A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Grand Canyon
Jasmine Blu
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Apologies go a long way.
On A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 2, a theme of apologies and remorse permeated the hour. Everyone felt the need to make amends for something or another.
If they weren't attempting to apologize, then guilt was eating away at them.
It's lovely the way Jon's presence remains heavy in the series despite the lack of flashbacks. It helps that Ron Livingston recaps the series at the top of the hour before each installment.
It makes it feel as though he's part of the show even though we no longer see him outside of pictures, and it speaks to how it is when you lose someone in real life too.
You don't see them anymore beyond this image; you don't hear them, but their presence lingers no matter what. The loved one is always there in some way.
We saw this via Delilah's quest to recall a song she and Jon sang to their babies. It's one of the most frustrating things in the world when a song is on the tip of your tongue, but you can't remember what it is.
It will drive you insane. As expected of Delilah, she was reaching out to her friends, hoping one of them could help her figure it out. It was amusing how she described the artist.
She's so cute. She's got Jon's eyes, right?
Barbara
By the time the hour revealed the song, it was a fair description. It also was the best song, and it'll be in my head for the rest of the week, and Annie Lennox is awesome, and the show has the best music.
Delilah is infinitely more tolerable when she's shown as being the grieving but flawed woman working through things. Is it wrong to say she's in her element when she's playing off of her children and Andrew versus when she's around anyone else? She works best then.
Charlie's existence is making her think about her life and Jon in a way she wasn't showing for most of A Million Little Things Season 1.
She may have learned a lot about him, and she figured out why he did what he did and how it had little to do with her, but her guilt (that they did a better job of showing this time) didn't go away.
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She expressed the guilt she still feels for not seeing and knowing that he was in pain. She feels guilty for not doing more. Finding out about 9/11 gave her closure on why Jon killed himself, to a degree.
There's just so many people I feel like I'm failing. Especially Jon.
Delilah
Finding out that Jon's last message to Eddie was "Love each other" gave her some solace regarding her affair. However, she felt guilty and like a failure because of her inability to see his pain.
Regina's friend, the psychic, gave her a chance to make amends to Jon posthumously. Unfortunately, the psychic didn't connect to Jon during their session.
Ghost Jon was on some "New phone, who's this" thing, and he must not have had anything to say to Delilah, which made her feel bad.
She felt like she was failing everyone around her and Jon. Gina was quick to reassure her she wasn't, but maybe she should've let that one slide.
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That's not to say Delilah is failing everyone. That would be mean to say out loud, but part of the issue sometimes with Delilah is how quick others are to make her feel good when sometimes it benefits her to feel crappy.
Owning your sh!t is cathartic and leads to growth.
When she doesn't have other people hovering around her in efforts to make her feel great, she can work through things she doesn't get to other times.
She was able to sit with her feelings about Jon, process some of what was going on with Barbara and Mitch, and then Andrew, a widow, was there to connect with her over loss.
Delilah: I just wish I could talk to him, you know? Tell him how sorry I am for not seeing how much pain he was in. This is going to sound crazy, but there's a part of me that thinks the reason the psychic didn't connect with him is because Jon didn't want to talk to me.
Andrew: D, if it's forgiveness you're looking for, it's not Jon you're going to get it from. You gotta forgive yourself.
As a result, Delilah's quest for absolution didn't feel selfish, and her believing Jon didn't want to connect with her from the afterlife didn't come across like she was making herself a victim.
Andrew was right; if she was seeking forgiveness, it was too late to get it from Jon. She had to forgive herself. Forgiving herself required her to acknowledge she did something worth forgiving; Delilah does well on her own.
She also apologized ahead of time for how she screwed up and will continue to do so in the future to Charlie. It was a cute scene.
As a reward, the song she was desperate to figure out came to her. The word "sorry" triggered her memory. We won't delve into the irony.
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Andrew is sweet when he's with Delilah. However, he's a jerk with Regina. The two of them always butt heads, but since the beginning, before Gina was taking every little thing he did as a slight, he would ice her out of her restaurant.
Andrew: I've opened six successful restaurants
Gina: Yet this is the only one you ever seem to be at.
He always treated her like she was just the chef, and Delilah was the only one he needed to speak to about anything. Gina's frustrations are valid.
Andrew has been abrasive with Gina since their first interaction, so it does raise her hackles. Why is it so hard to communicate better, people?!
Andrew is also negative. "Someday" is Regina's dream and it always feels like Andrew is stomping all over it, but it doesn't mean he's advice isn't necessary.
It's not that he says it, it's how he says it. Andrew expressed remorse to Delilah when he dropped food off to her (are they hinting at a future romance here?), but it'll be nice to see him and Gina have a conversation of their own.
For her part, Gina recognized what Andrew meant and why he wanted to make certain changes, and she left him a message. Business relationships are hard, but if he's sticking around, they may as well get on the right foot together. They're in this together.
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Eddie and Katherine are in it together too.
