It was another emotional installment.

The Savilles reached an agreement with help from Gary, Rome found the purpose of his new documentary with Tyrell, Gina is worried about her health, and Sophie made a brave move on A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 15.

The hour continued exploring the experiences of many with a myriad of topics in both elegant and clumsy ways.

What else is it to say about Greene without it getting redundant?

Sophie's arc this season as a sexual assault survivor as she tries to navigate what that means for her and get through the day is easily one of the strongest arcs of the entire season.

The series is handling it so well, and it has allowed Greene to stretch her legs and show off her range more than she has in previous seasons, though we've caught glimpses here and there.

Sophie's ups and downs as she continues to process what happened to her and finds her way through it in the best way she can has been authentic and natural.

In some moments, she's at her bravest, and she knows what happened to her was wrong and despicable. At other times, she's grasping for that reminder that Peter assaulting her is NOT her fault.

It's a journey, and Sophie is on it with assistance and support from Maggie, but she's finding her way.

Sophie latched onto what happened to Layla Gregory, and she's using it as a way to get through her feelings.

Maggie doesn't want her to become consumed with it, and it's a warranted concern to a degree, but for Sophie, maybe this is the way she can process. Everyone handles things differently, and while Sophie tried Maggie's method of running, it's not for her.

Some people run away from their feelings or compartmentalize. But Sophie seems as willing as ever and open to expressing them, laying them all out there and dissecting and attempting to understand them.

She's also a young woman of action, and it's not surprising that she's found some kinship to Layla, not only as another victim of Peter but as someone who took her life.

Sophie has experience with both topics. They feel familiar to her right now, and while there is always this concerning and morbid aspect of Sophie having the same in her, I think what's relieving is that Sophie is open and communicates.

Maggie: Are you saying you think Peter may have done something to Layla?
Sophie: What if I wasn't the only one?
Maggie: That could certainly be the case, but it's a really sensitive thing to bring up. You thinking about bringing it up with her?
Sophie: I can't. Six months ago, Layla killed herself.

• Permalink: I can't. Six months ago, Layla killed herself.

The moment she doesn't is when she'd warrant the most concern.

It was bold and brave of Sophie to visit the Gregorys, and while she tried to handle telling them her suspicions as tactfully as possible, it was shocking that she had no qualms about putting it out there.

Many people would've seen the grief-stricken parents and not wanted to cause them any more pain. But that's where Sophie's familiarity with losing a loved one to suicide probably kicked in, too.

She knows what it's like not to have the answers and wants to piece through the clues and figure out the reasoning. As painful as it was on the Gregorys for Sophie to share her suspicions, you could sense that for Christopher, specifically, it gave him some answers he was looking for since Layla died.

As much as Sophie grapples with the shame because of Peter's actions, I'd argue that Sophie's willingness to share her experience with others on her terms continues to cut through that for her. It's refreshing that she can talk about it this soon after what happened, even if she can't control people's responses.

Layla was a very smart girl, she would've never let that happen to her.

Mrs. Gregory

• Permalink: Layla was a very smart girl, she would've never let that happen to her.

Mrs. Gregory's outburst where she implied that Sophie was dumb for allowing something like that to happen to her came from a place of hurt and grief, but it was so ugly.

It shook Sophie up, but she was able to return to Maggie and get that reassuring truth again that it wasn't her fault. It hit a sore spot where she wondered the same thing, but the consistency of a support network is crucial, and I'm loving every second of Maggie serving as this safe place for Sophie.

I could watch those two women play off of each other for hours, and in some ways, with the revolving door guardians, it's probably best that Maggie is relocating to the Dixon home for Sophie's sake while Gary gets Eddie duty.

Christopher broke my heart when he returned Sophie's wallet and ID. When he spoke of Layla's diary and pieced together the bathing suit in November thing, you could see the distress in his every microexpression.

If I knew I wasn't the only one, then maybe I could forgive myself for letting it happen to me.

Sophie

• Permalink: If I knew I wasn't the only one, then maybe I could forgive myself for letting it happen to me.

You could tell that he was in pain, but it was also some solace in knowing what could've happened to his daughter. His wife can't deal with any of it right now, but it was information that he seems grateful to have regardless.

I wonder if he'll be instrumental in going after Peter, too. It's doubtful he'll take in the news that his daughter's music instructor may have assaulted her, prompting her to take her life, and he doesn't do anything about it.

