Episode Report Card Niki: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Second Time Around
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 22 | Aired on 05.01.2001
At breakfast that morning, Jake appears. Looks like Jake's been doing some reading over here at MBTV, because he actually knocks before entering this time, and makes a point of drawing attention to that fact. Lily congratulates him. He hasn't evolved entirely, however, as he stands at the counter rifling through the mail he's just carried in from outside. Lily pointedly lifts an envelope out of his hands and puts it on the counter. He continues to sift through the rest, oh so casually bringing up the fact that Tiffany is going to be at the wedding. Lily and Zoe remind him that Tiffany works for the caterer. He tries to play it off like he was kidding: "You think I really care that Tiffany's going to the wedding, and I'm not?" Why no, Jake -- why on Earth would anyone think that? Zoe can't find her hand mirror, and asks Lily where it is. Lily finishes loading the dishwasher, saying that she has no idea. She notices Rick gathering his jacket and says she thought he was going in to work later, so they could finalize the seating arrangements. Rick pecks her cheek and says he has to meet with his accountant, promising they'll do the seating later that night. Lily turns to face the kitchen, where Jake is preparing to head out the back door with the kids, and finds her father there, urging her on with a look. Lily calls out to stop Jake, and glances at her father a couple of times while Jake impatiently asks "what?" over and over again. Lily finally blurts, "What about the check?" She reminds Jake that he was supposed to write her the mortgage check over a week ago. "Okay, here's the thing," Jake says. "My accountant's told me not to write any more checks." Man, if only I'd known it was that easy: "Sorry VISA, my accountant's advised me not to write any more checks." Lily gapes at him for a second before saying, "Jake, the wedding is Sunday. Do you have any idea how many checks --" Jake cuts her off with a promise to speak to his accountant again. She looks at him like he's fucking right he's going to speak to his accountant again. He gestures toward the kids outside, and says, "Do you want them to be late for school?" before ducking out the door.
Cut to Karen's minivan pulling up at the high school. Inside, she's trying to convince Jessie to "have something prepared" for the wedding. Jessie rolls her eyes and says, "I just wish you'd stop pretending you're so pro on this wedding when...you're so obviously not." Karen manages to seem shocked and offended. In the back seat, Eli's just bored. This has nothing to do with Wannabe, after all. Karen defends herself, insisting that she's not "pro or con anything" -- she's "merely suggesting" that Jessie and Eli might want to have something prepared, like a toast. She neglects to add, "To Lily's slow and early death due to the sudden sprouting of a second head." She then suggests that maybe Jessie could sing. Jessie rolls her eyes at the thought, and Karen chides, "You used you love to sing!" Karen prods that she thinks it would mean a lot to Rick, and tries to remember the name of the song Jessie always used to sing in the car on the way up to the cabin. Jessie realizes that her only hope is to flee, and she does so promptly. Alone with Eli, the ass-pole gives Karen a nudge, and she launches into an "I hope you don't share your sister's belief" spiel. Eli just puts his hand over his eyes, as if this is all too much for him, and blurts, "Red Red Robin." Karen's confused. He clarifies: it's the song they used to sing in the car. He then bolts, leaving Karen staring wistfully out the windshield, saying, "'Red Red Robin.' Right."