A fairly mediocre episode yesterday, redeemed by the Amanda-Michael subplot. Thankfully, there were no meetings of D&D's Board of Directors. And away we go:
That night, John pulls over Kimberly as she's driving away from the hospital. He drags her to the ground, handcuffs her, and puts his gun to her face! (But that wig just won't come off!) He tells her to lay off Matt: "You had better clean up your act or I will make your life miserable!" He looks way over the edge here -- he reminded me of the killer in the first Dirty Harry movie. The next day, John finds Matt and tells him what he did. Matt is upset: "This is police harrassment." "I consider it a perk." Matt politely tells him to back off. At the hospital, Matt and Kimberly meet in the elevator. Matt, worried about retribution, pleads ignorance, but Kimberly offers a truce! Matt, stunned, says he'll "think about it."
Ricki tells her that Syd is handling "tea service" that night -- she has to stay up all night and make sure Martin has tea and anything else he needs. (Uh huh. Syd!! Wait up and smell the expresso!) WELL, sure enough, Syd enters Martin's trailer, tea tray in hand, to find Martin in bed with Ricki and another woman! Syd tries to be cool, but almost spills the tea when Ricki says, "I should have told you Martin is my husband!" D'OH! As it turns out, many of the women are "married" to Martin, and they all have tattooed "M's" behind their ear. (Hey, who needs a wedding ring, right?) Martin says, "I know this is new to you, Sydney," but she'll get used to it. They invite her to join in; Syd says, "Tea gives me a headache" and leaves. The next morning, Martin is lecturing the assembled about the need for money, telling them that their relatives prove their love by "reaching into their savings accounts. Begin writing." Syd is obviously disillusioned; she tells Ricki she wants to go back to L.A.
Later, Syd goes to Martin's trailer, where he's arguing with his stockbroker! Syd says she has to get back to the city to see her probation officer. (Jane briefly appeared to remind her of this at the beginning of the episode, narrowly avoiding The Matt Slot.) Martin tells Syd that the bus won't be leaving for a week. Syd says she'll walk to the highway and hitch a ride. As she is waiting by the roadside, a pickup pulls over, driven by Martin and Ricki. Two guys jump out, grab the struggling Syd, and pick her up in the pickup! They drive to some isolated location, and drop Sydney into a hole in the ground and shut the door! Holy Cool Hand Luke, Batman! Well, if Syd gets out of this, at least she and Jo will have something in common.
Amanda returns to the office and tries to make amends with Billy. She offers to take him to dinner; she needs a friend. Over their menus, Amanda tells Billy about the cancer. Billy is stunned (which means his mouth hangs open just a little bit more). He doesn't know what to say (oh, if only that were true!). She asks him to stay silent about this. Billy says OK: "You can trust me, 'Manda, daaah." Michael shows Amanda the MRI results; it's not good news. She has multiple lymphomas, but he says they're all "highly treatable." Amanda is worried about chemotherapy and her hair falling out. (That would certainly blow the secret.) Michael has to answer an important page on his beeper. Amanda, frightened, wants his undivided attention, but he firmly tells her, "If you were lying on the operating table, you wouldn't want me to ignore you, would ya?"
At the office, Amanda slams Alison again. Alison rants to Billy about the "Saddam Hussein Style of Business Management." Billy says, "Saddam Hussein? What does this have to do with a basketball player?" and tells her to show a little compassion. Billy (Mr. "I Can Keep a Secret") tells Alison about Amanda's condition. Alison Gapes! Amanda visits the hospital and suggests a treatment protocol to Michael, who reminds her that he is the doctor. Kimberly pops up as Amanda leaves, and says, "What's she doing here?" "She's my patient." "What's wrong -- peroxide poisoning?" Double zing!
Michael goes to Amanda's office with a teddy bear. He says the cancer is not a death sentence, and he points out that he and she are a lot alike, and "sometimes you just have to look to others for comfort." He asks her to trust him; she says she's not very good at trusting people. "Well," he says, "think of this as a learning experience." Amanda relents, but says it's important that they keep the treatment schedule flexible so she continue to run things at D&D. Michael agrees, and leaves the teddy bear.
Next Week: A Valentine's Day episode! (Ugh.) Sex between Jake and Jane? Amanda seeking comfort from Michael?
--Ken Hart
