Well, it finally happened. I have been afflicted by the dreaded MBTV recappers' curse that has tormented so many of my colleagues. I fell victim to "technical difficulties" with my VCR (actually, the difficulties were more like a boyfriend and the hockey playoffs, but I'm not bitter at all) and missed the first few minutes of this week's episode. Which means I missed that smokin' hot sex scene everyone's been slavering over. Damn, damn, damn. But again, I'm not bitter. Especially since Wing has so graciously and generously offered to provide all the juicy details for the episode's opening.
So, with major props and a belly-scraping thank-you, I turn over the floor to the one, the only, Wing Chun. ["Hey, thanks. Okay, I didn't tape the episode, so this segment of the recap is coming from my memory of having watched it. Lily shows up at Judy's store just as Judy's closing up. Lily says she's alone for the evening and has apparently just gotten off work and invites Judy to have dinner with her. Judy claims to have store-related accounting to do and begs off, asking for a rain check. Lily suggests that they go out the night instead, and Judy accepts. Lily leaves; Judy locks up after her and wanders into a back room, sorting papers in her hands (as I recall) not noticing right away that the door to the alley is wide open and a man is standing in the doorway, his features in shadow. Judy glances up and sees him, and instead of gasping she simply says something to the effect of, 'I'm sorry, I couldn't just kick her out.' Of course, the man is Sam, a.k.a. Mr. Married, a.k.a. Steven Weber.
["The scene is a series of quick cuts of Judy and Sam really going at it in bed. I forget whether the cuts are intercut with BWudy commenting unnecessarily on the action, like, even if none of us had had sex before, we'd at least have watched enough TV that we know what it looks like. At one point, in the throes of passion, Judy (in-colour Judy) goes a bit wild with the flailing of her limbs and smacks Sam pretty hard in the face, which kind of breaks the mood, but they both laugh and she apologizes, because it was an accident.
["Then they're lying in bed...you know, chatting, and he says she looks beautiful and 'like [she's] twelve years old' which struck me as kind of an odd thing to say, though I think he just meant that she was so unguarded that she looked young. He says that he wants a childhood picture of her, and she refuses, but then says she'll give him one if he'll give her one of him. Then his pager goes off, and he sees that it's his wife calling, and he says he'll just let it go because as far as she (Mrs. Married) knows, he's working at the studio, and Judy admonishes him never to tell her (Judy) that he's working at the studio, and he promises that he won't, and then I think they may have started having some more sex.
["Then we're in Lily's office, where she seems a little more in control than she was last week. She's giving Crusty her messages (or something) when Grace comes in and tells Lily that she needs to interview Lily for her global-warming project. Based on Crusty's claims of 'claustrophobia' last week, Lily tries to get her out of Crusty's sight so that Crusty won't feel that Grace, along with everyone else in Lily's life, is encroaching on Crusty's little world, but Crusty acquits herself fairly well, introducing herself to Grace and commenting that she likes Grace's hair -- which is perfect, because Niki hates it, just as Niki hates Crusty; of course, Grace's hair, in this scene, is parted down the middle and secured with two small barrettes. Crusty says that she tried to pull off that look once, but her boyfriend judged it 'too Fiona.' Grace says something to the effect of, 'Who cares what he thinks?' and Lily makes a face at Grace's impertinence, but Crusty beams and says something like, 'Exactly,' and books. As she passes, Grace makes an elaborate 'bleccch!' face at Crusty's expense, which was pretty funny, and Lily said, 'Fiona?' and Grace explained that it was a reference to Fiona Apple, and Lily played it off like she knew that. And now, back over to Niki." -- Wing Chun]
I enter the episode (not literally -- as a viewer, I mean) just as Grace is settling down with Lily in the conference room. Time for Lily to justify her environmentally disastrous lifestyle or something. Grace is interviewing ten people for an Earth Day project, and she reminds Lily that saving the environment starts with individual decisions. If you're not a tree-hugger, be forewarned: This episode is going to get all up in your face about how you're wasting the planet and cursing younger generations to an apocalyptic existence. But getting back to the Environmental Inquisition, Lily wants to know if Grace is going to tell her again that she shouldn't drive an SUV. Well, she really shouldn't be driving a big fat gas-guzzling beast like that. It's not like she needs to, anyway. When Grace says "yes," Lily suggests that she interview Jake instead. Grace informs her that she is going to interview Jake. Lily realizes that she's touched on a sensitive subject. Rather than just let the matter drop, as Grace would like, Lily insists on trying to tell the girl how she must be feeling. Grace, borrowing a trick or two from Dr. Evil, shushes Lily decisively.
