A Million Little Things Round Table: Did Gary Reach His Breaking Point?
Jasmine Blu
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The friends rallied around Maggie on A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 8, and Gary wasn't happy about their acceptance of Maggie's decision.
Elsewhere, Eddie considered finding an apartment, and Katherine dipped a toe into the dating pool with her colleague, Hunter.
Join TV Fanatics Rachelle Lewis, Christine Orlando, and Jack Ori as they discuss the hour!
Do you think Maggie's decision was due to her punishing herself for her brother's death? What do you think her final dream meant after she collapsed?
Rachelle: I think her decision to not have treatment was her punishing herself because of her belief she didn’t save her brother. I was happy they made the guy in the dream her brother and not another man she dated. I felt it had more of an impact and also helped us understand her choice better.
I think her dream when she collapsed was her realization she couldn’t save her brother, but she can save herself. I also feel it was her brother’s way of telling her it wasn’t her fault and she needs to live.
Related: A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Fight or Flight
Christine: It was so sad that Maggie, a trained psychologist, was carrying around all of this guilt for not saving her brother. You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.
I do think Maggie has been punishing herself and that it took Rome to point it out to her. My hope is that the dream meant she was letting go of some of that guilt and can make better decisions about her own health and future.
Jack: I definitely think her decision was partially based on punishing herself, or maybe on believing that since she couldn't save her brother, it wasn't possible that treatment would work for her either.
I thought it was interesting how in the dream Chad told her that was where he was leaving her. I think she's been carrying around her guilt and grief for a very long time and it was almost like she had never fully processed his death before.
It also seemed like she was realizing that she belongs with the living, not reunited with him in the afterlife just yet.
What was your impression of Eddie's apartment wariness and interactions with Katherine and Delilah? Do you think Eddie is afraid to be alone?
Rachelle: I think his wariness about the apartment is because his life is in turmoil, and he doesn’t know how to fix it. I don’t think he is afraid to be alone, I think he just doesn’t know how to live a sober life alone. Remember, Jon helped him for the sake of his son.
I loved his interaction with Katherine. I saw a respect between the two of them I had never seen previously, and it was powerful. It showed a glimpse of why they were once together because since the show started, I always wondered why they got married. I think it also shows they can coexist for their son, and that is so important.
Eddie’s interaction with Delilah was OK. I am not a big fan of hers, but I did appreciate she was the one to tell him about Maggie. I was also thrilled they did not sleep together.
Honestly, their make-out session was a little too much. I am happy it stopped and they both realized what they needed to do was walk away. I really do not want to see them as a couple.
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Christine: I think his wariness came with the one-year lease because it made him realize that he really won’t be going back home and that this separation is real and most likely permanent.
I was surprised how adult Eddie was about seeing Katherine with another man. That level of acceptance, emotional control, and goodwill was impressive, and it showed that he and Katherine can still end up being friends even after they’ve divorced.
I just don’t like Eddie and Delilah. I don’t feel any love or passion there. I think they got together because they were lonely in their marriages and that loneliness still drives them to seek out one another. The fact that Delilah is pregnant with his child makes it all the more uncomfortable.
Jack: I don't think Eddie is afraid to be alone. I think he is afraid of change, and he often uses Theo as an excuse for not making those changes. I don't think he knows what he wants, really, beyond being a good father to his son.
Look how he flip-flopped from making out with Delilah to being jealous of seeing Katherine with Hunter. I was glad that makeout session didn't go any further than it did. It was irritating enough as it was.
Has Gary reached his breaking point? What did you think about his outburst?
Rachelle: Gary has definitely reached his breaking point, and who can blame him? I thought his reaction to his friends not pushing Maggie for treatment was the perfect boiling point. He has endured so much and couldn’t take it anymore, so good for him exploding.
Christine: Gary has been everyone else’s rock, and no one has really recognized that or been there for him. Everyone has their breaking point, and Gary reached his.
He’s so desperate to save Maggie, and he feels completely alone in that. His friends were so focused on being there for Maggie that no one was really there for him.
Jack: I didn't blame Gary for his outburst. Maggie hadn't been talking to him and then when he got to the party after making this trip as a last-ditch effort at saving her, not only had all his friends got her to come out of her apartment and rejoin the group, but they all were accepting her decision not to pursue chemo.
He must have felt betrayed and rejected on many different levels on top of not being able to deal with Maggie's impending death and not knowing what to do to help.
Gary and Ashley may have slept together. React.
Rachelle: I cannot believe the writers are having them hook up. It made me so mad because she is a liar and keeping things about Jon from the whole group.
They are both seeking comfort, so I get it but I didn’t like it. However, if it leads Ashley to finally divulging some of Jon’s secrets to Gary, then I am all for it.
Christine: I get it, but I don’t like it.
Random sex seems to be Gary’s fallback for comfort or distraction in times of emotional distress. And Ashley is always on the outside looking in, so this hookup may feel like some sort of connection. But Ashley’s been lying to everyone, and I hope this one-night stand doesn’t impact his possible future with Maggie.
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Jack: Ugh. I was SO mad! I was sure that Maggie was going to change her mind about treatment and/or about the breakup.
Now he ruined their chances by sleeping with Ashley to numb his pain, not to mention Ashley has way too many secrets. The only thing I liked about this was that Gary seemed to pull back just as Maggie collapsed as if he somehow knew something was wrong with her.
Who was the MVP of the episode?
Rachelle: For me, Rome was the MVP because I think he is the one who helped Maggie possibly change her mind. He reminded her that she may not have saved her brother, but she saved him.
Rome helping her pack, keeping their lunch date, it all got to Maggie. There was a reason he out of everyone was in her dream because he wants to help save her without being pushy like Gary. I thought he was amazing.
Christine: For me, it was Maggie. I could feel her pain and distress in every conversation and in every move she made. She wanted to be alone and lick her wounds, but her new friends wouldn’t allow that, and it floored her. It all made me hopeful that we’ll get to see Maggie fight her cancer instead of submitting to it.
Jack: I agree with Christine. I cried during every scene Maggie was in.
What was your favorite scene, interaction, and/or quote?
Rachelle: My favorite scene was Gary’s outburst.
The best scene of the show was when he talked about how the group beat themselves up for not being able to help Jon, but everyone was going to sit by and let Maggie die. He is not wrong either. I also liked it because he was mad and yelling, but he didn’t throw a tantrum or start a fight with everyone. He said his peace and left.
Christine: Since Rachelle picked my first favorite scene, I’ll choose another. I enjoyed how quickly Rome pointed out to Maggie that she was punishing herself for her brother.
Rome quietly chipped away at Maggie’s armor just by continuing to be there for her, and he helped her see the obvious when she couldn’t see it for herself.
Jack: So many scenes to choose from! Along with the two that Christine and Rachelle mentioned, I loved Katherine telling Hunter she was just using him to make Eddie jealous and then kissing him. I also liked Theo's scene. His fear that Uncle Gary was kicking them out was so sad and realistic.
Over to you, Million Things Fanatics! Hit the comments with your thoughts.
A Million Little Things airs Wednesdays on ABC.
You can watch A Million Little Things online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
