A Kiss to Build a Dream On, Part 2

Amy is in her room, talking on the phone with someone whom we can rightly assume is Hannah. She tells her that she doesn’t mind picking her up from the airport, but she doesn’t understand why she doesn’t want Bright to do it instead. She notes that Hannah’s becoming even crazier than she is, hee. Bright suddenly appears at Amy’s door and excitedly asks if that’s Hannah on the phone, at which moment Amy hangs up. While the siblings have a brief moment of bonding over shared use of hair product, Bright asks if Hannah didn’t want to talk to him. Amy points out that Hannah didn’t even know he was there, as he’s not the only one in the room, “Narcissus.” Bright: “I thought we agreed you weren’t gonna insult me in Spanish anymore.” He asks when Hannah is coming home (and incidentally, I find him referring to Everwood as her home awfully interesting in light of later developments, but that’s neither here nor there, until we’re actually, well, there), and Amy says in two days; she’ll pick her up at the airport and Bright can call her after that. Bright is rather disconcerted to hear that Hannah asked Amy to pick her up. Amy would like to move on to more important topics, such as her “new boyfriend, Reid!” Bright is more interested in finding out why Hannah doesn’t want him to pick her up. I’m getting tired of typing that phrase. Can we move on, please? Amy urges him to focus on Reid. Bright mentions that he called about the apartment, and Amy says that he has to pick Reid, he’d be a perfect roommate. Bright accuses her of wanting to stalk him outside the hospital. Amy insists that she’s not “stalking him, [she’s] admiring him; those are two very different verbs.” Hey! Someone’s a Spike fan! Bright strikes up a bargain: he’ll consider Reid as a roommate if Amy tells him what flight Hannah’s arriving on. “And, like, what time. And, like, other things I might not know about the airport, like, how to get there.” Which is cute, but a bit inconsistent, as he picked her up from the airport all the way back in “Fallout,” and offered to drive her there in “Where the Heart Is.” Unless there’s a new airport or something. Amy: “I don’t take kindly to manipulation, brother man.” Heh. And the Pot makes another call to the Kettle. But, she continues, she knows that Hannah would probably rather see Bright than her, but is afraid to say as much lest she appear needy. Amy continues her tour of paraphrased dialogue from iconic television shows of the last two decades: “I know that you know that that’s completely ridiculous, and I know that she’d rather see you than me...” Bright asks how much longer this will take, so Amy gets to the point: “Friday. 3:00. Parking lot C.” Bright grins and does some excited little gesture with his hands, and, when Amy asks if this means Reid is going to be his new roommate, he answers that, oh, yeah, he’ll look very carefully at his application. Ha. Amy kind of set herself up for that one. Rose comes in and happily hugs Bright, saying what a nice surprise it is to see him. Amy, feeling just a bit like the unfavorite child, reminds Rose that they have to leave if they don’t want to be late for her last round of chemo. Rose suggests that Bright just take her instead! On Amy’s behalf, ouch. Rose talks about how much they have to catch up on, while Amy interjects that she was already planning to take Rose to her appointment. Bright suddenly remembers that he has to meet with his landlord, but no worries; he’ll just reschedule. Amy weakly says that’s not necessary; she’s already there, “schedule free.” Rose, the Bright spell finally broken, snippily replies that they should just get going already, then, since she’s late enough as it is. Dude. For all the issues I had with Harold’s playing favorites in season 2, this scene certainly makes it clear that Rose can be just as bad. And Amy pathetically agrees: “She hates me.” Bright: “Not any more than the rest of us.” Mean, given the timing and all, but...still, good one. More seriously, he assures her that she’s being paranoid; Rose is fine. After Amy leaves, Bright takes a moment to check out a framed picture of Amy and Hannah and smiles slyly. Hopefully not at the thought of his sister.