Poor Katherine got lambasted across the interwebs for taking a break to process the news Eddie dumped on her. We found out after Theo bragged about his mom's court case to the judgy, gossiping school moms that Katherine left for five days.
The only thing I'm sure about is that I need to be there for him.
Katherine
There's no judgment here for her, but it was a relief when she walked through that door and hugged Theo. He was elated to see his mom again, and she fell into that hug as if she needed it more than he did.
She took her break, and she was back and willing to try. It was commendable when she chose to accompany Eddie and Theo to the school project. She was away from her kid long enough, and she wasn't going to deprive him of the family time.
The other moms made it hard, and it made me wonder how they found out the truth about Katherine leaving. They knew her Grand Canyon trip was a lie, but how?
Katherine: What's all this?
Eddie: When he heard you went to the Grand Canyon he wanted to be like you. So we went camping, and I didn't feel right sleeping in the bed without you.
Eddie was grateful to have Katherine back and did whatever he could to accommodate her and consider her feelings.
When he saw how uncomfortable Katherine was, he proposed a new plan for them to do something else, but it was also a desperate attempt to keep them together.
He had a genuine fear of her taking off again. While it seemed highly unlikely she would run away again, Eddie's freak out when she wasn't within his line of sight was sad.
They hadn't spoken to one another yet since he was giving her space, but it left him in limbo.
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Oh, but when they talked to each other. It's bizarre how on the one hand, Katherine deserves a lot better, but on the other, the chemistry between the two of them is so irresistible.
Katherine: When I was at home in the room I grew up in, I saw all of my awards, all my ribbons -- everything I worked for everything had its place. It was perfect. And then I remembered a time in my life when it wasn't as a second-year law student, I was so stressed out, and I went to this random concert to blow off some steam and there was this rockstar on stage. He was sexy and cool. He didn't give a damn what anyone thought of him. My friends dared me to go up to him after the show. He and I went for a drink, and my life was never the same. I spent my whole life planning for tomorrow, and you taught me to live for today.
Eddie: And you taught me to live for tomorrow, and I really want a tomorrow with you.
You want them to work things out too. Many of Eddie's best moments are when he's sharing screentime with Katherine. Sometimes it does feel like the writers are retconning the relationship.
Eddie made a statement about how it didn't feel right to him sleeping in the bed without Katherine, and the first thought to come to mind is: wasn't that the plan, though?
He didn't mind sharing a bed without her when he was with Delilah, right? He planned to run away with Delilah, and it would've meant not having Katherine to sleep next to in the end.
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But the thing is, Katherine and Eddie are much preferable to Delilah, and if it means abandoning the notion that Delilah and Eddie were hopelessly in love with one another in some glamorized version of their affair, then so be it.
Eddie: How do we get back there? How do we become those people again?
Katherine: Well, that's just it Eddie. With this baby, we cant, but maybe we shouldn't. You know I was thinking about what Theo said about the Grand Canyon; how the erosion over time gave way to something beautiful. Maybe instead of trying to get back to what we were, we figure out what we're going to be. I'm not sure what that is right now. Don't go to Maggie's. I need you to stay and help me get through this.
Eddie: I'll do anything for you, Katie.
It was nice how Eddie gave Katherine space to open up and talk when she was ready, and he listened to her without interruption when she did.
With each of their interactions, you better understand how they became a couple. They balance each other out.
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Katherine was disciplined and focused; she was a perfectionist and always planning for the future and the next big thing without enjoying the moment. Eddie helped her live life in the moment and loosened her up.
Katherine helped Eddie not live fast and loose, and reminded him that there is a tomorrow worth living for, and it's sweet.
Katherine was right. She needed to find out the truth; otherwise, they would have tried to reclaim their old positions.
Their former ways led to marital issues, infidelity, and deceit. They're both changing and growing, and if they're making their relationship work this time, it has to accommodate the changes they've made.
Katherine: What did she have?
Eddie: A girl.
Katherine: A girl. Hm. Congratulations.
If Charlie didn't exist, Katherine could pretend as though the affair never happened, but it doesn't do any of them good. She not only doesn't want him to leave, but she asked him for help.
She needs him and lets him know that she does, and that's worth something for their relationship too. It's probably something he needed to hear, and thank God it's something he has no qualms about giving her.
He's willing to do whatever it takes to make things right, and it's a breath of fresh air that he has directed his attention toward fixing their family and giving a damn. For so long, it seemed like no one cared about her at all.
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When she asked him what Delilah had, I thought Katherine was trying to make a comparison between herself and Delilah. Instead, she wanted to know about the baby. Eddie has one of each now.
Katherine is pushing through and no longer shutting down, so she's putting herself out there. The camping bedtime story was sweet.
Eddie's choice of Where the Red Fern Grows was an interesting one. Do you think it had meaning?
The protagonist loved his dogs so much he was willing to stay with his grandfather rather than go with his parents to a new town where he couldn't bring them. The sentiment is that the dogs lost their lives protecting the protagonist, and in an "Everything happens for a reason" way, God didn't want a family to be separated.
