Episode Report Card Aaron: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It's My Body And I'll Cry If I Want To
By Aaron | Season 3 | Episode 12 | Aired on 05.17.2003
Cut to later, as the entire Fisher family congregates in the kitchen. Ruth offers to serve up some of her stuffed cabbage rolls, which reminds me that it's time for breakfast, but no one on the actual show seems to be hungry. Except for Maya, of course, who is zoned out silently in her high chair with baby food smeared all over her face. Nate is zoned out silently in his own regular-height chair (with two days worth of stubble smeared all over his face), and he keeps flashing on various images of Lisa waiting by her car at the beach for someone else to arrive. The flashes are intercut with Ruth back at the Fortress, as she pulls "one of Lisa's Dr. Peppers" out of the fridge. "Lisa doesn't drink Dr. Pepper," insists Nate, but Claire snarkily informs him that she just doesn't drink it in front of him. Hmm. Let me get this straight. The two secret vices in this family are cigarettes and Dr. Pepper? Now, that has to be a shout-out. I'm made of cigarettes and Dr. Pepper. With this little informational tidbit added to the storyline in his head, Nate now flashes on some random guy who's joined Lisa by her car. He's precisely the sort of goateed, flannel-wearing, European car-driving, Dr.-Pepper-swilling neo-hippie Phish-head that you'd expect Lisa to go for, and he's intent on convincing her that Nate is "toxic" as he drives her off into the sunset to find true love. Oy. If that's really what happened to Lisa, all I can say is good riddance. Those two deserve each other. Back in the kitchen, Ruth is explaining to everyone that she'll be gone for the evening, and then she dashes out the door with an overnight bag in hand. As the junior Fishers continue to laze about in the kitchen, Claire tentatively asks her brothers if they have any plans for the next day. Their responses are identical and simultaneous, except Nate plans to be doing the "same old shit," whereas David will be dealing with the "same old crap." Heh. Jinx. They share a sheepish grin, and surprisingly, Claire asks if Ruth might have any plans. Wow. I guess they really did bond during that talk a few weeks back if she'd even entertain the notion of asking Ruth for a ride. Regardless, however, the boys answer in unison again, this time announcing that Ruth will be with "George." Throughout all this, by the way, Maya has been squeezing David's hand in her typically adorable fashion. Maybe the reason she's so quiet is that she's been getting a contact high off all the embalming fluid.
Cromwell's Crib. Ruth and George are cuddled up in bed, taking a poetry quiz out of a giant blue book. The last question is: "What poem's original title was 'He Do The Police In Different Voices.'" Am I the only person in America who thought the correct answer was NWA's "Fuck Tha Police"? Yeah. That's what I thought. In fact, the correct answer is actually "Wasteland," and you can visit the forums for a detailed analytical breakdown of all the relevant symbolism in play there. At least I can take comfort in the fact that Ruth and George didn't know the answer either, because George actually has to look it up in the back of the book. When he compiles their score, however, he's pleased to announce that they're still a genius, even with one answer wrong. This scene would have been so much funnier if they had been taking one of those Cosmo quizzes. You know, something like, "Are You A Senior Citizen Slut?" or "How Psychotically Desperate Are You?" Putting the book aside, they snuggle together under the covers and prepare to go to sleep. Romantic pillow talk ensues, with George asking if Ruth always moves this fast with every guy and Ruth lying through her man-hungry teeth as she says no. She does, however, feel like "the stars are moving a little faster" for them. "You know," she adds, "like in those movies where they speed everything up." Hee! You just knew there was no way AOL Time Warner was going to let them get away without at least a subtle plug for The Matrix: Reloaded. I mean, if you're gonna pimp Dr. Pepper and power tools all night long, you might as well throw a quick bone to the corporate office while you're at it. Ruth also explains that with Lisa gone, she's begun to realize the importance of grabbing on to the good things in life. This is followed by some singing and some finger nibbling, and Kathy Bates stops just short of using a telestrator to make sure that we all notice that Ruth is still wearing her wedding ring in these shots. After establishing that they both potentially represent the other's last chance for true happiness, they lean in to mack, fogey-style.