A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 18 Review: Mothers and Daughters
Jasmine Blu
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Boy, this group has a lot of angst and chaos surrounding life's simple events.
A baby shower leading up to a birth, a vow renewal, a bon voyage, and a firm opening are all on the itinerary, and based on the events of A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 18, a few of them are bound to collapse into themselves.
Color me dubious, but it doesn't look as if too many of the friends will make it out of A Million Little Things Season 2 content and unscathed.
Of course, Delilah probably will. Go figure. She had a heck of a season, so she'll probably end things on a positive note. She had a close call when Sophie overheard Shelly wanting all the juicy details about Delilah's PYT (pretty young thing), Miles.
Maybe gossiping about her hot boy toy was something she and Maggie should've reserved for text messages or a later conversation. But these people have a terrible habit of not so quietly discussing all their issues at social gatherings while getting shocked when someone overhears them.
Shelly was going to Shelly; we know this, so it shouldn't have been a surprise.
Sophie missed out on the dozens of other juicy details she should've overheard for two seasons, and she found out about Miles, so by then, you suspected it would be no big deal.
And it wasn't. Sophie was shockingly chill about Delilah getting her groove back (was it ever gone? She does have an infant after all), and by the end of the hour, she even handed over her mother's phone when Miles called.
Shelly: Is there a new man in your life, Delilah?
Maggie: Shh!
Shelly: What? I want to hear the hot gossip.
Delilah: Sophie, I--
Sophie: Unbelievable.
Smart girl that she is, she took off before her mother and Miles planned some new way to work up a sweat. So, Delilah and Miles are a thing. She doesn't know how to describe or define it.
She and Miles are having fun together, and the kids are OK about it. Well, Sophie is. Our darling Danny was MIA again, and boy, does it suck when we have so little of him.
And that's about as much as there is to say about Dating with Delilah Daisy Dixon.
Now, dating with Gary is infinitely more engaging. James Roday and Floriana Lima have good chemistry, don't they?
Katherine: Hey, about Gary, we make a lot of fun of him because well he deserves it, but he's pretty amazing. There's a reason why Eddie and I chose him as Theo's guardian.
Darcy: I really like him which is surprising because I'm not usually into beards.
Katherine: What would a beard have to-- ohhh! I'm going to need a double shot of caffeine if we're going to finish this conversation.
It didn't take long for them to become an irresistible pair. Gary mentioned that he wanted a fresh start, and honestly, Darcy is a breath of fresh air.
She calls Gary out on his garbage; she stands on her own. She has some scars and emotional baggage, but who doesn't? She's settled into herself and her life, but she's also fun and active in a way Gary needs.
They get along well together, and it's nice to have him in a relationship where he's not going into it with people doubting that he's capable of maintaining a healthy one.
Gary and Darcy's dating feels like a choice both of them made rather than something that happened by chance. Yeah, maybe there is something to be said about not starting things with a sexy romp.
Gary: Maggie and I dated.
Darcy: Oh.
Gary: Actually, we lived together.
Darcy: Oh.
Gary: And if I'm being completely truthful, she kind of broke my heart, and I want to be completely honest with you because I really like you, and earlier you were so honest with me.
Darcy: I kinda want to hold you right now.
It's the first time Gary chose to date someone without starting with sex, and that's an improvement for him. He's embarking on his first adult relationship after learning how to be in one with Maggie.
Gary cares about Darcy, and he's an attentive person with her. He's learned how important honesty is in a relationship, and while there was fear that maybe he would downplay his relationship with Maggie and not share, he surprised us.
He told Darcy the truth about Maggie and who she was to him; he doesn't want to start things on the wrong foot, and he knew that Darcy had been honest with him, so he needed to do the same.
We know that Gary and Maggie are probably the show's intended endgame, but Gary and Darcy are such a formidable pairing right now. Hopefully, the series will give this couple a chance to breathe together.
Darcy: About earlier, it happens sometimes.
Gary: Because of the, uhhh ...
Darcy: Yeah.I can go months at a time, and it will just happen. It's not a part of me I want people to see.
Gary and Darcy are good for one another.
Darcy is a woman of many skills and so down-to-earth. It's pleasing to see her and Katherine's friendship. Katherine took the news of Darcy and Gary dating well.
She cares about both of them, and she seemed to think they fit, and she didn't speak ill of Gary to Darcy. In that sense, it was better than when others jokingly (but not really) warned Maggie off of Gary.
Darcy seems smitten, and Katherine and Gary have come a long way in their unusual friendship.
I don't know what to say, but I know I kinda want to hold you.
Gary
It's also refreshing that Gary doesn't seem intimidated by Darcy's capabilities and independence. Nor does he come across insecure or threatened by her being a veteran.
My heart went out to her when she freaked out and had a panic attack after getting locked in the closet with Gary. It seems she's developed some anxiety and PTSS since she returned home.
It's an entirely different issue for Gary to handle with someone he's dating.
Critics would probably have something to say about Gary finding another "broken" woman, but come on, people. It's real, and everyone has things they're battling and bringing with them to relationships.