As for Sophie, she's not letting up on this angle. It was such a bittersweetness to her scrolling through Layla's social media page, seeing how lively and sweet this young girl was before Peter ruined her life and took it.

Her settling on that picture of Layla with Peter is giving off some Promising Young Woman vibes. It feels as though Sophie will dedicate her time to bringing Peter to justice for herself, yes, but also for Layla.

As Maggie said, there are likely many other victims, so I wonder if Sophie will look into others? Right now, it's one of the storylines that has garnered the most interest and investment.

And whether some of the AMLT fandom likes it or not (and unfortunately, I've had the displeasure of witnessing some of the ire), the series also continues to explore how race affects daily life. For the most part, they've done well with this.

Rome and Tyrell are only getting closer while working on this project together, and the father/son undertones of their relationship are such a delight that their sentimental moment of gratitude to each other made me smile so hard.

No, the Howards didn't get their baby, but they've managed to spin gold with this Tyrell situation, and it's been a beautiful thing. Adam Swain is such a fantastic addition to the season. He's charming, charismatic, funny, and he can take you on an emotional ride.

He has great chemistry with both Malco and Moses, and in many ways, the Howards' family with Tyrell, Walter, and Florence have centered this series and felt like their own family drama within the series.

We are the Howards, indeed. But then, the Howards have always had this grounding effect on the series. They have only grown into the role as the show's foundation.

Rome was passionate, and you could tell it made him emotional that he got to share his love for filmmaking with Tyrell. It's something he's passing down to him, and he's sparked an interest in Tyrell that the teen may not have had before.

But another aspect of Tyrell's status as a teen at their home is the honest, vulnerable conversations Rome has with him.

It's such a refreshing take that Rome can sit down with Tyrell and talk honestly about his struggles with depression and the feelings of worthlessness he still battles at times.

It's necessary. The show established the mental illness stigmas in general and in the Black community. It's not the type of thing people want to discuss.

What's been great about Rome's relationship with Tyrell, along with Walter added into the equation, is how Rome has taken the best of what he learned from his father and is applying it to his relationship with Tyrell.

However, he's also course-correcting his father's errors. Walter also battles depression, and he never and still doesn't talk about it. He doesn't like to discuss mental illness or his son's issues.

Shelly: You know what would make a great documentary?
Tyrell: The one we just told you about?!

• Permalink: The one we just told you about?!

Rome learned how NOT to emulate Walter in that regard, and he's showing Tyrell something different. It's beautiful, and hopefully, that's how you break a cycle.

Rome and Tyrell's interview with Nya inspired them to pinpoint what their documentary will focus on, and the reveal was a bit breathtaking. Instead of focusing on the physical, legal, societal, and whatever else ramifications that the spark of the movement has on the Black community, he wants to focus on the mental toll.

He wants to focus on the same thing that no one either wants to talk about or acknowledge or even considers exists in the first place.

I can't think of a better way for him to focus his study than on something that matters to him on a personal level as both a Black man and one who battles mental illness.

It fits him perfectly. He's right, too. No one wants to talk about the emotional and mental fatigue of carrying around that type of armor every day.

Sometimes I still feel like that little girl on the floor, like half the world is laughing at me, and the other half are just walking by. There is this armor that we have to wear to get through the day, and every time another Black person is killed, that armor gets heavier and heavier, but I've seen what happens if we just keep showing up. Things can change.

Nya

• Permalink: Sometimes I still feel like that little girl on the floor, like half the world is laughing at...

Nya's statements were powerful, and you could see how she inspired Rome. She shared how this traumatizing thing happened, and it was as if everyone either carried on as if nothing happened or laughed at her for caring, for feeling, for being human, but she was tired.

At the source of her protest in school, sitting down in the middle of the floor in a hallway, it wasn't a deliberate stand against injustice. It was emotional fatigue and not having a single moment to process her feelings because of the expectation to carry on as if everything was the same.

Ironically, it dovetailed nicely with Gina's storyline. She'd rather keep things a secret from Rome, spare him the worry, and be as strong as she could, then tell him the truth and allow him to help her figure out what's wrong with her together.

Personally, it did seem as if Gina's cognitive issues were a result of the concussion. Concussions are nasty things, and many underestimate how long and how deeply they can affect a person. We've yet to hear about her attending any concussion protocol.

