Episode Report Card Cate: D+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Ay Carumba
By Cate | Season 6 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.18.2001
Joy lives in a beautiful Tudor-style mansion, complete with a caricature of a stuffy butler. Robbie's already inside, sputtering as he asks if he's in the right place. He seems so rudely taken aback by the fact that she's rich. Is it because he thought that anyone who dressed as skankily as Joy couldn't possibly be rich? Wealth doesn't guarantee good taste, you know. Witness that ugly pastel print chair Joy's dad gets up from. Dad says, "Sit down. We'll talk. Then I'll let you know if you're in the right place." Robbie gives the room a not-at-all covert once-over.
Joy's father, Ramon, starts the grilling -- and I'm not talking about a barbecue. He asks Robbie about smoking, drinking, drugs, and past girlfriends. Robbie admits that he may have had a drink or two, but that he's given it up. I seem to recall him being a boozehound at one point, but like so many things on this show, that's been revised. Let's hope he has enough sense not to tell Ramon about dating two of the Camden sisters, one of whom he broke up with just a week ago. He says he doesn't care about his past girlfriends breaking up with him. You can tell he's trying to work up to the part about being in love with Joy but can't quite find the courage. I sympathize with him. Really, I do. Joy is listening in from the doorway, prodding Robbie to do the deed. She's wearing a hideous ruffled half-shirt, which was most likely sewn up from an old kitchen curtain. Robbie earnestly explains that he wants to prove his love for Joy by "respectfully pursuing" a relationship with her. Ramon seems happy with the no-sex rule, especially since these two crazy kids have known each other "a whole week." At least somebody on this show can see that a week really is not enough time to decide on a life partner. Ramon gives his blessing, though he says he wants to see if Robbie's "word is good." Wow, finally! A normal parent. Joy waits until her father is out of the room, then hops into Robbie's lap. He jumps up, unceremoniously dumping Joy onto the floor. Ramon walks back in and wrecks all my respect for him by nodding approvingly and saying, "Good man." I guess I can see his point, but it's still disturbing to see that he's not bothered by seeing his daughter on the floor like that. Maybe he really is a patriarchal jerk like all the other men on this show. Sadly, Joy's not looking too embarrassed about being on the floor either. At least that will help her out if she marries into a family who behave so embarrassingly on such a regular basis. Not that I think this marriage will ever take place, mind you.
Down on the Promenade, Annie finally apologizes to RevCam. Is she apologizing for the Treehouse thing? No, but at least she is admitting she was wrong to treat Mary with such favouritism. She doesn't dwell long on that, though, preferring to congratulate herself and Eric on sending Mary away to the Colonel's before she could hit rock bottom. Mary may be a loser and all, but I hardly think drinking half a beer constitutes hitting rock bottom. SuperMom goes on to make a whole bunch of excuses for Mary, pretty much negating her favouritism apology from thirty seconds ago. RevCam acts like he's not exactly thrilled by all this. Who can blame him? Annie herself claims that this is "a lecture couched in an apology." Lovely. Drunk on self-aggrandizement, Annie claims that Mary can improve herself if "surrounded by love" and guided by the CamRents' "genius." I don't think she's kidding about that last part, and quite frankly, that scares me. SuperMom is even hopeful that Mary "will contribute something to the world." I'm not sure about that, but I know Jessica Biel already provided a bunch of, um, fantasy material for teenage boys with her topless Gear photos last year.