SEASON FOUR

EPISODE 4: CAN I COME UP NOW?

This episode begins with the electrocution death of a creepy guy who seems out of a David Lynch movie. Or an X-Files episode. Pretty cool death, the first truly shocking one of the season. Even more shocking, the victim is the father of the woman David nearly married.

Nate's in-laws Barb and Hoyt take little Maya off on an undisclosed excursion, one that apparently necessitates Nate handing over $150 bucks for the upkeep of his daughter.

Claire criticizes her friend Anita's generic photography. And yes, I realize I sound like just as big an asshole for agreeing with Claire.

More doo-doo is delivered to Ruth and George, and Ruth still thinks it's poor Arthur behind it.

David meets with Jennifer and her charmless android of a husband, to plan her Dad's funeral. Keith is at work listening to sordid roadies spin their sordid tales of the sordid world of roadies on tour with pop divas. Yuck...one gripe I have about Season 4 is that the stories, which used to tie in together, all seem separate. Just as your getting involved with one storyline, another is there, competing for your attention and memory. The Celeste storyline is flat out boring and serves no real purpose, except to show Keith in a new career. I would have rather the writers make storylines about his continuing endeavors to commit to David.

Nate pops in on Brenda as she and Joe are experimenting with bondage. It turns out to be an amiable visit. Joe is such a cool guy. A real sweet person, a character I quickly grew to admire and respect. Anyone who would kindly accept a visit from his girl's ex even though he was ripe and ready for bondage sex and had it interrupted deserves my respect. Later, good Joe, in a moment of love-soaked candor, tells Brenda that he wants to be "the one" and wants to have his kids with her. In typical Brenda fashion, she kisses him to silence him, because in spite of what she believes she wants, his pledge of devotion scares the holy shite out of her.

Nate is lead to see a psychic, who tells him Lisa is not dead. For some reason, though the dental records gave no doubt, Nate is crazy enough to believe this crone, and dumb enough to tell Lisa's sister Barbara about it. Bad move.

George very reluctantly tells Ruth that he has another son, Kyle, and that Kyle is the person who is posting pewpew to them. Ruth begins to realize her husband has not been entirely candid with her about his past. And you know how Ruth is about these things. She immediately begins to meddle, trying to convince George to meet with his son and reconcile any differences and resentments between them. Good ol' Ruth!!!

Jennifer, having felt angry and betrayed ever since David discovered his true sexual orientation and broke off their engagement, finally vents onto David. I'd need a good cry-fest too, if I was married to that thing.

Perhaps this episode's most interesting moment is when Claire reveals a shyness we didn't know she had. On a date with Jimmy, she is reluctant to tell him what she likes sexually. He wants her to explicitly tell him what she wants, and she is so uncomfortable that the date is a failure. Later, talking to Anita and Edie, Claire realizes she has never had the big O, and in spite of hoping it isn't true, is indeed shy and rather repressed about her sexuality. It was a shocker to me, given that this smart, attractive young woman has had more sexual partners by age 20 than I had by age 30, yet has never had what is considered the best part about having sex in the first place. Edie is all too eager to point this out to poor Claire. The whole exchange and revelation of this part of Claire's life is what makes this one of the better episodes for me.

So this one gets an A-.