A Million Little Things Season 4 Episode 10 Review: Surprise
Jasmine Blu
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Oh, things are getting spicy in the love department!
It was Maggie's 30th birthday on A Million Little Things Season 4 Episode 10, and the surprise party had nothing on all the unexpected things to crop up along the way.
Anna recognized Gary as Peter's attacker and was okay with it. Eddie spotted Katherine making out with Greta, Tyrell returned, we got a glimpse of Danny and Charlie, and, oh yeah, Maggie pounced Gary in the elevator. It's her birthday, so she can cheat if she wants to, apparently.
It wasn't just Maggie's dirty 30, it was a messy AF one, too, but these are the type of installments that make you feel nostalgic. It's always a blast when everyone comes together for an event, and drama unfurls left and right like an ancient scroll.
But before we dive the rest, let's kick things off with Rome. He's struggling so much, and it hurts to bear witness to it, but they continue to do a fantastic job at showing the reality of one battling depression and the effects of it on their loved ones around them.
Tyrell: How long has it been bad like this?
Gina: A couple of weeks.
Tyrell: Last year when I was giving Rome crap for not going to the protest is this what you meant?
Rome's honesty about how he's feeling at all times is painful to hear and sometimes can hurt the feelings of his loved ones, but it's a source of comfort, too. As long as he's willing to discuss things openly, it puts him miles ahead of the dark place he was in years back when he considered taking his life.
It's also a relief that he's having conversations with his doctor about his meds. What used to work for him does not anymore, which many series fail to explore when following a person's journey with their mental health. It'll take some work for Rome, his doctor, and his support system to find that balance that works best for him.
Gina is such an incredible woman and support system for him, and it's commendable and makes you love her even more. She doesn't take it personally when Rome snaps at her, she's calm when he's in his moods, and Gina does whatever she can to alleviate the heaviness of the moments.
Her sing-off in the kitchen that she successfully got Rome and later Tyrell to join in on was one of the cutest scenes ever and had shades of that epic Maggie and Gary karaoke scene. Seriously, these are the little moments about this series that you live for and adore.
Rome couldn't resist his happy-go-lucky wife even when he knew what she was attempting to do, and Tyrell was such a perfect fit into their little family. It was the sweetest.
But the hour also showed that Gina's best efforts of making Rome smile and alleviating some of the stress and darkness don't mean it'll go away. They can't sing away Rome's depression, and that's where AMLT's exploration of this is so realistic.
Gina is doing well with this right now, even though Rome is incredibly irritable at every turn, but I look forward to them touching on how Rome's dark bout takes a toll on her too. She's being strong for both of them right now, but she'll need her outlets and support as well.
Maybe she'll find some of that in her renewed bond with Val, and if the two go into catering together, it'll provide some balance in her life.
Tyrell's return is such a delightful surprise. He fits into the Howard family like a missing puzzle piece we never realized we needed. And he's matured a great deal since his last appearance on the show.
Once he spoke with Gina, he understood what was happening with Rome, and it helped him reconcile with how Rome kept snapping at him. What's appreciated is that while we know Rome's behavior is because of this chemical imbalance in his brain, which warrants sympathy and understanding, he also holds himself accountable.
Yes, we know that Rome is irritable and doesn't mean the things he says or his actions, but he also apologizes and owns up to them, and that's such an important thing to show. He extended an explanation and a sincere apology to Tyrell.
His admission made all the sense in the world, too. He's always been Tyrell's rock since the moment they met, and he knows the place he occupies in Tyrell's life as this stable male figure. He wanted to uphold that as much as possible as a true father does; he didn't want to appear anything less than superhuman in Tyrell's eyes.
Rome: A couple of years ago, I tried to end it. I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd look at me that way like I was fragile. Which I am.
Tyrell: which we all are.
Rome: Yeah, but you once told me that I'm the only man that's ever showed up for you. The reason I kept it from you was I didn't want to you feel like you couldn't lean on me.
Tyrell: You're right. I think I do put you on a pedestal.
And Tyrell acknowledged that he has placed Rome on a pedestal, but what good is their relationship if he can't extend Rome the level of grace, love, and support that Rome has provided him? It's what family does, period.
You guys, we're back to the quality Rome and Tyrell scenes, and all the better for it. Where are the tissues?
All we need is for Sophie to forgive Gary to have some quality Sophie and Uncle Gary time since sadly, our boy Danny is still chilling in Paris with little Charlie, who hasn't grown an inch.
She's at least finding some time to spend with Eddie, though. Both the Savilles are in a great place in their lives, and you know what? Good for them!
Have we ever seen Katherine as happy as she is when she's with Greta? Probably not.
It's lovely to see her in a romantic relationship that makes her whole face light up. She cares about Greta, and she doesn't seem to care about who knows it or not, which already puts their relationship in a refreshing territory where we don't have to grit our teeth over Katherine worrying about introducing Greta to her friends.
Greta is the one who wants to take things slow, and it probably has to do with her feeling out where Katherine is in her sexuality journey and also grappling with her separation from her wife.
It was shocking when she revealed that she was married, and while it was easy to assume that there was more to the story after everything Katherine experienced, it's not a surprise Katherine ran out of the hotel room before she had a chance to talk things out.
