Episode Report Card Niki: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Second Time Around
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 22 | Aired on 05.01.2001
Soliloquy Lily reads more stupid advice from the book: "'Stay calm and remember [she pauses and smiles widely] to enjoy yourself."
We cut back to the tent as Will pronounces them husband and wife. Each of them exhales loudly, laughs, and then they kiss each other passionately. Everyone applauds and starts throwing around the hugs as the chick from the opening credits wails away in the background. It's all free and easy until it's Grace and Eli's turn to hug. They approach each other awkwardly, but then seem to overcome it, hugging and smiling. Rick pops the cork on the champagne as Jessie starts an impromptu version of "Red, Red Robin." Okay, not only can Evan Rachel Wood act, she can sing like a maniac, too. Rick stares at her, stunned and touched. As Jessie's song continues playing in the background, we flash ahead to Rick hugging her when she's done, tears streaming down her face. Everyone's applauding and then the celebration starts. People clink glasses, Zoe sneaks a sip of Judy's champagne, and everyone dances. Then it's group picture time, as Will snaps a few shots of the new family. With any luck, one of them will find its way to next year's credits, no? We break to another montage of fun, with more shots of dancing. Rick tosses Judy's bouquet over toward Will Gluck and hits him with it. Rick laughs as Will picks it up with a smile, staring at Judy. Judy watches, looking intrigued. Lily cheers the catch and then hugs an embarrassed Judy. The camera slowly pans back as the gang continues the revelry, and our last shot is of Phil smiling through his tears at the scene inside the tent.
As Wing Chun pointed out, you can't help feeling that's it's all a little bittersweet, as if they know they're enjoying their last big hurrah together. But they can't be, right? The show will go on. It has to. And we'll all meet here again in the fall to laugh with them and pick on them and just get down with their bad, bad selves, right? Okay, so it's a date, then.