Just in case we didn't figure out that Grace is in heavy denial over Jake's infidelity, BWace lets us know that she doesn't even want to think about her father and Tiffany together. She says it's the same as not wanting to imagine your parents having sex and punctuates her sense of horror with a full-body shiver. She sticks out her tongue and makes a face like she's had a big glass of vinegar. I still say she's in denial.
Rick's office. He's sitting at his desk and sneezing so hard his face almost blows right off, all over his paperwork. Lily's with him, and in her best little-sweetie voice she asks him if she can get him anything. He knows better, though, and insists that he's fine and asks her to go on. It seems his sneezing fit interrupted Lily during another one of her bitch-and-moan sessions. If I were him, I'd get a pair of those novelty glasses with the fake eyes that make the wearer look like he's awake and paying full attention. Anyway, Lily is complaining hard about the situation with Grace and Jake. Rick suggests that she just let Grace be for now -- maybe let her try to resolve the problem on her own. He also says Lily may be projecting her own emotions onto Grace, considering all the crap she's been through in the past couple weeks. Lily tells him his suggestion is "radical" and, as Rick prepares another tissue for an imminent sneeze, he informs her that he is, in fact, "a radical fellow." Dude, you don't need to say it. Those sweater vests speak volumes.
Rick's sneezing carries us into the scene, where he's ah-chooing in front of a row of cold medicines. Rick picks his poison and bumps into his friend Sam at the check-out. Noticing Sam's purchase, Rick comments that "you know you're an adult when you come to one of these places and only buy condoms." Which prompts Sam to add a pack of gum, a bag of pretzels, and a tabloid to his little box of latex. They joke about Rick's cold as they wait for the snarly pubescent cashier to ring up Sam's stuff. Sam grabs his bag of goodies and starts making excuses about how he'd love to stick around and "be and idiot" and Rick says "Are you kidding? You get home to your wife with those!" Ah, Rick, you're so naïve. Sam may be married, but he's certainly not having sex with his wife, is he, Judy? She's just walked into the drugstore, by the way, and is excitedly waving around one of those photo booth picture strips. Sam turns away from her, and Judy spots Rick staring at them. He looks from one to the other, and I'm pretty sure his mouth isn't hanging open because of his cold. Everyone falls silent for a few seconds as the awkwardness of the situation fully weighs on them. Lamely, Judy explains that the picture strips aren't just photos -- they're stickers, too. Although I'm sure he's fascinated, Rick doesn't stick around to find out more about the amazing picture-stickers. He makes for the doors and ends up doing a little dance with Sam. Awkwardness abounds, it seems, when you catch your good married friend buying condoms with your girlfriend's sister. Sam and Judy stand there for a second after Rick leaves, and Sam tries to assure her that Rick "won't tell," like they just got caught with their pants down in the sandbox. Judy turns and heads out the door after Rick.
Outside, Judy knocks on the window of Rick's truck and, when he rolls it down, she tells him that she'll "tell her." She's not referring to Sam's wife, but to Lily who does, after all, have the right to know about and pass judgment on everything. Just ask her. Rick agrees, since "this is one of the top ten embarrassing positions [he's] ever been in." "It's okay," Judy says desperately, and I'm not sure who she's trying to reassure. "Stuff happens" is Rick's sage response, and he pulls away leaving Judy to mutter, "It sure does."
