Episode Report Card Niki: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Disoriented
By Niki | Season 3 | Episode 14 | Aired on 03.10.2002
Cut to a close-up of the jacket photo on Creepitri's book. Grace is sucking in the poems like the book is a hookah and they're pure hashish. She stares off, dreamy-eyed, and exhales heavily. Oh, she's hooked, all right. She eagerly flicks the page for another hit.
The next morning, Grace is still attached to the book at the breakfast table. Lily says she needs Grace to drive Jessie to the hospital. "And then what? Wait for an hour in the lobby where it smells like death and disinfectant?" Grace gripes. Lily says that's about it. She kids that "Death and Disinfectant" would be a good name for a poem, disarming Grace before launching into a lecture about the privilege of using the car. Grace quickly holds up her hands in defeat, staving off the full mommal assault. Lily asks about the meeting the night before. Grace flies out of her chair. Lily tries again, asking, "Were there gay people and straight people? Or mostly gay people, or mostly straight people?" Grace does the sensible thing and ignores her, bellowing upstairs that she's going to leave without Jessie. "So you're in charge of a committee? Is that why you had to stay so late?" Lily gropes. Grace grabs her coat and tries not to look Lily in the eye, lying that a lot of people had to stay late. Rebuffed, Lily lowers her eyes and tries yet another approach, saying that it was nice of Creepitri to let people meet at his house. Grace plays it cool by scoffing at her mother's ignorance, with a condescending "Lots of teachers do that." Lily cocks her head, looking for all the world like a desperate puppy, and tries again, saying hesitantly that she didn't realize that Creepitri is...you know...gay. "What?" Grace snaps, scrunching up her face. "Not that it makes any difference," Lily quickly adds. Grace patronizingly agrees, "You're right, it doesn't make any difference who's gay and who isn't." Jessie, who's wandered in by this point, snatches her chance: "If it doesn't make any difference, then why do you keep talking about it?" Grace and Jessie glower at one another for a second before Lily begs them to go to school. "Try not to learn too much," she mutters as the door closes behind them. Now, that's enlightened.
"Hey! What's going on?" Katie yells, chasing after Jessie in the hallway at school. She catches up, and Jessie asks what she means. Katie says she waved to her on the steps, and demonstrates, but Jessie just kept going. Jessie claims she didn't see her. Katie buys the evasion and asks if Jessie wants to come over later. Jessie says she has to go to the hospital. Katie offers to go with. Jessie makes the excuse that it's not much fun for Katie just to sit around and wait. Katie finally faces that she's being blown off, and asks if Jessie is mad at her. Jessie claims she isn't. "Then why are you being like this?" Katie demands, her voice catching. Jessie's saved by the bell and runs off, saying they'll talk later. Katie desperately calls after her, but Jessie doesn't look back. Grace walks past Katie, standing there dejectedly staring after Jessie. Creepitri has to come out and snap Katie out of it, inviting her to join the class.