A Million Little Things: “hit & run”

A Million Little Things aired their season 3 premiere on Thursday night.

Here is a synopsis for season 3, episode 1: “hit & run”

In the aftermath of Eddie’s car accident, Katherine leans on their beloved group of friends for support. Meanwhile, Rome and Regina face a tough decision about the future of their family, and Delilah sees how her kids are thriving and wants the same for herself. Maggie jump starts her new life in Oxford, while Gary continues to navigate his new relationship with Darcy.

Nice Girls Cay and Rueben share their thoughts on this episode [spoiler alert]:

Cay:

OK, well we really didn’t think they were actually going to kill off Eddie and indeed they didn’t. Not sure I love the spinal injury plot, though, maybe because it is a common one and seems a bit cliché. We’ll spend the rest of the season with Eddie struggling with acceptance before he either reaches it, self-destructs, or beats the odds and learns to walk again.

While my [male] friend that I watched it with thought the “wedding” was really sweet, I was rolling my eyes a bit because it was so predictable and a little “too” sweet for me. I would have preferred them to talk about it once he got home and then both of them intentionally decide to go forward with renewing their vows rather than the “surprise”. Maybe I’m getting jaded, but like the outcome of Eddie’s accident, it was just a bit too predictable.

It’s interesting how completely on-board Katherine now seems with letting bygones be bygones with Delilah. Not sure I would be near as forgiving and accepting as she is!

Speaking of Delilah, what happened to her beefcake boy toy? That was the only bright spot of the finale for me! Seems weird for “the boy” to suddenly disappear when this episode supposedly started immediately as the last one ended, especially with him working in the medical field.

I was on Rome’s side thinking that he and Regina should take the baby. The two of them seemed to be doing so well and I worry that this will drive a wedge between them. I understand that Regina is grieving, but they never really knew Eve’s baby, so is it more the relationship with her that Regina is grieving? How long will they have to wait for another one to become available?

I was curious to see what Maggie’s role, if any, would be this season. I have hopes that her relationship with her new flatmate could prove interesting. While it’s not what I necessarily want to see, my bet is that the two of them start out the odd couple and end up as a couple before the season is over.  The setup was funny, although Maggie doesn’t seem the sort to not pick up any money at the airport and then not specifically look for a cab that takes credit cards!

Is COVID going to be written into the storyline for later episodes? It sure seems like it because they included a newscast talking about it that seemed to place the episode in late January or February 2020 as it talked about a virus that was affecting other countries, not the US. But based on the weather and outdoor wedding and where last season left off, it’s definitely not winter in the storyline!

I’m curious to see what they do with it because the show already involved a big group of people that spend an extraordinary time socializing together – it would be hard to acknowledge COVID while having the entire cast together indoors in every episode. Unless they are going to time jump again or stay within “summer” all season so they can all socialize outdoors?

One final thought – there’s always been some sort of “mystery” element every season, with the first one of course being the biggest. So, what’s the guy in the red pickup up to? He sure looks and acts suspicious. Is this season’s mystery going to be who hit Eddie and why did they run?

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Rueben:

I’m torn about this episode, as I had high expectations of how it would play out, and then I was a little nonplussed about how it did play out. I do agree with you, Cay, that Eddie’s injury is cliché, but in that same breath, it does add that level of drama that the show has always delivered. I, too, am concerned how long this part of the storyline will play out in terms of Eddie coming to terms with his injury, how long he is angry, how long he is resentful, et al. This whole arch for him could get very exhausting depending on how it plays out.

There were a few moments of laughter, however, that helped lighten the mood. Gary “not” making a joke about a threesome when he and Katherine were holding Eddie’s hands and Eddie squeezed their hands and the heartfelt laughter during Eddie’s vows. And speaking of the wedding, it did seem a little, almost, unnecessary – as Eddie and Katherine, as you said Cay, should have talked about it first rather than surprising Eddie with it just as he finally got home from the hospital. By the way, Theo cannot keep a secret at all!

The awkward “meet cute” between Maggie and her new flatmate Jamie was funny; and, of course, they will become a couple even though that is just as cliché as Eddie’s injury. I don’t get the warm fuzzies, though, between Maggie and Jamie nor do I feel anything special between Gary and Darcy. Those storylines, to me, are just gonna feel strained and, quite frankly, a little boring; but we shall see how both relationships play out.

Yes, where is Delilah’s boy toy? It’s weird to make him such a part of the story in those last few episodes of last season and then have him completely MIA this time around. Maybe the actor wasn’t available for when they were filming or something, but they should have at least referenced him, right?!

As for Regina and Rome, I have to actually side with Regina. It was too soon to take another child into their lives, and I can understand why she wasn’t ready. I think this will drive a wedge into their relationship; they seemed a little distant in the “one month later” part of the story, by the way. We’ll just have to see how their story plays out once the season gets more underway.

It will be very hard for the show to continue if they focus on COVID evenly mildly – despite showing that TV clip with Dr. Fauci – because, again as you said Cay, this show is all about the entire group; and with all the safety protocols, their interactions will be impossible.

As for the man in the red pickup truck, it certainly seemed like – given that quick flashback to Eddie crossing the street – that he aimed for Eddie; that it wasn’t an inebriated accident. Him watching the backyard wedding was a little creepy! And, after doing a little research after the episode aired, it turns out that the pickup truck driver is the father of Alex, the girl who drowned, the girl who Eddie was involved with. That’s not going to bode well for what will happen next.

[Photo Credit: ABC/Jack Rowand]

What are your thoughts on this episode? Please share them with us in our comments section.

A Million Little Things airs Thursday nights at 10/9c on ABC. With Thanksgiving next week, the next episode will air on December 3.