After commercials, we return to find the star-crossed lovers sitting in Sam's pick-up truck. "At least it wasn't Janine," Judy says. "What?" Sam asks. "Who saw us? Your wife?" Judy replies, a little sarcastically. Then she goes on to muse that "[Rick] won't even have to tell Lily. She'll just know." God, is Lily her sister or her eternal keeper? Continuing their stunted, disjointed conversation, Sam remarks that it's odd to hear Judy say his wife's name. Which of course causes Judy say it about five more times in a row. Sam tries to reassure her but she's not interested. Sensing that sex is definitely off, he says that things may be a little hectic later, and he may not be able to call her (PIG). Judy tells him not to call -- "What the hell do I care?" -- and then, as if struck by the reality of it, says, "You have a WIFE. Call when you can. Sure." She gathers her stuff and gets ready to hop out of the truck. Sam watches her from the corner of his eye and then grabs her arm to give her a kiss before she goes.
BWudy says she's okay, but I don't know who she thinks she's fooling. She's trying to put on a tough front, insisting that she knew they couldn't stay in their perfect little "bubble. Bubbles break."
Meanwhile, Grace and Zoe are at Jake's place, where Grace has just finished interrogating him on his lifestyle. He's proud to have surprised her with the information that he walks to work and shuts off the restaurant equipment overnight. Grace tells him he "definitely kicked [Lily's] butt." Despite his glowing victory, Jake wants to know when Earth Day's over. Grace says her teacher claims Jake's generation "burned out on Vietnam and Watergate and now all they care about is themselves." Jake points out that he was only fourteen when Watergate happened. Which doesn't change the fact that he's a selfish ass, as he seems to think. It just means he's got a different reason. Zoe says she's sick of hearing about global warming, so Grace starts weaving tales of environmental horror, scaring the bejeezus out of the kid. Zoe takes refuge in her room. Jake snatches the time alone with Grace to raise the subject of his "extra-marital affair." Grace cuts the crap: "You mean you cheating on mom while you were still married?" Jake tells her to basically let him have it, and she asks if Lily called him to prompt this little talk. He insists that it's what he wanted to say. Grace buries her nose in a notebook throughout the conversation, saying there's nothing she wants to talk about. She tries to be aloof about the whole thing, acting like it doesn't bother her. When it becomes clear that Grace isn't interested in talking, Jake gets up with a look of defeat and leaves her alone.
At the bookstore, Judy and Lily are in the kids' corner eating fast food. Lily's all folded up on a tiny chair while Judy's on the floor. They exchange a look, and then Judy takes a deep breath and stands up. She says she has something to tell Lily, but she's interrupted by a woman named Nelly, who is doing bookwork for the store. Nelly's carrying a big important file box, and she says she'll be right back to "collect [her] fries." Lily tells Judy to sit down and asks if she wants to talk about their dad. Judy says no, that's not it, but Lily's not really listening. She's found herself another opportunity to go on at length about her favorite subject -- Lily. She tells Judy how "[she] thought [she] was doing really well" but then some store didn't have the shade of lipstick she wanted so she burst into tears at the make-up counter. Fascinating, but Judy asks Lily to stop and listen for a second. She must be kidding. Lily interrupts to tell her "[she's] not finished. Just listen," and then proceeds to lecture Judy on the grieving process and how different people handle it. Like she, for instance, can't stand change while Judy craves it. Lily suggests that may be why Judy was "chucking all those good books." She points out that "some of those sub-literate pulp novels are actually collectors' items." While she's yammering away at Judy, Judy stands up and mutters that she should just chuck the bookstore. Lily's on such a roll, though, that she doesn't even notice Judy speak. She tells Judy she could use all those "perfectly good books" to build a display since she's "so creative." "What are you talking about?" Judy snaps. Lily tells her to "look at what [she's] doing," implying that Judy is messing up her life and the business. Judy flies off on a rant, offended that Lily's telling her she's not grieving properly, and she wonders if there's anything Lily doesn't do better than her. Lily's actually silent for a moment, probably trying to think of something she doesn't do better than her sister. Judy stalks away.