That night, Andy leaves his office and notices Nina cleaning tables in her restaurant. He takes this opportunity to barge into the building uninvited and announce that they need to talk. Nina, it’s worth noting, does not appear to be at all hungover, though I’d love to see Edna right now. Andy gets the ball rolling by telling her how upset he is with her. Nina scoffs at this, and he indignantly asks if she doesn’t think he has a right to be. She, actually, thinks that he’s “a piece of work,” seeing as he professed his love, kissed her, took off, avoided her, and acted as though nothing happened. Andy lamely acknowledges his actions and apologizes, but basically claims that Nina’s failure to call was just as bad as anything he did, because it meant he was waiting. Nina: “You were waiting? That’s it? That’s all you got? I gotta admit, that’s pretty pathetic, even for you.” Round 1 to Nina! Andy won’t give up, though, deciding that he was wrong to expect her to keep a promise; he should have assumed she’d take the coward’s way out. This begins a nice little round of “Who left town first?,” which ends in a draw as Andy points out that Nina actually did leave town first, but she reminds him that she didn’t have much of a choice. Andy, feeling magnanimous, declares that they both did some questionable things; why, all he’s trying to do is apologize and she’s just being so unreasonable! Ah, women. Nina apologizes for the not calling, but says she couldn’t tell him over the phone. Andy already knows that she’s referring to having chosen Jake, and adds that he figured it out when a week passed without her calling. What he can’t figure out, however, is why? Nina gently says that there were a lot of reasons; Andy cites one as being the extravagance of Jake’s romantic gesture. Nina, who should be getting ready to slap Andy very hard in about a minute, testily asks if he really thinks that Jake bought her off. Andy: [shrugging spastically] “I don’t know, Nina, no! I mean---yes! Yes! I mean, I think I’m the better man, and I don’t understand why–“ Nina cuts off this charming display, agreeing that no, he doesn’t understand, and never has; that’s the problem. The spontaneous kissage was not romantic, but selfish, given the circumstances. Andy admits that though his timing may have been off, he was at least being honest, unlike Nina, who never told him about her feelings. Nina points out that there was never an opportunity; he was always with someone else. She argues that she’s not one to impose her issues on anyone unless they’re in a position to handle them, which Andy never has been. Andy protests that she should have given him a chance, but Nina tells him he had plenty, and storms off.

Bright is showing Reid around the grand apartment. Reid, to his credit, acknowledges its abnormal size, mentioning that one studio he saw was about the size of the bathroom but still went for $1200 a month. Bright tells Reid that he’s already talked to twenty people about the apartment. Reid is a bit daunted, but not so much so that he doesn’t get positively giddy over the closet space. (That sound you hear is the first “Reid is gay” anvil crashing to the floor.) Bright warns him against already making plans on where to put his shoe rack, as he doesn’t see things working out. Reid thinks he could probably fit five shoe racks in the closet, easy, but Bright clarifies: Reid is “all types of intellectualized,” being in med school and all, while Bright is only a couple of years younger but can “barely tie [his] own shoes” and is “thrilled” to be enrolled in junior college. Reid probably “wakes up with the morning paper, and coffee, and donuts, although donuts are perfectly fine...” Reid tells him not to worry about it. He takes a moment to psychoanalyze Bright, remarking that after seeing twenty applicants, it’s pretty clear he’s not looking for just any roommate. Bright admits that he’s right; he’s actually waiting for his best friend to “get his crap together and come home from wherever the hell he is.” I’ll help, Bright: EPHRAM! COME BAAAAACK! And if he’s home by episode’s end, you can thank me. Reid thinks it’s odd that Bright doesn’t know Ephram’s whereabouts but is reserving the room for him. No one actually asked you, Reid. Bright says that it sounds worse out loud. Reid thinks that it sounds like every complicated relationship he’s ever had. (That sound you hear is the second “Reid is gay” anvil landing on the first one.) Reid notices a framed picture of Bright and Colin, which actually appears to have been taken during Amy's "Last of Summer" fantasy sequence, and asks if he’s the guy; when Bright says no, Reid comments, in an awfully sentimental way, that he looks just like Doug, his old partner. (That sound you hear is the third “Reid is gay” anvil bouncing off the first two and bonking the collective audience on the head before clattering to the floor.) Reid explains that they lived together until Doug had to move back to Boston, while Bright makes goofily awkward faces in an effort to reassert his heterosexuality. He says that Doug’s moving away must have sucked, and takes back the picture of Colin, stressing that they were just friends. Reid has appointments to get to, but he leaves Bright with this parting thought: he has a plasma TV. He also wishes Bright good luck with his friend, because he knows how hard it is to make new best friends after a certain point. Bright agrees, and Reid’s housing situation is suddenly looking a whole lot brighter. Oh. Sorry for that. No pun intended, really.

