Episode Report Card Niki: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Mystery Dance
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 15 | Aired on 02.06.2000
Which explains why she's draped over her engine now. Luckily, Sam rolls up in his pick-up truck, ready to lend a hand, but since Judy clearly knows more about cars than he does (you can tell because she throws around terms like "distributor cap" and "spark plugs"), he just offers her a ride home. Before they leave, Judy asks what seems like an innocuous question about where he gets ideas for his art. He responds (and pay close attention here), "I guess I'm always in search of something...."
During the ride, Judy blathers on and on about how she almost went to art school and she works in impressively arty phrases like "capturing a moment" and "light and dark" and talks about how she was almost a photographer and she wanted to go to film school, too, and...she realizes how everything she's talked about has been a thing left undone. Her life has been a series of regrets. She becomes self-conscious about it, but Sam finds it refreshing; she's so unlike most people, who try to impress you with their accomplishments. Judy and Sam then share a moment while trying to identify a flattened sandwich she finds in his truck. Now that he feels so close to her, Sam tells Judy to go after what she wants, whether it's film school or photography or a dance class. She thanks him with a quiet profundity and then gives him another serious once-over before getting out of the truck, where she stands grinning and staring at him. Subtle, Judy.
Back to black-and-white Judy again, talking about the obvious signs that a guy isn't right for you. Like: "He tries to sleep with you on the first date; he doesn't listen to a word you say; he chews with his mouth open; he takes a big handful of mints when you leave the restaurant; he forgets your birthday. He forgets your name. Oh, and I'm adamant about this one: If he doesn't like hot cocoa...." Judy pauses here to look aside, suck in her breath, and shake her head, as if she can't believe this type of monster exists. She can't even finish her thought, apparently, because the concept of a cocoa-hating man is just too much. It's becoming clear why Judy's love life is what it is.
Back in Judy's apartment, she's idly flicking through a magazine, her chin propped on her hand. The buzzer sounds, but before we can find out who's at the door, we cut back to black-and-white Judy again. And she's really close up, saying, "On the other hand, he knows exactly what to say."
Back to Judy's reality, where she's opening the door and it's -- quelle surprise! -- Sam. He's come back in order to "phrase something [he] said a little better." Sam explains that he didn't want her to think he was telling her what to do when he said she should go back to film school and all that jazz. Because he was really thinking about himself at the time -- how when he's working, it's the only time he really feels alive, and he senses the same thing in Judy. There's some awkwardness as Judy thanks him. Then she invites him into her apartment and offers him a drink. Does he like hot chocolate? "Who doesn't?" he responds. Whew. Breathe easy, Judy -- he's clearly the man for you! And that tricky minx, she never had any cocoa in the first place! So she gives him a glass of white wine instead and then proceeds to gush and ramble and basically reveal what a needy twit she's been in past relationships. Awkward silence ensues. After all, what do you say when someone you've known for like five minutes unloads their emotional baggage at your feet? So then Judy admits that sometimes she'd like to take a vacation from herself, and this is followed by a couple of feeble jokes, one of which is a throwback to that sandwich in Sam's truck. What is it with them and that sandwich? Let it go already. Sam steals glances at Judy. Judy steals glances at Sam. Oh, yeah, there's something happening here. Except when Judy asks him to take off his coat, he seems to snap back to reality and says he should really go. He says, "This has all been...very..." but we're left to fill in the blank because he's too busy staring at Judy. He catches himself and heads for the door. But not so fast mister -- you've still got to pause for that requisite last deep, meaningful look at the door before you're free to go. After which Judy closes the door softly and then rests her head against it, smiling.