Cue the Rickster -- I feel a Lily-bitch coming on in three...two...one. Ding-dong. Lily's at Rick's door and, without even a hello, launches into a tirade on how she "must have been adopted. It's the only explanation." Feeling Rick's forehead as she moves into the apartment, Lily exclaims he's "so hot!" "Why, thank you," Rick intones, doing his best lounge lizard. Never one to shirk his duties, however, Rick immediately shifts the conversation away from his little old sick self to Lily and her life. He asks how she's doing, and how her dinner with Judy went. Lily spouts off about how she can't compete with the image Judy has of her -- a fifty-foot version of her with its finger always wagging in disapproval. Aside from the fifty-foot part, I don't see where Judy's image is all that inaccurate. Lily does, though, and says that she can't say anything without Judy's interpreting it in the worst possible way. You know, a little tact might go a long way in combating that problem, I suggest, but of course Lily's not listening. She's too busy wondering how Judy can't see what she's doing. Rick says "it's a tough situation. Obviously she's got a lot of feelings for him." "For who?" Lily demands. Uh-oh. Rick figures out that they're having a miscommunication, but it's too late -- Lily's all over him like a pit bull on a steak. Somehow, wordlessly, Lily figures out that Rick's talking about Sam. She says his name like it's a joke, but her humor turns foul in about eight-tenths of a second. She thinks Rick knew about it all along and is just telling her now. Hey, Rick knows better than that, honey. He assures her he just learned about it the night before. Lily whines his name for about the twentieth time, although this one is louder and squeakier than the rest and I wish she'd just SHUT UP already. She stands there with her hands on her hips, looking all stern and schoolmarmish, and Rick knows he's gonna get it. He scrambles to explain: He would have told her right away, but Judy said she wanted be the one to do it. Apparently she likes groveling before Queen Righteous. Rick says he thought that's what Lily and Judy had talked about over dinner.
Meanwhile, Jake's just finished putting Zoe to bed. He tells Grace that she's having trouble sleeping because of all the apocalyptic environmental stuff. Then he starts tickling Grace, trying to get a laugh out of her, but it falls flat. Jake tries to talk to her again, but she shoots him down fast. Zoe pops her head out to say she still can't sleep, and Grace jumps up, anxious for an excuse to get away from Jake. Just as the girls head for Zoe's room, Grace hears keys jangling and someone opening Jake's front door. The three of them turn to see who's coming in, and it's everyone's favorite tart, Tiffany. She stops dead when she sees the kids, muttering something about how she got her nights mixed up. She starts to leave, but Zoe tells her to stay and runs over to give her a hug. Jake agrees with Zoe, saying "it's fine, right?" and looking at Grace. Grace rolls her eyes and says "no problem." Tiffany tries to kiss up by telling Grace she likes her "top." It's a plain cotton pullover, so I'm positive she's only trying to score points. Grace is, too, and gives her a tight, sarcastic smile. Zoe heads off to bed, and Grace follows her into her room. Tiffany tells Jake she shouldn't stay, but Jake says she should, for a little while. He tells her "the girls will just have to get used to it" while rubbing her shoulders. Grace hears every word and looks really disappointed.
With a catch in her voice, BWrace says she "thought he wanted to talk because he knew he did something wrong. He just wanted me to say it was okay so he could keep doing it."
