SEASON FOUR

EPISODE 9: GRINDING THE CORN

A comic book enthusiast is killed when a bookcase collapses onto him.

Keith confesses to David that he and Celeste had sex while he was with her on tour. David's reaction is far more realistic than Keith's reaction to the Plumber who blew David a few eps ago.

Ruth is staying at Bettina's house, and they decide to take a road trip to Mexico.

Brenda and Joe are history by now, and Nate has moved himself and Maya into Joe's house of shattered dreams. Brenda wants Nate to commit. Can we say, Oh brother???!!!

The most hilarious scene I've seen on this show in ages is David's dream...a real gut-buster.

Brenda's preceptorship in the psychology program includes working with a man who has a fear of bridges.

The bitchy lesbian professor at LAC-Arts gets into a car wreck, and the one and only Billy Chenowith (Jeremy Sisto) subs for her. Claire, irriated by Russell's stupid attempts to be funny, lights up when she sees Billy. Their conversation over the muffin was really great.

George cries after Maya spills a little juice. Either he misses his wife or he's just the latest character to have some sort of breakdown.

Overwhelmed by her feelings for Nate, Brenda falls off another of her major wagons, and does pot for the first time in perhaps a year or so. Knowing she's in trouble, she makes a run for her support group.

There is a pretty funny sequence where a couple of guys try to steal a valuable comic book from the deceased. The part where George trips one of them seems right out of a cartoon. Nate and George also finally seem to click as step-dad and step-son.

South of the border, Ruth and Bettina swig tequila. Armed with liquid courage, Ruth asserts herself and gets the hottub heater turned on.

Claire builds a dollhouse miniature of Fisher & Diaz, and she and Nate have a nice conversation. They talk about death and lonliness. This season has had fewer Claire/Nate moments than usual. Later, Nate has a dream about his childhood dog, and his fear of losing the people he loves. Richard Jenkins makes another great appearance as Dad.

Jimmy, Claire's sometime boyfriend from school, offers to "assist" her to have an O. No need to elaborate on what "grinding the corn" means. In a sense, Claire loses another form of virginity here.

Ruth and Bettina enjoy a horseback ride on the beach, but Ruth's horse collapses. Poor woman, no matter where she goes, she ends up in tears.

I think my obviously favorite part of this episode is Billy's comeback. Always a welcome thing for me. David's fear of Keith becoming straight again is a good laugh. I'd give this one a B or a B+.