Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT A Dream Deferred
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 6 | Aired on 10.25.1999
Bookstore. Late at night. There's a rumble brewing. Lily and Judy stand, arms folded across their chests, watching as the combatants circle one another. Marty argues that the lines shown in the plans may not even be useable, blah blah blah lazy-ass cakes. Rick ably shoots down his arguments at every turn, and insists that old plans -- especially plans from this particular builder -- are "very reliable." Ahhh. Marty's nose twitches knowingly. He smells a weakness. "You know the builder...from 1967?" he smart-asses. Well, yes, actually, Rick does. The pair continue to dodge and weave, but it's clear that Rick has won this little pissing match.
Cut to Judy on the sidewalk, waving an overly emphatic good-bye to Marty. My sentiments exactly: buh-bye ratman! Storming back into the store, she snaps, "Thank you very much!" She gathers her jacket, and Rick apologizes, saying he feels bad and wants to call Marty to come back. Judy's not swayed in her anger. Lily says she thinks that Judy's mad at her, not Rick, speaking as though Judy's not standing right in front of them. Refusing to look at either of them, Judy pulls on her coat and tells them she's leaving. She says that she has a date anyway. With someone other than Marty, she adds. She says that Lily and Rick probably want to have sex, anyway. She studies their careful non-reaction and figures out that they've already christened the bookstore. "This is not the sister I know!" she exclaims, and I can't figure out if her stuffy, Victorian shock is meant to be a joke. I thought she was the loose one. She leaves without another word, and Rick and Lily dissolve into giggles. Lily quips that he's ruining her reputation, and Rick says he hopes so. Oh, please. Rick stops lip-smacking her long enough to ask how mad Judy is, really. Lily insists it's just a sibling thing. Rick looks around the bookstore and then says that he could build their coffee bar and it wouldn't cost them very much. He asks her to let him "play around with it." Lily doesn't say no.
Cut to Lily at home with a repairman. He's sitting on the floor in front of the washing machine, and through his thick, eastern-European accent, he tells her that "it's a problem." He mumbles something else, but I can't understand it. Neither can Lily. "The. Motor. Mount. Is completely broken," he repeats. He tells her he could fix it, but why? "From now on, this machine is nothing but heartache." Hey, isn't there a country song about that very thing?