Judy rushes into her apartment and heads straight for the answering machine. The LED display shows zero messages. The phone rings and, like a desperate fool, Judy rushes off-screen to it up after less than one ring. It's not Sam, as she'd hoped, but Lily. The camera doesn't follow Judy, but stays fixed on her door and the little window to it. We hear Lily say that she saw Judy head upstairs but didn't want to "pressure" her, so she thought she'd call first. Then she pops up in Judy's little window like some kind of psychopath and taps on the glass. Right, no pressure there. Judy jumps and spins to look at the window, and Lily starts making self-effacing jokes about how she feels like the slasher in one of those baby-sitting horror flicks. Judy looks about that happy to see her. As Judy opens the door, Lily says she thinks they can hang up now. Judy already knows why Lily's there and she's braced herself for the onslaught. Lily insists she just wants to know that Judy is okay, and says that she's surprised it's been going on so long (without her knowing about it, she means). Judy tells her "it's strong" and Lily says she "gets that." For a moment, it really does look like Lily's just there to lend an ear and some support. But then she remembers that it's her job to tell Judy how badly she's screwing up her life. She says she's "surprised" again, but doesn't say why. Judy guesses that it's because Lily "didn't think [she] had it in her." Lily says she knows Judy has "it in [her, that she] gets sexual with guys before she gets to know them." Um, I'm pretty sure that's not what Judy meant. While Lily's offhandedly calling her sister a whore, she takes off her jacket as if she's just getting warmed up. And she is. She goes on to say she can't believe that Judy, "at this point in [her] life, would choose to spend time with someone who's, you know --" Judy gets up to pace and says "So, I'm a lousy feminist and a self-destructive slut!" Lily doesn't get why Judy's so offended. She asks why Judy's so mad at her, and innocently points out that she didn't create this situation. Judy says she didn't, either. Okay, I don't know about that...
The phone rings and Judy's machine picks up the call after about half a ring -- which allows Lily and the rest of us to eavesdrop on the message. It's Sam, and he says some fairly intimate things, mentioning Judy's breasts in particular. Lily does this little Victorian hand-to-the-forehead thing, like she thinks her head might explode after all this dirty talk. Oh, lighten up.
After the commercial break, it's the morning, and we're in the Manning kitchen. Lily's on the cordless phone in the middle of an agitated conversation with Jake. She says, "I don't know, Jake, maybe it has something to do with the fact that you had your girlfriend over when you know that this is a time for Grace that's --" Jake interrupts to point out that "she's not [his] girlfriend." Does Tiffany know that? 'Cause it's not the impression I got. Lily points out that it's not really what's at issue. It looks like Jake finally went out and bought himself a clue, though, as he asks, "It's never going to go away, is it?" But it wasn't too big a clue, because he's still thinking he's a victim here. Lily starts grinding him, pointing out that he "should have thought about that before [he] started staying out late and telling [her he] was playing racquetball." She reams him a bit more and then hangs up on him. Grace has overheard everything. Speaking of selfish -- shouldn't Lily watch what she says in front of her fragile daughter who's already struggling with disillusionment over her father? Especially since Lily's the one encouraging Grace to forgive him? I'm just saying.
Lily shoos the kids to go get ready for school and then calls Rick. His machine says to leave a message for Eli, Jessie or "Rick after the tone," which prompts a painful, painful sequence. Lily says, "Hi Rick after-the-tone" which is bad enough in itself, but then she compounds it by explaining, "The way you say that, it's like your name is 'after-the-tone.'" And just in case he's a raging moron, she adds, "Like you guys are the 'after-the-tone' family." All right already, it wasn't funny in the first place, and it's not getting any better. Anyway, she finally gets to the point and says that she just wanted "to hear the voice of a good man," and asks him to call her.
At school, Jared's goofing around with some friends when he sees Grace walk past. He follows her, calling her name, and has to run in front of her to get her to stop. He wants to know where she's been, and if she's got a problem with him. Grace tells him there's "just a lot of weird stuff at home" but he doesn't see what "home has to do with here." Grace says she doesn't know, it just does. She reminds him that she warned him she's not together, and he responds by saying that she told him a lot more than that. Grace apologizes and says she doesn't know what to say. Jared looks at her for a few moments and, looking hurt and angry, says, "maybe later." He walks away and Grace watches him with this odd little smile. Jared bumps into a girl and they walk off, laughing. Grace's smile slips.
