Episode Report Card Cate: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Just You Wait And See
By Cate | Season 4 | Episode 6 | Aired on 10.24.1999
Ew, it's Ruthie in the upstairs hallway. Simon sees her and says, "Hey." Ruthie runs off to her room and slams the door. The playful music lets us know we are watching Wacky Hijinx.
Lucy and Mary are discussing the fact that Aunt Julie's problems may be keeping the "adults" busy enough that dinner will never get made and the kids will get to go out to eat. Awright. Thanks for being such a screw-up, Aunt Julie! Mary lets a crestfallen Lucy know that Lucy won't be driving since it would be "faster to put a saddle on Happy and ride her to dinner." That's a lovely image. The phone rings, and it's Andrew Nayloss inviting Lucy on a date to the movies, except he wants her to drive since he doesn't have his license yet. Lucy and Mary argue over which car Lucy will get to take, which is actually a fun, realistic scene -- except for the part about Annie's van being "cool" because it's electric. Yeah, I'm so sure.
Back in the living room, Julie is complaining that after she cleans the kitchen and washes the dishes, Hank will come in and re-clean the kitchen: "He cleans a clean kitchen!" Annie plays devil's advocate (tee hee) by pointing out that Hank is a doctor: "They're very...clean!" Annie is starting to work my nerves big time, so I'm really happy to see Lucy and Mary rush in and interrupt. Lucy gets in the first word and asks to borrow Annie's car for her date. Annie agrees, as long as Lucy promises to get her date home by his curfew. Mary makes a last-ditch effort to get the "cool" car, but Annie won't let her go out just driving around because Mary doesn't have "a plan." Julie brings the conversation back to herself by saying, "Yeah, you don't want to end up like me." Because an unexpected pregnancy is exactly like joy-riding. Mary suggests that being married to a doctor is not such a bad thing. Julie and I roll our eyes. Mary offers to take the other kids out to dinner. Despite the fact that Mary now has a plan, Annie still won't let her take the "cool" van. The girls leave, and Julie asks what happened to Eric and the tea he was supposed to be making. Annie doesn't know where he went. Julie says, "That's just like a man. Can't depend on them to do anything." Well, at least some of the time the bigotry on this show is an equal-opportunity sort of bigotry. Annie asks her if she wants some tea, and Julie looks completely annoyed when she says, "No!" See, it's those wacky pregnancy hormones again, making Julie act all difficult. Annie sinks down into the couch and gets this look on her face like she's trying to impersonate a big melting candle.
Mary tells Simon she's taking him and the Demon Urchin out for dinner. She also tells him that Lucy's taking a boy out on a date, and Simon says that's very progressive. Yeah, for 1965, maybe. Lucy points out that Andrew asked her out. Mary's still smarting from losing the "cool" electric van argument, so she snottily asks, "But you have to drive?" Lucy basks in her victory by reinforcing the fact that she will be driving him "in Mom's new car." Simon must still be in his Little Man of the House phase as he tries to smooth things over by saying, "But still, it's very emancipated of you to take a guy out." Mary concedes defeat by saying, "It is, isn't it?" I guess for this show it would be. But I would like to point out that the show ain't over yet.