Episode Report Card Aaron: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Zed's Dead, Baby. Zed's Dead.
By Aaron | Season 2 | Episode 8 | Aired on 04.20.2002
Later, Brenda joins Claire in the kitchen for a quick bitch session. Brenda moans about how much Ruth hates her, and Claire snarks that Toby is too "nice" for her tastes. "Not your type, huh?" asks Brenda. "A deranged psychopath?" replies Claire. "No, I guess he isn't." Ooh! I'm a deranged psychopath! Does that she mean she'd date me? Maybe I do have a shot. Claire also lets slip that she's been talking to Billy with computer instant messaging the entire time he's been away.
Downstairs, Nate is working again, standing in the back of the funeral and watching as the sub-textually relevant lines from "Freebird" play over a shot of his brain. Brenda comes down the steps and complains about having a headache. She wants to take off, but Nate has to stay behind and learn a valuable lesson about life. Um, I mean, finish working. She leaves without him, and Bitsy shows up to do a little shtick about needing a toilet plunger.
The Ghost of Christmas Present: I am the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Aaron: Christmas present? Dude, it's April.
The Ghost of Christmas Present: I thought you said it was May on the homepage.
Aaron: Yeah. I know. April doesn't really rhyme with anything.
The Ghost of Christmas Present: Oh. Then I guess I shouldn't recommend that Brenda take a PAIN PILL for that headache of hers.
Aaron: Damn. Why you gotta be so mean?
The Ghost of Christmas Present: I'm sorry. I've had a really fucked-up afterlife, and sometimes I use sarcasm to hide how vulnerable I really am.
Aaron: Oy. Now I need a pain pill.
Ahh. At last, a Rico scene everyone can enjoy. He's cleaning up wrapping paper and gift boxes from the floor around the tree when suddenly he has a Late Nate flashback of his own. It's Christmas Eve, and Rico has shown up at the Fortress to finish some work on a body. The Late Nate quickly hides his ever-present joint, and tells Rico to go home and enjoy the day with his family. Rico insists that the embalming job is an easy one, but that's precisely why The Late Nate wants David to handle it. "I like to throw him the slow pitches, if you know what I mean," he says. Remember when I told you the fact that David screwed up would be funny later? Well here it is. The poor guy can't even get the "slow pitches" right. Rico finally agrees to take The Late Nate up on his offer to go home, and they shake hands and smile at one another. Suddenly, the ringing of the doorbell pulls Rico back to reality, and the warm, nostalgic expression on his face fades away. He steps over to open the door, and is immediately driven backwards by a vicious punch to the face. Ramon strides in, and looms over tiny little Rico as he hits him again and screams that his wife has taken the kids and left him. Vanessa runs in and finally manages to shove Ramon away from her husband, and Rico is furious that she blabbed to Ramon's wife. Vanessa claims that she had a right to know what her husband was doing, and personally I agree with her. What I don't agree with, however, is Rico's constant repetition of "fucking homo" as an epithet, so I'll just give this scene one last "Shut up, Rico" and move on.