Episode Report Card Niki: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Where's That High Road?
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 7 | Aired on 12.18.2000
Cut to Manning Manor, where Rick is showing Lily how to access her PagesAlive files from her work computer. So it looks like she got her job back, I guess. Either that, or she's going to wreak her revenge by hacking the site. Lily makes some lame-ass joke about getting Crusty's bagels from home, too. Grace, mercifully, interrupts them by barging though the front door. She says hi to Lily as she runs past the living room, realizes Rick's there too, and actually comes back to give him a big friendly hi before tearing off to answer the phone. "It's a done deal," Wannabe's voice says through the receiver. "He totally likes you." She tells Grace that she called "him" -- Spencer, I'm assuming -- and Grace isn't thrilled by the news. Lily and Rick wander into the kitchen for a snack and catch Grace's reaction. Because they're parents, they have no idea what Grace is talking about, and Rick assumes it's something to do with school. He opines that it's ridiculous how much "they're" stressing kids out these days with homework. Grace leaves the room, and Carla fills her in on the details: "Tomorrow, by the tree by the trash can, next to the library." And they say romance is dead.
Cut to said tree by said trash can next to said library. Grace is meeting her destiny and doing her best to shirk it by informing Spencer that they don't have to go to a movie or anything. He, naturally, won't even consider not going through with it, since "it's public knowledge" by now that they've been set up for it. It has nothing to do with the fact that he lurrrves her, of course. He suggests that they make up a story about an "incident" that happens on their date and then circulate it. Grace thinks he's an idiot. She makes another weak stab at psychological manipulation, feebly suggesting that he's trying to get out of it. No such luck. Spencer starts babbling about high-school sociological phenomena, and mentions that they're both people who don't date or socialize very much. He loses two more points with Grace, who looks around self-consciously and tells him to speak for himself. Grace tries to remain patient while he continues prattling on about animal sacrifices, but she finally interrupts him to suggest that they just look at the situation for what it is: they're "going to the movies," not participating in some Desmond Morris special. Spencer agrees with a big ol' doofie grin.
Cut to Grace driving with Jake. He's calmly describing the philosophy of driving -- there's only twenty square inches between her and the road, and it's best to assume that everyone else out there is either completely incompetent or drunk. Jake looks over his shoulder and then tells Grace to stop. She slams on the brakes in a panic. Lesson one: always check the rearview mirror before stopping like that. Grace seems to appreciate his approach, and he compliments her on her driving. Grace asks if he can leave work long enough the next night to give her a ride to the movies. She fibs that a bunch of them are going, and Jake asks who the kids are. Grace admits that there's a guy. Jake asks his name. "Spencer Lewicki," Grace says. "What's his real name?" Jake quips. You know, I have a friend who's due to give birth in just over a month, and she's already decided to name the kid Spencer. Maybe I should leave a copy of this tape in her mailbox? Jake's cell phone interrupts them, and he has a flirtatious little conversation with someone while Grace looks uncomfortable. She asks who it was when Jake hangs up. He lies and says it's "some guy [he's] doing a deal with." She knows he's full of it.