By Jessica
We open in Marlene's darkroom. She leans over a table in her nightgown and snorts a long line of cocaine. She throws her head back after a moment and sniffs in ecstasy. There's a knock at the door. "Marlene?" Miguel calls. Her eyes fly open. "Just a minute," she calls, then hides the coke under a few prints. Her nightgown is lovely, by the way -- all lace-trimmed and Agent Provocateur-y. Marlene answers the door. Miguel leans in and kisses her. "Just wanted to tell you that I probably won't be home for dinner," he says, running a hand down her neck. He notices a white splotch underneath her nose. He wipes it off, and tastes it. Marlene touches the spot absently and then looks down at the ground. "What are you doing?" Miguel asks angrily. "Nothing," Marlene breathes. Miguel starts tearing the darkroom apart, looking for the cocaine. He finds it fairly easily. "Are you out of your mind?" he hisses. Marlene twists her hands and explains that she just needed some help "getting started" today. I need help getting started every morning. Why didn't I think about trying cocaine? That way, I could also cut down on my caffeine consumption! This show is so educational!
Miguel is simultaneously horrified and disappointed. "How long have you been doing this?" he asks. "It's not a problem, Mickey," Marlene insists, likening her cocaine use to the way he uses sleeping pills every now and then. Miguel sweeps everything off the table. He is steamed, man. "Who gave this to you?" he asks, angrily. "Does it matter?" Marlene stammers. "Who gave it to you?" he yells. "Tomas," Marlene whispers. At this, Miguel goes racing out of the darkroom, his shirt only half-buttoned. Bless his little heart. And his smooth, freshly waxed chest. "Don't blame him, Mickey," Marlene says, chasing after him. "I thought you put this behind you in law school," Miguel yells, storming into their bedroom. He yanks a suitcase from a shelf in the closet and starts throwing Marlene's clothes in it, still on their hangers. She just watches, looking helpless. Miguel grabs the phone and dials. "I'm making a call," he announces. "You're going into rehab." Marlene's hands go to her throat. "Rehab?" she squeaks, sounding offended and scared. "I won't tolerate this, Marlene," Miguel grits. "I can't let you do this in front of our child." Marlene reaches her hands out to him in a kind of supplication. "But rehab?" she asks. "I want you out of this house," Miguel yells. Wow, Yancey Arias does controlled fury really well. And his anger at Marlene's drug habit is an interesting turn of events, considering his line of work. Miguel goes back to throwing Marlene's clothes in the suitcase as she yelps that she simply can't leave Joey for a month. He ignores her until she grabs him by the shoulders and forces him to look at her. "Talk to me," she pleads. Miguel grabs her arms roughly and shakes her. "How can I trust you now? Pack. Your. Bag," he hisses, running a threatening hand down the side of her face. Behind them, poor little Joey peeps into the room. "Why are you guys fighting?" he asks. Marlene closes her eyes. "Joey," Miguel says, getting his anger under control. "We're not fighting." He pulls Marlene into a hug and tells the kid that she has to go to Chicago. "Her father -- your abuelo -- is very sick. And she needs to go take care of him," he explains. Marlene looks up at him and says nothing. Joey asks if he can go along with her. "No," Miguel says, "you need to stay home with me." Marlene finally turns, and tells Joey that it's "okay." She kneels down and hugs him. She gives Miguel a dirty look over the boy's shoulder. Huh. This is very interesting. I find Miguel and Marlene's relationship really rather compelling. Part of that is due to Yancey Arias's and Sheryl Lee's performances, but I also think the writers have set up a fairly complicated dynamic between the two of them, and it's interesting.