Danny asks Melinda out for Valentine's Day. While Melinda struggles to figure out what kind of gift to get him, Danny struggles to find a new outfit. Rachel's boyfriend sends her a bunch of presents. Lacey's boyfriend is a pinko, which isn't really a surprise. Some guy named Leo brings by flowers for Johanna. Danny finally finishes his shopping and arrives home and gives Melinda flowers. But all of the sweetness and cute is undercut when Danny talks to his dad on the phone and finds out that his mom died. And the rest of the episode is Danny trying to deal with the shocking news with the help of his roommates, and in front of the cameras. Danny regrets going to Austin and feels like if he had been in Boston, he could have somehow changed things. At the end of the episode, Danny prepares to go to Boston to be with his family. And it's just heartbreaking.
No Most Awesome Thing this week -- it doesn't really fit in with the subject matter of the episode.
It's Valentine's Day! (On The Real World.) In honor of this Hallmark holiday, I present my Top Five Real World Valentine's Moments:
- In Hawaii, Colin buys Amaya a stuffed animal.
- In Paris, CT lies about sending the flowers to Leah.
- In Seattle, Nathan sends Stephanie a giant Betty Boop card.
- In New Orleans, Paul pays Danny a surprise visit.
- In Boston, Chrys sends Neil a pig's heart with a nail through it.
Anyway, Danny and Nehemiah walk the streets of Austin. Danny interviews that he's excited to take Melinda out to dinner. Danny looks in stores for a shirt and tie. He didn't bring one shirt and tie with him at all? That's kind of weird.
Meanwhile, the female roommates are also out shopping, and everyone asks Melinda what she's going to get Danny for Valentine's Day. As I mentioned last week, the editors this season really fond of the "Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far?/Tell me more, tell me more, like did he have a car?" style of storytelling. (I'm sorry for getting that song stuck in your head.) Melinda interviews that she doesn't want to buy Danny something that intimates that she wants to have his babies, but she also doesn't want to get something that makes it seem like she doesn't care. This is why you shouldn't start a new relationship until March. You avoid the winter holiday gift-giving season entirely, at least until you've been together almost a year. Rachel tells Melinda that she can hide her gift in her purse "if something goes awry," and I don't really like Rachel, but I admire her use of "awry" in that sentence. Melinda interviews that she's going with a card and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Oh, yes. The gift that says, "I have no creativity, and I don't like you that much, and I also frequently do my gift shopping in the corner drugstore." Johanna says that you can't go wrong with a card, and since Danny asked Melinda out, he's probably planning on paying. So she can afford to buy a card? I don't really know how the two parts of that sentence were related.
Danny says that he doesn't want to spend four hundred dollars on a shirt. Where in the hell is he shopping? Beverly Hills? Nehemiah interviews that Danny is stressed out about getting the perfect shirt, mostly because he's so nervous about the date. They go into a store, and Danny asks for plain black shirts. The saleslady points out a rack, and Danny picks up a Western-style shirt that I think is okay, but probably not for a formal dinner. Danny and Nehemiah make fun of it, which is interesting, considering that neither of them can keep their underwear from hanging out most of the time.
Melinda arrives home and finds a card from Jason, her ex-boyfriend. I know you probably forgot his name, because she broke up with him, like, one day after moving into the house. The card is handmade, and it looks very nice on the outside, but then on the inside, Jason has scribbled out all of the words. He wrote a note of explanation about how his feelings changed before he sent the card. That's just creepy. I mean, it's kind of funny, and I could see a certain type of person who would do that as a joke, but I don't think Jason was joking. Lacey thinks Jason's a psycho, and Rachel points out that Jason made sure every word was unreadable. Lacey wonders why he wouldn't just buy a new card. I think he was trying to make a point.
Nehemiah and Danny are still looking for a new shirt. They find one that costs $125, and Danny just laughs. Why are they going to these tiny boutiques if he doesn't want to spend that much? Just go to the mall, already.
Rachel gets a package from Erik. No ice cream this time! She got roses and a balloon, which make her happy, because she's That Girl.
Lacey gets a call from her boyfriend, Ryan, and they baby-talk on the phone for a while. Lacey interviews that this is her first Valentine's Day with a good boyfriend, but that Ryan thinks it's "a corporate holiday." Which it is, but whether you can just blow it off really depends on the stage of your relationship. Like, I'm married, and we'd rather stay in and watch a movie or something than fight the crowds at restaurants. I hope Ryan's not the type who says, "I love you ever day, not just the one day a year that Hallmark tells me to," but then never really does anything nice for his girlfriend. I hate those types.
