Episode Report Card Monty Ashley: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Not Everyone Has To Like You
By Monty Ashley | Season 3 | Episode 18 | Aired on 03.12.2009
In Molly's place, Daniel is excited about the treatment he's picked out for Molly. She is less enthused, because it looks to her like she's about to spend the rest of her short life in misery, consumed by side effects. Daniel wants to plan for the future, but Molly protests that she doesn't have one, so she wants to focus only on the present. She reiterates that she's dying, and I would like to point out that this looks like one of those Movie Cancers, where she just gets a little prettier until one day she dies. In ye olde tymes, it was usually consumption. Daniel is a little aggressive, but she insists, "I know how I wanna spend the rest of my life, and it's not like this." I guess it's Friday now, because Daniel has to go to the office to sign the contract with the photographer. Well, and the party was scheduled for Friday, so I guess if I was paying attention I would have realized it was Friday awhile ago.
Queens. Councilman Archie is telling a story about the time he fell asleep at a council meeting. It's actually a little more interesting than it sounds, but I have to say, I kind of agree with Hilda's sour face. Although this is the second subplot in a row where her main job is to sit at the dinner table and scowl, since she was just doing that at Elena. Justin makes a big deal out of treating himself to "one more new potato", and I think he's being a little broader than usual. Hilda admits that it's okay with her if Councilman Archie comes by again. Then when everyone leaves them alone (while Justin protests that he's trying to enjoy his new potato), Hilda and Archie have an actual conversation.
Back to the party. Everyone is sitting in enormous armchairs around a dinner table that looks like it could host a pretty satisfactory council of war. Victoria has arranged things so that Matt is near her and Betty is waaaaay at the other end of the table. Victoria prepares to announce the topic of the evening, and Betty is ready. But it is not torture; it is opera! Betty asks "Opera?!" and is promptly called upon to give her thoughts on the future of opera. She stammers and mumbles all the way through a commercial break, at which point she receives a text on her phone from Matt, reminding her of a recent Mode spread about opera. So she pulls it together and is able to make a plausibly meaningless claim about opera and fashion and art, eventually arriving at a thesis, suggesting that opera will evolve by offering its audience a grander, more hopeful version of themselves. It's interesting that Betty's now able to discourse intelligently about fashion. Everyone seems to buy it, and the guy with an ascot (there's always a guy with an ascot at a party like this) says he might steal that line for his next column. Betty elaborates a bit about couture and its effect on daily life, and the table starts to break up into little conversations about Betty's statement. I'm not sure what to make of Victoria's expressionless face. It seems like she ought to be seething about Betty's unexpected success, but I think she actually looks pleased that her party is going well. I mean, the guests are happily discussing the topic, right? That's a win for her.