#1) Issues of Trust - Jessie and Eli notice things are different around the house. There’s no food, and Karen hasn’t been fussing about the things that typically would annoy her. Her smiles and family plans sound hollow to her children, but they attempt to be supportive. She is caught crying, yet dismisses it as if nothing. Jessie’s concern grows, and when her dad pulls her aside to talk, she doesn’t need much prodding to find out her worst fear: “I think Mom might try to hurt herself.” Rick’s “What do you mean?” allows him to get the facts straight before he promises Jessie that she will be fine. He will make sure of it. However, her nightmare comes eerily true in the form of a phone call, and Jessie’s “I want my Mommy,” quickly capped off with an ear-piercing scream for Eli, moved me to tears. Jessie waits for the opportunity to ask her mother about the ‘accident’ as soon as she awakens from surgery. Karen admits remorsefully that she’s been lying lately, and promises to tell her the truth from now on.

#2) Family Ties - Rick continues to worry about Karen, even though he’s been divorced from her for years and is remarried. He notes the signals, and tries to be supportive, yet at a distance. The two of them have had so much conflict, even Dr Rosenfeld had pointed out that they are too vested in each other. After Jessie expressed her concern to Rick, he seeks Karen out at work, to reason with her to take care of herself. He’s noticed the signs, and Jessie needs to be able to live her own life and not have to worry about her mother. Immediately after the accident, Rick is contacted, most likely by the hospital, and rushes to her side. Seeing Rick’s deep emotions surface for his ex-wife was rather surprising to me, but Rick is, after all, enigmatic. [smile] After talking to her, he feels relieved that she still has the will to live. They both knew that he would be there for her, if and when needed, although Jessie apparently didn‘t.

#3) Charlie Brown - Rick shares his concerns with Lily about Karen’s downward spiral, and hopes she can help him get a better perspective of the situation. Lily offers that Karen just needs time. During her own low period, she too needed time. Having Rick helped too, of course. She smiled, and told her man “That’ll be five cents please,” the classic line said by “Therapist” Lucy many a time in the Peanuts comic strip.

#4) Friends - Judy reveals more about her own history, as she tries to be there for Karen. When you have a good friend, no topic is unbroachable. Judy abruptly, yet still empathetically, asks how Karen’s doing with her medication. Karen’s glassy-eyed stare bespeaks its effectiveness, but Judy wants to know how her friend is feeling inside. She manages a reply, and Judy invites her over for a cheese-less pizza on Friday with some other friends. It seems Judy is still on the ‘No Dairy’ diet. I thought it was funny that they agreed that the medication slows down the libido, and yet her invitation for Friday included watching Sex And The City.

#5) Point Of Impact - Karen has suffered from depression for some time, and this episode opens with her seeing a psychiatrist. Fans have felt for some time that she needed some professional help to deal with her feelings. With medication, Karen tries to find hope again. Eli’s secret is revealed, and his parents are furious about his lying for weeks. Karen lashes out in anger, evicting her son from her home. Crushed, her emotional make-up nears total collapse. Her doctor increases her dosage, and gives her mental homework - to list things that make her happy or give her hope. Just as she begins to see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, she is suddenly and violently run down in an intersection. Lying in the street, her life bleeding from her body, her focus rapidly shifts from joy to the most basic instinct: survival. Her eyes take in the scene around her. A young boy runs up, shocked by her appearance. The contents of her purse lies scattered before her on the asphalt. She can hear the pounding of footsteps as people run to her. Her stares at one finger, just faintly able to move… In her soliloquy, Karen asks if she can finally go to sleep.

#6) One Pill to Grow Taller - It is typically the smallest things in life that make it possible for us to cope. A gentle gaze, a linking of hands, a common thought, a momentary hope. In this case, it’s a tiny pill. This little item, smaller than an eraser head, helps Karen’s spirits rise again. Her doctor notices her improvement, and gives her a daily assignment. She has to list three things that she’s looking forward to, that she wants, or that she loves. Karen begins to list things that bring her joy, and her smile shines. In the end, we are assured of her love of Jessie and Eli.

#7) Clothing Comforts - Annually, Karen and Jessie go to a special clothing sale. Karen, running on autopilot, tries to keep the tradition going, and the two of them shop together for something nice. Before Karen begins to succumb to dizziness, she suggests a certain blouse for Jessie to try on. Jessie rebuffs the item, reporting that people use clothing to hide their person. After the accident, Jessie’s conscience tears at her, and with Katie, they rush to find the garment, successfully. As she puts it on at home, Zoe impishly points out that it doesn’t suit her. Jessie agrees, but feels comfort that she followed her mother’s earlier counsel. When Karen awakens, Jessie reveals her outfit, and even Karen agrees “It really isn’t you.” The irony isn’t lost on the audience.

#8) Dancing Step(mom) - Lily keeps finding herself in the unique position of being Eli’s confidant, a role she hardly cherishes. It is truly a minefield that can result in a lot of heartache. Yet, she delicately finds ways to tiptoe through that field, and avoid alienating Eli in the process. He’s feeling hated by his parents, and figures his new step mom feels the same way. Surprisingly, she finds ways to stay neutral and still supportive. I love that she can do this, because it allows her relationship to grow with her new children, as well as her new husband. Rather than answering Eli’s direct questions, she helps him see that in time, things will turn around. Does anyone else wonder if she really did scream at her mother? Also, she wisely didn’t intervene in any way when she overheard Jessie mention her fear that her mother might be suicidal. Rick may or may not have wanted Lily’s input, but her remaining silent allowed him to handle that himself.

#9) Musical Preferences - Katie gives Jessie a cd by Billie Holliday, which she enjoys. Asking her mother what kinds of music did she like growing up, Jessie realizes there is still a lot she doesn’t know about her mom. Prompted by Katie, we get to hear Jessie’s angelic voice yet again, which I have yet to grow tired of. As Karen begins her journey of recovery, she reveals to Jessie a few artists she loves: Carol King, Ella Fitzgerald, and Barbara Streisand. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Karen’s complaint that Rick stole her yodeling collection. [smile]

#10) Photo Ops - Cameras convey visual memories, but the way they are used by directors can make it a work of art. Ed Zwick directed this episode personally, and some of the most powerful moments were simple black & white ones when Karen shares her thoughts while totally nude. Lighting and perspective showed us her true unhidden beauty, and how she viewed herself. Zwick’s choice of camera angles helped us ‘see’ things from a bruised and battered point of view. When Karen looked through her bloodshot eyes, facial abrasions and swollen flesh, she saw her two beautiful children, even though her outward appearance only revealed multiples wounds and a barely conscious woman trying to recover from a motor vehicle accident. The transitions from black & white to color scenes were made with the dexterity of a director gifted with a talent few possess. Notable as well was the end of each segment, when the scene fades to black, yet the sounds continue, allowing the viewer to feel its impact completely.

Marc