Melinda walks into the bathroom wearing a short, sequined black dress that is very low-cut. Johanna and Rachel tell her that she looks hot. Melinda interviews that she doesn't really know where they're going for dinner, because Danny wanted it to be a surprise, and it makes her all giddy.
Johanna listens to voicemail and writes down a message for Danny. His dad called and said that Danny should call back soon, because it's important. Danny's dad sounds upset in the message. Johanna looks concerned, listens to the message again, and writes it down carefully in the little message book.
The female roommates sit around and giggle about Valentine's Day. The doorbell rings and Rachel thinks it might be "wine and flowers for Joey!" Rachel opens the door and finds Leo, Johanna's crush, with flowers. Lacey starts singing as Leo runs away. Rachel brings the flowers in to Johanna, who doesn't believe that they're from Leo. Lacey says that she smells like Leo, because she hugged him, and Johanna sniffs her shirt and becomes a believer. That was weird, but also kind of real in a way this show is often not. Everyone coos over Johanna's flowers. Leo wrote notes to all the women, and they all just love him
Danny buys some roses for Melinda. He thinks he's getting the cheap deal, but they cost over a hundred dollars. I like flowers and all, but I can't see spending over a hundred dollars on something that is just going to die in a few days. I don't think I spent a hundred dollars total on the flowers for my WEDDING. Danny feels dumb, but apparently, it's too late to change his order.
Nehemiah and Danny sit outside and wait for a cab. They've been waiting for a while, and Danny starts laughing about how, by the time he gets home, his flowers will be dead, and Melinda will have gone out with someone else. He and Nehemiah lift a line from Anchorman and say that they'll punch her in the ovaries if she does that. They both do that kind of laughing where you can't really breathe, and it's a nice friendship moment. Nehemiah riffs on the Mastercard commercial and lists off all the money Danny spend that day, and concludes, "Spending time with Nehemiah: Priceless." Danny thinks that's the funniest thing he's ever heard.
Their taxi finally arrives. Danny says he can't wait until he gets home and sees Melinda all dressed up. They arrive back at the house, and Nehemiah jokes that he's going to sit outside and find a date. When they walk inside, Nehemiah says hello to "Big Tex," the giant neon sign in their entryway, which makes me love him a little bit. (Nehemiah, not the sign.) Rachel comments on how beautiful Danny's flowers are. Melinda comes out, and Danny kisses and hugs her and gives her the flowers. Melinda interviews that Danny is taking their date really seriously. Melinda is taking their date so seriously that she fell asleep waiting for him. Danny gives Melinda another big hug, and Danny interviews that he can't wait for their date. Lacey and Johanna yell to Danny that his dad called and said it was important. Danny sounds surprised and says it's not good. He heads off to the phone room.
Once in there, Danny calls his dad and asks what's up. His dad says, "I have some bad news. Your mom died." Danny can't believe it, and his dad has to repeat it.
Okay, in the spirit of honesty, I should say that my mom died, suddenly, of a brain aneurysm at the age of fifty-nine, back in late February, so this is kind of a touchy subject for me. In addition, I'm not a good enough writer to be able to recap the rest of this episode in the kind of detail that Danny's pain and suffering deserves. So if I kind of gloss over it, I hope you understand.
That said, it brings up the question of whether this should have even aired on the show. Back when Lindsey found out that her friend committed suicide, I kind of felt like it shouldn't, and I still feel that way. Obviously, they have to address the issue, but I just don't think that we have to see the moment that Danny finds out. It's private, and personal, and even though Danny signed up to be filmed for the show, he had no idea that something like this might happen. I'm sure the producers would claim that this show is a documentary, and that they just show what really happened, but you know what? That's bullshit. They certainly didn't show the controversy in Chicago when someone was killed near the house. It's a manufactured situation, where people are given a bullshit job and get to live rent-free and get drunk and make out with each other for our amusement, which is fine. It is what it is. But don't claim that it's a documentary. The only exception I would make is if, by showing the footage, it might help someone else. Like when they showed Ruthie's drunken escapades. It was sad, and it might have made someone take another look at his own drinking habits. But I don't get what purpose this serves, except to convince people to hug their moms, which I think could have been accomplished by explaining the events through interview footage and the reactions of the other roommates. And I also have to believe that Production knew what happened before Danny did; don't you think his dad probably called them? So it's not like they couldn't have planned out how to deal with it from a production standpoint.
