Episode Report Card Niki: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Acting Out
By Niki | Season 3 | Episode 4 | Aired on 10.18.2001
Cut to Judy wandering along the hallway to her apartment, scrabbling through her purse for her keys. Very bad form for a woman alone, that. When she looks up, she's startled to find Sam camped outside her door. She says she wasn't expecting him. "That makes it all the more surprising," he says. "Good thing I didn't bring anyone home," Judy ribs, secretly hoping to inspire a little jealousy. "As you're apt to do," Sam snides. All kidding aside, Judy asks what he's doing there. "Well, I thought I'd bring you this," he says, holding up his sketchbook and turning it around to show her. A scripted, shadowed "Booklovers" is scrawled across the page. Judy gasps that it's exactly what she was looking for. She asks what made him do it. "I don't know. It behooved me," he says. Judy crinkles her nose and tells him it was very sweet, adding a heartfelt "thank you." He fishes around for another compliment, asking whether she really likes it. She studies it intently and assures him that she does. He lies that he didn't expect her to be there, and that he was just going to leave it for her. She totally calls him on it, saying it looked like he was waiting for her. He slowly leans in to kiss her, saying, "Well, that's...partially true." They kiss as the tender guitars strike up their business. Judy stops returning his kisses and asks, dazedly, "Sam, what is this?" He showers kisses all over her face, asking, "What?" "This." "I don't know," he murmurs, kissing Judy hard enough to propel her into her apartment. Resolve, Judy! Resolve! Send him and his big blue balls on their way. She doesn't. Sam closes the door to the apartment on us. Nothing to see here, I guess, so we head to commercials.
It's early morning when we return from the break. We follow a pair of tiny feet and ankles and what appear to be pajama bottoms into Lily's room. Lily's in bed alone, and with a sleepy smile, says, "Hey sweetie," to Zoe. Zoe asks where Rick is, and Lily tells her that he left early. "Good," Zoe says, peeling back the covers and climbing into bed for a snuggle. She asks if Lily will help her redecorate her room after Jessie moves to the attic. Lily says she will, and suggests painting a mural on the ceiling. "Oh, like stars and moons and suns?" Zoe asks, delighted. Grace pads into the room, looks like she smells something foul, and snarks, "The sun is a star." Pretty sure no one asked you, sunshine. Grace piles into bed on the other side of Lily and immediately starts hogging the attention, asking, "Did you know that Jessie auditioned?" Lily struggles to sit up and says she thinks that's "great." Zoe pouts, "Grace, I was talking." "So talk," Grace snipes. "Never mind," Zoe says, cuddling up to Lily's shoulder. Jessie wanders in looking for Rick. When Lily says he left early, Jessie turns to go, but Lily calls her back. Jessie climbs onto the foot of the bed with a timid smile and self-consciously pulls her knees to her chest. Jessie asks Grace whether she "look[ed] at any of those songs." Grace answers, "A little." Lily's confused: she thought they were doing Shakespeare. Grace explains that Creepitri wants to use folk songs in the play. "Oh, well that could be interesting," Lily says optimistically. She adds, "It's really good for you, Jessie. You have such a beautiful voice." Jessie laughs shyly. Grace looks at Lily like she's a traitor, and Jessie catches it. Her face falls, and she hurriedly says that she should go and get ready. Lily shoos Zoe to get ready, too. Once Zoe's gone, Lily turns to address the eyes burning a hole in the side of her head. She assures Grace that she's "just trying to encourage Jessie." Grace's look of disgust doesn't waver as she says she knows. Without another word, she gets up to leave. Lily reaches after her, unsuccessfully.