We haven't had a chance to talk about my extramarital relationship.

Well, this is it -- the last time you will have to look at this stupid picture of people wearing beige [except Zoe, why is she in purple?]

Once & Again – Letting Go
Judy is still dating married sculptor Sam. And, though she was inconsolable when dear old dad died, she now causally says things like “With Dad being dead and all…” Rick catches Sam and Judy buying condoms, so the jig is up. Grace is weird to Jared, and he’s kind of like, “whatever, see you later.” Then there is a prolonged slow-motion shot of her watching him walk away. Good lord I hate this show. The whole ep is about how Judy and Sam have a really strong connection, but when it comes down to it Sam is unwilling to divorce his wife. Finally, Judy tells Sam that even though she loves him, they're not free to be together.


Once & Again – A Door About To Open
This ep uses the “flashback” feature familiar to viewers of such shows as Alias, where we open with a soft-focus view of Rick and and the Sammler kids arriving at Lily’s house for dinner, then go back 20 hours earlier and see how all this came to pass. Only finding out how these people came to be at the same house is quite different than, say, finding out how Sydney ended up hanging upside down, half-naked, with a bullet in her shoulder and a Rambaldi artifact in her teeth. But I digress.

Lily, still in the throes of grieving for her father, decides to stop putting things off plans a dinner so the kids can meet. Eli is noncommittal, Jessie is wary, Zoe is intrigued, and Grace is casual. Grace learns that Eli’s new girl Cassidy is cheating on him, and tries to tell him. Two of Cassidy’s twig-skinny friends gang up on Grace in the girls’ locker room, and even though she could easily break them in half she lets herself be bullied. Eli is pissed at Grace, but then sees Cassidy kissing some random douchebag. Meanwhile, Lily discovers that her friends have all abandoned her for Karen since Lily is boring and lame and talks about Rick nonstop.

One of the very few things that I do like about this show is Jake’s girlfriend Tiffany. Yes, Jake started seeing her when he was still married to Lily. But he’s still seeing her. She’s cute and loves Jake’s kids and tries so hard to be a good person, and I just love her. Additionally, I love the fact that in this ep, Karen goes to Judy’s bookstore and the two bond. The two people I like the best on this show, together at last.

Rick is increasingly put upon by Miles and is forced to cancel the dinner. Naturally Lily guilt trips him, and the ep ends with the two lovers bringing their kids together. But what will happen next?!? As far as cliffhangers go, this one is B-O-R-I-N-G.

For those who care, this is what happens over the next two seasons:

Season 2
Rick's firm is handpicked for a new high-profile project, but is bogged down by legal troubles and Karen is the lawyer representing the project's opposition. Lily, working at a dot-com, struggles with a flirtatious co-worker. Eli would rather start a band than go to college; Jessie may be anorexic; Grace becomes friends with a troubled girl; and Zoe worries about Rick and his kids moving into her house. In the season finale, Rick and Lily get married.

Season 3
Rick, Lily, and the kids attempt to live under one roof. Jake gets Tiffany pregnant and realizes his feelings for her; Judy and Sam rekindle their relationship; Karen struggles with depression; Eli turns to drugs; Jessie explores a lesbian relationship; and Grace starts a relationship with a teacher to the detriment of his career.