Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Mystery Dance
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 15 | Aired on 02.06.2000
Black-and-white Judy comments on the moment: "And if he doesn't kiss you, but you feel like you've been kissed...."
Next time we see Sam he's at Rick's office, meeting with Rick and Miles. Miles is being a big insulting pain-in-the-ass, saying how much better Sam's earlier work is than what he's doing now, and that the old style is what he wants for the building Rick is designing. Sam is justifiably offended and suggests that Miles should simply hire someone else to rip off his earlier work, since it would be cheaper. Rick jumps in to break it up, suggesting that they give Sam some time to think it over before he commits to the job. Miles leaves and Rick asks Sam if he really wants to do this (prostitute himself as an artist, he means). Sam needs the money, though, so he can't afford to have artistic principles at the moment. Rick sympathizes by saying, "Whatever happened to living off the land and doing your art?" I'm assuming this is yuppie hippie-speak for an ideal they held as college students. Sam is somewhat defensive, but they laugh it off in the end. He insists he's okay with being a hack (hey welcome to the club, pal), but somehow it's not wholly convincing.
At the bookstore, Lily asks Judy to take care of some special orders since she has to leave for a date with Rick. Judy asks if Lily will do her a favor and get the skinny on Sam, and Lily promises she will.
Black-and-white Judy cuts in saying, "He has to...resonate." What? "For me it's very meaningful if I can't get him out of my mind."
Cut back to the bookstore, where Judy is sitting by the window reading a book. It's a good thing she works for herself, what with all this thinking about Sam and reading on the job. She pops up to glance out the window, as if she senses someone's there. She does a slow register and turns around again for a second look. Now the camera flips outside, and we see Judy through the window looking stunned. Then Sam's reflection comes into view. She waves him inside and he says, "I uh...thought I might like to...look at your bookstore." So much for always knowing what to say. He says he might like to buy something, and Judy quips, "Good, we like that." He asks for something by an obscure modernist Swedish poet Judy hasn't heard of. That's okay, though, because he was just trying to impress her; he's never read anything by the guy either. Awkward silence follows, and Sam tries to leave, but Judy says, "I'm not going to let you leave here without buying something." So Sam comes back to the counter and tells her he thinks what she said, about wanting to take a vacation from herself, was very profound...well, maybe not profound, but intriguing. And then he asks if she knows "that poem, by that guy?" He's getting at a poem that's part of the Moonriver Anthology. Judy checks to see whether they have a copy in stock while Sam tells her about the particular poem he has in mind. She's not really paying attention, even though Sam is talking about something that is clearly meaningful to him (so by rights, Judy fails to meet one of her own criteria for dating). Just as he's about to get to his point, she cuts him off to tell him they don't have a copy but she can order it for him. Sam is taken aback and looks seriously unimpressed -- you can almost see him reeling himself back in. After yet another awkward moment, Sam grabs the first thing he sees so he can buy it and get the hell out of there. Judy seems to realize her mistake, and is overly gracious with him, although she doesn't give him a discount, which I think is kind of strange since she's the one who insisted he buy something.