A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The Perfect Storm
Jasmine Blu
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Life has a funny way of making things work out but also making them more complicated.
On A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 4, some relationships got repaired, some strained, and a few new ones developed, too.
The hour also gave us some things we've been itching for, but is it how we wanted?
The urge to throw something at the screen was strong when Patricia dragged Eric to breakfast with Maggie and stated she wouldn't explain the nature of their relationship until it was a better time.
No way in hell should they have held off a second longer on that reveal. Fortunately, Maggie channeled the audience and demanded Patricia get to the point.
Eric has Chad's heart. It was at the top of the speculation for who Eric was, but the series didn't put to rest how Eric affects Maggie and Gary's relationship. Instead, they stirred the pot, but more on that in a moment.
What was Patricia thinking? If she had gotten away with another installment of bringing in Eric and not giving Maggie an explanation, it would have been the stupidest, most contrived thing to happen on the series.
While it led to some great moments, wouldn't it have made more sense for Patricia to go to breakfast and speak to her daughter without Eric and then later reintroduce them?
Patricia: Honey, um, Eric ... honey, there is something you need to know about the night Chad died.
Maggie: What does that have to do with him?
Patricia: Everything. Eric has your brother's heart.
She knew what Maggie was thinking, and she did nothing to discourage Maggie's thoughts. Patricia and Maggie's relationship is already fragile, and Patricia jeopardized it for no sound reason.
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She made it worse by letting Maggie think the worst possible things in her head, and it wasn't fair to Eric either. He didn't ask to be in the middle of this drama. It was awkward and uncomfortable for him.
Patricia is a mother, and sometimes moms lie to their children for good reasons, but none of the lies Patricia told made sense. Patricia doesn't make sense.
We're supposed to blame it on her grief, but it's like she's inviting chaos and destruction in the lives of her loved ones when it's not warranted.
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She has lied to Maggie for six years about Chad's death. Chad's death wasn't immediate; he made it to the hospital and was on life support.
What have I done? Everybody hates me. My husband, my daughter, and now Eric.
Patricia
Patricia decided to donate his organs, and he died seconds after she got to his room. It's a tough position she was in. She told Maggie there wasn't enough time for them to get there, and Chad probably held on until one of them could.
We'll never know if Maggie could've made it to her brother in time, but she was an adult. Maggie had to be around 22 when her brother died, right? She wasn't a little kid; she deserved to know the truth about how he died and what her mother did in the aftermath.
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It wouldn't have been as cataclysmic as it was finding out all of these things years later. Patricia's lies continue to screw things up with her and the rest of her family.
Eric: I'm so sorry.
Gary: This isn't on you, man. All you did was need a heart.
Also, Patricia's grief is coming at the expense of Maggie and Eugene's. It turned out she lied about why she and Eugene were separated too.
Patricia has clung to Eric because of him having Chad's heart. She feels like a piece of her son is still there, and from the small interactions they have, it's enough to trouble her loved ones who also lost their relative but know he isn't back.
Patricia has put so much into Eric being an extension of Chad. When given an ultimatum, she chose Eric over Eugene.
It's like she sees Eric as her son. It's a fine line there, and Patricia may be crossing it. It's not fair to anyone in her life, including Eric.
I always knew Chad was your favorite, even when I was a kid, I knew you loved him more than me, and somehow, I accepted that. You know what? Chad is dead, and I am here, and you are still choosing him over me!
Maggie
Maggie is behaving a bit bratty. The criticism of how she's handling some of it is fair. However, you cannot help but sympathize with her now that the truth is out.
The relationship between her and Patricia has always been tense. All of Maggie's life, she felt her mother favored Chad, and she accepted it.
Yet everything that Patricia has done and said has made Maggie feel like Patricia is prioritizing a dead man over her child who is still living.
Maybe it's because of personal experience seeing a parent's favoritism among their children in action, but every time Maggie feels like her mother is there for her, she finds out there's a caveat.
Eric: Grief has a way of making people do crazy things. Trust me.
Maggie: Did you lose somebody too?
Eric: My fiancee.
During Maggie's surgery, Patricia met Eric first. She came for both of them the second time she visited too.
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Patricia cannot let go of Chad; the way she perked up when she found out Maggie spoke to Chad via the psychic carries new meaning in hindsight.