Anyway, Danny finds out that they think his mother had a heart attack. He starts sobbing and accusing his father of lying. Nehemiah lingers in the doorway, not really sure how to help. Danny's dad starts crying too. Nehemiah calls Melinda over as Danny says he'll call his dad back, and hangs up. Nehemiah just holds Danny as he sobs and reports the bad news. Lacey finds out the deal and tells Rachel and Johanna, who are shocked.
Danny walks outside. Lacey asks what they should do, and no one knows. Nehemiah interviews that no one knows how to react, and that there's nothing they can say. The cameras film Danny sitting outside, sobbing. Wes interviews that his best friend died in a car accident a few years ago, so he understands some of what Danny's feeling. Wes sits on the couch and numbly stares into space, perfectly capturing that feeling of helplessness you get when someone you love is in pain and you can't make it better. Rachel, Lacey, and Johanna discuss how unexpected this was, and how Danny has been having such incredible bad luck lately.
Melinda goes outside and finds Danny sitting on some steps sobbing and crying, "This is not happening. I should have been home." She sits to him and hugs him, telling him not to blame himself. Melinda interviews that she's trying to be strong and supportive, but that it's hard, because she doesn't know how to make it okay. Danny cries that he didn't even get to say goodbye to his mother, and Melinda tells him that it's okay.
Nehemiah kneels over a Bible to his bed and prays, which I actually thought was very nice, even though I'm usually not a big fan of praying. It's like Nehemiah didn't know what to do, so he did the one thing that he thought might help.
Danny says that he needs to call his sisters, and Melinda goes inside with him. Danny calls his sister, Kristin, who sounds remarkably calm, but then again, she's had a while to get used to the news. Danny says that he shouldn't have gone to Austin. Kristin says that their mother was happy that Danny was in Austin, and that she mentioned that Danny called her the other night. It's kind of interesting that they haven't referred to how Danny's mother was an alcoholic and estranged from her family. I mean, obviously her family still loved her, and it's still tragic, but if you didn't see that episode, this whole thing wouldn't make much sense. Danny says he'll be home as soon as he can.
Danny packs so that he can leave first thing in the morning. Wes walks into his room and just gives Danny a big hug. Danny interviews that he just wants to be with his family. Danny stands and stares into his closet and says he doesn't know what to do. He interviews that he knows his roommates will be there for him and give him what he needs, but that right now, he doesn't know what he needs. He concludes, "The only person you want to talk to is the person you can't talk to."
Okay, the unforgivable part of this episode is . The editors juxtapose footage of Danny staring into his closet with footage of Danny's final telephone conversation with his mother. They don't say anything that important, but Danny's mom is clearly in some sort of altered state -- she's slurring her words and not making much sense. Danny is in a rush to get off the phone and doesn't respond much to his mom's conversation. And it all looks kind of horrible (which is why I say that it's hard to forgive the production side for it) until you realize that Danny has been dealing with her addiction for a long time, and that he's probably had this same exact phone call a million times, and it just gets fucking tiresome. And he's doing what the addiction counselors always say that you should do, which is not to pretend everything is fine when the person is clearly still using. Anyway, Danny's mother says that she loves him, and Danny doesn't say it back, and I think it's fucking horrendous of the editors to put that out there on national television with little to no context so that all of Danny's friends and family can see it. And also so that Danny can relive his guilt and grief every time this episode airs.
Danny sits on his bed and Melinda kneels in front of him. He shows her some dogtags that his mother gave him for Christmas. He apologizes that their date was ruined, and Melinda tells him very sincerely not to worry about it. Danny says that he should have called his mother that morning, but that he was too drunk. ["Oh, irony." -- Wing Chun] Melinda interviews that Danny's relationship with his mother wasn't great, but that they were kind of reconciling. Danny sobs that he feels like a failure as a son, and that he failed his mother. Damn. That is tough. Danny interviews that he always talks about having no regrets, but now he will never forgive himself.
A taxi pulls up, and Danny gets in. Melinda rides to the airport with him and makes sure that he has all of his flight information. Danny interviews that he doesn't want to go home because of the reasons behind the trip. He sobs, "I don't want to have to bury my mom." God. There are no words. Melinda interviews that Danny has touched her life, and that he's a huge influence on her. She hopes he'll be okay, and she prays that he'll come back to Austin at some point. Danny heads into the airport.
Man, that was tough. And it looks like week isn't going to be much better, since it's all about Danny at home, dealing with his grief. You know how I used to complain about the drunken hot-tub orgies on this show? I don't think I'll be complaining about those anymore.