SEASON 2

EPISODE 11: THE LIAR AND THE WHORE

In a skilled nursing facility, or nursing home, an older woman scowls darkly as her roommate carries on about being in pain, wishing the Lord would come get her, about her Vioxx being late again, etc. A few moments later, Vanessa Diaz, who is an LVN, and one of the nurse assistants, find the complainer suddenly silenced. They try to do CPR on her, but can't revive her.

Young Taylor is still angry at David for telling Uncle Keith that her mom ran over some bum and killed him. It's a shame the way Karla manipulated her daughter to where the poor kid has a guilt complex. Karla is the one who fucked up.

Now that Bern has spoken to Ruth, Ruth is convinced Claire is so depressed that she's on the verge of suicide or something. Claire doesn't appreciate her mother's hovering one bit of course.

Nate and Brenda are, at Nate's request to Brenda, seeing Rabbi Ari. Nate would very much like Ari to serve as their spiritual marriage counselor. The fact that the nonspiritual Brenda is cutting her eyes up at the ridiculous notion that she may need a little guidance in her new journey makes me wonder, Now WHY is Nate wanting to marry her again?

As Ruth ponders whether or not her daughter is clinically depressed, she feels increasingly rejected by Nikolai. In fact, the only time Nikolai even looks up and responds to anyone is when Yuri, the Russian mob guy, comes calling to see if Nik has any money for him.

Nate, inspired by Ari's belief that a marriage cannot be good without total honesty (was that truly what she said?), confesses his big secret to Brenda, who for the first time in a while where Nate is concerned, responds with real emotion...confused, betrayed, afraid...and promptly places an invisible inpenetrable wall between them.

She reaches out to the only person who has ever been there when she needed him, even if they served each other's emotional needs in a completely fucked up way: Billy. But alas, Billy is MIA. Either he meant what he said about severing their toxic fuel-line, or he's simply away from his phone.

In the Keith/David storyline, Keith's father Roderick, and his mother Lucille, are in town in the aftermath of Karla's arrest and imprisonment. It is their belief that young Taylor would benefit in a more "stable" home. Translated into the language of the homophobic and hostile Roderick: She shouldn't be living with 2 gay men. For those who possess the book BETTER LIVING THROUGH DEATH, there are good details about Keith coming out when he was younger and the bad response he got from Roderick. David tries to build up support and encouragement for Keith, because David loves and wants Taylor. It's the closest he's ever come to having a child of his own.

Later, Rico and David are shocked and totally grossed out by what they find in the elderly lady's esophagus/windpipe and the authorities are immediately dispatched to investigate. There's trouble brewing when Rico reveals that his wife is one of the very persons who tried and failed to revive the woman.

Nate gets a much-needed visit from Rabbi Ari, who kills two birds with one stone. She delves into Nate's dysfunctional romantic history and provides a new customer for the funeral home, a young man with pancreatic cancer. When Nate meets the fellow in question, it leads him to wonder if he too, will die alone, having been too selfish, petty and choosy to have had a loving family that may actually mourn his passing some day.

Claire and Parker do some 'shrooms. Fun, yes, but pointless plotline, yes, except maybe for the part where Claire, under the influence, gives Ruth the kind of hug Ruth wants, generously smothered in drugged-up sentiments and endearments.

Later, finding huge importance in being needed, Ruth pays Yuri some 80,000+ dollars. The woman is a sainted martyr.

Brenda spends quality time with the pretty bong we met in Season One, and remembers her parents' sex parties. She's hurting for sure, and doesn't know who she can reach out to.

Keith visits Karla in jail and Karla hisses at him not to let the grandfolks take Taylor, certain that Roderick will beat on the kid while Lucille continues being in denial of any family woes.

Mitzi Dalton Huntley, that spunky Southin' gal from Kroehner, is back!!! This time, rubbing the Fisher Boys' faces in the stinky shit that resulted from Mrs. Collins insisting on seeing her husband's shredded carcass. You know, that caustic bitch who laughed when Nate opened the coffin???!!! Well, seems Mrs. Collins believes herself to have been victimized in some way. Shouldn't Nate have known better than to show her that grisley sight???!!! So now the hag feels she's entitled to some monetary compensation for her "suffering". Some people have absolutely no fucking shame. David's royally pissed at Nate for probably the first time all season. And Ruth, well she just got done paying the Russian Mob off, so she ain't got any money to help her sons with this gigantic lawsuit.

Fortunately, she can't ignore her conscience once David lays into her, so Mrs. Collins drops the whole thing and the funeral home doesn't have to close down.

All this time, Brenda has been angry and in horrific pain over Nate's revelation that he not only cheated on her with old girlfriend Lisa, but that a baby is the result. It isn't enough to smoke some weed and torment herself with memories of an abnormal childhood. When two late teenaged surfer boys spot her enjoying her joint, she takes the opportunity to bang the both of them. Unceremoniously and joylessly, still unable to escape her own eyes, still the one who observes and analyzes everything.

And the shit will hit the fan...just not till later.

Good episode. I'd give it an A.