The Laboratory of Mad Doctor Abbott. Hilariously, spooky sci-fi music plays over the first part of this scene, all ooo-ooo-EEEE-oooo. A begoggled Harold adds dry ice to his lavish floral arrangement, for reasons still unclear to this viewer, at least. He commands Louise to turn on the large fan that’s been placed right in front of the arrangement. Whatever Harold is hoping to accomplish here starts off well enough, but the air gusts begin to overwhelm his delicate centerpiece; when Louise is unable to stop the fan, per Harold’s increasingly frantic orders, the arrangement is knocked backwards, sending flower petals and fake birds everywhere. Harold utters six immortal words: “You bring nothing but misery, woman.” As Harold stoops to collect centerpiece detritus, Andy stomps in and tells Harold that he talked to Nina; he also asks if there’s a parakeet on the floor. Hee. Harold wants to know how the talk went, and Andy only answers after making himself comfortable on the couch: “Highlights are that I’m selfish, I’m egomaniacal, and I wouldn’t deserve her even if she wanted me, which, by the way, she doesn’t.” Yes, but tell us something we haven’t known for a while now. Andy says that he actually had a great speech prepared, in which he would have expressed support and understanding for Nina’s decision and promised to always be there for her, instead of, y’know, calling her a coward, which, he exclaims to Harold, he didn’t mean to do. Andy bemoans the fact that he’s a 52-year-old man lying on a couch, crying about a woman. Harold, looking every inch the therapist as he sits in a chair facing Andy and jots something down in his notepad, declares that while Andy and Nina may have hit a “wee bump in the road,” it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Andy replies that Nina doesn’t love him, so there’s nothing to fix. Harold asks if she actually said that, and argues that her other words were said in anger, which is reasonable and will pass. He asks again if she denied loving Andy, which Andy admits she didn’t; she only said that she had “reasons” for choosing Jake. Harold dismisses Nina’s reasons as probably bad or temporary, and it occurs to me that, while Harold’s being a very good friend to Andy, it’s a good thing he’s not particularly close with Nina or else he’d kind of suck right now. Andy frustratedly asks if he’s supposed to challenge Jake to a duel. He refuses to humiliate himself again when Nina’s made herself perfectly clear. Harold suggests that Nina may not know what she wants, but that if Andy’s unwilling to feel humiliated for the time it takes her to figure things out, he probably doesn’t deserve her. Andy appears thoroughly chastened, actually much more so than he did in any of his scenes with Nina. But, after all, Harold is his true love.

Amy types away on her computer; she’s got at least a document and a game of solitaire open, and I reminisce about the days when I used to do the same thing, a whole three minutes ago. Rose brings in a basket of laundry that Amy had left in the dryer, and Amy is quick to tell her that she didn’t have to do that. Rose asks Amy why she keeps doing “this;” Amy accuses Rose of being the one acting weird. Rose explains that she wants to know why Amy’s living at home for the year instead of on-campus and why, for that matter, she’s going to A&M instead of Princeton. Amy insists that she’s needed at home, as much as Rose doesn’t seem to want the help. She tells Rose that she can stay mad at her, even though she doesn’t think she deserves it and even though she knows Rose isn’t really mad. Rose says that, actually, she is mad at Amy. Amy: “You mean you are? Seriously?” Rose accuses Amy of “mothering and patronizing” her (hmm. Is that an etymological oxymoron?), charges which Amy denies. Rose says that she feels like a job that Amy wants to do well in order to make Harold proud, but that Amy is really disconnected from her and everything she’s going through. Amy is sorry...that Rose feels that way. Rose confesses that she hates that Amy gave up Princeton for her, and that she does need Amy but hates knowing that she does. “Parents shouldn’t need their children this much—it’s unnatural.” Amy assures her mother that she wants to stay at home and is happy in her decision. Rose figures that Amy will resent her for it someday. Amy wonders why Rose never told her any of this before, and Rose says that Amy can be hard to talk to; Amy admits that she feels the same way about Rose, but points out that they haven’t had much practice. Rose tells Amy that she’ll ask Harold to take her to her next few appointments, since Amy’s classes are starting soon and she needs time to be a college student. Amy puts her foot down at this; she’d like to keep taking Rose to her appointments, because while they haven’t talked much in the past, there’s no reason they can’t start now. Rose is visibly touched, and kisses Amy on the forehead.

