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A Million Little Things Roundtable: “piece of cake”

By Rueben | March 11, 2022

Here is the official synopsis for this week’s episode (season 4, episode 11) of A Million Little Things entitled “piece of cake”:

When Katherine is rushed to the hospital in an emergency, Eddie and the rest of the group show up to be by her side. Maggie finds herself at a crossroads with Cam, and Eddie pledges honesty with Anna.

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

Cay:

Well, just about everything I hoped wouldn’t happen came to pass in this episode! At least with regards to the Anna and Maggie storylines! Of all the people for Eddie to get involved with, why, just why?! Their friend group already strains belief, but in a city as big as Boston metro, he has to date someone so intimately involved with the group’s past traumas? I like the “new Eddie” with his honesty and his acceptance of both his life and Katherine’s, but the writers could do so much better!

And then we come to Maggie and Cam. Yes, Gary got Maggie through cancer, but she had all this time that she could have gone back to him. Cam has been nothing but incredible and she’s going to dump him the night he throws her a “$50,000 birthday party”, as Gary put it. And then Gary’s running after her at the hospital was so cliche. At least he wasn’t running after her at the airport again. I really think that Maggie needs some therapy as much as she needs to give it to others.

Katherine’s situation also seemed really contrived. What are the odds that she would faint for the first time right after the party, when she happened to be on the phone with Greta? And the whole crew showing up at the hospital at 2am? That seems unlikely for all of them to show up – more likely to be waiting up at home for a call from Eddie except for someone coming to help with Theo. We’ll see if this was just a one-time excuse to get everyone in the hospital worried or if we’re in for a longer health-related storyline for Katherine.

I find myself missing the first season when the show had the whole underlying mystery of what lead to Jon’s suicide. They’ve tried that again twice, once with Eddie’s accident and his friend’s death and very weakly with Maggie’s stalker, but the show lost some of its appeal after the resolution of that original mystery. This season just seems like a collection of more and more unbelievable scenarios, but none that really are engaging me much (unless you consider hate watching Eddie dating Anna or Maggie dumping Cam). Although it’s never come to me before, I am realizing the parallels between AMLT and Desperate Housewives – both started with a mystery about a friend’s suicide and focused on a large group of friends in a neighborhood full of bizarre coincidences. However, Desperate Housewives managed to keep it wacky and fresh for multiple seasons where as AMLT never gets wacky enough or carries on an intriguing storyline long enough in the past two seasons to keep me as engaged.

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Rueben:

I hate to admit it, but you’re right, Cay. As much as I want to love the show the way I did in the beginning, and the rare glimpses of good episodes during the previous seasons, this one just isn’t working. Granted, I LOVE that Maggie came back to Gary (FINALLY!), but this wasn’t the right way to do it. Gary realizing he wants Maggie after learning a friend from their cancer support group had passed away (and that cliched run down the hospital hallway to try to reach her in time), it was just a little too little too late. As much as I want Maggie and Gary back together, Maggie went about their reuniting in such the wrong way. I can’t imagine that Cam is just going to take the break-up lying down either.

As for Katherine, I can’t imagine introducing that storyline into the show and then just letting it fade away although they’ve done that before [Maggie’s stalker, Gary not getting hunted down by that detective for the attack on Peter – need I say more]. If this is just yet another plot devise, a cliched way to get Katherine to come out of the closet, it’s all in poor taste.

I agree that while I like this new upfront and honest Eddie – quite refreshing from the versions of Eddie we’ve seen in the past – a relationship with Anna just seems wrong. You’re right, Cay, that he has to end up with her especially given her involvement in the past trauma storyline. I’d rather see him with anyone else other than her (although I do like the actress – Erin Karpluk – who plays Anna).

What about Rome and Regina? For once they weren’t really at odds with each, but I have a feeling it’s just a matter of time before they are since that seems to be the ever-revolving pattern for their stories. I want to see Rome continue to get better, for Regina and Valerie to find success with their catering business (should it actually get off the ground) and for them to just…be…freaking…happy!!! Is that too much to ask from the writers? And how about his reaction (and later Regina’s reaction) about Maggie liplock on Gary in the elevator. Rome can’t lie to save his life!

I thought it was touching to see how concerned Theo was about his mom, and that Greta did a really great job with him on the phone right after Katherine collapsed. Katherine almost had the opportunity to come clean with Theo about Greta, but then it was chased away. I just have to wonder if Katherine is going to keep procrastinating coming out to Theo and the rest of their friends. She wants to have this relationship with Greta, but she can’t be honest about who she is to the people she is closest to; it’s just wrong. You said that Maggie needs some therapy (and I agree), but perhaps so does Katherine. Or more to the point, pretty much all of them need therapy of one sort or another; and we all – the viewers – just might need therapy too if the stories continue to be cliched and trite.

I want to love this show again, and I can only hope that future episodes will get back on track.