Episode Report Card Aaron: D+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT I'm not dead yet! (It's just a flesh wound.)
By Aaron | Season 2 | Episode 10 | Aired on 05.04.2002
Cut to Brenda, checking out a listing of doctors in an office building. I'm not sure whether to reference the similar "Dr. Rosenpenis" scene from Fletch here, or to just point out the irony inherent in Brenda's new sex-therapist being named "Joanna Lovinger." Because I can assure you, Joanna ain't the only one loving her. Once in the office, Brenda helpfully provides a list of her recent illicit liaisons, and to no one's surprise, the list is significantly longer than we've previously been privy to. "So there was that one a month ago in the bookstore," she tells her shrink, "and then I met this other guy at the farmer's market. That place has gotten so touristy. And then there was this guy last week at the Rose Café who, uh…well, that doesn't count. That was an almost one." Does that mean he only fingered her? Yeah. I know. Ew. The therapist makes a stab at getting Brenda to admit that she's a sexual addict, but the whole thing just makes me miss Dr. Melfi even more. Sigh. The scene ends up being a rehash of everything we've already heard about Brenda all season, although Rachel Griffiths does a very nice job of selling Brenda's existential "edginess" about the whole thing. When Dr. Feelgood starts describing sexual addiction as being "the sublimation of emotions that are too painful to address," Brenda tunes out and starts making up dialogue in her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you because you don't need any help," she hears. "You've clearly evolved beyond the need for therapy. I'm actually in awe of you, because I'd be fucking strangers like a truck-stop whore on crack if I wasn't so inhibited by my pathetic Judeo-Christian upbringing." Heh. And also, remember that "sublimation" thing. We'll be talking more about that later.
Strega: Whoa! Hold on. Back it up. He said what?!?
Jessica: That he scored higher than you on the SATs, and that…
Strega: Un-fucking-believable. He's so gonna have to suffer for that one.
Jessica: What are you going to do?
Strega: I don't know, but I'm sure I'll think of something. I am a witch, you know.
Jessica: But…but…he's usually so sweet, and cute. And he always says nice things about us.
Strega: Yeah, I wonder why.
Aaron: [mumbling in his sleep] Man, I'd be fucking recappers like a truck-stop whore on crack if I weren't so inhibited by my pathetic Jewish upbringing.