Episode Report Card Pamie: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Papa Don't Preach
By Pamie | Season 2 | Episode 12 | Aired on 01.28.2002
Paris is having a full-on rager at a Franklin meeting at Chilton. She's tossing everyone's articles to the table shouting, "No!" with each passed piece. Someone interrupts, but Paris says she's not finished. She drops one more article to the table and shouts, "No." "Glad she finished that one," Louisa moans to Fraulein. Paris is hella pissed, saying that nobody in the room (except Rory) cares about this paper as much as she does. She wants to win the Oppenheimer award for best school paper, and with articles like these, they aren't going to win at all. Paris says the Oppenheimer award is a "statement." It says your paper is staffed with the best writers, the best reporters, and the best editors. It creates pain and jealousy in other schools that have to sit with the knowledge that they aren't the best -- that they can see the best, and it's not them. "I want to be those people. I wanna cause that pain." Rory says that their paper is good. Paris says it's not good enough. She says that last week's issue was a fine effort by a group of kids. Fraulein points out that they are kids. "Not in this room, we're not," Paris growls. She says their competition is The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. She says she wants to submit a great issue. The deadline is in a week. Rory starts trying to get everyone to work. She asks if anyone has an idea for a theme. Paris offers: "The one that wins." Rory goes back to addressing the group. Everyone gets "to work," which in acting like a high schooler involves the physical move of lifting your shoulders to your ears to open a notebook. I don't know why, but everyone does it. To imply hard schoolwork, lift your shoulders as high as they can go as you feebly open a notebook or a folder, as if the weight of the words makes the pages super-heavy.
Emily is walking through her house yelling to Graciela (a new maid, I'm assuming) to make sure she gets a low-sudsing detergent this time. Richard comes home from his walk. "Carl Edwardson needs a new roof," he says. "I'm gonna drop him a note." "Good idea," Emily responds. Heh. He asks if Emily is still drinking the same cup of coffee from an hour ago. Emily says this is a new cup of coffee. Richard points out that this must be her third cup of coffee today. "I guess," Emily says. "Interesting," Richard says, mostly to himself. Emily says she doesn't drink three cups of coffee every morning. Richard says she's done it every day this week. He quietly adds, "A lot of coffee to drink in the morning." Emily asks what he'd like for dinner tonight. Richard says that anything is fine. Emily writes something in her day planner. Richard asks what she's writing. Emily: "Lamb chops." Richard: "Is that for tonight?" Emily: "Yes." Richard: "Oh." Emily: "Do you not want lamb chops tonight?" Richard: "Oh, no. Lamb chops is fine. I just thought a nice roast would also be nice for a change." Emily changes her day planner and says, "Roast it is." Richard starts with the "Of course, if you want lamb chops..." but Emily interrupts him to say that they'll be having roast. I have had this exact conversation with many a boyfriend many a time.