Okay, here's the disclaimer: in light of recent events, this episode's topic is close to home for a lot of people. I hope it's obvious that any jokes made in this recap are not intended to make light of violence or its consequences. They're intended to make light of the show's portrayal of a hostage taking. I know that guns are not funny. I also know that some shows should stick to what they do best -- namely, subtlety.
We open this week's Action Theater with a black-and-white clip of Lily, turning the engagement ring over in her fingers. She looks at it pensively, then stares into the camera. She looks apprehensive.
Her alarm bleeps and we cut to her bedroom, where the clock's digital display reads 9:23. Lily jerks awake, then silences the alarm and cocks an ear for sounds of movement in the house. Not hearing any, she throws back the covers and heads for Grace's room, following the sound of Grace's ringing alarm clock. Grace is flopped out, dead asleep. Lily chides her to wake up and asks what time Jake wants her to be at the restaurant. When she doesn't get a response, Lily swats Grace on the rump. She complains that she shouldn't have to get Grace up. "Then don't!" Grace groans, rolling over and clamping a pillow to her ear. Is it sad that, as an adult, I still behave pretty much the same way? And not just on weekends. Thank god Wing Chun and Glark think along the same lines. An urgent beeping interrupts Lily and Grace's squabble.
Cut to Zoe at the kitchen sink, enveloped in smoke. She appears to be extinguishing something. Lily rushes in and silences the smoke detector while simultaneously chastising Zoe for trying to cook by herself. Zoe pouts that she was "just trying to make Daddy's birthday cake." Grace enters the kitchen and smirks, "Daddy likes German chocolate cake." Zoe snaps defensively that she doesn't know how to make that. Grace surveys the wake of damage left by our little Betty Crocker and snides, "Oh my god!" Zoe snarks, "And get out of my life!" Lily whines that she said she'd help Zoe, and Zoe retorts that she didn't think Lily was ever getting out of bed. Boy, kids have a really distorted sense of time, don't they? Zoe'd probably call an ambulance on me if she ever spent a weekend at my place. Grace asks Lily if they have any ribbon for Jake's birthday present, and Lily gripes that the girls have to get dressed. They schlump out, sighing and rolling their eyes. Lily swipes at the counter in a half-hearted attempt to clean up Zoe's mess. Why she's cleaning up after Zoe, especially when the kid broke the rules and almost caused a fire, is beyond me. Oh, that's right -- it's the martyr thing to do.
Judy juggles a bag of groceries and struggles to open the back door. Is it like a rule at Manning Manor that no one shall enter through the back door unless they're simultaneously wrestling a bag of groceries? Judy drops the bag on the island and announces that she "got every kind of bagel known to man." Lily peeks in the bag and asks, "What's that?" Judy tosses the plastic deli container onto the counter and says, "Whitefish. I have no idea why I got that." Me neither. Who buys fish as an impulse purchase? They don't even keep it near the register. Which is good, obviously. Judy tugs off her coat and mutters that she didn't sleep very well. Lily says that she didn't either. At the same time, they both announce they had the strangest dream. Lily says she dreamt that "this huge truck just drove through our living room without any warning." Lily stares off, pondering its implications. Judy asks, "No train in the tunnel?" Ew. She bitterly mutters that she dreamt the world ended, and she was somehow responsible. Judy, get thee to Dr. Wise-ass. Seriously. I mean, I like you and everything, but the whole long-suffering, low self-esteem thing just isn't healthy. Lily jumps a little, jolted by the memory that the truck in her dream was a moving truck. Huh. Maybe she should worry about falling anvils instead of out-of-control trucks. Without missing a beat, Dr. Freud -- I mean, Judy -- asks, "And how is Rick?" "Completely awkward," Lily answers after a minute.
Grace comes flying into the kitchen, all decked out in a sassy wraparound shirt and makeup. And with her hair actually down. Around her face. She looks really good. Judy thinks so, too, and tells her that. Grace fights back her smile and tells Judy that she's working at the restaurant. "As a hostess," Lily adds. "As a person who seats people," Grace politically corrects her. Grace complains that she doesn't even know why she's doing it. "Because you made a commitment," Lily heavies. Grace knows. She just has a lot of homework and other stuff to do, too. She says she thinks she should just give Jake his present and leave. Lily points out that it was Grace's idea in the first place, not Jake's. Grace relents and says she'll go. She grabs the deli container and asks what it is, because we haven't gotten nearly enough mileage out of it yet. "Whitefish," Judy says. Grace tosses it back like it bit her. I still don't understand why Judy picked it up in the first place. I mean, it's a white, slimy chunk floating in liquid. ["I like whitefish, myself, but it's definitely an acquired taste." -- Sars] "Grace!" Lily whines, having been splashed by said fish liquid. Ack.
Rick softly pushes open the back door, no doubt trying to sneak in because he's breaking the rule. He doesn't have a bag of groceries. He does have Lily's newspaper, though, so he feels brave enough to say hello. Three pairs of eyes stare at him. Grace does not look happy to see him. She's suddenly in a big hurry to get to the restaurant and starts rushing Lily to take her. Sensing that Lily and Rick need some time, Judy jumps in and says she can take Grace, since she has to go to the bookstore anyway. Grace isn't thrilled that Judy foiled her plan to pull Lily away from Rick. As Lily plants a peck on her pouty cheek, Grace tosses Rick a dirty look. Lily mouths a "thank you" to Judy, and Grace sullenly walks out the back door, ignoring Rick's "bye." I wonder if she knows about the proposal yet? That should really liven things up.