Apologies in advance if I don't do the episode justice. I've been wrangling with a nasty headache for the past couple of days, and I'm writing through an Excedrin fog. Mad props to Excedrin, by the way.
Anyway, remember where we left off last week? Rick's apartment was being torn apart by the Chicago Gestapo as he, Lily, and his kids cowered.
This week, we open in the kitchen of Manning Manor, where Zoe is dazzling Lily with the story of a classmate's mom who got arrested once for shoplifting. "But she didn't go to jail," Zoe thoughtfully adds. Lily is chagrined at the mention of the Big House, wondering who said Rick is going to jail. Zoe fingers Grace, and Lily insists that no one, "not even Grace," knows what's going to happen. She points out that Rick hasn't even been indicted. Zoe asks what "indicted" means. Before Lily can explain it, the almost-but-not-quite accused interrupts with a cheery "good morning" as he breezes into the kitchen. Rick mentions that he called the wedding caterer, and that they're faxing menus to his office. Lily says he doesn't have to do that, and he fires back that she's already handling a pile of other wedding details. She suggests that it's not too late to elope, and he jokes, a little bitterly, "Yeah -- you, me, and the District Attorney's office." He dashes around the kitchen for a few seconds, and then heads for the back door, over Lily's protests that he needs to eat something. He promises that he will, later, and she follows him into the laundry room, whispering, "Are you okay?" He insists that he is. She adjusts the collar of his coat and reminds him that she loves him. He kisses her quickly and says he's counting on it.
Soliloquy Rick gives us a quick rundown of his fiscal situation: "I drive a fourteen-year-old car ["I thought that thing was way older than that." -- Niki]; I rent my apartment; I have $23,000 in the bank, out of which I'm supposed to send two kids to college ["More like one kid, if we're really being honest." -- Niki]; I pay alimony and child support and half the mortgage on the house my ex-wife lives in." Your ex-wife and your kids, you mean. But why is he paying alimony? I'm surprised Karen wants it from him, actually. She's a tough cookie and a professional. It just doesn't seem fair, somehow, that one professional has to help support another. Then again, I've never been divorced, so what the hell do I know?
Cut to Karen in her office enjoying a tall, take-out cappuccino. She can afford to be frivolous because she's getting half of Rick's paycheck. She takes a big gulp and oohs, "Oh, god, how can this be legal?" Her assistant flips through a big agenda book and reminds Karen of appointments. Her assistant is now a chick. Where's Sange? The chick tells Karen that Dumanjiak wants to see her today. Karen hangs up her coat, saying, "I gave him all my case files. What else could he want?" "I wonder," her assistant says with a suggestive smile. She teases that she told him Karen would be free for dinner. Karen's ass-pole leaps to attention. "You did not!" she cries in horror. The chick laughs and says she told him two o'clock. Karen sighs that that's fine. The chick prods, "He's cute." Karen retorts, "He's unscrupulous. He used me to try to incriminate Rick." The chick points out that that's his job. "Caroline Dorazzio," Karen snipes, leveling the buttinski with a stink-eye. "I'm going!" Caroline playfully says, knowing she got to Karen. Where the hell is Sange? I like him way better than this Girlfriend Friday.
Cut to Rick and his associates huddled around the Atlantor model, musing about moving walkways and once again proving that "architectural humor" is an oxymoron. Rick gets a call and excuses himself. The associates lean in conspiratorially, flicking their whiskers and doing their best impressions of rats on a sinking ship. Most of them are planning their getaway, but Cho chides them by reminding them how great Rick's been to them over the years. Yeah, well, "great" doesn't pay the mortgage, does it Cho?
Cut to Rick on the phone, saying that "it's not something [he'd] be interested in." Cho wanders over and asks, "Your adoring public?" Rick wearily sighs, "A reporter." Cho leans on the desk and mutters, "The natives are getting restless." And so are Cho's pants, if I'm not mistaken. And I rarely am about such things. Something in the way she looks at Rick says that she sees him with more than employee loyalty. Rick glances over at the huddled masses and assures her that they'll get through it. He insists that Atlantor has too much invested in the project to turn back now. Rick apparently has never heard of "cutting your losses." He says everyone will "just have to hang in there. And so will you." She smiles, "Do I look like I'm going anywhere?" I knew it!
Karen, meanwhile, is entering Dumanjiak's lair, and looking extremely nervous doing so. He thanks her profusely for coming and offers her a cup of coffee, giggling, "The cup is clean. I think." He really does giggle. Like a little girl. She asks how he's doing, and he mistakes the perfunctory question for actual interest, launching into a description of his basketball team's latest performances. Dumanjiak can read by her eyes that she's not really interested, and asks, "I thought you knew basketball. Doesn't your son play?" She says he does, and Dumanjiak asks where. Reluctant to give up even this tidbit of information, Karen warily sips her coffee and says, "He quit." She steers the conversation to the point of the visit. He starts to answer, and then says, with an embarrassed chuckle, "I'm just really happy to see you." She doesn't return the smile. Looking into her cup, she stonily asks, "So you can trick me into revealing more about my ex-husband?" Dumanjiak looks wounded, and stands up, moving around to the other side of his desk. He says he was just trying to do his job. She informs him that the police searched Rick's apartment while her children were there. Dumanjiak leans on the desk and says, "The indictments are coming down today." Karen's breath catches. "And?" she asks after a second. Her eyes are full of fear. Dumanjiak: "Rick's gonna walk." Karen's eyes widen with relief, and she exhales, letting her shoulders slump. She takes another breath, not trusting herself to speak yet. Then she sighs, "Oh, thank god," and looks like she's about to sob. She's puzzled, though, as to why he's telling her. He says he knew it was weighing on her. Her ass-pole gives her a wiggle, and she starts to protest that he's "not supposed to --" He blows it off, "Everyone else leaks around here. Why shouldn't I?" She says she doesn't know "what to do with this information." "Be happy?" Dumanjiak suggests. Karen softens, and thanks him emphatically. He tries the "aw shucks" routine as Karen stammers that she has to tell Rick; she asks if she's allowed to. He says no, but who's going to know? Her ass-pole relaxes into something like a limp noodle. For once, she actually returns his smile. She stands and thanks him again, full of sincerity. He stops her. He studies her face, wanting to say something, but all he can come up with is, "It's nice to see you." Her smile is restrained as she looks at him, shuffles uncomfortably, and then leaves his office. She doesn't hear him berating himself: "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"