Her inability to move through her grief is destroying her family. Ironically, it seems Maggie and Eric will be closer than ever.
Their bar date felt like it picked up where they left off when they were two strangers being silly at the restaurant. They have an easy chemistry.
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It makes you wonder if Maggie will also gravitate to Eric and feel as though parts of her brother are there. She confided in him more than she has in Gary about certain things.
Gary: Hey, how did it go with Katherine?
Delilah: She's a saint. How about you and Maggie. How'd it go with her mom?
Gary: I don't know. She's not ready to talk about it yet, at least not with me
Eric was there to comfort her after the final blow-out with Patricia. The two of them have already formed a bond, and Eric is a good guy.
You expect nothing less from Jason Ritter, who is the best at playing good guys. Unfortunately, Gary, who has been nothing but a supportive and great guy too has noticed the bond forming between Maggie and Eric.
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It's not something he can do anything about or even understand. Eric, even as a stranger, has an inexplicable connection with both of these women.
His loss of his fiancee resonates with Maggie more than Gary's grief over Jon, for whatever reason.
Grief is weird.
Gary is already feeling shafted. He doesn't always succeed at being of service to her, not for lack of trying. You could tell he felt rejected when he read her text message from Eric.
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He extended his support again in case she needed to talk, and Maggie knows he's in his feelings about it. They should be fine, but fans have been speculating about how Eric could affect the relationship between Maggie and Gary.
When it comes to someone providing emotional support and fulfilling certain needs, it can complicate things.
Speaking of complications, the situation with Eddie, Katherine, and Delilah was messy. Ever since Katherine disappeared and returned, the Savilles have been in a bubble where they haven't let the rest of the world in as they learn to navigate the new waters of their relationship.
However, they had to face Charlie. They couldn't act like she wasn't there, and the only way they can get through their issues is by working out what it means with Charlie in their life.
Eddie: Oh, hey man, I didn't know you were going to be here.
Rome: Yeah, D asked me to babysit.
Eddie: Oh.
Rome: Yeah, yeah, you know what? You should join. I could use the help. That's if you're not busy. You guys are probably busy. I didn't say nothing. Forget what I said. What I say? Nothing.
Sweet Theo has no idea how much tension is happening between the adults around him. All he knew was he wanted to see the baby and bring her a gift, and since it was from their family, everyone had to go.
Delilah lovers, as a warning, you may want to skip the next couple of paragraphs.
The first issue with Delilah during this installment is the painful reminder of how she never thought to reach out to Katherine at all when she found out Katherine learned the truth.
It's the second time it happened. Katherine had to come to Delilah when she found out about the affair and listen to Delilah snivel in the passenger side of the car and weaponize her tears.
Katherine, wait. I know how hard this must be. Just, please!
Delilah
Katherine Don't. Don't pretend you have any idea what I must be going through.
Once again, Katherine had to go to Delilah's home before Delilah was willing to talk to her about the situation and how awkward she knows it is for Katherine.
If she cared about Katherine's feelings, shouldn't she have attempted to reach out at any point? She didn't hesitate to reach out to Katherine when she needed her help, right?
Had Katherine not gone to Delilah's house, when was Delilah going to express her regret? It's what people refer to when they discuss how insincere Delilah comes across in the situation.
If she was so concerned about Katherine's thoughts, shouldn't she have attempted to speak to her before Katherine waltzed through the door?
Even if Katherine refused to speak to her, at least it would've been an attempt made. So Katherine crying and telling Delilah she can't know how awkward the situation was for her was accurate, and Delilah is full of crap.
Gary: Hey, how did it go with Katherine?
Delilah: She's a saint. How about you and Maggie. How'd it go with her mom?
Gary: I don't know. She's not ready to talk about it yet, at least not with me
It's always up to other people to be the bigger person or adapt around Delilah's crappy behavior, and then when Katherine exudes grace far beyond what's warranted, Delilah can sit back and comment on how the woman is a saint.
When will Delilah rise to the occasion without other people doing the emotional labor and work for her?
The second annoying thing was not contacting Eddie. They're all guilty of dancing around Charlie instead of making a step towards facing it head-on.
