Episode Report Card Niki: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Second Time Around
By Niki | Season 2 | Episode 22 | Aired on 05.01.2001
Meanwhile, over at Manning Manor, Judy interrupts Tiffany in the process of rummaging through Lily's pans. Tiffany hurries to explain that she was just "sort of going through [Lily's] kitchen." She adds that Lily's out back with "some guy" who Tiffany thinks is named Will. "Will Gluck?" Judy asks, trying to keep her tone casual. She hangs the girls' dresses, which she's returning, on a cupboard door, and gazes out into the back yard. Tiffany continues rummaging through the kitchen, asking, "Isn't he the guy who did that fountain thing for you? He seems like a super-nice guy. Super!" Hey, back off, Preggo -- Judy's all over him, okay? Tiffany does look great, though, in her little Chinese blouse. Who knew they made maternity wear that nice? It doesn't even have teddies or flowers on it. Tiffany keeps blathering on, confessing that she used to be "the worst judge of character," and that if "someone smiled at [her], she'd practically give him all [her] money and [laughs self-consciously] move in with him," but she thinks Will is genuinely the poo. Get in line, sister. At this point, I think it ends somewhere around Delaware. She adds that he's also "kinda cute," and giggles. Oh, she's got Judy tweaked now. Judy brings over a grocery bag and starts unpacking it, saying, "He's not the kind of person you get to know to easily." So back off, bitch. Tiffany agrees, saying, "Oh, definitely. That's why I was surprised when he practically told me his whole life story!" She wanders over to admire the dresses, leaving Judy to sharpen her claws surreptitiously. "He did?" Judy asks. Tiffany says, "Yeah, did you know he lived out of his car for a year, and that he's actually an ordained minister?" No, Judy didn't. She's trying hard not to act bothered, and failing miserably. Tiffany continues, "Yeah, it's something he does on the side, for extra money." She emphatically clutches her chest and says, "Oh! And when he told me about his daughter? He was practically in tears. We were standing here waiting for Lily to get off the phone --" "He has a daughter?" Judy interrupts, incredulous. Tiffany answers, "Yeah. Apparently he got some girl pregnant when they were both sixteen, and they wanted to keep the baby, but her parents made them put it up for adoption, so he never got to meet her, and then a few years ago he just started searching?" Judy gapes at her, and then asks, "He told you all this while Lily was on the phone?" Tiffany prattles that it just sort of spilled out of him, and that she's noticed that people just sort of open up to her since she's been pregnant. She beams. She deserves better than Jake, is all I can say.
Will opens up the back door behind Tiffany and pokes his head in. He mutters a tense, "Hey" to Judy as he heads for the fridge. She jumps, as if jolted, and gives him an emphatic "hey" in return. Tiffany keeps on talking in the background, telling Judy that she has to get going, and that she'll "see [her] on the big day." Judy has no idea what she's talking about. Tiffany looks at her like she could be losing it (and enjoys it, I'm sure, because how often is Tiffany on the giving end of that look?), and Judy clicks that Tiffany means the wedding. Right, right. She practically waves Tiffany away. Tiffany stops to tell Will that it was really nice to meet him. He awkwardly glances toward Judy and says the same. Judy, looking rattled, explains to Will that she just came by to drop off the dresses. He doesn't care. She stares at him as he wipes his big manly arm across his forehead. Her knees almost dissolve. "Tiffany told me just now about..." she says softly. He looks at her quickly, alarmed. She catches it, and changes her tack, saying, "...the parachute. So you're going to do that instead of the tent?" Will's relief is palpable. Judy says she thinks it's a brilliant idea. Again, Will could give a crap. He says a terse "thanks" and looks to make his escape out the back door as Lily comes flying in. Judy watches him go like a cartoon dog watching a dancing turkey leg. Lily breaks her reverie by asking her to call a list of people who haven't bothered to RSVP yet. Lily rants about the state of the world when people can't even be bothered to drop a stamped, addressed card into a mailbox. Judy tries to get her to chill, telling her to think of it as just a big party. "With vows," Lily snarls, "a party with vows. Where you promise to be faithful to someone you barely even know." Lily's feet are encased in ice blocks, apparently. She confesses that she "can't even afford all this," and wonders what she was thinking. She blows over to the breakfast nook, and Judy turns to watch her, concerned. "Jake might lose the restaurant," Lily says flatly. She sits heavily and grabs a sheaf of paperwork on the table. Judy joins her at the table, saying, "I haven't bought your wedding present yet. I have about $3000. You wouldn't have to pay me back." After a beat, she adds, "They're American dollars." Heh. It's good that she clarified. Three thousand Canadian dollars wouldn't be much help to anyone, since they'd convert to roughly $1.65. Lily looks touched at the gesture but says, "Judy, I love you, but I couldn't take your money." Judy sighs with relief, "Oh, thank god!" Then the real reason for Lily's stoicism emerges: "It wouldn't make a dent, anyway. I'm so in over my head, here." (Oh, I know that's not why she turned it down. Relax.) Judy suggests, "Call it off." Lily rolls her eyes at the absurdity. Judy presses that for the past few weeks, all Lily has talked about are centerpieces and French champagne and other wedding "necessities," and she implies that it's ridiculous for anyone to think those are the important things in a wedding. Lily explains herself by saying that when Rick first brought out the ring, she didn't answer him. And then he went through the whole Atlantor ordeal. She knows that all the wedding stuff is "just for show," but it's Rick's show, and she's worried that if she suddenly doesn't want it, he'll think she doesn't want him. Wordlessly, Judy stands and steps toward Lily, gently kissing the top of her head. She grabs the girls' dresses and says she'll take them upstairs, glancing at Lily as she goes, as if to make sure she's okay.
Cut to Grace's room, where Eli is sprawled rather comfortably on the bed, stroking his guitar. What did you think I was going to say? Grace is perched at the foot of the bed, staring at him with something close to worship. There's a knock, which sends Grace scrambling off the bed just as Judy pushes open the door. Eli doesn't even look up, but just goes on playing, and Judy realizes that she may have interrupted something. She starts to apologize, but Grace just rushes to pull the dress out of her hands. Eli finally glances up, and Judy gives him a big smile before letting her eyes wander just over his shoulder to the window, where Will Gluck is busily stringing up the parachute. Grace sidles up to Judy, catching her staring, and gives her a pointed "thanks." Judy takes her cue. After Grace closes the door again, she asks, "So, can I hear what you have so far?" Eli "aw shucks"es that it isn't much yet, and adds that he'll "just send it to [Wannabe] when it's done." This mention of the heartless beast jogs Grace, who glances over at her knapsack and sees the fuchsia letter poking out of a pocket. Eli says he has to get going to practice, wryly saying that that should stun them, since they'd all given up on his ever showing up again. Grace says she thought he liked the band. "I used to," he says, pausing in the doorway. "I used to like a lot of things." Grace smiles at him sadly, and he says, "Hey, you're still wearing my sweatshirt." She moves to unzip it, but he tells her not to worry, he'll get it later. He leaves, and she zips it back up, hugging herself and smiling.