BWace says, "It was easy -- I watched him with that girl and all I could think was 'this must be what nothing feels like.'" The camera leaps away from her as she says this, so we see a tiny Grace swamped by an expanse of darkness, and she's looking a lot like a lost little girl.
Cut to Judy flipping through pictures of herself as a girl. BWudy tells us she's looking for the perfect picture to give Sam -- one that doesn't make her look too needy and dependent.
Then Sam's at her door, apologizing for being late. He tells her that his wife canceled her hike and decided to do housework instead, so he had to stay and put together a bookshelf and then help her flip all the mattresses. "All the mattresses?" Judy repeats. "Yeah, in our bedroom and the guest-room nobody ever goes into." Oh, nice. Like Judy needs to hear that you share a bed with your wife. Why don't you just knock her out and finish the job, you self-centered ass? Instead, he says, "Hello," and gives her a kiss, remarking that she tastes like chardonnay. She says that since he wasn't there she went ahead and opened a bottle. He says she doesn't need his permission to drink. You know, he's right, especially since, oh I don't know -- HE'S MARRIED? Then Sam rounds out his selfish-schmuck routine by telling her he can't stay long. Judy says that's okay, but I get the feeling she doesn't really mean it.
Cut to the two of them in bed, where Judy's tearing at him and kissing him violently. ["It's basically the polar opposite of the opening sex scene, which was passionate but more tender and intimate -- at least from where I was sitting." -- Wing Chun] Sam asks her to stop because she seems all "jangly." Judy gets a hold of herself and puts her head on Sam's chest saying, "Most men find my desperation charming." After a second she says that "this is not who [she] is." Sam says he knows that, "but it is." Oh yeah, well if he's so smart, why doesn't he stop playing on her insecurity and desperation? Knowing that she's sloppy seconds to his wife can't be doing wonders for her.
Cut to Judy in the kitchen, wearing a robe. Sam steps up behind her and presents her with a picture of himself as a young boy. After the requisite oohing and ahhing, she puts it on her fridge. Sam says that he wants one of her, that he doesn't want to miss out on any part of her life. Judy asks if he's going to put it on his fridge. Sam doesn't get why she seems snippy and asks if she wants to talk about something. "You don't?" Judy replies. She asks if he doesn't want to know what happens in her life when he's not around, and whether she sleeps with other people. Finally Sam gets it and asks if she wants to know if he sleeps with his wife. Judy's nose is out of joint, so she says, "I'm just your mistress -- I don't get to ask questions like that." Sam says he hasn't slept with his wife in "a long time" but then he looks thoughtful for a second and adds that "this morning, for some reason, she wanted to..." But his voice trails off, leaving us to wonder if they did it or not. He quickly changes his course by saying that Judy's not his "mistress -- that's a terrible word!" Yeah, buddy, but a rose is a rose, isn't it? Judy's staying aloof, sitting with her back slightly toward him. He tells her that he loves her, and you can see her visibly soften. Oh, come on! I cry. Although, I should be more generous since I have the benefit of cynic-vision, which allows me to see through all manner of come-ons and cover-ups. It has an accuracy rate of about ninety-eight percent, but it didn't come cheaply, let me tell you.
We don't have long to ponder the old "talk is cheap" adage, however, as the camera shifts to a close-up of Grace's bristol board exhibit on the effects of global warming. I sense another sermon's brewing. Zoe tells Grace that she's really freaked out about all the environmental stuff, and then we slide into the public-service/after-school special segment of this week's episode (buckle up, kids, we're going on a guilt trip). Zoe asks Grace if we're all going to starve and be the end of civilization, and Grace says she doesn't know, and that the weird thing is that kids have to depend on grown-ups to sort it all out, and they don't seem to know what's going on. Anyone feeling guilty yet?
