Episode Report Card Niki: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Aaron's Gettin' Better
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 16 | Aired on 03.20.2001
Judy and Lily skulk toward Lily's room, bickering in hushed tones over Aaron's condition. Grace appears at the top of the stairs, trying to tell Lily something, but Lily brushes her off. Judy closes the door to Lily's room, as Lily's repeating Shelly's advice to try to need something from Aaron. Judy snaps, "To be like he was?" Lily says she knows he can't be like he was, "But God, Judy, he is so much better!" Judy stonily looks at her, and snarks, "Yeah, but you're pushing him, and he'll pay! Like he needs your crap on top of everything else!" She angrily paces away. Lily stands, agape, then swallows her anger and follows Judy, saying, "I know how devoted you are to him. I know how often you go to see him." "Oh, stop!" Judy spits. She says that Lily's insulting her, but Lily doesn't see how. Judy cuts to the point: "Lily, what do you want?" Lily says that she wants Aaron to be part of her family. "He is!" Judy hisses. Lily says that she knows she hasn't been the perfect sister, and that she wants to make it up to him. "No! You want him to make it up to you!" Judy insists. She claims that Lily wants Aaron to make her feel good about her life, and Rick, and everything, "but that's not his job, Lily. He's sick. He's crazy." Lily snaps that Aaron is her brother, too, and we cut to Soliloquy Lily bitching, "Damn her! This is so who she is! Poor little Judy, when she's really just superior Judy. It's just this manipulative little game she plays. She's always played it." Soliloquy Judy fumes, "God, I hate her! I go see him once a week -- twice a week! She's gone twice, in ten years. Sure it's easy now, the hard part's done. I did it! [mimicking Lily] Oooh, let's have dinner!"
Back in the bedroom, Judy's at the door, ready to leave. Lily turns with a dawning expression and accuses, "You don't want to believe he's better!" Judy turns and spits, "And you don't want to see what's in front of your face!" She glares at Lily and slams out.
Fade into the dining room, where chaos and conversation are swirling around Aaron, who's looking pale and guarded. The kids banter, Grace teases Zoe for asking yet another stupid question, and Lily gripes, "Grace!" Grace mocks her, saying that during dinner, it's like they have a parrot: "Grace! Grace! [squawking] Grace!" While the kids chatter, Aaron, huddles into himself and tries to smile, but it looks like he's really hung over and is trying g not to be sick. Eli offers to grab Aaron a soda, and Nightmare Man pops up next to him, growling, "Just look at you." Thankfully, Judy's there to chase Nightmare Man away, as she leans in to ask Aaron a question. Eli reaches over Aaron's shoulder to set down the pop, and Aaron flinches. Jessie offers to grab the salad and while she's gone; Nightmare Man starts in again, his voice echoing and overlapping insults inside Aaron's head. Aaron struggles not to cry, and looks to one side and the other for some peace, but Nightmare Man is everywhere he looks. Finally, Aaron throws his arms over his head and flies out of his chair, just as Jessie's about to set down the salad. The bowl goes flying and Judy races into action, following Aaron into the kitchen, where he's cowering between the fridge and the back door. Judy tells the stunned kids to go upstairs, and Lily and Rick hover in the dining-room doorway, watching as Judy tries to settle Aaron. Judy barks for someone to get his medicine, and then soothingly repeats to Aaron that everything is okay, and that Shelly is going to be there soon. She tries to touch him, but his arms flail out in defense. Judy almost has him quiet again, and tries to touch him again, but this time he starts shouting wildly and throwing his arms around. Rick strides in and moves behind Aaron, grabbing him while Judy shrieks for him not to hurt Aaron. I'm having flashbacks to Jake at Thanksgiving. Thankfully, this maneuver goes better, as Rick just holds Aaron firmly and murmurs soothing words in his ear, until Aaron finally grows quiet and sinks, sobbing, to the floor. Lily cowers in the doorway, tears silently streaming, as she watches helplessly.