A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 16 Review: No One Is To Blame
Jasmine Blu
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Dreams are coming to an end, and some relationships may be as well.
One thing A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 16 did was giveth and taketh away, leaving Gary and Darcy's future relationship in limbo, Katherine and Alan's budding romance on ice, Eddie and Katherine's relationship as good as dead, and Gina's dreams as a chef and restaurant owner dashed.
But the hour did give us some refreshing dynamics with Eddie and Gina, and what was the best of the hour, Sophie and Rome.
If this season of A Million Little Things hasn't done anything, it has showcased how incredible this cast is, particularly when they each get storylines and time to shine.
The personal, quieter, tighter tone of this season, in many ways, has done the series well. There was ample space for most of the characters to carry an arc of their own this season. It felt more balanced, delving deeper into characters who could use it, giving these cast members a chance to show off their range.
But two of the powerhouses of A Million Little Things Season 3, and there have been a few, are Romany Malco and Lizzy Greene. Placing the two of them in scenes together with such powerful dialogue was the ultimate gift.
It's a rare dynamic they have that the series hasn't tapped into too often, but as Rome pointed out, he had been waiting for her to ask him that question about suicide since Jon died.
It's been a hell of a journey to get Sophie to where she was, face to face with her Uncle Rome and talking so openly, honestly, and with such vulnerability on both sides, the two of them survivors of their respective journeys.
When you think about what this show does best, why it's important, and people stick to it, how it resonates, you think of those scenes between Sophie and Rome.
Whoever wrote Rome's dialogue as he talked about his depression, what it feels like, how he overcomes it daily, and so forth, they deserve endless praise.
Everything else disappeared during those scenes, and Malco and Greene delivered.
Again, Romany Malco is easily one of the series' best actors. He routinely shows that whenever the series gives him some meaty material. Damn, if they haven't outdone themselves doing that this season, which is the Howards' best to date.
It was such a powerful scene, Rome leveling with Sophie person to person, soul-to-soul, sharing his struggles with her and explaining that he, too, nearly died on the same day as her father.
I'm going to say something right now, and I'm not saying it to change anything, but I love you, and I would say this to Ed's face, but given the choice, I would much rather have you for a roommate.
Gary
She's old and mature enough to have that conversation with him and hear from someone else she knows and loves what that's like, understand that headspace, make sense of everything.
It was a natural progression for her to do the responsible thing and find some support, especially after learning how Layla succame to the pain of what happened and recognizing her susceptibility as the child of a man who died by suicide.
And by the time Rome firmly, passionately told Sophie that she's not going to be strong all of the time, but if she has bad days, she should knock down his door, it was impossible to see from the tears welling up.
Sophie's journey, navigating the aftermath of her sexual assault, is one of the strongest and best-written arcs of the season, and it naturally led to this point where she's decided to go to the police.
Everything about how she got there and the people who helped her along the way, from Maggie, Delilah, Gary, and Rome, to the Christophers, felt organic and earned.
She's in the best place to hold him accountable, and she's doing it, not only for her but for Layla and her memory. I couldn't be more moved or prouder of Sophie right now.
And she'll have Delilah in her corner when that happens. We can expect Delilah's return in the finale since we got a video call appearance where she shared that she's back in the States.
She'll have a lot of catching up to do. One thing I'm wary of, however, is what her relationship could be like with Eddie now that he and Katherine are divorcing.
For now, it appears Eddie is making the best of the situation while living with Gary. He threw himself into trying to do little things to appease Theo to make up for what was happening with him and Katherine, and he wanted their first time together to be perfect.
But Eddie doesn't learn, does he? Naturally, he wanted to get the game Theo wanted, and he jumped at the chance to retrieve it when he learned it was at another store. However, the first thing he thought about doing was sending Gary away to get it and leaving him alone with Theo and Liam.
It's the first visit, one that he damn near didn't have at all, and he was already prepared to throw the rules out the window, disregarding what Katherine wants and needs to feel secure in leaving Theo, violating her trust, all for a game.
Why is Eddie like this? He couldn't have possibly missed how tense Katherine was when she didn't see Gary behind the refrigerator. He can't violate her trust while attempting to earn it.
This is my first, first date in over 12 years.
Katherine
They did take the time to touch on Eddie's life as a disabled man when his ride-share pulled off upon realizing he was in a wheelchair.
And it eventually led to another refreshing dynamic that it's hard to believe the series never did anything with before now: Eddie and Gina. They missed an opportunity for Eddie to make amends with her one-on-one after stealing her Vicodin, but the two did bond over their lives not being the same after things that have happened to him.
I can appreciate the conversation the two of them had as, I guess, two disabled characters, even though the series still dropped the ball on Eddie's disability all season, and they're keeping Gina in some sort of undefined limbo with her concussion.
Because of Gina's undefined head injury, it felt off having the draw parallels and comparisons. But it was nice to see these two characters interact one-on-one.
Maggie: Are you thinking about hurting yourself?
Sophie: I'm not, but I'm the daughter of someone who died by suicide, so I know that puts me at greater risk.
Sadly, it led to Gina concluding she's not in the place to run her restaurant. Her memory loss put them in a financially precarious position. She already has issues cooking, too. And she's also fighting an uphill battle running a restaurant during the pandemic.