Gary probably doesn't have much experience with this, or maybe he does. Who knows?
But he handled Darcy well, and he wasn't judgmental. He was honest about not knowing what to do, but he offered her a hug if she wanted it, and it was the sweetest.
The question is whether or not Darcy will be sticking around, and Garcy will be a thing. Maggie got all sentimental, and even though she's packing and Oxford-bound, her feelings for Gary are clear.
She loves him, and she was on her way to his apartment to maybe tell him, but she saw him kissing Darcy. The others have been holding out hope that something would interfere with Maggie heading to Oxford, and the two would find their way back to each other.
Maggie: I packed my entire life in these boxes so that no one else had to. I just never thought I'd be the one to unpack them.
Gary: Well, you are.
Maggie: I love you, Gary Mendez
But Maggie needs this trip to Oxford for herself more than she needs Gary. She set out to get reacquainted with herself outside of cancer and Gary.
She had a few sidetracks with Eric, but she got some closure with her brother's death as a result. But she's spent most of this time pining for Gary.
She still needs to complete her goal, and she can't do that if she's focused on Gary. Oxford is what MAGGIE needs, even though it doesn't bode well for the 'ship at the moment.
Just as a clean break and giving up the Howards are what Eve needs when the baby is born.
I can't be in your lives anymore. Not after the baby is born. I love you guys. I just can't.
Eve
Shelly is always going to be Shelly, so it wasn't surprising when she took over the baby shower and ran with it.
It also wasn't a shock when she was dismayed that Eve would be part of the shower, and she didn't hide her distaste.
The woman is rude for no damn reason, and she's such a character. She'll never win a likability contest, but it's something of which we'll have to make peace.
She didn't understand that the Howards saved Eve, and it wasn't her place to know all the gory details, but she saw the connection, and that was enough for her to ease up.
Rome: Gina, what we are doing is forever. A baby is forever.
Gina: Are you having second thoughts?
Rome: Not about the baby. It's about me. What if I'm not good at being a father?
Eve is such a caring, keen girl, and she was able to calm Rome down when he thought he wouldn't make the best dad. Oh Rome, as if you haven't proven time and again how incredible you are.
Rome is the antithesis of toxic masculinity. He's kind, emotionally open, and a nurturer. He was incredible with PJ and Sophie.
He did well with Charlie, and he's the most level-headed guy out of the bunch. He was making dad jokes before he decided he would be one (maybe that's why Renee knew fatherhood was in her son's future).
Rome is going to be the best dad. Eve knew it, and that's why it was so necessary that she be the one to remind him of why she chose them.
But Eve loves them so much that she can't be around them when the baby is born. The Howards would damn near adopt her into their family; they already have.
It would be too hard for her to be part of their lives and the baby's and not have feelings about it. Rome and Gina have so much love that it overflows. They're magnetic, and Eve knew she couldn't handle being around them like that.
They're the type of people you wouldn't want to leave, and it's easy to get sucked into their gravitational pull. Hell, that's how Maggie got sucked in.
Katherine was a ball of excitement and stress, and it was cute. But nothing was more adorable than Theo getting his mother to settle down and engage in some talk therapy with him.
Eleven years ago, I promised Katherine that I would be faithful. I broke that promise. Now tomorrow I'm supposed to swear that nothing will come between us. I'm not going to break that promise. I have to know what happened that night.
Eddie
They're so much alike that the therapy session they had was an invaluable resource for them, and it's good to see they both have learned how to apply it to their lives.
Bless Theo and his old soul. They can hold each other accountable, and that scene was a special one for that reason. It also was cute when she ran her vows past Theo.
Katherine was juggling the vow renewal and getting the office off the ground. She managed to land one of her top clients back when she was at her previous firm, too.
Everything about the vow renewal is enough to warm your heart. The Savilles had a hell of a journey to get them to this place. We've only been part of a chapter of their lives together.
The two of them getting to this point of renewing their vows at all after everything they've been through is a testament of how marriages can go through the wringer and still come out well on the other side. Godspeed to them.
It's why this Lake House-sized atomic bomb that the series has dropped on them is enough to make you pull your hair out. They've been through hell and back, but apparently, that isn't enough.
Finally, Eddie acknowledged what some of us were thinking about this "sistutation."
Lindsay: You got a great family.
Eddie: Yeah, I do.
Lindsay: What's that supposed to mean?
Eddie: It means we were doing great. Katherine, me, the kids, we were in a good place, finally, and then you showed up.
Lindsay: You asked me to come back into town for your vow renewal.
Eddie: But you're the one who brought this up. I haven't thought about Alex and the lake in years. You can't just dump your conscience on me without thinking about how it affects my family.
Lindsay: Yeah, you haven't had to think about it in years, but guess what? It's all I've thought about! You know what? Fine. Let's turn around. We don't need to do this. Let's go.
Eddie: No, lies lead to drinking, and we need to know the truth.
Lindsay seems cool. Theoretically, there isn't anything wrong with her, and the two making up was stellar.
Yet, after a decade of not seeing or talking to her brother, she learned of everything he and Katherine have gone through and saw how happy he was and decided it was time to rehash the lake house drama.
