Back at the school, Sarah has stepped out a side door to chew some Nicotine gum in peace. I thought the whole point of gum was that you didn't have to go outside to chew it, unless you chew like a cow and then please take that action to the pasture. Some scruffalicious guy who looks like he snuck a few days past Shower Day comes outside and bums some gum. I thought the whole point of gum was that people didn't bum your smokes anymore. Are you telling me they bum gum too? That shit is expensive! Make him buy it for a quarter, Sarah! You're a single mom living in your parents' house, don't just give away your hard earned cash. The twosome makes small talk while smacking their gum and Sarah realizes that the guy isn't a parent, but a teacher. Specifically, her daughter's English teacher. WAIT. Really? No. I love historical reenactment as much as the next MILF, but the writers CANNOT have Sarah Braverman REENACT AN ENTIRE STORYLINE FROM GILMORE GIRLS. Yes I am yelling! That is STUPID. I know Maura Tierney was supposed to play Sarah Braverman (which, genetically speaking would make a heck of a lot more sense, but don't get me started on genetics and casting when I am already in the middle of another rant -- wait, where was I? Oh, right) and so perhaps we would not have noticed the similar storylines, but Maura backed out a while ago and CLEARLY the writers should have made the time to re-think this story line when Lauren Graham was cast. I mean, COME ON. And, no, adding a vague cougar element to the exact same story IS NOT A TWIST. Anyway, grumble grumble. So, Amber's teacher flirts with his student's parent the only way he knows how: by complimenting her daughter's mad writing skills. Of course, even Sarah knows this is bullshit, because, Amber? No. But, she does look vaguely hopeful when he insists that Amber's paper on The Sound and the Fury was truly insightful. Oh please, Amber read The Sound and the Fury? Did they re-boot it as a teenage vampire novel?

It's still light out when Julia comes home from work, so she obviously has mommy-tracked herself. She says hello and immediately starts questioning whether her daughter is PLAYING correctly. Sydney and her friend Harmony are playing "the princess and the maid" and Sydney is the maid, which is UNACCEPTABLE. Sydney explains that sometimes she's the gardener or the cook and then a bell tolls and she runs off TO HAVE FUN. Julia makes a face at Joel, like, HOW CAN HE LET THIS HAPPEN? But Joel shrugs, because he's always the cook. Also, THE KID IS HAVING FUN.