Episode Report Card Deborah: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT A Show Of Hands
By Deborah | Season 2 | Episode 12 | Aired on 01.06.2005
As the students exit Slacker Symposium, I notice one of the girls is extremely pregnant. Interesting. I can't remember ever seeing a pregnant teenager on a show like this where it was just incidental. PMJS calls to Joan as he's hauling the AV cart out of the room: "I was surprised to see you with…that guy this morning." He wonders if she broke up with Adam. Joan says that guy was "someone else," and is surprised to realize that PMJS knows who she's seeing. Well, she's been hanging all over Adam all semester. PMJS has probably seen them. Also, Price knows about Joan and Adam, and school staff members do talk. I can't imagine the subject of Joan Girardi doesn't come up fairly frequently in the staff lounge, at least when Helen's not around. PMJS says the Guidance department knows everything. Not in my experience, it doesn't. He glances at the brochure Joan's carrying and says, "I'm psyched you're gravitating toward design." At least that's what the closed captioning says. To me it sounded more like "Looks like you're gravitating toward design." Joan claims, "Well, I like it. I like interior design and furniture and you know…drapes." She sighs. Honey, if your lamps are any indication, the only future you've got in interior design is going to resemble that of loony Trading Spaces alumna Dez Ryan. He starts lecturing her: "You can't think of this as a failure. You have to think of it as pragmatism. Hit me on my cell phone if you just want to talk." Is this usual now, guidance counselors giving their cell phone numbers to students? I wouldn't know. Back in the early Reagan years, when I was in high school, there was generally very little contact between teachers and students outside of fairly well-defined parameters, usually involving school premises. (Regardless of what Sting was yowling about at the time in "Don't Stand So Close To Me.") Having given her his number, PMJS wanders off and Goth God approaches her, saying, "Design. I like it. That's why I put it everywhere." Hee. But God, why'd you have to put so much bad design out there? Joan sneers, "Aren't you perfect?" He says he has a specific assignment for her: "Since you miss them so much." Joan laughs. He tells her to go with Adam and check out the state college. He wants her to make informed choices: "They're better than the other kind. Besides, you already told him you'd go and I like follow-through." As he takes off, Joan calls out, "Well, I like privacy! Now that we're listing what we like -- privacy and autonomy!" He just gives her the Godwave. Joan says to herself: "I just used 'autonomy' in a sentence. Huh."
Will arrives home to find Helen on the sofa, reading. She says, "Hey, whoa, Lucy[fer] kept you late." Will: "She didn't 'keep me.' She's my boss. I had work." Helen says okay. He says there may be a breakthrough on Judith's case and that Lucy's agreed to sweat Judith's killer's drug supplier until he rats out the killer. Helen: "She's really something." Will: "You know, if you're gonna hate my boss for a hobby, this is gonna be a long year." Helen says mildly, "I don't hate her, Will." He points to her reading and asks, "So what's the Almighty up to -- passing out boils and leprosy?" He goes to the bar to fix a drink. Helen tries to change the subject by mentioning that Joan and Adam are going to Dawson State tomorrow. Will's not having it; he's clearly spoiling for a fight: "When do you take your vows? Isn't that getting close?" Helen: "I'm not…becoming a nun, Will, I'm getting confirmed, and we haven't picked a date yet." Will persists: "But you're on board with everything: God created us, God can destroy us, nobody asked to be here, nobody gets to know why." Helen's had enough, and closes her books: "Okay, so I'm not having this discussion with you." I don't blame her a bit. Will: "What kind of faith crumbles under a few questions?" Helen stops on her way out of the room, and replies, "These aren't real questions, Will. It's a hostile attack. I'll strike a deal with you: You don't pry into my higher power and I won't pry into yours." Yow. Also, burn. Good scene, very realistic.