A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 1 Review: Hit & Run
Jasmine Blu
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A Million Little Things is akin to Chicken Soup for the Soul.
And with the return of the series with A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 1, it felt as if you were snuggling up with a warm blanket, eating comfort food, and spending time with beloved friends.
In times likes these, you learn to cherish any moment that gives you that feeling.
And the premiere elicited so many feelings. Oh yes, it's good to have A Million Little Things back.
You can always expect certain things.
Gary will always be that supportive friend who knows how to lighten any mood. Little Theo will always have that wonderful blend of childlike naivete and old-age wisdom.
Everyone will always drop everything to be there for one another, and AMLT will always make you cry, yes, but also smile through those tears.
The hour picked up where A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 19 left off, and Katherine's reaction to overhearing Eddie get hit by a car was devastating.
It's no surprise that her first call was to Gary, and blessings upon the AMLT powers for continuing to build on what is one of the most underrated bonds of the series.
Gary: Where is Lindsay anyway?
Delilah Katherine kicked her out.
Darcy: Good. Sorry, but as soon as Lindsay got back into town, Eddie went to a bar. I don't blame Katherine for kicking her out.
Darcy's addition as a series regular works for so many reasons, and fortunately, it means that Katherine has a friend of her own. However, if it came down to pinning a close bond between Katherine and the primary group, her closest person is Gary.
They have come to an understanding over the past year or so, and it shows with their every interaction. I couldn't think of anyone better to stay there (a move that was so predictably Gary I genuinely, knowingly smiled when she looked up to find that despite her attempts to shoo everyone away, he was still there).
Gary's role in the series has been trying his damnedest to keep everyone together. He's tried to serve as the glue in Jon's absence, and he's not relinquishing that anytime soon.
Their chosen family is a group that keeps taking a hell of a lot of hits (pun unintended), and Eddie's accident could break them again.
It didn't help that they were all dealing with things of their own when they heard the news. The same day they were there to celebrate a happy occasion, they faced another near-tragedy.
Can you think of a show that better encapsulates the feeling of living in the disaster year that is 2020?
Eddie was fighting for his life, suffering from massive internal bleeding, and he was unconscious. It was touch and go, and the doctors didn't sound hopeful about his survival.
It was a lot for Katherine to process, and she's always the person who tries to keep it all together and think logically and rationally about everything. It made sense for her to have Theo stay at Delilah's, and it was such a Katherine thing to run a toxicology report on Eddie to confirm he wasn't drinking.
Alright, look dude, here's the deal. You're fighting for your life. I've seen you throw a punch, it's not great. I know a true friend is supposed to give you permission to stop fighting, but just so we're clear, you do not have that permission. You hear me? You cannot leave us. You can't leave Katherine. You can't leave your son. You can't leave your daughter. You can't leave me.
Gary
She's a person who needs all the answers, but you could tell how awful she felt when Gary overheard it. She didn't want to seem like she didn't have any faith in her husband or trusted him. I do wonder if that will come up again down the road or not.
The nurse who let them in to see Eddie was a godsend, and Gary's plea to Eddie was heartwarming. It was such a relief when Eddie squeezed Gary's hand and Katherine's too.
While it didn't seem likely that the show would kill off another member of this group this soon, anything is possible, and I found myself fearful of losing Eddie, a character who has grown so much throughout the series, including on this reviewer.
But we knew Eddie wouldn't go through this experience without some challenges, and at the moment, he's paralyzed. It's a storyline that could bear fruit in many ways, especially when the series fast-forwarded a month, and it's in the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic.
I got into a fight with a car. I lost.
Eddie
Eddie is a recovering addict who almost slipped up, and now he's in a position where he may need to use drugs like oxycodone as pain management. Anyone casually aware of the Opioid Crisis we're fighting in the States knows that much of it is a result of situations like this -- people who got addicted to pain management drugs.
He also has to deal with how different his life looks know that he's in a wheel-chair. Hopefully, the show can have a thoughtful exploration of that without clumsily and unintentionally crapping on the disabled community.
Right now, it's Katherine who seems to be grappling with the possibility of Eddie not being able to walk again. Eddie's feelings have been more subdued up until he read his vows.
Instead, Eddie was living in a state of worry that Katherine would decide she had enough and bail on him. While he didn't drink at that bar, he almost did, and it's something of which Eddie feels guilty after all the promises he made to Katherine and Theo.
Eddie: I was just thinking about the last time we were in the hospital together then Theo was born, only I didn't get there til afterward, and I promised you that I would never drink again.
Katherine: And you haven't.
Eddie: No, I didn't, but I still went to that bar. If I hadn't ... look, I just can't help but feel like once again I let you down, and I would totally understand if you said you couldn't do this again.
I appreciate this as sobriety is a day to day thing. In Eddie's mind, if he didn't have that moment of weakness again, he wouldn't have been at that bar and run down in the first place.