Maggie: I just got chills.
Gary: You're under a vent.
Eddie had to let go of Delilah so that his family wouldn't be separated. Hell, maybe Charlie's existence, is representative of the red fern; she's a blessing in a bleak situation.
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Who knows? Unless there were subtle things in the hour, which happens often, there was nothing overt to pander to the show's mystery and intrigue.
A family angle that is suffering is what's happening with PJ, Barbara, and Mitch. The tension between Mitch and PJ is thick.
At what point do they tell the teen the truth? He's old enough to take it. He's already slipping away from them.
Mitch is so damn hostile it's uncomfortable. His lack of respect for Delilah losing Jon is gross. He's way too aggressive, and how is he more angry about the past then Barbara?
Why is it crazy that I don't want my son finding out I've been lying to him his whole life?
Mitch
He didn't even know Jon like that; back off!
He's supposed to be a desperate, protective father, but he makes himself unsympathetic with his behavior. They're acting like PJ won't figure the truth out, and they're reckless with leaving stuff around the house for him.
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Instead of Mitch getting ahead of the inevitable, he's doubling down on lying to PJ which is making it worse. Sir, you're making it worse for yourself; no one else.
It makes no sense that he doesn't want the money; he never lets Barbara decide things for herself. It's a lot to deal with for them.
I'm telling the truth because we don't lie to each other, right dad?
PJ
Fortunately, they're not wasting time drawing this out. Rome was onto PJ after the kid's mishap with the photo. He let it slip that he knew who Gary was already.
Rome was onto PJ and got the truth out of the kid. Thank God for Rome!
PJ does think Jon is his father and sought the group out to get to know more about them, and now that Rome is in the know, he can take this to the rest of the group, and they can go from there.
Rome: Let me ask you something man. How'd you know who Gary was?
PJ: Oh, um, you said your friend Gary.
Rome: No you pointed at a picture. You said not that guy, this guy. You knew who Gary was. Come on, man. How'd you know?
PJ: The day I met you, I never told you why I was at the hospital. I was there looking for you all. I think Jon might be my father
Unless, he's also willing to go against his desires and keep a secret of his own.
Rome was so afraid about how he can best help other suicidal people, but he failed to see how much he's helping with PJ.
Rome can pick up where Maggie may slack since she's preoccupied with her mother.
Gary has a way of imposing his thoughts and feelings on everyone else. It's not fair at all, and it's one of his most frustrating qualities.
He didn't have to agree with the psychic stuff, but he could've stopped harping on it when he knew it was something that mattered to Maggie and Delilah.
Gary: A lot of parents get divorced. My parents got divorced --
Maggie: They're not getting divorced. They're just using permanent words to describe temporary feelings.
However, he meant well and did the best he could trying to resolve the issues between Patricia and Maggie. It's beyond adorable how close he and Patricia are now. Who would've expected that?
Maggie did not take the news of her parents' separation well, but for some reason, I thought they were already separated.
Patricia claimed that Maggie's struggles and a second chance at life made her evaluate her own. She wanted to be happy and live her life to the fullest too.
Maggie's father no longer gave her what she needed. Patricia's new lease on life and her wanting to relocate to Boston did give off a sense of foreboding.
Nevertheless, like Gary, you wanted to believe it was about Patricia being close to Maggie. When Patricia spoke about appreciating what she had after she and Gary talked about Maggie's brother, it did seem like she meant Maggie.
To be fair, she still could, but it's tied in with her new younger man.
It's such a delight having Jason Ritter onscreen again. He has a few projects including Raising Dion, but it made me miss Kevin (Probably) Saves the World.
On AMLT, he's not saving the world; he's blowing up Maggie's world. She's barely adjusting to the news of her parent's separation, and now it appears her mother has a new man, and that's the real reason her parents are separated and she's moving to Boston.
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The worse part is she hit it off with the mystery man who was a blast at the restaurant bar. They were so cute together.
Gary got into Maggie's head and had her giving her mom the benefit of the doubt since Patricia confided in Gary about wanting to have a better relationship with Maggie.
Gary didn't know Patricia planned on meeting someone else at the restaurant. He assumed it was the perfect way to get the two women talking.
Boy did that backfire! Maggie and Gary are stable as a couple, but she's probably going to let him have it again over butting in too much.
They're already catching it trying to navigate their relationship now that they're not distracted with life and death cancer.
This show has the best guest-stars. Even though there is a heck of a lot of drama surrounding Ritter's appearance, he's perfect for this series, and it should be exciting.
Over to you AMLT Fanatics!
Did you enjoy Delilah during this hour? How do you feel about the way the show is handling Katherine and Eddie's arc? Are you rooting for them?
Is Andrew coming on too strong with Regina? Are you shocked at the Jason Ritter reveal? Does Patricia want a relationship with Maggie, or did she only come for the guy?
Will Rome tell the others about PJ? Hit the comments below! Let's discuss!
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.
