Two construction workers discuss their wives' depression and terrible cooking when one accidentally drops his lunchbox onto the head of a pedestrian a hundred or so feet below.
Keith and David are missing little Taylor, tantrums and all. Keith seems to be taking his anger and sadness out on David. It was at about this point in the series when fans began asking, "What happened to that strong, likeable Keith we knew in Season One? Well on one hand, I agree, he isn't as likeable as he used to be. On the other hand, keeping him the exact same "rock" of strength and seeming flawlessness would have made him boring and one-dimensional. Let's face reality. Does anyone we know stay "likeable" 24/7 ??? Is it realistic to expect Keith to constantly be the same way day in and day out?
Nate asks David to be his Best Man. It's a moment that wasn't nearly as emotional or exciting as it could have been, even with their duties awaiting them in the Wisteria Room. But perhaps, purposefully, it wasn't meant to be anything more than a casual moment.
Karla is back in Taylor's life, but Keith knows she's still on drugs, and he pretty much threatens her into a tearful confession that yes, she's still doing it, and yes, she needs help. But is her sobbing for real, or is it emotional bullshit?
Because Ruth needs to be needed in order to feel like she's worthy of love, she allows Nikolai to stay on the couch until his broken legs are healed. She seems to have no problem at all attending to Nikolai's most intimate needs, including assisting him with a bedpan!!!
The deceased was married for about six years to a beautiful younger woman (guest star Dina Meyer). This young wife was always disliked by the mans' daughters who are her age, maybe even older, and when she finds out that hubby's pre-need dictates that he will be buried with his first wife, all hell busts loose. Nate ends up breaking up the battle in a manner that in the real world might have lost him their business. I was all for him cussing the cat-fighters out, but I doh't think the result would have been that favorable.
Over at Brenda's place, brother Billy is morose as he talks about Mom having gone on some cruise. Obviously, he still hates his father, because when Brenda asks about Bern, Billy just scoffs, "Yeah, right!" Brenda finally asks Billy why he wouldn't talk to her while he was at Clarendon, and Billy tells her about his doctor's advice. He also says a few things that, yes, are a little harsh and hurtful, but sadly, are the gospel truth. It isn't Brenda's fault, really. They were only children, and she was doing a job her parents should have been doing. She mentions Nate's illness, and Billy again says some pretty mean-sounding stuff, but the truth factor is there. When Billy leaves to go meet Claire for a date, he walks with his shoulders hunched in a way that suggest he thinks Brenda is going to come after him and hit him, he has made her so angry. After he's gone, Brenda is feeling the familiar emotional turmoil, and digs through the list of random guys she has met lately.
Nate tries to talk Claire into not going out with Billy, but Claire says something that stops him dead in his tracks, "He has a disease. It can be controlled. For a while he was fucked up and in denial about it. Sound familiar?"
While Nikolai and Ruth eat some sort of soup for supper, Ruth mentions Nikolai's sloppy bookkeeping and obviously, has touched a very sore nerve, because Nikolai roars at her to leave his financial materials alone.
David has a dream that he and Keith are on the Leeza Gibbons show. His happy ideals are momentarily interrupted when Keith acts hesitant about Dave staying over another night. David prepares to go to his own home, and Keith changes his mind.
Claire has apparently talked at length with Billy about Gabe Dimas, and apparently Billy was sane enough to have offered support and advice. Claire thanks Billy, telling him his emails were "the only thing that got her through." Billy asks if Claire will help him on a new "project" the following night.
Brenda finds herself at a book function, and ends up having sex (on the nasty floor of a public restroom) with an author whose cynical attitude on soul mates and monogamy mirrors her own.
And in the biggest shocker so far, this season, Nate runs into Lisa from Seattle! Yes, there she be, saying that she accepted a job with a Hollywood producer here in L.A. When Nate fills Lisa in on his engagement with Brenda, Lisa is striken, and opens her coat to reveal Nate's bun in her oven. And that's not all. She launches into what will soon become a familiar trait, the delusional belief that Nate loves her deep down in a place he doesn't even know about. Ohhhh boyyyyy!!! When Nate is so floored he can't even respond to her tyrade, Lisa stalks off. Suddenly, there is the Nate before learning of the pregnancy, and the Nate after learning of the pregnancy.
Claire arrives at the Chenowith condo to Billy wearing only a robe. Of course, she's very nervous, wondering what Billy's up to. I would have probably made a hasty retreat, but that's just me. Billy obviously wants to take pictures, and proceeds to disrobe to his birthday suit without a moment's hesitation. This is an intriguing scene, filled with cryptic dialogues like, "What you don't know is, you'll be 18 for the rest of your life." WTF??? I wouldn't have known whether to be spooked or not by that one...Also, when Claire says, "I'm on your scar, really close-up," she's actually on a side view of his face and shoulders. As Claire snaps the photos, including of the scar resulting from Billy's ill-advised tattoo removal last season, he begins to ramble about Narcissus, of Greek mythology, who gazed at himself so long that he died and turned into a flower. Is Billy comparing himself to Narcissus when he says, "He isn't in love with himself, he fucking hates himself." He ends up crying in front of Claire and it's either that or the nudity that ends up unnerving her so badly that she flees.
More questions. Billy seemed relieved that he was crying. Did the crying signify that he had stopped taking the meds? Hard to say. It seems unlikely, since only yesterday he was just fine in Claire's presence. Unless he's on medication that, if stopped abruptly, can trigger withdrawal symptoms in as little as 12 hours. Also, when Claire leaves, Billy gets this little Mona Lisa smile. Was this whole photo session some kind of new mind game, some kind of abusive or manipulative scheme he brewed up? Is Billy really okay or is he twisted beyond anyone's imagination? The very lack of answers drives me nuts and leaves me aware of Alan Ball's genius writing all at once.
Nate rides his new Harley along the coastal highway, and is taunted by Nathaniel Sr. Brenda writes furiously on her sexual novella, and later confesses her newest encounter to Melissa. When Brenda suddenly seems emotionally distressed, wondering if she's "losing her shit", it's Melissa of all people who recommends therapy, yet Melissa, at this time, is way saner than Brenda is. Later, when Nate asks about the book autographed by the writer who screwed Brenda in the bathroom, Brenda lies to him, as smooth as cream, saying the book belongs to Margaret.
A Russian guy comes over to the flower shop, and Nikolai at last confesses to Ruth that he is in debt with the Russian mob, loaned him the money to get his floral shop off the ground.
Keith's sister Karla has Taylor peeing in a cup so that Karla can have a job---and still be able to do her drugs.
Keith and David decide that David should just move into Keith's place.
Claire goes to Nate and says she agrees with him. Billy is just a little too out there for her. However, upon opening her email, you can watch Lauren Ambrose's beautiful, expressive face as Claire slips, gently, back under Billy's influence. As she inspects the photos she took of him, she is leery, then striken, wincing with sympathy pain when she sees the scar, then admiring of the profile of his face, altogether awe-struck, suddenly realizing that these photos are hers, this talent is hers.
A great episode. I can't remember if Ball wrote any of the episodes in Season Four, and if not, too bad. I give this one an A+.
SIX FEET UNDER