Episode Report Card Deborah: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Growth Opportunity
By Deborah | Season 2 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.07.2004
Adam comes to the bookstore during Joan's shift to tell her he got one of his coworkers to cover for him tonight so they can work on the physics project together. Joan's surprised and pleased and puts her arms around his neck and starts kissing him. Professor Frink: "Cue the idiot." Sammy 2.0 -- or Shammy (tm Siona) -- comes along and snots, "Perhaps you'd like me to dim the lights?" They stop kissing and Joan apologizes: "I'm sorry, I was just…happy." Adam glances over his shoulder at her with a pleased expression on his face. Shammy: "And here I thought you were working." And never the twain shall meet, apparently. Joan says she is, and waves a couple of books around: "Gardening for Dummies. Manic for Mulch. Both very good." Shammy: "Proust is 'very good.' Try not to mate during business hours, Ms. Girardi." Oh, this guy grates. I just don't think this sarcastic, insulting personality really fits him all that well, whereas it was like Patrick Breen couldn't help himself. They've just got to take this guy's character in some other direction, if we're going to be seeing a lot of him. He leaves, probably to go complain to the local bakery about the insufficiently evocative quality of their madeleines. Joan turns to Adam and says, "You know…it's been weird being back. It's like we had this groove before and then it was gone, but working together on this project, I feel it again. Don't you?" But you guys haven't done anything yet, really. Adam says, "Yeah," in this sort of sweet, earnest way.
Of course, this is Judith's cue to pop out from behind a shelf and ask, "What project?" Joan seems happy to see her: "Hey. Did you really skip the whole day?" Judith says, "Oh, well, Danny got his parents' convertible and we went for a drive." Adam can't resist: "Well, Danny's been in the tenth grade for three years." Judith doesn't rise to the bait: "He was kind of a moron." Joan's all "thank God you're back" and fretting about Judith getting kicked out of school again. Judith assures her that's not going to happen and asks again about the project. Joan says, "Lischak gave this crazy assignment…" She turns to Adam, who explains, "You have to determine something indeterminate, or…" He waves his hands vaguely. Joan interrupts, "You don't really determine. Ultimately it has something to do with subatomic particles." Adam: "But it has to be in your own environment." In sum: neither one has a clue. Judith remarks, "I think I'm glad I went for the Big Gulp." She plops herself into a chair and puts her feet up on the table. Joan explains they're planting a garden by the bleachers to determine whether it will survive: "And you'll be working with us." Judith: "I'm not working on some fifth-grade science garden." Adam seems annoyed but not surprised. Joan tries to convince her it's a good project, and adds that they're all sharing the grade. Judith: "Why don't you let me worry about my own grade, Mom?" Adam says Joan was just trying to help. Judith: "I'm not some pity case." Agreed. You're a case, but I don't feel a whole lot of pity for you. Adam: "Fine. Fail physics." Joan: "Adam…" He says, "Look, why do you let her treat you like this?" Judith wants to know how she's treating Joan. Joan gently suggests he should stay out of it. Adam: "Sure. Happy to." He starts to leave but she grabs his arm, but before she can say anything, Judith says, "Nervous someone else is treading on your territory?" Well, I doubt very much that he's enough of a jackhole to think of Joan as his "territory," but it sure is telling to hear how Judith perceives it. Joan tells Judith, "Shut up." I replay that twenty-nine times. And then, "Both of you, stop." Adam says he's going to go work on his own thing: "See you later." Joan calls after him, but he's outta there. Judith comes bounding up behind her, and with her usual sensitivity asks, "So how about the mall?" Joan reminds her she has to work -- something I suspect Judith hasn't even passing familiarity with. Judith hustles off, too.