However, they're devoting enough time to this storyline where there has to be something else happening, and I'm not emotionally prepared for whatever that may be.

It also gave the series a chance to subtly address the racial (and gender) microaggressions Black (women in particular) face in the healthcare system.

Gina wanted a CT scan, and her doctor was so condescending and dismissive of her concerns, even when he could see as clear as day that she was worried and knew something was off.

Shelly got a chance to shine. Typically, Shelly is aloof to racial issues and microaggressions, but damn if that woman didn't see right through what was happening to her daughter and raise hell about it.

Shelly: Excuse me, my daughter just told you that she thinks something is not right and requested a scan.
Doctor: And like I said, I don't think it's necessary.
Shelly: Great, and we will be on our way just as soon as you write down in her file that the patient requested a specific test, and you declined to give it to her.
Doctor: Alright, uh, if you want, I can get Louise to write a prescription and you can go get a scan downstairs.
Shelly: It's not what I want. It's what she wants.

• Permalink: It's not what I want. It's what she wants.

What's interesting here was the intersectional component. Sadly, and historically, medical professions have a tendency, subconscious or not, of not trusting women's judgment or knowledge of their own bodies and dismissing their concerns as hysteria and paranoia.

It's something Shelly probably faced, too. Then there was the extra racial layer to it with Gina.

Shelly handled the situation the right way, and while it sucks that one has to advocate for themselves (or others) like this in the first place, you should demand that they put your request and concern in your file and that the doctor went against it anyway.

Usually, they'll change their mind about it at the thought of it going on record and them potentially being liable if something did happen, and if they don't, then it's in your medical records.

And it isn't lost that the doctor begrudgingly agreed when Shelly applied pressure "for her" instead of recognizing the wishes of his actual patient, Gina.

The sad thing is, I almost wished something was on that CT scan, too, so Gina could feel validated in her concern after what she endured with the doctor.

Nothing showed up, but Gina still feels like something is wrong. It was another beautiful moment when she told Rome the truth, and they hugged it out.

The Howards are all the marriage goals, and Tyrell looking on, feeling like a concerned intruder on their intimate moment, made him the audience stand-in.

Unfortunately, the Savilles are not marriage goals.

I honestly don't know what else to say about this storyline anymore. It's had some strong moments, and make no mistake, Park and Giuntoli have been AMAZING throughout the season. Giuntoli has impressed with his performance given the subject matter.

But the deeper into the storyline we've gotten, the more frustrating and draining it has become in hindsight because of the directions it has taken.

Truthfully, it even inspired a Twitter rant in an attempt to pinpoint and explain why this storyline's directions have gotten under the skin so much with time.

As we near the end of the season, it's like the series sacrificed nuanced and fresh storytelling, and it poorly handled both addiction and disability to prioritize Saville's marriage angst. We've been down that road, so why retread it or do it so soon?

I'm now left wondering if we ever knew why the Savilles married in the first place. Have they ever been happy without something or another hanging over their heads?

They've also spent the entire season undoing their work in A Million Little Things Season 2. Regardless of how people responded to some of the events of the sophomore season and how Eddie and Katherine got back together, it was the choice they made, and they should've committed to it.

Now, we started the season with a vow renewal, and we're ending it with the two of them getting a divorce, and the path there is this horror show that sort of sneaked up on us, derailing everything else.

The quest to figure out who ran Eddie over vanished; the disability storyline was only a plot device to get to Eddie's addiction, which again only served as another reason to cause this couple strife and discord. And in hindsight, none of that sits well.

They could've spent more time on the disability arc. The series could've mined so much from Eddie going from able-bodied to someone who needs to use a wheelchair. Yet beyond the self-loathing he experienced, the series bypassed most of that journey and didn't let any of that breathe.

A prime example of how the disability arc faltered is that Eddie stopped having rehab with Darcy.

Also, they hadn't discussed or made any attempts to make the Saville home accessible aside from Darcy building that ramp at the beginning of the season. Eddie is only just now arranging for hand control installation and classes to learn how to drive.

Stop, stop Eddie. I'm not worried about leaving Theo alone with you because you're in a wheelchair. It's because your an addict, and I don't know if I can trust you to stay sober.

Katherine

• Permalink: Stop, stop Eddie. I'm not worried about leaving Theo alone with you because you're in a...

