Episode Report Card Sara M: B- | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT The Gang's All Here
By Sara M | Season 2 | Episode 7 | Aired on 11.02.1997
Simon lets Stan into the house. RevCam immediately comes out of his study to spy on them. He probably has a Tertiary Character With Problems Detector in there or something. Stan is sort of annoyed that Simon told his secret, but from the way Simon was carrying on about the sacredness of his "most excellent" promise, I thought Stan would be much angrier. Simon tells Stan that he didn't tell Matt all of the secret, and then they walk away. Whoops! Matt was spying on them from the nearby couch the whole time. He and RevCam spring into action. RevCam says he has a "hunch," and leaves. Matt volunteers to do his part by telling Annie where he went. Way to pitch in, there, big guy.
Lucy and Mary clean the make-up off Ruthie's face. Now Ruthie is mad at Mary for saying that she would seek her and then not doing it. She didn't seem to have any problems with her when they were in the van, but now she's mad. You know, with all the slightly more pressing issues in this episode, the one hundred miles per hour question aside, why are we still hearing about this stupid hide-and-seek game? Save the inconsequential filler for Seasons Five through (I shudder at the thought) Nine, okay?
For those of you wondering why I gave this terrible episode such a high rating, the answer is the following scene. It is such a joy to watch that I almost gave it an "A," but then decided on a "B," in honor of Karen's belt. Annie answers the doorbell. Karen's there to give Stan his bag, which he left in her car. Annie pays an inordinate amount of attention to her belt buckle and says that she knew this woman from church whose son had a "B" like that tattooed on his hand, and it was a gang sign. Are you trying to tell me that people who go to church can have gang member children? No, no, Annie -- that only happens to families who don't invade each other's privacy and whose mothers work all day. Karen rocks as she tells Annie that her life is none of Annie's business. I love Karen and Stan's dad with their telling the Camdens to butt out all the time. Annie says that Karen's life affects Stan and is giving him nightmares, because in families, stuff spills over. Oh, so, apparently, I should run my life according to what will make the rest of my family have good dreams. When my mom had a dream the other night about me being five years old and getting lost, it was my fault for graduating college and moving out, and I should just stay at home forever. What a healthy way to live. Karen says that Annie doesn't know anything about her lifestyle. Annie says that she knows that Karen's lifestyle is destroying her lame brother. Karen maintains that her friends are there for her. Annie rants, "Oh really? Those same friends who will beat you and rape you so you can get into a group where you can mule drugs and do drive-bys and be available for sex on demand?!" Oh my God, Annie. That's the second most amazingly ridiculous thing you've ever said -- the first being your speech about Mary's downward spiral of shameful debt-having or whatever. Karen quite truthfully tells Annie that she's "out there," and leaves. Next time, Karen, maybe you'll think twice before you do Stan a favor and drop off his stuff.