Jake calls to talk to Grace, and she reluctantly takes the phone from Zoe while making a snarly face at her. Jake says he wants to talk about "last night," meaning Tiffany's unexpected appearance. Grace tells him that it's okay, and then blows him off. Again.
Judy's in the bookstore office going over the books with Nelly. Lily comes in and Nelly asks her how things are going with Rick. Speaking of Rick, Lily wonders whether he called the bookstore -- she hasn't been able to track him down -- but they say they haven't heard from him. The conversation turns to the bookstore, and Lily clues in that Judy's thinking of selling it. Nelly tells her that they won't "lose much" if they decide to sell soon. Lily starts whining at Judy that she "thought the way [they] worked it out" left Lily owning part of the business as an investment. Judy points out that she can take her cash -- fifty percent -- and invest it in something else. Lily jumps in to snap that Judy's share was only thirty percent, which "daddy put down for" her. Judy counters that she's been working there full-time since the store opened -- for which she was paid, Lily bickers. Judy says she doesn't want to work there anymore because it's too lonely, and Lily demands to know what she's going to do instead. See, there's the biggest flaw in Judy's little "plan" -- she hasn't really got one. She tells Lily that Sam has a bunch of artist friends -- he may be able to set her up as a photographer's assistant. Lily's got her back to us, but her face must be pinched somehow, because Judy tells her she "hates that face. [Lily] look[s] just like [their] mom." Lily starts in on Judy, telling her snidely that selling the store because she's lonely isn't exactly sound business. Then she snarks, "Maybe if the man you're seeing were around a little more, you wouldn't feel so lonely." She proceeds to criticize all of Judy's life choices, ending with, "How much weight have you lost?" Then she storms out, still muttering sarcastic comments about the state of Judy's life (because her own is perfect, after all), when her cell phone rings. It's Eli, letting her know that Rick's okay, but he's at the hospital.
After commercials, we have a little déjà-vu as Lily races through the hospital. She meets up with Eli near the nurses' station, and he takes her to Rick's room, where a sleepy little sickie looks very happy to see her. It turns out he's got pneumonia. Lily says she's "such an idiot" for letting him get this sick without noticing it. Any arguments? Good, let's move on. Oh, wait, of course Rick objects -- Lily can do no wrong, after all. He says that his ex-wife wasn't very receptive about his "whining and moaning," which is why he kept it to himself. Looking at him lying there, Lily realizes that she's been extremely self-centered and that she's really taken him for granted. Before you get too excited, hold on -- there's more. Not only does Rick totally let her off the hook, but Lily says, "I want to say I'll make it up to you but that never seems to happen in life, does it?" Well, no, it doesn't just happen -- you may actually have to juggle your priorities a bit to make it happen. Man, for somebody who's always lecturing on what it means to be an adult, she really doesn't have a clue sometimes. So basically, Lily knows she's been an ass, but she's probably not going to do anything to change that. It's enough that she acknowledged it and smiled pretty, right? Well, for Rick it certainly seems to be. He just smiles weakly at her, with all kinds of love in his eye, and invites her to hop up on the bed with him. Maybe he could get a backbone transplant while he's in the hospital?