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However, shouldn't Delilah have given Eddie the option of watching Charlie? He has the most flexible schedule out of all of them, right? It wouldn't have sent off any red flags with the kids.
Rome: We're the worst babysitters ever.
Eddie: I am not her babysitter.
Rome: No, Ed, I didn't mean --
Eddie: I should know how to calm her down. She's my daughter. I should know all of her little quirks. I should know which cry means she's hungry, and which cry means she's tired, but I don't. I don't want to be her babysitter, I want to be her father.
She can't pretend as if she cared about respecting Katherine when she hasn't bothered to call or show her concern to Katherine directly. Why not give Eddie the option of being there for his child instead of shutting him out completely?
Later on, she claimed she was happy Eddie got to spend time with Charlie, but it wasn't like it was of her own doing that he did. If she had things go her way, Rome would have been babysitting and Eddie would've been none the wiser, unless Rome reached out, since he has the least experience with the kiddies.
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Eddie had to hijack and then share babysitting duties with his best friend for his daughter. The reality of his actions keep hitting Eddie, and he continues to get the rawest deal of the two of them.
You know I missed the first three months of Theo's life because I was in rehab. Now I'm here and I know exactly what I'm missing.
Eddie
Spending time with Charlie reminded him of how he missed out on those first few months of Theo's life while he was in rehab. He's arguably (I know some of you will argue) a better man than he was then, but his actions have him in a similar position.
He's a good dad, though, and he was able to figure out how to soothe Charlie. His scenes with Rome were both enlightening and amusing.
The two of them shirtless in the shower together with Charlie was the funniest scene of the night; Sophie snapping a candid and posting a picture on social media probably went over well.
Eddie was able to work through his resulting frustrations with Rome. Their one-on-one scenes were a highlight.
Rome: This morning, man. That was ..
Eddie: Complicated.
Rome: I was going to say awkward as hell but complicated works. How is all that going?
Eddie: Ah, you know, super good considering I just had a child with another woman as I'm trying to patch things up with my wife.
The guys' relationships have taken precedent, so those moments when two of them can share time is special. And Gary tends to dominate with interacting with others, so a Rome/Eddie pair-up was fresh and enjoyable.
Did anyone else wonder if Eddie's moment at the bar was foreshadowing? He's having a hard time with not being around Charlie, and he looked tempted by the drink placed in front of him.
Was the drink meant for Gary? It's what he ordered when he got there. Why show those two scenes if they don't come up later?
The series is making an effort to improve the Katherine portion of the series, too.
Katherine going back to work meant the series reintroduced us to Carter. It's always nice to remember she has someone in her corner, and Carter was worried sick about her.
I'd understand if you never wanted to see Eddie again, and I'd understand if you took him back. He's your husband, and you have a child together. What I can't understand is trying to make it work. You either make it work, or you don't. Katherine Saville doesn't try to win cases; she wins them. If you're going to be in, be all in.
Carter
His concern was far more believable than anyone else's.
Carter has a knack for making Katherine (and us) laugh and giving decent advice. She caught him up on everything that happened, and he gave her the pep-talk she needed.
He also told her that if she wanted things to work with Eddie, she needn't try; she must do. He's like a gay Yoda, and I love it.
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It must have registered for her, and it's what prompted her to go to the restaurant with the friend group and speak out.
Katherine: You know what? Let's not do this. I know you all know, and yes, it's incredibly awkward, so while I appreciate everyone looking out for me, honestly, it's making me feel worse. So for me, please, just stop.
Gary: Well, I for one am glad you finally said something, Katherine. I'm sick and tired of this group making some of us feel like outsiders. Oh, you think I don't see it, Gina? Well, let me just come out and say it. Yes, people. I have one nipple. One, and you love to undress me with your eyes, but my eyes are up here.
It wasn't as much as she should've said at all, but it was something. Narratively, it was long overdue for them to find a way to bring Katherine back into the fold again, and hopefully, it sticks this time.
We needed to get to this point for the series to work, but it also highlighted how irritating it has been, so the resolution was clumsy.
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Everyone was awkward, and Katherine pointed out that they all knew the truth, and they were making her feel worse.
Uncomfortable tittering abounded, but isn't it bizarre when it's evident they didn't reach out?
