Episode Report Card Cate: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Prodigal
By Cate | Season 6 | Episode 7 | Aired on 11.11.2001
Speaking of Annie, why hasn't she found a place for Mary to sleep? I can't imagine going to my parents' house and having to tromp through all the rooms, looking for a spot to put my clothes. Mary's not doing much to help herself, either. She's just sitting in the upstairs hallway, looking around, which is a pretty weird thing to do, if you ask me. Simon comes along and offers to help with her luggage. When Mary tells him that there's no room for her upstairs, Simon's quick to point out that he doesn't have any room for her either. Heh. He starts quizzing her about Wilson, but Mary cuts him off by saying, "When I'm ready to tell everyone about Wilson, I will." Okay, now, that's just annoying. How hard is it to say, "We broke up, but I don't want to discuss it any further." Hmm? Mary makes it seem like whatever lame news she has to deliver is so important that she can keep everyone hanging on in anticipation. What's saddest of all, though, is that in this family, she can keep them curious -- except for maybe Simon, who probably speaks for the vast majority of viewers when he says, "You know what? Forget it. I'm not even all that interested in you and Wilson." He adds that he wants to know what she's "hiding," but obviously he doesn't want to know that badly, since he doesn't stick around for her answer.
Dopey comes along next and offers to help Mary bring her stuff upstairs. I think it's just great that everyone is making her explain repeatedly that her sisters don't want her anywhere near them. Dopey asks her where she'll be staying. Mary suggests the garage apartment, even though she's already seen it and should know it's not exactly habitable yet. Dopey says, "You know, we've both seen apartments, and that's not an apartment. That's just menopause with a hammer." Wow, insulting much? It's true that the apartment does suck, though. In fact, at this stage, it pretty much resembles the inside of a treehouse -- which gives me a great idea for where Mary can stay. I'm sure Annie or Lucy could build a treehouse in a day or two. Then when Mary's up there sleeping, I'll book a flight to Glenoak just so I can take away the ladder in the middle of the night. Problem solved. Anyway, Mary looks baffled by Dopey's menopause joke until Dopey explains that "menopause" is the same thing as "change of life." Ah, that she understands, although it does make her want to change the subject. Dopey starts badgering her about Wilson. His theory is that she and Wilson "either got married or broke up." He cheerfully opines that they broke up. Mary looks annoyed and demands that he find a place to put her luggage.