The Airport of Burgeoning Love and Temporary Public Humiliation. Bright gets a call on his cellphone, which turns out to be from Hannah, who demands to know what he’s doing there. When he starts looking around, she orders him to stay where he is. As Hannah bemoans Amy’s betrayal, Bright totally ignores her request and continues to look around, asking where she is. Hannah agrees to tell him only if he promises not to approach her until she says he can. She points him in the direction of a large pillar, from behind which she waves one arm. Bright, naturally, heads toward her, and when Hannah calls him out for breaking his promise, he replies that he didn’t think she was still looking. Ah, the days when Bright violating Hannah’s trust was cute and not devastating. Hannah wonders why Bright is even there, and she adds that it’s very awkward. Bright: “Why? Do you have another dude with you?” Hannah replies indignantly that no, she does not, and finally gives up, stepping out from behind the pillar. Heavens to Betsy, I don’t know where to begin with this, except to say that Sarah Drew is one heck of a good sport. Hannah looks about as ridiculous as a white Midwestern girl could possibly look after a Jamaican family cruise, complete with cornrows and an impressively orange complexion. Bright: “Whoaaa...” Heh. Hannah tells him not to speak, as there’s nothing he could say that would make the moment anything other than “utterly horrifying and fodder for [her] future therapy sessions.” She continues: “There are a lot of reasons why I didn’t want you picking me up today. The fact that my hair actually produces sound at the moment wasn’t even the biggest one.” Bright is intrigued, and deeply impressed when she demonstrates her hair’s newfound abilities. And this is just one more reason that Bright is awesome. Hannah resumes her explanation, going on at length about how, while their kiss was amazing and she thought about it all summer, she knows he may have decided that it didn't really mean anything. "I just wouldn’t want us to not be able to be friends because of a stupid kiss, not that I thought it was stupid, but, you know, again, if you did, that’s...fine." And for the second time this episode, I see entirely too much of myself in a female character's speech patterns. Bright is silent, and Hannah nervously gives him the go-ahead to talk. Bright says okay, and Hannah asks again why he’s there. Bright simply says that he missed her, and if one remembers Amy's relationship advice to him in “A Mountain Town,” he’s just said quite a lot indeed. They kiss, and Bright asks Hannah to be his date to a “wedding” next weekend. The couple heads over to baggage claim, and Bright actually brings out the postcard and asks her what the deal is with the scribble. Hannah replies that she was just trying to get the pen to work. Bright says that that’s what he figured. Heh. I bet we're missing an earlier scene in which he agrees to take Reid on as a roommate as long as Reid agrees to analyze the postcard using the latest lab equipment.

Nina et al’s. Jake sits in front of the bedroom mirror applying night cream (of course he does) while Nina walks in, saying that tomorrow, she is not waking up until “never” [sic]. Jake reminds her that they have a meeting at nine with the Vitamin Water people about carrying their product in the restaurant. Nina declares that water is bad and vitamins are evil, because she’s on a mission to combat any instance of product placement that she encounters. The two get cuddly, and Jake asks if she’s had any new ideas for a name. Nina jokes that they could always just use a new name each week, as their “thing,” or maybe the townspeople could choose a name. Jake says that he had another idea. As he retrieves something from under the bed, he tells Nina not to feel married to the suggestion, as it’s “just a mock-up.” He finally reveals a sign saying “Sam’s.” Nina is moved, and Jake goes on; he says that while the restaurant may have begun as a business investment, it was really an investment in them and their new life, of which Sam is one of the biggest parts. Jake adds that it’s only fitting, too, since the restaurant will be his someday. Nina loves both the name and Jake. Jake says that he loves her, too, but Nina insists that she loves him, “really, truly, in a big way.” Jake observes that this seems to surprise her, but she says no; while she always knew what a great guy he was, she didn’t know how much he meant to her, and she can’t bear the thought of not being with him. He says he feels the same way. Nina decides to finally come clean with Jake. Though I prefer to think that he already knows something’s up, because otherwise, he truly is that oblivious, which is just all kinds of sad.

