A Million Little Things: “junior”

After a week off, A Million Little Things aired another new episode this week from its third season.

Here is the official synopsis for this episode (season 3, episode 12) entitled “junior”:

Gary’s dad connects with Darcy about his personal experience from the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, during a dinner hosted by Rome and Regina, the video of George Floyd’s murder is released, and they watch together in shock.

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

Cay:

This show one minute is like legit COVID precautions talking about bubbles and wearing masks and then the next minute, they are hugging various people that just showed up out of the blue with no mention of where they have been or if they could have been exposed… I want to yell at various characters for not being smart about the pandemic…

Anyway, with that complaint out my system, I’m going to instead complain about Katherine. Ugh. I so hate this plotline. Glad that she didn’t sleep with Alan, but the fact that she was taking him to a hotel planning on it was bad enough. I can’t say that I blame her for being done with Eddie, but I’d like her to be an adult about it. Speaking of Katherine, weird that they just now seemingly randomly explain her haircut, which I noticed several episodes ago and thought was out of character. Weird too that they backdated it one month but obviously she’s been keeping it trimmed since then. Maybe covering for Grace Park [who plays Katherine] doing a sudden hair change that got noticed by more than just me? Otherwise, why not show her doing it when she did it (right after Eddie went to rehab?) versus now?

I think I would prefer that Eddie and Katherine just split cold turkey now rather than dragging it out and making us watch them in therapy… I’m done with them.

I still don’t love Darcy and Gary as a couple, but they had some fun banter in this episode and I love the relationship between Danny and Gary. This is the Gary that we know and love – what a relief after the last few episodes’ very moody Gary. I thought Gary’s dad’s story was interesting how he was able to relate to Darcy’s PTSD issues as well as provide some unexpected support for Danny. Also interesting that he never told Gary the whole story after all those years. Why? Because he still thought he should keep the secret? Because he didn’t think Gary would have reacted well back then? I hope we get more details on their relationship!

The reaction from Danny’s classmates to him coming out seemed a bit cheesy and over-the-top, even for liberal Massachusetts. But, I’d rather see them support him than treat him poorly. It was also a seamless use of videoconferencing (i.e. safe filming) to drive the plot!

Love Rome and Regina and their little family with Tyrell, but really, do we have to have that much detail/time spent about Rome’s father’s sex life? Why? Yes, there is nothing wrong with talking about sex or older people having active sex lives, but I just didn’t think it was needed here in the detail that was included. A “nudge nudge wink wink we have plans for tonight” and then Rome’s facial reaction +/- him making some comment to his father like he probably made to Rome as a teenager would have sufficed – I didn’t need nor want more. And what was with the “Lexus porn” of the lone shot of the car by itself for several seconds and then Rome extolling it’s spacious interior [for having sex in]? I am not sure that I noticed a single product placement in the first two seasons of the show, but they are blatant now!

Much of this week’s Rome and Regina plot seems to have been intended to keep things lighter in contrast to where things were going with the introduction of the George Floyd video. I like that the show isn’t shy about addressing racism. But, in general, I don’t enjoy when shows like this bring in real news stories, especially things that are not exactly current. Yes, we need to talk about racism and police violence against minorities and scripted television can be a good medium to get those discussions started. However, it’s “too soon” for me to start all over at the beginning right after Derek Chauvin’s trial when there has finally been a small amount of resolution (for that one case, anyway). AMLT isn’t Law and Order and it’s not a documentary – I do not watch it to relive the last horrible year again – I watch it to escape for an hour a week into other people’s lives.

I really wish they would have made up a fictional situation that drew from all the real life situations, rather than bringing in a real life situation where we all know what happened – this is my same gripe with the COVID plot. By picking a real life story, they are now stuck with being entirely true to that story and showing events as they happened while trying to make them fit with other plotlines, or trying to fictionalize a true story and frustrating viewers who think “that isn’t how it happened”. Neither option is very appealing. So much better to go 100% fiction, but keep the important elements from the story.

Ugh, I guess in conclusion, this episode needed more Maggie…I’m already missing Jamie as well. But Gary made it watchable. Definitely not one of my favorites.

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Rueben:

Yes, Cay. I agree! This was not one of my favorite episodes except for Gary. In fact, I could have totally done without the whole “whose condom was it?” storyline. I don’t care if it was Tyrell’s, Rome’s dad or Rome himself. I didn’t want to know – at all! – nor did I care for that being a big theme of the episode. In line with that, I did like that Regina and Florence seemed to connect and got along well; but that was it. I could’ve done without everything else for that specific theme.

Gary was the standout in this episode between his banter with Darcy, his talking to Danny about coming out to his classmates and even dealing with his dad. I totally wasn’t expecting Gary’s dad to veer off into that story about his buddy from Nam, but I could see how much it meant to Danny and to Gary, and made me a bit more interested in learning more about Gary’s relationship with his dad. I do have to say that I’m with you: I’m still not sold on Gary and Darcy being a couple. That relationship just doesn’t work for me the way Gary’s relationship with Maggie just worked. I, too, missed Maggie – and even Jamie – in this episode.

As for Katherine and Eddie, I am just so sick of this whole storyline. It was stupid to me to see the haircut scene; to see her at the hotel (the same one Eddie would take Delilah to during their affair); to see her doing everything she can to get out of the house right after Eddie got home and to see her do everything she can to stay away. I’m done! If they keep force-feeding us this we’re gonna go to therapy for the sake of Theo – just no!! Just split up and let’s move on. The only good thing that has come out of Eddie’s stay at rehab was his making friends with Jacki.

I get what your saying about them inserting a real life story into the show as well as the “hot and cold” COVID precautions. I could do without the real life stories playing a role in the show. I also watch the show as an escape from real life so…to have real life playing out in any show I watch; well, no thanks. I want to be entertained when watching my shows not reminded of real life that we have to see play out on our TV everyday. I’d really like it if they would deal with the Black Lives Matter protests in next week’s episode and then maybe play a time jump so we can simply move on.

[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 will air a new episode next week on Wednesday, May 12 at 10/9c on ABC.