October 30, 2006: Back in the Game
So Dave is crashing at Brian's since Deena found out about the extent of his time with Suzanne. "Daddy's on a time-out," she says to her kids during a whirlwind of a morning without Dave's help.
And in a dark bar across town, Ivy's telling the boys to have some no-strings-attached fun with all those "fish in the sea." And they better get to it, or else Jimmy won't be having any "fun," either.
Back in therapy, the stubborn marriage may be doomed for good. "It may be time to consider that your marriage is over," advises Doctor Bill. Ouch. When you hear it from a third party, it must wake you up a little bit... looked like both Dave and Deena were shocked at the thought.
I thought Brian and Adam working out the rules of their bet was pretty funny. It brought back the little back-and-forth I used to like about this show. Calling the same girl... this has got to get even funnier.
Meanwhile, in a more strings-attached kind of zone, Nic is worried about what kind of surprise is expected at her baby shower, and Deena's in chaos yet again with the kids... and no Dave.
But just because Dave's not helping out at home doesn't mean he's starting anew. Suzanne's jumping to conclusions, thinking he moved out so they could be together. But I am so happy he turns her down. I was never a fan of this relationship, and maybe it was something Dave needed to explore, but she needs to go. Problem is, I don't know if she's actually gone.
Brian's going out with Sally - the one he met in traffic school - and Adam runs into lap-dance Summer (
Rachelle Lefevre) in the grocery store. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?" she asks right before a dinner offer is put on the table. But after Brian gets hairspray in the eyes and ends up in bed with his new roomie Dave instead of Sally, a whole new set of problems plows through the sludge they've already got their shoes stuck in.
Suzanne has some bad news for the video-game duo. The business isn't going too well and we've got to wonder if "the timing" was a direct hit to Dave, but he can't even look her in the eye: "I think you've done enough." After a legal explanation from Adam, they find out they can buy their precious game back for a grand total of $75,000.
No hairspray and revenge in sight, Adam and Summer seem to be having a good date until Marjorie comes up in conversation. "You're a catch, I can tell," she admits. And when Adam puts it all on the table, you can see he's hurt, but you can also see a little hope... at least for some "fun." And then she's out of there faster than Marjorie was out of her wedding gown. Just when I think Brian and Adam are both failures in Ivy's little game of fishing out in the big blue sea, Brian's got a girl in his room. Enter
Amy Jo Johnson (
Felicity) as Karen aka "Car Girl" with a faceful of tears. With a newly single chick under his roof, I think Brian's not only a bet winner but also a drama magnet.
Things get even heavier when Brian visits his dad (
William Devane) and asks for the 75 grand. Now we've opened a can of worms so slimy that seeing the dead goldfish in Dave and Deena's toilet bowl isn't that gross anymore.
Back in flowers-and-baby land, the girls have a heart-to-heart and Nic brings up the reason for all the hurt: Deena. The open marriage. And Dave says the words I've been waiting to hear: "Did you actually think I was going to leave my wife for you?" Better to blurt it out now, right? Right... Adam knows. "I'm trying not to be most guys," he says to Summer/Heather. A whole new door has opened while Brian feels like the ceiling is closing in on him. Car Girl is already playing lovey-dovey on Brian's computer when the boys discover Suzanne's posting their million-dollar video game on a free site with the password Dave told her. Every penny from Brian's baggy pockets is gone, and one hurt, evil mistress is taking Dave on a miserable ride called Payback.
At the coed baby shower, Deena admits she destroyed the marriage, but Dave says they're out of options. It's over.
I knew they would leave the Angelo issue until the last minute. He hasn't been on the show all season so why not drag out his departure as long as possible? Keep us hoping he'll appear? Forget it, ABC, you're not fooling us. He's dead and isn't it appropriate in his usual sorry state that Brian is the one to deliver the news? I've never seen anyone give news with only his eyes like that, though. There's a lot of staring on this show.
At least this episode introduced us to what looks to be some semipermanent characters, new story lines and hope for some more of those comedic moments
Brian fans loved so much about Season 1.
And although I don't want to bring up a sore subject, I have to ask: What about Marjorie?
