Episode Report Card Niki: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Where's That High Road?
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 7 | Aired on 12.18.2000
Cut to a movie screen, where some astronaut sci-fi thing is rolling. I'm sure many of you recognized the film. I did not. Anyway, the camera pans back from the screen, and we can see that the theater isn't exactly filled to capacity. One of the only other couples there is busily making out while Spencer talks very loudly about his taste in movies. Grace leans away from him in her seat, looking uncomfortable and agitated, and drowning her misery with popcorn. She misses some conversational cue from Spencer who barks "Manning!" and snaps her to attention. He's talking so loudly that he manages to distract the groping couple in front of them. Spencer is shocked that Grace is actually watching the movie, and throws up his hands incredulously. One of them lands on Grace's thigh. I'm still not sure if it was one of those rehearsed things, like the big yawn-stretch-arm-across-the-shoulders move or the patented Seinfeld short stop. Outwardly, Grace keeps her cool, but internally she's freaking out. We know this because her Soliloquy Self says, "Um, excuse me? Your hand is on my thigh?" before jumping off the Stool with waving arms and shouting "WHY IS YOUR HAND ON MY THIGH?" Spencer reaches across her for some popcorn, which causes Grace to jump. The Make-out King tells Spencer to shut up. Spencer laughs it off. Make-out King stands up menacingly.
Cut to the sidewalk, where Spencer is complaining about being thrown out, while Grace is totally mortified that they were asked to leave. While Spencer rants, Grace loudly informs him that she thought "that manager was, like, amazingly polite." Spencer actually shuts up. Grace repeats that she's never been asked to leave a movie theater before. Spencer says that he hates movies anyway -- especially the good ones. "I know!" Grace says. Suddenly, they're totally on the same wavelength as Spencer explains that movies set people up for disappointment -- especially the good ones -- because real life is never that good. For the first time, Grace looks like she's really appreciating what Spencer is saying. It's a short-lived moment, though, because Spencer is immediately off on a tangent about Japanese animation and various cartoons, and you can see Grace's mental door closing again. As he yammers, Spencer slowly moves closer and closer to Grace until he's practically on top of her. Then he leans in and abruptly kisses her. Grace's eyes open halfway through the kiss, and she looks pained. "Just turn your head away! Just turn!" her Soliloquy Self advises, but it doesn't help. Grace is paralyzed. When Spencer finally removes his lips, Grace says, "I'm really thirsty." His smile falters for a second, but then comes beaming back, and he says he knows where they can go for a drink.