For 25 minutes everyday this random group of misfits and nomads would sit together and have a meal. They were my family.
Regina
It's where the series did a disservice to Katherine and her lack of connection to a single living person in the group, and they're struggling to dig themselves out of it.
Outside of being Eddie's friends, why would and should Katherine want to spend time with them after everything that transpired? When they claim they were worried or care about her, why believe them?
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She hasn't interacted with anyone of them in ages. They all are guilty of treating Katherine like an oversight, and to go from that to glossing over it to address the frustrations of fandom (I guess), it still feels incomplete and unsatisfactory. #LetKatherineBeAngry, dammit!
Katherine: I would like to thank you, and you're nipples.
Gary: Nipple. Have you learned nothing?
Katherine: Sorry.
Gary: How are you doing?
Katherine: I wasn't doing too well there for a while.
Gary: Yeah, you definitely had me scared. I thought I was going to have to do the whole guardian thing.
Katherine: I just, I couldn't let Theo see me like that. I just feel ashamed that I, that I --
Gary: When I was Theo's age, my mother left. You know what you did that she never did? Came back.
Katherine: Thanks, Gary.
You appreciate Gary for lightening the mood with his joke about their group treating people like outsiders, but he did that, too! If he knew and didn't do better, it reflects poorly on him. Why didn't they just build on a Gary and Katherine friendship?
He is the one person who came around to sympathizing with her. He's shared the most "moments" with her compared to the rest of the friendship group, but it barely scratches the surface of satisfactory. It was never close to the level of what he has extended to everyone else.
Yet, their conversation and their hug was another sweet moment. If we're going to breeze past the Katherine as the outcast thing, then a Katherine and Gary friendship is the ideal dynamic based on what we've seen.
At least there's some foundation there, and it's the least frustrating of the bunch. It was what many of us were hoping for during the first season. Bring on a Katherine and Gary bromance.
Despite zero effort on Delilah's part, she and Katherine are in a place where they can be cordial.
Regina: What if Andrew is right? What if this restaurant is doomed to fail.
Delilah: It's not.
Regina: Well that's easy for you to say, D because I'm the one in the driver's seat.
Delilah: Excuse me?
Regina: We fail it is all on me.
Delilah: Gina, we're not going to fail.
Katherine saved Delilah's house. Meanwhile, Delilah can direct her attention at helping Gina save the restaurant.
While Andrew was a pain in the ass, he had valid points about Someday. It was noticeable when Gina reacted the wrong way when he suggested putting hamburgers on the menu.
Part of having a restaurant is knowing the clientele. It seems like they're in one of those hipster neighborhoods, so her upscale menu may not serve her well.
For 25 minutes everyday this random group of misfits and nomads would sit together and have a meal. They were my family.
Regina
Never underestimate the power of a decent hamburger. You can even charge a lot for them if you play your cards right. Gina needed to remember what it was like growing up in the industry.
She recalled scenes similar to those in SweetBitter.
The moment the power went out, the first thought to come to mind was opening the restaurant to accommodate those stuck in the storm. Thankfully, that's what she did.
It's the perfect way to become familiar with the community and introduce people to her food and the staff. How many people probably passed by and wrote the restaurant off as someplace pretentious that they couldn't afford?
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The construction workers probably didn't think Someday was a restaurant cut out for them; now they do.
Family-style restaurants are underrated. It's something so small, but the shift toward that made me smile, and it's a better fit for Regina and Delilah who probably don't change their undies before announcing it to their framily since they share everything (but the truth) with each other all the time.
Delilah was put off by Regina behaving as though the restaurant is only hers, and sure, Delilah is a co-owner, but Regina's point made sense.
She's the face of the restaurant. If it fails, it's all on her. We still don't know what Delilah contributes to it now that she's finished designing it, but Regina is shown doing most of the work.
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Also, it's Regina who feels left out when Andrew only speaks to Delilah, so Regina's feelings are understandable.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics!
How do you feel about Katherine being integrated into the group? Was the faceoff between Delilah and Katherine anticlimactic?
Are you concerned about how close Maggie and Eric may get? What are your thoughts on Patricia's lies?
Hit the comments below.
You can watch A Million Little Things online here via TV Fanatic!
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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.