We don't know what the specifics are of Eddie's spinal injury. We could've easily spent the season with the Savilles learning how to adjust to life as a disabled person or to living with someone who is newly disabled. It's a process, and we didn't see much of that at all.

It was a treasure trove of storytelling in that alone that could've spared us rehashing the same marriage angst. Eddie adjusting to his new life as a disabled person had plenty of story opportunities.

Katherine potentially facing caretaker burnout as she juggles working, taking care of Theo, helping Eddie adjust, and all during a pandemic could've been compelling.

It could've been interesting if the family attended counseling or other programs to adapt to all of these changes in their lives or something, as everything hit Katherine and Eddie just as they've recommitted themselves to each other.

But then Eddie's disability is compounded by a relapse, which was also inconsistently addressed. And now, both disability and addiction are essentially used to destroy the Saville marriage and undercut one of Eddie's only redeeming qualities -- his fatherhood skills.

Without meaning it, the series still heavily implied that Eddie's addiction and disability make him unfit and untrustworthy enough to take care of his child. They did this without ever committing to Eddie's disabled arc with a full-fleshed storyline about it and not fully addressing what led to Eddie's relapse.

Context still matters, and it remains frustrating that the series keeps bypassing that Eddie needed (and possibly still needs?) pain meds. In an attempt to get this relapse and addiction storyline, they've diminished that necessity of opioids and why doctors prescribe them in favor of a "Drug Use Bad and Destroys Families" narrative.

But IF they were going to commit to the relapse storyline, instead of making it about what would maximize more angst between Katherine and Eddie, they should've focused on exploring Eddie's background.

Eddie: Let's just see what a judge has to say about how good of a mom you are when they find out that you walked out on your son last year!
Katherine:I went to my mom's so Theo couldn't see how you destroyed me, not only after having an affair, but a baby with another woman.
Eddie: Katherine...
Katherine: What?!
Eddie: I know I messed up. I know I've been a horrible, horrible husband, but I have also been a wonderful dad. Please, Katherine. Please. Don't do this to me.
Katherine: I am not doing anything to you, Eddie. You alone used drugs while you were taking care of our son. All I ever wanted was to be able to believe you.

• Permalink: I am not doing anything to you, Eddie. You alone used drugs while you were taking care of our...

He has a traumatic childhood that we know of, and both he and his sister are addicts. What happened in the Saville home? What happened to their parents?

What underlying issues have contributed to Eddie being the perpetual screwup manchild that we know today, BUT also inspired him to at the very least be the damn good father he is, presumably to make up for what he lacked growing up?

These are all things he could've and hell, maybe even did explore in rehab.

They even could've bounced it off Katherine's own childhood experiences we've got hints about that have contributed to her being a woman who feels such pressure to keep everything together at the expense of her mental health.

And all of that could've given us deeper insight into the characters, their marriage, and what drew them together in the first place.

They barely showed and sped through Eddie in rehab, and when they did, they treated it as if it was a day spa. The series rarely dug into any of Eddie's journey there, and it felt as if they were checking it off a list to get us to this romantic tension between Katherine and Eddie instead.

It's also frustrating that this entire time, Katherine is responding to Eddie's relapse as if he willingly chose to go on a bender to relive his glory days instead of his real pain over an injury causing this.

It's still annoying that Katherine didn't dole out his pills as needed, controlling his intake instead of her and Eddie believing he could get through the pain without meds.

We couldn've gotten a storyline where Eddie FEARED relapsing and pursued avenues to maintain his sobriety via meetings or whatever else. It would've explored living with addiction and still been interesting.

As it stands, they've presented it as another instance of Eddie screwing up again, and that has gotten redundant. Hell, I'm not even the biggest Eddie fan, and I'm tired of that narrative.

It's also bothersome that as a disabled addict, he doesn't have any agency. Katherine and Gary have taken to treating and speaking of him as if he's another child, and something is disturbing about that, too.

Finding out that months to a year after his injury, Eddie still doesn't have any of the tools or knowledge or whatever else to be self-sufficient and independent is a bit appalling.

Katherine claimed she wants custody of Theo and supervised visits for Eddie is because of his addiction. Then WHY did they bother opening the hour with Katherine angry and disgusted that Theo endangered himself to change batteries in a smoke detector upstairs that Eddie couldn't reach?

Katherine doesn't trust me not to use drugs around Theo. She's never going to.

Eddie

• Permalink: Katherine doesn't trust me not to use drugs around Theo. She's never going to.

