Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Letting Go
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 21 | Aired on 04.16.2000
At the bookstore, Judy and Lily are in the kids' corner eating fast food. Lily's all folded up on a tiny chair while Judy's on the floor. They exchange a look, and then Judy takes a deep breath and stands up. She says she has something to tell Lily, but she's interrupted by a woman named Nelly, who is doing bookwork for the store. Nelly's carrying a big important file box, and she says she'll be right back to "collect [her] fries." Lily tells Judy to sit down and asks if she wants to talk about their dad. Judy says no, that's not it, but Lily's not really listening. She's found herself another opportunity to go on at length about her favorite subject -- Lily. She tells Judy how "[she] thought [she] was doing really well" but then some store didn't have the shade of lipstick she wanted so she burst into tears at the make-up counter. Fascinating, but Judy asks Lily to stop and listen for a second. She must be kidding. Lily interrupts to tell her "[she's] not finished. Just listen," and then proceeds to lecture Judy on the grieving process and how different people handle it. Like she, for instance, can't stand change while Judy craves it. Lily suggests that may be why Judy was "chucking all those good books." She points out that "some of those sub-literate pulp novels are actually collectors' items." While she's yammering away at Judy, Judy stands up and mutters that she should just chuck the bookstore. Lily's on such a roll, though, that she doesn't even notice Judy speak. She tells Judy she could use all those "perfectly good books" to build a display since she's "so creative." "What are you talking about?" Judy snaps. Lily tells her to "look at what [she's] doing," implying that Judy is messing up her life and the business. Judy flies off on a rant, offended that Lily's telling her she's not grieving properly, and she wonders if there's anything Lily doesn't do better than her. Lily's actually silent for a moment, probably trying to think of something she doesn't do better than her sister. Judy stalks away.
Cue the Rickster -- I feel a Lily-bitch coming on in three...two...one. Ding-dong. Lily's at Rick's door and, without even a hello, launches into a tirade on how she "must have been adopted. It's the only explanation." Feeling Rick's forehead as she moves into the apartment, Lily exclaims he's "so hot!" "Why, thank you," Rick intones, doing his best lounge lizard. Never one to shirk his duties, however, Rick immediately shifts the conversation away from his little old sick self to Lily and her life. He asks how she's doing, and how her dinner with Judy went. Lily spouts off about how she can't compete with the image Judy has of her -- a fifty-foot version of her with its finger always wagging in disapproval. Aside from the fifty-foot part, I don't see where Judy's image is all that inaccurate. Lily does, though, and says that she can't say anything without Judy's interpreting it in the worst possible way. You know, a little tact might go a long way in combating that problem, I suggest, but of course Lily's not listening. She's too busy wondering how Judy can't see what she's doing. Rick says "it's a tough situation. Obviously she's got a lot of feelings for him." "For who?" Lily demands. Uh-oh. Rick figures out that they're having a miscommunication, but it's too late -- Lily's all over him like a pit bull on a steak. Somehow, wordlessly, Lily figures out that Rick's talking about Sam. She says his name like it's a joke, but her humor turns foul in about eight-tenths of a second. She thinks Rick knew about it all along and is just telling her now. Hey, Rick knows better than that, honey. He assures her he just learned about it the night before. Lily whines his name for about the twentieth time, although this one is louder and squeakier than the rest and I wish she'd just SHUT UP already. She stands there with her hands on her hips, looking all stern and schoolmarmish, and Rick knows he's gonna get it. He scrambles to explain: He would have told her right away, but Judy said she wanted be the one to do it. Apparently she likes groveling before Queen Righteous. Rick says he thought that's what Lily and Judy had talked about over dinner.