did a fine job carving. Aaron watches Rick intently. Rick catches him, and the two share a small smile. Rick takes a gulp of wine.
"And my mother's job was to keep it all going, no matter what insincere inanity she had to come up with," Rick continues from the Stool. "She was always up, always perky. God forbid there was a moment of silence." We see Peg clinking glasses with Jessie and Grace and toasting, "Happy days, happy days" in this insanely cheerful, chirpy voice. She extends an invitation for Babs to come and visit. Judy passes Aaron his plate with a big piece of white meat. Aaron's wrinkled nose indicates that he is a dark-meat man. Grace spots his displeasure and races over with the turkey platter to rectify the situation. With his fingers, Aaron picks up the piece from his plate, and swaps it for another from the platter. He and Grace giggle, while Babs, aghast, works at trapping flies. Rick empties the wine bottle into his glass. He looks drugged. Montage of chit-chat around the table: Babs smiles widely; Zoe yaks Eli's ear off while he rests his forehead on his folded hands; Lily and Peg share a laugh; Rick gulps his wine; Eli and Grace share a commiserating look regarding Zoe's chatter; Jessie glares at Zoe; Peg smiles; Lily dumps more stuffing or something onto Jessie's plate despite her protests; Rick stares vacantly. He really looks like he should be in a NyQuil commercial or something. Anyway, we next get a close-up of Jessie's fork moving around the food on her plate but not actually lifting it to her mouth. Rick watches. Zoe catches him and looks guilty. Rick lifts his empty glass and tips the empty bottle right over it, looking disappointed that it's all gone.