Episode Report Card M. Giant: B+ | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Putting the "Wreck" in "Reconciliation"
By M. Giant | Season 5 | Episode 6 | Aired on 07.09.2005
It's dark outside, and so far the only friend Ruth has managed to scare up for Sarah is Kathy Bates, a.k.a. Bettina. In a nicely subtle touch, she's currently making dinner using Ruth's pots and pans. Sarah's gotten a hold of one of Fiona's email lists, and Bettina says they'll contact everyone tomorrow and regroup back at the Fisher place. Ruth says she's going to be spending the night at the house. When the other women get really quiet, she explains, "George and I are in transition mode." Sarah says it sounded like they were together when Ruth was on the phone. "You threw the bum out 'cause he couldn't get his fucking shit together?" Bettina asks, and Ruth says she "made a plan" with her knitting buddies to get George set up on his own. "Sort of pad the landing and then…" "Parachute out of there?" Bettina guesses. "When the time is right," Ruth says smugly. Bettina says Ruth will be changing George's diapers and drinking a gallon of Merlot a day. Well, she probably should cut down to that sometime anyway.
Claire and her brown paper shopping bag come in from her day of jobhunting, and Ruth says, "Oh, Claire, your Aunt Sarah's dear friend Fiona was killed today." "What, someone killed her?" Claire asks. Hee. Bettina says Fiona fell off a cliff in Topanga Canyon. "You met her at the full moon celebration," Sarah tells Claire. Claire remembers, since Fiona wrote her a recommendation for art school. "And she knew dad and…Nate?" "Yes, that's the one," Ruth says shortly. Bettina asks who gets to eulogize about Fiona's "penchant for ushering young boys into manhood?" "That was once," Sarah snaps, drinking straight from the wine bottle, and Bettina says that's the one thing she really admired Fiona for. Claire notices that the original table is back, and Ruth says, "The old table just didn't make any sense in here. George has it. He moved out, but I don't want to discuss it." She ignores Claire's "Say what?" face (which is actually visible from orbit), saying that Sarah needs them now. Sarah asks how Claire is. Claire says she had to start temping (ignoring Ruth's own "say what?" face), saying it's only until she hears back on the emerging artist grant. And then she reaches into her shopping bag and pulls out the brand-new, periwinkle business suit she bought for her new gig. Sarah and Bettina react with undisguised horror. Okay, maybe it's funny to stick Claire in pastels, but I have a hard time believing that the ladies' suit store didn't have a damn thing in royal purple or puke green.
Billy's sitting at Nate and Brenda's dining room table, reading aloud to Brenda from email exchanges between him and Claire. Nate comes out to announce that Maya is down for the evening (See? They got rid of the kid before this scene even started!), as Billy goes on to share one of Claire's responses, and insists on reading a sarcastic "sadly" as a sincerely regretful "sadly." Billy wouldn't last ten seconds in our forums in his current state. Brenda and Nate look sad that Billy is in their house bugging them with this. Billy gets ready to read some IM transcripts and Brenda wails, "No!" Billy asks Nate if he's asked what Claire's thinking. "Clearly she's moved on," Nate says impatiently. "To be honest with you, the only reason that I'm dealing with you is because you're here and you're not out there stalking my sister." Billy apologizes and says he's back on his meds, but it's going to take a while to get rebalanced and breakups are hard for anyone. He starts to use his hosts as an example, but Brenda's sharp "Billypleasedon't" cuts him off almost instantly. I wish Nate would ask her about that later. Billy apologizes again and steals some ice cream from the freezer, saying he'll leave as soon as he watches something on their TiVo. "And I won't call her," he finishes. Well, no, I imagine it'll be kind of late by then.