A Million Little Things: “the talk”

A Million Little Things aired the fourth episode from its third season on Thursday night.

Here is a synopsis for season 3, episode 4: “the talk”

Eddie’s injuries put a strain on his marriage as he secretly continues to manage the pain from the accident. Meanwhile, Rome struggles with his movie and finds an ally in Shanice; and Maggie continues her journey in England as she and Jamie grow closer than ever.

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

Cay:

This was my favorite episode of the season so far! Probably because it seemed more realistic than some of them are and nobody was completely miserable!

I’m debating whether Eddie is addicted to his pain meds, or just trying to hide the amount of pain that he’s in. We’re obviously set up to think it’s the former and he’s going to more extreme lengths to hide that he’s taking them, between lying to Darcy and switching the bottles. I liked that he and Katherine did some real parenting and also some communicating, even though the pills didn’t come up.

I wish I had an “Uncle Gary” growing up. I have a close family and plenty of support, but no “teddy bear-like men.” I’ve recently been watching Psych for the first time and I get a real kick out of comparing his character in that show to this one. He did/does a great job for both. It’s interesting that Sophie has decided that she wants to go to music school. To quote the acerbic music school guy, it’s always seemed like more of a hobby as it has been presented. As an aside, as I live outside of Boston, I get a kick out of the random mix of fake schools and places and real schools and places that they use in this show!

Darcy’s PTSD seems to have suddenly taken center stage. It’s been mentioned before, but suddenly it seems much worse. Is this related to her relationship with Gary, working with Eddie, or maybe just because now is when the writers wanted to make it a big deal?

Hmm…wondering how long Maggie and her flatmate are going to manage “friends with benefits” before one of them is no longer happy with that arrangement? I really hope they don’t ruin their banter as I really enjoy it.

I’ve been hating on Shanice since she appeared, but this episode did a lot to make her more sympathetic. It’s nice to see Rome and Regina in a decent place for once!

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Rueben:

Wow, there was a lot in this episode, and like you Cay, I was actually pleased with it, as it gave us a great combo of love, laughter, uncertainty, concern, worry: all the feels!

As the episode title states, Eddie and Katherine had “the talk” with Theo – who obviously peppered them with a lot of questions, which of course, made Katherine ask her husband if “we can talk to him (Theo), why can’t we talk to each other?” I hope that those shared kisses will lead them back to each other, and help them communicate in more than just physical terms. However, that being said, whatever Eddie is doing with those pills is going to rear its ugly head, and I really don’t want to see those pills do undo harm to him let alone harm their relationship.

Maggie and Jamie had their own version of “the talk” because of her misjudging Jamie’s intentions. That was quite comical, but – for now – they seem to be fine with being roommates with benefits, but I agree with you Cay that I have to wonder when that won’t be acceptable any longer, and it jeopardizes their cohabitation, et al.

Gary was in prime form throughout the episode, being goofy with Danny (he really is great with that kid); and trying maybe a little too hard with Sophie (but making up for that in the end); and even really trying to help with Darcy, but not being able to provide her support because of her reticence to talk with him. I was NOT expecting him to call Maggie for help, though! And, yes, you’re right Cay, that it seems like the show is really pushing her PTSD more than before, and I’m not sure if that was just to help the story along in this episode or if that will play more of a role in the storyline when new episodes are back. And, I have to say I can’t believe we have to wait several months before we get new episodes!

I think Sophie getting to visit Harvard really made it clear in her mind how much music means to her and that she doesn’t want to go to the Ivy League university; but you’re right I thought it was just something fun for her to do in her free time – like an elective you take in school – but obviously that’s not the case. That music school guy, by the way, is Andrew Leeds, who plays the brother of Zoey in NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (for those who might be wondering) AND his wife was played by Being Erica (the Canadian series that ran from 2009 to 2011) alum Erin Karpluk. She didn’t actually have any lines in the episode, but I hope they show her again.

I’m glad that Regina and Rome seem to be getting better as a couple; and I was touched that Shanice not only opened up about her own depression but also didn’t walk away from the movie. I was rather nonplussed about her, until now, as she just seemed to be a typical one-dimensional character who was going to potentially screw with Rome’s movie, but her revelation made me like her a little bit more than before. I also felt bad for Rome when he walked in during the casting process for Jon and then seeing that first mock-up of the movie poster. The second movie poster mock-up was SO much better, and even the tagline, courtesy of Shanice, worked: “When life gives you a second chance, you have to take it.”

Best lines of the night:

Theo (to his parents about the book his parents gave him for “the talk”): “Page 46, you guys do that?” [I wonder what was on that page?!]

Gary (talking about the “Boo” game with Danny): “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
Sophie: “Trust me, we do.”

[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. We’ve got awhile to wait for new episodes, as the show won’t be back until March 4, 2021. CORRECTED: The return of the show was moved to March 11.