Cut to an exterior shot of the bookstore. It's nighttime and pouring rain. Grace is huddled under the eaves when Judy happens to glance out and spot her. She ushers Grace inside, asking if Lily knows where she is. Grace tells her Lily's at the hospital because Rick has pneumonia and Judy wants to know if he's all right. Grace bitches that "it's just like a really, really bad flu, but [her mom] freaked out and had to get over there as fast as she could and make this really big deal about it." Judy's busy pulling off Grace's wet shoes and socks, and Grace wonders, with a catch in her voice, if her feet smell. Fighting her tears, she tells Judy that she feels "like a ghost. Like everyone's walking around and she's just not there." Then she sobs and chokes out that she's "just so mad at [her] dad." She talks about how weird it is to think of her father having a secret life, in which he goes out and has sex with strangers. She says that finding out about Jake was like losing her grandpa -- one day he's there and everything's normal, and then...Judy sympathizes, suddenly realizing how much crap Grace has been dealing with lately. She rubs Grace's shoulders, saying that the "hardest part of growing up is finding out that people are just...people." Grace takes her hand and replies, "Not all people. You're not like that." Yeeouch. Softly, Judy says that she is like that. Grace, thankfully, doesn't latch on to this little admission, but instead seems to have inherited her mother's oblivious gene. She says that, if she ever gets married, she doesn't want Jake to walk down the aisle with her, because "that would just be gross." Then she really starts crying, because she always pictured having her dad with her on that big day. "Me too," Judy says, putting her arms around her.
Later that night, Judy is sitting in Lily's kitchen while Lily makes dinner. Lily thanks her for "helping with Grace." Judy says it was the other way around. Then she asks about Rick and Lily gets all smiley and starts gushing how, she knows they haven't been together that long, but...Judy looks at her knowingly and says, "You want to marry him, don't you?" Lily admits that, if he asked her, she wouldn't be able to say no. Jeez, is the ink even dry on her divorce papers? Are there even divorce papers? What happened to standing on her own, for the first time in her life?
The doorbell rings, and we hear Zoe exclaim, "Daddy!" Apparently Jake's abandoned his habit of just barging in whenever he feels like it. Grace walks past him in the foyer without saying a word, and he follows her upstairs to her room. "Okay, now you listen to me," he says, like he's going to scold her into forgiving him. Good plan. "You're going to have to learn to deal with this. I'm still your dad," he reminds her. Grace responds by letting him know that she's figured out the real reason he was late last year for her parent-teacher interviews. He tries to deny it, but she storms, "Don't lie to me!" and, with his primary means of communication barred, Jake is left with nothing to say. Grace rolls out the evidence: He had wet hair, and she knows now that all the times he had wet hair and said he was playing racquetball, he was cheating on Lily and showering to cover it up. She tells him that he didn't just cheat on Lily, that he betrayed all of them, and he can't "just fix it" like he wants to.
Downstairs, Lily, Judy and Zoe sit and wait. Judy comments on how every action creates these "ripples" that affect other people. Her epiphany seems to be complete.
Cut to Judy's apartment, where she's letting Sam in while her voice-over talks about how her life has changed since she lost her father, using a road/car metaphor that I just don't have the strength to repeat. Basically, with her father gone, she has no one to follow and she's got to make all her decisions alone. To Sam, Judy says that she can't be with him anymore, no matter how much she loves him, and he can't be with her. They're not free. She says he's got to make a decision. Sam takes a second before saying he doesn't think he's ready to do that. With her eyes brimming, Judy says she knows that. I think he's waiting for her to crumble and relent so things can go on as they are, but she doesn't. Yay for Judy! When Sam sees that Judy's not about to cave, he shakes his head, mutters, "Oh man," and pulls on his jacket. Put down the freaking collar! I scream. I gave him the benefit of the doubt last time, thinking the collar must have been accidentally raised, but apparently he lifts it deliberately. He's so 1986 right now I don't think anyone would have second thoughts about heaving him to the curb. And he tops it nicely by saying that he and his wife have been together so long, and "it's very complicated." Judy gives him no response -- she just stands there looking at him (just keep looking at that collar and you'll be fine, I tell her). "All right," he says and finally leaves. Judy's alone in her apartment with the Sad Guitar, and she picks up the childhood picture she'd settled on for Sam. Young Judy comes to life, talking about the kind of man she wants to marry. Oddly, "adulterer" isn't on her list of qualities. Judy looks at her younger self, remembering her ideals, and knows she did the right thing as we fade to black.