Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Letting Go
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 21 | Aired on 04.16.2000
["Then we're in Lily's office, where she seems a little more in control than she was last week. She's giving Crusty her messages (or something) when Grace comes in and tells Lily that she needs to interview Lily for her global-warming project. Based on Crusty's claims of 'claustrophobia' last week, Lily tries to get her out of Crusty's sight so that Crusty won't feel that Grace, along with everyone else in Lily's life, is encroaching on Crusty's little world, but Crusty acquits herself fairly well, introducing herself to Grace and commenting that she likes Grace's hair -- which is perfect, because Niki hates it, just as Niki hates Crusty; of course, Grace's hair, in this scene, is parted down the middle and secured with two small barrettes. Crusty says that she tried to pull off that look once, but her boyfriend judged it 'too Fiona.' Grace says something to the effect of, 'Who cares what he thinks?' and Lily makes a face at Grace's impertinence, but Crusty beams and says something like, 'Exactly,' and books. As she passes, Grace makes an elaborate 'bleccch!' face at Crusty's expense, which was pretty funny, and Lily said, 'Fiona?' and Grace explained that it was a reference to Fiona Apple, and Lily played it off like she knew that. And now, back over to Niki." -- Wing Chun]
I enter the episode (not literally -- as a viewer, I mean) just as Grace is settling down with Lily in the conference room. Time for Lily to justify her environmentally disastrous lifestyle or something. Grace is interviewing ten people for an Earth Day project, and she reminds Lily that saving the environment starts with individual decisions. If you're not a tree-hugger, be forewarned: This episode is going to get all up in your face about how you're wasting the planet and cursing younger generations to an apocalyptic existence. But getting back to the Environmental Inquisition, Lily wants to know if Grace is going to tell her again that she shouldn't drive an SUV. Well, she really shouldn't be driving a big fat gas-guzzling beast like that. It's not like she needs to, anyway. When Grace says "yes," Lily suggests that she interview Jake instead. Grace informs her that she is going to interview Jake. Lily realizes that she's touched on a sensitive subject. Rather than just let the matter drop, as Grace would like, Lily insists on trying to tell the girl how she must be feeling. Grace, borrowing a trick or two from Dr. Evil, shushes Lily decisively.
Just in case we didn't figure out that Grace is in heavy denial over Jake's infidelity, BWace lets us know that she doesn't even want to think about her father and Tiffany together. She says it's the same as not wanting to imagine your parents having sex and punctuates her sense of horror with a full-body shiver. She sticks out her tongue and makes a face like she's had a big glass of vinegar. I still say she's in denial.