I don't know what we're supposed to surmise from her decision. Does this mean she's giving up Someday completely? Is this the end of all of it?
Their financial problems prompted Rome to look into commercial opportunities again, and ugh, the one Xander pitched was the absolute worst.
It was tone-deaf, exploitative, dismissive, and in poor taste. It was funny, however, that the show based it on that Kylie Jenner/Pepsi commercial.
Tyrell was not here for it, which was hilarious. But he couldn't fathom taking it on and "selling out." Rome is right about how you have to do things you're against at times to put food on the table.
It hurt that he agreed to take on the project, but he made the call that supported his family. It's something he knew Tyrell could understand if he considered his past actions.
Speaking of past actions, those are what came between Katherine and Alan.
Alan is everything that Katherine needs and deserves. He understands her, listens, is attentive, sexy, hardworking -- but the problem is Katherine isn't ready to date right now.
Katherine, I'm sorry he hurt you, but I'm not Eddie.
Alan
It was her first date in over a decade (I guess the one she went on with Hunter during A Million Little Things Season 1 doesn't count), and she was an awkward mess.
But mostly, she was hyperfocused on Alan's presence on a dating site. She's bringing the trust issues she has because of Eddie to this relationship with Alan, and it's not fair to either of them.
And the second she recognized that and suggested that they move slower, Alan didn't take it well. He's well within reason to be annoyed that he is paying for what Eddie did to her.
None of that is fair to Alan at all, and his points are valid. On the flip side, this is also something he should've anticipated when he got involved with a woman who is five minutes out of a ten-year marriage.
If you're asking yourself why Layla and not you, the truth is I don't know. Maybe it's that we're lucky, some kind of divine intervention. I don't know, but I do know this, you are loved, and you are so unbelievably strong. Sometimes being strong means being able to tell people you're feeling weak. If you have bad days like that, you don't knock on my door, you knock my door down.
Rome
Katherine and Alan are great, but their timing may be off right now. Katherine's buffing out that nick in the table is a sign that she's officially letting Eddie go, but I'm unsure what that means for her and Alan.
It still may be too soon for her to move on, and if she's trying to, then as hard as it is in Alan, he may have to be more patient.
It felt like an end for them, but who knows?
It also feels like Gary and Darcy may be coming to an end, too.
Gary always pays the price for his devotion and loyalty to his friends, and this time, it may cost him Darcy.
Things were awkward when Darcy showed up at Gary's apartment with Liam for a sleepover, something you'd expect from the two in a serious relationship, but she also has to share that space with Eddie and Theo.
Things got worse when she talked to Katherine and realized that Katherine thinks this arrangement where Gary babysits Eddie during his visitation with Theo is permanent.
Again, it's like they don't know what to do with Katherine, villainize her or make her sympathetic. Katherine's reservations about Eddie spending time with Theo alone this soon after rehab is understandable.
However, the implication that she doesn't ever want him alone with his son again because of his addiction is too far. He's always been an addict, and she entrusted Theo in his care at some point after he got back from rehab the last time; Theo was much younger then.
And again, she went on this whole thing about his addiction and not trusting him, and you know, she's committed to ignoring why he relapsed. I guess we should give up on this getting addressed further.
Darcy was reasonably concerned about how Gary factors into all of this, as it's presumptuous and unfair to put that level of responsibility on him indefinitely.
But then, Darcy told Gary that she's wondering about the nature of their relationship since she thought she'd be moving in with him at some point, but he moved Eddie in instead.
As much as I love Darcy and her relationship with Gary, she learned everything she needed to know during A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 6 when he prioritized Maggie over her.
At that moment, she got the confirmation she needed that Gary is devoted to his friends because of them being his family, and he'll always put them first.
When she chose to move on from that incident, she made her bed. But it's almost like she forgot that Gary was just as devoted to her during her PTSD.
I feel awful for her -- both of them, as Gary can't stop being himself. Yes, he stretches himself too thin, and he's always there for this group in a way he doesn't necessarily get in return.
You're a good friend, Gary. Sometimes I wish I could be one of your friends.
Darcy
But for Gary, they aren't only his friends; they're his family, and he's never hidden this from anyone. Darcy knew the full extent of Gary's devotion to this group of people since before she met him because of Katherine.
Darcy deserves to be a priority, and hell, sometimes the first one, but Gary also shouldn't have to feel like crap because of his loyalty to these people he loves.
Interestingly, Darcy's ex got a job offer on the other side of the country. He told her about it because of some agreement they had about relocating for one another if necessary for Liam's best interest.
Would it be fair if she expected Gary to relocate too because of her loyalty and family via Liam and Steven? Was she expecting Gary to make a choice between her and Liam and his friends?
Was it that she thought if she and Gary moved in together, then it reassured her that they were serious and justified her telling Steven not to take the job?
Part of my sympathizes with Darcy, but another part of me feels like she knew what she was getting into, and it's awful to expect Gary to make this choice.
It's disheartening that Gary has to sacrifice either love or his family. He does everything for everyone, and yet he can't be happy.
If this is the end of Darcy, I feel it's a contrived way of letting her go, but at least they would've built up to it.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics. Isn't Romany Malco remarkable? What do you think of the Darcy and Gary situation? Is it too soon for Katherine to date?
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.
