There are way too many separate storylines going on, to the point that -- despite really big developments in this episode -- it sort of dragged along until the last couple minutes. What happened: Lisa wanted an art gallery so badly that she went into business with Jeremy, even taking his advice not to tell Nick that's what she's doing. Simon dumped Karen, who asked Nick to talk to him; when he did, Simon was honest, saying he wants Karen for her shares in Darling Enterprises. Nick told Karen, but because she is a complete idiot, she went back to Simon and accepted his proposal. Jeremy's relationship with Nola finally pays off as he gets her to let his mom out of house arrest for election night. But election night might not go smoothly, since Ellen's brother threatens to tell the press about Carmelita, and that he thinks Patrick killed Ellen. Until Nick buys him off, shaming him. He does get the last word, though, telling Nick he's just like Tripp. Speaking of Tripp, he doesn't want Patrick to go public with Carmelita, so he tells her the truth about Ellen, and she leaves Patrick. When Patrick confronts Tripp, he has a heart attack, bringing the family together. But not really. They ultimately all go home and back to their lives, leaving Nick as the last one by Tripp's side. And somehow, the most compelling storyline is the one that's small and human: Brian's relationship with his son. Andrea loses Brian Jr., and when they find him at the end the parents decide to try to finally work together to do what's right for their son. Is there a reunion in their future, perhaps? The search for Brian Jr. does allow us to hear Brian describe him as "about four feet tall and has a face like a Smurf." Hee.
What it all means: We don't really know. But Nick transformed in this hour from the vulnerable guy we had in last week's reunion with his mother to a Don Draper type from the 1960s, telling Lisa absolutely not when she wants Jeremy as a silent partner in her business. Then again, he did catch them kissing just a few weeks back, so you can sort of understand why he wouldn't want them in business together. Nick is also International Man of Mystery, because he borrowed Jeremy's phone and hit redial, ending up on the phone with Nola -- no reaction. Can we get a little shock, please? Then Jeremy called Lisa during Nick and Lisa's therapy session; she ignored the call, but Nick looked at her ominously, like he knew what she was doing. But I couldn't tell if that's what the face meant, because Peter Krause is amazing and mysterious. But Nick's assiness to Lisa and his mysteriousness paled in comparison to the worst character development this season, which is: KAREN IS A MORON. I wanted to kill her for being so stupid and blind as to believe Simon loves her after Nick told her exactly what Simon's after. I mean, this is Nick; he doesn't lie to you or anyone else. HATE. The only good that might come of this is that maybe this marriage will send Karen off to some remote island with her new, rich husband, and they'll both leave the show. Their storyline is boring me to tears. (That all said, well played, Simon, knowing how Karen would react to Nick telling her the truth -- like the spoiled rich girl she is who assumes everyone just wants her.)
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No previouslies, which is odd in a show that has so many ongoing storylines. Instead, we open on Nick and Lisa in couples counseling. She's bitching about how Nick's essentially the Darlings' nanny, since they're a bunch of babies living in the world's largest playpen. And his nanny duties leave nothing, which she emphasize with "and I mean nothing," which seems to imply he's not really fulfilling his marital obligations if you know what I'm saying. And if you don't know what I'm saying, I mean sex. Nick makes a case for himself, saying how supportive he's been of her wanting to open an art gallery (he'll prove to be a hypocrite about this later). Nick's phone rings during the session, and it really annoys Lisa (she'll prove to be a hypocrite about this later). Nick promises that after Patrick's campaign and Letitia's trial, everything will be better. The therapist tells them that, even though things are bad, the fact that they're being honest about their unhappiness is good. I am not sure that's true, but I'm not a therapist, and I don't even play one on TV, so I won't try to diagnose soap opera characters. Nick gets another phone call, this time from Brian Jr., and he thinks he better take it. Because, seriously, who can resist Brian Jr.?
At a shiny table at the Darlings', Andrea and Brian are screaming at each other while Brian Jr. sits there watching. Andrea says Brian kidnapped their son; Brian says he didn't; she says Brian planted the idea; Brian says "the pygmy" has a mind of his own. After all of that progress last week, they're back to screaming at each other? That's unfortunate. I have to say, though, that not many people could pull off screaming and calling their child a "pygmy," and make it endearing. Somehow Brian manages. But Brian Jr. interrupts his screaming parents to tell them that he wants to be with both of them, and that's why he called Nick, who's standing at the end of the table watching Brian and Andrea with judgment and disgust. You know, because his relationship with his daughter's mom is the picture of health. Brian Jr. wants to stay in New York while he has some time off school in Brazil, so he can split his time. Andrea doesn't think Nick's a fair arbitrator, but Nick says he's not partial to Brian. He's partial to his nephew, because he had to live through his own parents' crap. He tells them they're both adults and need to act like it, and figure this out. Then he leaves. I'm not sure he did too much, lawyerly, there, or uncle-ly either, since he walks off and lets Brian and Andrea continue to scream at each other in front of Brian Jr., who you can tell is so sick of it all.
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