Top 10 List - Once And Again: Moving On - 4/25/2001

1) Get a Room! er.... Attic! - Eli and Carla share their affection publicly. One on the stairs, the other standing on a piece of Lily's furniture, they suck face to the point of everyone else's discomfort. Jessie even covered Zoe's innocent eyes. Later, as Carla and Eli talk of Europe, soon the discussion leads to swimming naked in the sea, yet Grace attempts to change the subject to soda pop. A cool refreshing beverage doesn't derail their hormones. Lily soon finds the two love birds pruning and flocking together, much to her distress.

2) Stay Tuned - As Rick enters, lugging a TV, he asks in his best moving-man voice, "Hey Lady, where do you want this thing?" Lily suggests wistfully, "How about in the attic?" Rick, ever the sports fan, responds, "How about 'No Way!' "

3) What'd she say? - As Eli worries about where Carla may stay for the next few days, she allays his fears with "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." Perhaps it was his hair, but he just couldn't not worry. Soon he convinced Grace to have Carla stay at the Manning's house. Grace did resort to emotional blackmail, by making Lily feel responsible if Carla had to sleep on the streets. "You know she would!"

4) Just Say No - Carla pill-fers Lily's medicine cabinet, but doesn't cover her tracks very well. Lily notices the missing medication, and confirms her worst fears when she finds her property in Carla's bag. She meets with Carla's stepmother, where she discovers a lovely household filled with disconnected members. Carla's father is rarely around, working all the time. Her mother's where-abouts are unknown, and this is her third stepmother. She attempts to assure Lily things will work out fine. In the meantime, Rick attempts to bring up the missing pills, only to have Carla quickly admit her actions and dump the drugs on the counter. She states that she doesn't use them, doesn't even know why she took them, and burst into tears. She clings to Rick, crying. Perhaps she would like a father like Rick, since her's is always away, at least emotionally if not physically.

5) Ties That Bind - When Rick and Lily talk to Grace and Eli about Carla's drug problem, the two teenagers bristle with anger that their friend isn't getting the support she needs. Lily rightfully explains that as parents, their job is to protect Eli and Grace, not Carla. The teens see this as betrayal, and angrily storm out. You hear their doors slam respectively. It is very difficult for teenagers to see the danger in not reporting a wrongful act. Even Rick and Lily share doubts, but as Rick says "What else could you have done?"

6) A Parting Of The Ways - Grace goes up to see Eli in the attic, to find him packing. "I thought you were moving in.why are you packing?" Eli explains that although he doesn't know what he's doing, he's determined to run away with Carla. This amazing interchange between these two characters was very moving. Eli respects Grace, and shows it by the way he talks to her. Grace's mixed feelings for him makes each conversation seem to have double meanings. As they hugged goodbye, you could feel Grace's sense of loss, of a brother at the very least. Eli gently pro-offers with a smile "You can have my room if you want it."

7) A Tree Grows In Evanston - Carla, desperate and cash-poor, comes to say goodbye by to Grace, and ask for any money she can get her hands on. Her arrival is by climbing the tree by window. It is soon apparent to Grace that Carla has no intention of running away with Eli, even though "he loves you." Carla doesn't really care about him, and tells Grace "he's all yours now." Her emotions agitated as it is, this statement both puts Grace off and beckons her tears to the surface simultaneously. "I don't know what to think", she cries plaintively. "Well don't think that," Carla returns, and then after a hug and a thanks-for-being-my-friend, she's back out the window and climbing down the tree, as Grace watches sadly.

8) Greyhound Blues - Eli and Rick have reached a new plateau. Eli has turned 18, and wants to make his own decisions. He even attacks his father's flaws. Rick's pained response: "Which is going to make it easier for you E? To see me as the monster, bending you to my will or as the screw up who's trying to cover up his mistakes? Because I am neither. I'm just .. a man. Attempting his best, though that is usually not enough. Who loves his son and daughter, and would cut off an arm to see that they have what they need in life. We are never going to have the same relationship again. I'll always be your father, but you have your own life now. (Deep breath) If you want to run off with Carla, I can't stop you and I won't try." Eli gives way to tears, as he confesses to his father that Carla never showed up. As life teaches us all, these two men 'moved on' to new levels, Rick by letting go, Eli by getting a taste of reality (and in a nick of time!)

9) Heartbreak Hotel - Jessie had two very touching scenes as she deals with loneliness. When her Dad found out that Eli was running way with Carla, she wasn't permitted to go along. Instead, she had to remain behind, with Lily, Grace and Zoe. It was a very interesting camera angle, as she alone had to sit with these soon-to-be family members, yet still strangers to her heart. In the conclusion, as she lay awake in her bed, looking out into the moonlit night, she felt uncertain about Eli, her future in this household, and her importance. Although Lily and Zoe feel they are trying to make her feel welcome, she's much more a guest at this point.

10) So Let It Be Written - Lily receives her divorce papers, barely in time before she is to marry again. It was just a concept all this time, but now it has an air of finality. Rick agrees. Jokingly he offers to help guide her hand. "No, I'm pretty sure I want out. You see, I promised myself to this other man." His soft-spoken "Oh yeah, who's that?" leads to a major kiss, the kind you inhale, it being so personal and deep. Although it took her some time, by the conclusion, Rick finds the signed papers. He turns to Lily, a small smile on his face. He knows this is a victory more for her, than for him. As he basks in her radiating love, reminiscent of "The Scarlet Letter Jacket", her unspoken thoughts convey her commitment to the man she adores. Nothing will stand in their way now.

Marc Levenson 5/01/01   Click To Email Marc