September 22, 2006: How Much Do You Think You're Worth?
Another fine episode. I love how everything always comes around full circle and connects to underscore the excellent lesson of the night. The Bachelor Auction was the perfect backdrop for exploring the question of self-worth, which is something that I think lots of people struggle with.
Anne Heche is doing a splendid job taking us along on her journey to understanding (and appreciating) exactly how valuable she is alone. The only question that nags at the back of my mind while I watch is how problematic Jack is to Marin being alone. I really like
James Tupper's character -- he plays the ruggedly handsome, slightly arrogant man well. I am torn between really rooting for Marin and Jack and wanting to join in Marin's celebration of her freedom. A truly newfound freedom - heck, she's been in a relationship since she was 14. I think we are going to have to watch her "invest in herself" for a while before she can invest in Jack, or anyone else for that matter.
I am really interested in how the subplots are developing. Patrick and Annie are adorable together; they are both so earnest and sweet. Good for Annie, standing up to the blonde in the "painted-on sweater," although, $860 is whole lot of money. I blame Celia (
Cynthia Stevenson), Patrick's mother. She encouraged Patrick to take part in the auction. I was varying between somewhat liking Celia to absolutely detesting her. She is obviously a caring, if overly dependent, mother but why is she so mean to Annie? Sure, she wants to hold on to her son, but she is just plain rude at times. It is hard to be too critical of her, though; she seemed so vulnerable at dinner with Buzz. Which brings me to my favorite character in the episode: Buzz's wife. Her fake fur outfits and snazzy clothing set a huge contrast between her and all of the other female characters. And her accent is wonderfully annoying -- nasally and definitely not real. At first I wasn't sure, but I checked and, considering she was born in Chicago, I am going to go with no. If
Lauren Tom looks familiar to you, you may recognize her from her recurring role as Ross's girlfriend on
Friends. The story I find the most intriguing is Theresa and Ben. I want to know more about why they are
really still living together and what exactly went wrong in their marriage.
One last thought: what season is it in Elmo? One minute people are in coats and the next they are wearing short sleeves. Someone pointed this out in the comments and I was also wondering the same thing. And has anyone else noticed that it always seems to be warm outside of Ben and Theresa's house? Last week, Theresa's new boyfriend was wearing boxers outside before breakfast. Just wondering.
