Episode Report Card Niki: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Won't Someone Please Help George Bailey Tonight? (2)
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 20 | Aired on 04.17.2001
We fade to Rick at the office alone, walking past the model on his way out. Predictably, he pauses, turns to look at it, and then topples building after building. Blah de blah, just like his dreams.
We fade to Rick outside Lily's front door, fiddling with his keys. He pushes open the door just a she's coming down the stairs. She pauses, surprised to see him.
Now they're in the living room, and we join Rick's pity party already in progress. He says, "I have no business now, to speak of. I have no reputation. I'm not respected by your children. And I'm not respected by mine, I have a feeling. I have been shown to be -- publicly -- to be either a fool or a criminal, whatever comes first. I think fool comes first. And I don't know...I don't know if I can marry you. I don't know what I have that would be of any value...any value to you." Well, she's not looking for a dowry, for Christ's sake. ["Plus I think he meant he has nothing inside that would be of any value to Lily." -- Wing Chun] It's funny, because it sounds really melodramatic as I'm typing out the words, but it really doesn't play as soap opera-ish when Campbell's saying the lines. The tears Lily's been fighting to keep under control finally get the better of her at this point, and she openly weeps. Rick goes on and on with his self-pity disguised as self-loathing until Lily finally tells him to stop it. He's muttering like Rain Man that she should just go away, and she drops to her knees in front of him, grabbing his arm and saying that she's not going to go away. She makes him look at her and says, "I don't care about your business, I don't care about your reputation. I don't care about any of that. It doesn't matter to me, you understand that? It doesn't matter." Rick makes a really lame attempt to pull away, saying he's going to go, but she pulls him back down, saying that she's not finished. Tearfully, she says, "Rick, I love you. Can you see that? I love you. I love what's weak about you, and what's strong. It's all the same to me, because it's all you. Can you understand that nothing you ever do will change that?" Rick chokes down a sob as he looks at her, and then he launches himself off the chair and into her arms, nearly knocking her over in the process. She sits on the floor, holding him like a baby and asking softly, "Can you believe that? Can you let me love you like that?" He sobs into her armpit as his body shakes with the force of his tears.
Okay, that was a little melodramatic. Thank god Wannabe's back next week, if for no other reason than to lighten things up. Huh. I never thought I'd say that. And I'm sure I'll regret it soon enough.