The following evening, Bright and Amy are on their way to pick up Hannah, who, at this point, seems to live in an alternate dimension version of Nina’s house that somehow exists simultaneously with the one that Jake just moved into. Thanks to the between-episodes intervention of a mystical healer whom Ephram brings back with him from Europe, this situation will be rectified by the next episode, with both dimensions collapsing into one. So, in any case, Bright exposits to Amy that he’s only driving her because her car [would this be the Kia Sorrento? Sorry, Nina] is in the shop, and that she shouldn’t get used to being the third wheel on his dates with Hannah. Amy argues that “Grandma’s wedding doesn’t count as a date, loser,” but Bright asserts that tuxedo = date. Amy calls him an idiot, but remembers that he is good for something, and asks about Reid. Bright casually says that he’ll be moving in that weekend, and Amy asks if he’s messing with her, which he assures her he is not. He adds that he can see why Amy likes him, to which Amy responds with smiles and nods, but that it’s “too bad he’s gay.” Amy is stunned, and Bright reiterates that, “Yep, Reid’s a big homosexual.” Bright leaves Amy to mull this over, while he walks up to meet Hannah. Hannah's hair has been restored to normalcy and she's wearing an orange dress that I kind of covet, though not as much as I coveted the pastry slutbag prom dress. Sorry for the sudden hyperfocus on costuming, but for someone with such an argyle-laden wardrobe, Hannah’s really got excellent taste in formalwear. While Bright gives her a “Wow,” Amy pops her head out the window to ask exactly how gay Reid is. Unfortunately for Bright, Hannah spots Amy and the two launch into a high-pitched discussion of how gorgeous the other looks and how good it is to see each other again. I would say that it’s all very stereotypical and not at all how young women actually act, except that it’s, um, not terribly inaccurate. Bright looks on, clearly cursing cruel fate for leading him into the arms of his little sister’s best friend.

Brown kitchen. Andy calls Delia to hurry up, or they’ll miss the appetizers. Nina saunters in – and she really does, too, which seems rather inappropriate given the situation, but, there you go – adding that she knows the crab cakes are excellent because she chose the caterers. Andy says that she looks beautiful. She asks if it’s too late to apologize; Andy tells her it’s not necessary, but she says she wants to anyway. She was angry, and Andy admits that she had every right to be, but she says that the anger covered up a bigger issue; getting the meanness out of the way clarified things. She tells Andy that she loves Jake. Andy, to his credit, says that he’s happy for her; she’s happy for her, too. She loves Jake more than she even realized, which is how she came to realize that Andy’s not really in love with her; he only thinks he is. The year before, she thought she felt the same way about him, but it was only because “sometimes, when you get to that empty place, and there’s someone who understands you, it’s easy to confuse that feeling for love.” Andy lamely says she might be right, though his expression indicates that his feelings run deeper than that. Nina wants to be friends again, as does Andy. Hugs all around!

The "wed–I can’t do this anymore. The vow renewal. Irv begins, saying that if he were to sit down to write his life story, this would be the best chapter, and Edna his inspiration. Edna tells Irv that he took her broken heart and fixed it, then carried it away with him. She promises it will always be his, until “forever runs out.” Irv asks if he can kiss her now. The minister/priest says not yet, but Irv, ever the rebel, says “To hell with that” and goes in for the kiss anyway, while all applaud.

Reception. Harold plays with one of the birds in his ginormous centerpiece. Bright looks for a place to set down his plate, and Harold shoos him away, telling him to hold his chicken in his lap. (Again, not dirty. But hee, nonetheless.) Andy finds Nina sitting alone, as Jake’s gone out to the car to get her wrap, and asks her to dance, as a friend; she, as we already know, accepts. A mopey-looking Amy hangs out with the appetizers and booze, prompting Rose to ask if she’s okay. She reminds Amy of their agreement to talk more and says that she might be able to help. Amy: “I have a crush on a gay guy.” Rose: “More champagne?” Heh. Now we pick up with the earlier scene, with Andy and Nina, Bright (who apparently found a place to put his chicken) and Hannah, and a wide assembly of never-before-seen couples dancing, while Jake watches. Jake walks up to Andy and Nina and asks if he can cut in, and Andy, quite cheerfully, lets him. Poor Delia sits alone at a table, yawning, and Andy asks if she’s ready to go home. She sadly says yes, and as they start to leave, she glances up and spots, amidst the dancing couples – EPHRAM! Ephram! You’re home! All is right with the Everworld! Delia greets him as excitedly as I just did, while Andy looks on with pride in his son for coming through for his sister. Amy notices him, too, and isn’t quite sure what to do now. Ephram, still being hugged by Delia, smiles at all.

Next time: Andy is interrogated in a 1940s war movie and pretends to be Emily Gilmore, Bright is a little dumb but mostly wonderful, and Ephram and Amy share a scene that actually almost makes me support their pairing.