WHY?! It's a perfect example of why you should let sleeping dogs lie.
It seemed innocent enough (although still effed up) when she casually brought it up at the end of A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 16. Then she planted these seeds and decided to tell him the truth the day before his vow renewal ceremony.
Eddie: What are you saying? You think I had something to do with Alex's death?
Lindsay: I don't know. But you were the last one to see her alive.
It came across destructive, and if there was any doubt that there were some ulterior motives and underhanded reason (subconsciously), it came out when she mentioned she shouldn't have to bear the weight of what happened alone.
Then she did all of this and thought Eddie could abandon it when he freaked out. No, he can't ditch it, woman!
Secrets lead to drinking. And that's what makes this situation troublesome. They both are addicts.
Lindsay hasn't seen her brother in a decade; she finds out about all the things he's gone through and how he got into a decent place, and then she unloads something that is so triggering it could set both of them back.
I don't know if I can't remember what happened or I don't want to.
Eddie
You would think it's something she should've considered, no? What if this is the one thing that pushes him over the edge? What if not knowing if he was somehow responsible for Alex's death (and others are treating him like it) is what leads him to drink again?
What if he does this on the day he's supposed to be renewing his vows to Katherine, and therefore it's a reset?
Eddie has matured, and he's been a rock this season. He's been stable, and he got his life together.
He told Theo about his addiction, and he reassured him that he wouldn't be that person again, for them, and Charlie.
Just tell me everything you remember. Lindsay, please!
Eddie
They introduced an artist with a habit. On at least two occasions, it looked like they were alluding to him wavering. The setup is there for a relapse.
Katherine was terrified that Lindsay's return would bring upheaval to Eddie and their lives, and well, it did.
Because now Eddie has to know if he somehow killed Alex or didn't save her. And the flashbacks suggest that anything could have happened since the teens all got high off of cocaine that night.
The teens doing drugs near a lake was bad enough, but then Lindsay said she left a high Eddie and Alex at the lake while she went to bed, and is it possible to revoke her sister card?
Eddie: What are you saying? You think I had something to do with Alex's death?
Lindsay: I don't know. But you were the last one to see her alive.
She was high too, sure, but you never leave people behind like that. She knew it too.
It's why she went back to find Eddie, but he was sopping wet onshore. She helped him to his room, and they slept off their high, but the next morning the authorities found Alex's body in the lake.
Lindsay assumed whatever happened, Eddie had something to do with it, and she got rid of his clothes and lied to him about what happened.
And therein lies the reason Lindsay's motives are frustrating. She made a choice back then to cover for her brother not knowing what happened, but she wants him to pay for his sins he didn't remember committing decades later.
Reverend: How dare you come back here after everything you've done?
Eddie: After everything I've done?
SHE made that choice, not Eddie. They had decades to sort this out. Maybe she considers it part of her respective journey making amends as an addict, but everything about this sucks.
Eddie spoke to Alex's sister, but since it has been decades, she sure as heck didn't want to relive the nightmare of losing her sister while her father was sick.
She accused Eddie of harassing her, and then when Eddie took the trip to the lake house, the reverend saw them, and he told Eddie that he had some nerve being there after what he did.
It's not looking good for Eddie, and he's not high up on the favorites list for this reviewer, but damn, this is a hell of a blow to him.
He's led to believe he's responsible for Alex's death. But here's the guess.
Lindsay was the one who gave Eddie and Alex the drugs, and then she bounced. Eddie and Alex probably fooled around and had some fun on the dock.
One of them suggested the beer, and the other decided they should go out on the lake in the boat. Maybe Alex was a free-spirited type who was too high and inebriated and started rocking the boat and acting silly.
It was all fun and silliness until she fell over, and Eddie tried to save her as best as he could. In his dreams, he was in the boat reaching out to Jon/Alex, and now we found out his clothes were wet, so he had to have dove in at some point.
Wait, I thought you said she wasn't coming, but here you are.
Shelly
He wasn't able to save her. Maybe she disappeared, and he couldn't get to her, and he was getting pulled under or something because of the influence of the drugs and alcohol and swam to shore and passed out.
And between the coke, alcohol, and the brain trying to protect him, voilà! Repressed memories galore.
But everyone found out that he and Alex were on the lake together when it happened, and maybe they think he gave her the drugs and was a terrible influence on a sweet girl, so everyone hates him.
Eddie must have blocked a hell out a lot out, though if he was unaware that other people thought he had something to do with her death.
I don't know if I can't remember what happened or I don't want to.
Eddie
Of course, we're also relying on Lindsay's recall of what happened. At best, she doesn't know much of the story, and at worse, she was more involved than she's leading him to think.
Welp. Happy anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Saville.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics. What do you think about Lindsay dropping this bomb on Eddie? Do you think he's headed toward a relapse?
Do you like Garcy, and are you rooting for them? Do you understand why Eve has to break away from Rome and Gina when this is over? Are you happy for Delilah and her new Sophie-approved beau?
What do you expect to see in the season finale? Hit the comments below.
If you want to catch up or relive the season before it ends, 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.
