Kanding, I hope Kafka watched tonight's episode. I only saw the first 10 or 15 minutes or so. And it was looking like a Matthew-filled episode, too!
I tried, I really did, but I must confess to tuning a lot of it out. It's that damn Trout-Lipped Toothpick, she drives me batty, and makes me want to take a scalpel and inflict serious bodily harm.
But yes, MR was big in this episode and I must say, I finally saw what
Kanding gets so hot and flustered about. He's a curly-haired, more subtle/less pretty-boy version of Julian McMahon (Charmed, Nip/Tuck, Fantastic Four). It's all in the eyes and mouth, although I think MR's mouth is a bit more delicate than Julian McMahon's. But, damn, he's cute! Very, very cute.
About this episode, well, the major MR highlights were: Sally Field emotionally manipulated Matthew Rhys' character into giving up his date and accompanying her to a golf function in honour of Sally Field's late husband. MR's character didn't want to go to the "homophobic" club but he went, especially once all his siblings felt it was expected of him. Once at the club, Sally Fields changed her mind about staying the full time and decided she wanted to see some old 50s film which had meaning for her and her husband.
While standing in line, MR sees the swishy, gorgeous gay chap who was his witness in the other case. I'm not clear if the Witness guy had been MR's initial date whom he'd blown off or what, but it was clear that MR was really into him now. He tried to explain about his mother (whom the other chap had met the week before), when suddenly another really cute gay chap walks up to the Witness Chap and is clearly his date. Witness Chap introduces MR to his date (BF?) with a comment about, "Here's So-and-So that I told you about." And the other guy seems to know all about him but it's a bit ambiguous as to meaning. Then the other guy takes Witness Guy's hand, much to MR's shock. He stumbles a bit and stares a bit at the intertwined hands, and is obviously quite upset.
Later on, MR has a conversation with Uncle Saul, Sally Field's brother played by Ron Rifkin from Alias. Saul makes it clear that he's led most of his life (and made many of his decision) based on protecting his sister (Sally Field), doing things for her, or just following her wishes.
So, MR gets angry and ends up confronting his mother about her "emotional manipulation," how he has no choice but to do what she wants, how she expects him to be her "Plus One" date to everything "simply because [he's] the gay son who can't have a life," how he's expected to give up his life for her and everyone else also falls into line with that, adding to the pressure. He tells her how he could have had a date the night before and how he really *should* have been out on a date, rather than being pressured and bullied into accompanying his mother around. He says he doesn't want to be another Uncle Saul who has given up his own life just to do things for his sister, and tells his mother that she's basically just insensitive.
That was basically the gist of the stuff involving MR's character. At least, I think so. I started to tune out much of the rest of it after that because it was incredibly boring. And I don't mean boring by usual standards, since you already know I think this show is terrible unless it involves MR, Sally Fields or Josh Hopkins. No, what I mean is that this episode was really boring even by the almost nonexistent bar set by
this series!!
The good news: they're definitely giving MR's character a love interest.
The bad news: in line with the producers' obvious obsession with making every small thing into "Something Serious And Full of Terrible Angst, OMG, <sob>!!!!", the love interest angle is going to be drawn out for weeeeeeeeeeeeeeks on end.
In truth, I'm not sure I can last that long. Talking about it with you,
Kanding cherie, and seeing your happiness over the recounts, as if you were sharing it right next to me, is slowly becoming the only joy of this truly terrible, terrible show.
Someone needs to kill off Calista Flockhart (and soon!!!) or else, just stop with the theme of "Terrible, Suffering and Angst Because. Everything. Is. SO. DREADFULLY. Emotional!!!!" Otherwise, I'm going to start throwing rotten eggs at my television. (I've already started swearing at it like someone with early onset Tourettes.) I just wish I could describe to you what an insufferably terminal wetblanket both she and all the non-MR story lines are. Or just how painfully awful her lips are....
<shudder>