Come on, there was no other way to interpret that scene, and it was directly related to Eddie's disability and the implication that Theo would get hurt on Eddie's watch because of his inability to monitor Theo properly while in a chair.

Nevertheless, it was still absurd that Eddie didn't even consider that his addiction was a driving force for why Katherine wouldn't want joint custody. He immediately jumped to his disability like he didn't just return from rehab.

It also speaks to the show struggling to find the proper balance between holding Eddie accountable for his addiction or any of his actions versus demonizing him for them.

The poor communication between the two is painful to witness, too. It feels like the series is trying to make up for how it chose to let Katherine breeze past and suffer silently through all the other things that Eddie did before.

And Katherine should've left Eddie ages ago for all of that, we know it, but SHE DIDN'T, so doubling back to beat this dead horse is tired. The two of them hurling every offense at each other as Eddie threw a tantrum about the custody thing was brutal, and I wanted no parts of it.

Has Eddie learned anything or changed or not? I can't keep up.

While some of us speculated that he could bring up Katherine's mental breakdown to disparage her or her being a breadwinner, and it would've been gross, it was still enraging when he did bring up how she left to stay with her mother or worked too much to provide for their family.

It was such a needlessly cruel and low blow, sexist AF, too, when you consider the breadwinner angle.

It was coming from a vicious and retaliatory place that didn't even consider Katherine's actions may have had to do with her thinking of Theo's best interest.

Even during the argument, Katherine talked about what she felt was best for Theo. Meanwhile, Eddie mentioned how unfair it was to HIM, and I want off of this ride now.

It's like they can't make up their mind if we're supposed to sympathize and recognize his growth or hate him -- if we're supposed to root for her or get annoyed by her.

If Katherine was never going to get over all of the ways Eddie fucked up and hurt her -- then why did they bother making her forgive him?

If Eddie falls back into the same self-absorbed, selfish patterns with no growth, then why exactly did they bother putting them together only to rip them apart again?

In some ways, Katherine and Gary's friendship is always endearing. It's laudable that Gary supported and reassured Katherine that he not only agrees with her but that they couldn't possibly be upset at her for being done and doing what she felt was best to protect Theo.

But it still felt wrong that they were speaking about Eddie as if he was some insolent child. And why couldn't Katherine and Eddie have this conversation when he returned from rehab or in counseling in the first place?

I get that Katherine was pissed and DONE, and she sure as hell has every right to be, but given the circumstances, it was the ONE time when she should've been the bigger, mature person and talked to the man, and she refused.

Gary: I came to apologize, Katherine. Look, I thought the best way to have Eddie's back was to support the idea that he could pull this off, but I know you're right. He just go sober. I don't think Eddie should be around Theo without a guardian yet either. Which brings me to the other reason I'm here. If memory serves, you and Ed chose me to be Theo's guardian. I know that probably shouldn't kick in until after your dead and can't correct my parenting, but I talked to Maggie. She's going to move into Delilah's house and stay with Danny and Sophie until Delilah gets back. I would like Eddie to move in with me at my place. I'll be around anytime you think it's OK for Theo to visit.
Katherine: You'd do that for him?
Gary: I'd do that for all three of you.

• Permalink: I'd do that for all three of you.

They could've sat down and come up with a plan before Eddie ever escalated to all of that ugliness. It would've removed all doubts of motivations for why Katherine was doing what she did. It all felt so contrived.

And Gary volunteering to move back into his apartment, move Eddie into it with him, and serve as the supervised monitor of his time with Theo is a lot.

On paper, the gesture is nice. It's Gary being the best friend there is and all of that good stuff.

But I do wonder when we'll jump into how Gary immerses himself into everyone's issues all of the time. He's only one person, and after a while, all of this is going to catch up to him. He can't keep up the hero complex he has; it's not sustainable.

What happens to him and his relationship when his need to be the glue that holds his friends together burns him out?

What happens when he stretches himself thin or can't keep all the promises and commitments that he makes?

Katherine: I thought you guys would all hate me when you found out.
Gary: You're a mother trying to protect your son. Why would anyone hate you for that?

• Permalink: You're a mother trying to protect your son. Why would anyone hate you for that?

Over to you, AMLT Fanatics.

Are you over the Saville drama? What do you think is wrong with Regina?

Will Sophie take down Peter?

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.