It's the type of guilt and whataboutism that anyone would struggle with for the rest of their life. And he felt as if he let Katherine down, especially since it meant she had to take care of him.
Eddie giving Katherine an out was heartbreaking, and when she didn't give him an immediate response of reassurance, it was crushing.
But her reassurance came in the form of the surprise at their home. Darcy and Gary built a ramp for Eddie, the whole gang was there, including Maggie by video chat, and she wanted to renew their vows right there.
You asked me at the hospital if I was committed to spending the rest of my life with you. Eddie, there is something I have to tell you, I am. Eddie Saville, will you finally marry me again?
Katherine
If any couple needed a vow renewal, it was the Savilles. They've had a long road getting to this place in their marriage, and they had to crawl and scratch their way here. They both acknowledged their past, and Eddie couldn't go without owning how he broke his vows before, but their ceremony was so gratifying.
They earned this, and they could pledge themselves to one another, make new promises, and you know that even if things are rocky, they may have a handle on their relationship now, and they can get through things together.
They're going to need that since the man who hit Eddie is watching their every move. Was that Alex's father?
Does he have nefarious plans, or is he wracked with guilt after hitting Eddie, and he's checking on him? He did call 911 after he ran him over.
To me, family is the people who hold your hand as you take a million little steps in the right direction.
Eddie
If that is Alex's father, then the Lake House storyline isn't over. And I'm with Darcy on this; all this crap didn't start happening until Lindsay showed up.
If Eddie and Katherine's marriage is stronger than ever despite their obstacles, Rome and Gina have a strained relationship.
Gina was so upset with Rome for getting her invested in Eve and the baby that she could barely speak to him the night they lost the baby.
The social worker called with a new baby in need of a family on the same night, but Regina couldn't reconcile moving on that quickly, and you can't blame her.
Rome: I can't believe you are saying no to a baby again.
Gina: That's not fair! When have I ever said no to a baby? When we got married we both said no to kids. The adoption was my idea, and the only reason I paused on Eve was because I was afraid she would do exactly what she did, and now just hours after losing a baby that we held that we thought was ours, I can't just erase him with another child. That's not fair to you, that's not fair to me, and most of all, that's not fair to that baby in Lennox. Baby, I know you want this. I want it too, but not like this.
Rome: What if we never get another chance?
Babies are interchangeable, and whether the caseworker or Rome realized it or not, that's how they came across with the offer. Gina barely had a moment to grieve the loss of this baby she was expecting and her relationship with Eve.
Rome and Gina had it out about the kid situation. Rome wanted to blame Gina for backing out on wanting kids, and she reminded him that they both decided to no have any before changing their minds later on, and she initiated the adoption and other things.
Gina looked gorgeous a month later with her hairstyle, but things were chilly between the Howards, and their reactions during Eddie and Katherine's vows were telling.
Meanwhile, Gary and Darcy seem to be going strong and getting serious. Colin and Gary are staying over at Darcy's home more and more.
Darcy overhead Delilah and Rome talking about Gary going to the airport to see Maggie off, and it could've led to issues, but they talked it about right then, and they were fine.
Darcy and Gary succeed in communicating with each other. While there are legions of Gaggie 'shippers waiting for a Maggie and Gary reunion, it's refreshing to see Gary in this relationship with Darcy.
Who's to say Maggie didn't win over her new roommate Jamie, and she's dating him now. Maggie's English adventures served as comedic relief.
It was predictable, quintessentially Maggie, and amusing that she assumed her roommate was a woman and somehow talked Jamie's girlfriend, Cassie, into dumping him before she even unpacked her bags.
She didn't make the best impression with Jamie, but their interactions are bound to be hilarious since Maggie's charms didn't work on him.
Other Tidbits:
- I wonder how deep into the pandemic the series will go. Can you imagine this close-knit group not being able to physically lean on each other?
- Did anyone get misty-eyed when Gary likely went back to his apartment to get his cancer hat just to show up at the hospital for Eddie?
- Again, Gary and Katherine's relationship is the best. Delilah was such a support to Katherine, and it's nice that the two women have reached a point where they consider each other family.
- All of the kids are getting so big. Danny has grown so much!
- The flashback to Eddie, Rome, Gary, and Jon in the elevator was nice.
- I appreciated Eddie's vows and how he incorporated Jon's original Friendship is a million things quote and added onto it. It fits with the progress they've made and the tone we all need now.
- It feels as if we're in a new chapter of this series, and everyone finally has a place within it and their family. I'm excited about that.
Because of the seriousness of this moment, I'm not going to make a threesome joke.
Gary
- Rest in peace to DJ Nash's father. Lovely tribute at the end.
Over to you, Million Things Fanatics.
Are you relieved Eddie survived? Do you think he'll regain his ability to walk? What are your theories on the man watching him from afar?
What are your thoughts on Rome and Gina's shaky marriage and baby situation? Are you enjoying Gary and Darcy? Hit the comments below!
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.