Greta should've been forthcoming about that early on, even if it has taken her by surprise that she and Katherine are getting serious. Despite enjoyment for this pairing, it's still something to watch out for until we learn more details because the problem with separations is that you never know for sure if both parties are over.
It would suck if Katherine's heart gets entangled in a messy marriage and Greta and Julia find their way back to each other somehow.
Surprisingly, Eddie, whose glow-up in maturity is notable these days gave Katherine great advice. I love that the Savilles are past civil and are straight up in this territory where you can feel their deep friendship. In some ways, their scenes as friends are superior to those when they were a couple.
Katherine: That's not why I'm upset. I'm glad you're happy. She seems great, really. It's just I was sorta seeing someone, and at least I thought I was, but it turns out they're married.
Eddie: Oh.
Katherine: Yeah, now I'm the other woman. I didn't think it was possible, but I feel worse. I thought what we had was special.
Eddie: What did he say?
Katherine: Oh, uh, I don't know, I just left. I mean what could he possibly say?
Eddie: I'd like to be on the record of say nothing. But off the record, if you really care for them, maybe there's more to this story. I know with you and me, we both knew before we were willing to admit it that we were in a bad space, and that doesn't excuse what I did or what he did, but maybe they're in a similar situation .
Although, it was something to hear him constantly assuming the gender of Katherine's new love interest and her not correcting him about it. It made things interesting when he stumbled across Katherine and Greta making out in the coat closet.
It seems neither Katherine nor Eddie have spoken to Theo about their significant others, so I look forward to what happens when they come together as a family and have these discussions. Eddie's face was unreadable when he saw Katherine, but there is no reason for him to have an issue with who Katherine is dating, right?
Hopefully, they won't make this a thing.
Besides, he should be directing his focus toward mending things with Anna. The two of them are so good together, and it's a refreshing relationship for him. Anna is laid back enough to blend into the friendship group.
It's too bad that we didn't get to see her interacting with many of them yet. The scene with Katherine was about as awkward as you'd expect, but things with Gary were tense.
Understandably, Gary was terrified of what would happen if Anna showed up there and recognized him, and unfortunately, she did.
Anna's reaction to Gary was surprising and enjoyable. Honestly, I can't say that I would've reacted any differently than she did about the ordeal, but you never know where a show will head for the drama of it all.
All she could think about was all the girls she saw her ex-husband with over the years and how many of them he could've assaulted under her nose. She knew that she wouldn't have learned the truth if Gary didn't put Peter in the hospital, so in a way, she was grateful for that.
Anna is a real one for that, and if she already wasn't an endearing character of whom you'd want in the friendship group, that exchange with Gary solidified it.
She's not wrong for being cautious with her heart after what happened with Peter. Eddie lying to her is triggering for her, so she's entitled to those feelings. However, I don't think there's much else Eddie could've done.
It wasn't his place to tell Anna anything about the situation with Gary, and he was protecting his friend -- his brother, too. It's hard to say if he could've played it any differently.
It sucks that she left; Eddie has been at his absolute happiest now that he's met her, and it's a new stage in his life. He and Anna are good together, and there's still a chance they can have a successful, honest relationship. The issue between them right now is salvageable; it just may take some time on Anna's end of things.
Gary: I'll do whatever you want, okay? Please? Not here.
Anna: You know when I met you at that audition, I was standing there with a clipboard that had at least 15 girls' names on it, and I have no idea how many of those girls he hurt, and if he hadn't been in the hospital, I don't know that I ever would've found out. He got what he had coming to him. Your secret's safe with me.
Ironically, for most of the hour, you could sense that Gary struggled with how happy everyone was and how lonely he felt. He wants his family's happiness, but he has a hard time.
For the most part, his friends were doing well and in healthy relationships, and he didn't have that. Things with Darcy fell through, and he's back to pining after Maggie.
He caught himself from placing his security ahead of Eddie's happiness, and he didn't want to ruin what Eddie had going on with Anna or her closeness with Sophie.
It pained him every time he saw Maggie and Cam together, but he's been there supporting the two of them because he wants Maggie to be happy. He learned that Katherine is seeing someone, and you could tell it made him think about his lack of love, too.
Interestingly, all roads lead back to Maggie, and while it feels a bit redundant, we're learning over time that they've matured enough as separate people to make their relationship work maybe this time around.
No one seems to know Maggie as well as Gary does, including Cam, bless his heart.
He was gung-ho about this surprise party, and the entire time, it felt like something would go disastrously wrong and set Maggie off in some significant way.
Cam always means well, but he doesn't know how to be there for Maggie, and it's almost painful to witness how out of touch he is with her at all times. He's a great guy, but he just isn't HER guy, you know?
It sucks that it feels like Maggie is stringing him along in the first place. You can tell she isn't as into him as he is her, so it's painful to witness their scenes together, especially when you know her heart is somewhere else.
The pure chemistry and sexual tension between Gary and Maggie have been crackling like crazy, and there is nothing that Cam can do to compensate for that.
Anyone who knows Maggie well enough could've guessed that she wouldn't want a big birthday bash, and despite her insistence, Cam went above and beyond to celebrate her.
For Maggie, there were years where she didn't even know if she'd make it to her 30th birthday, so as a cancer survivor, she's always hesitant about those types of celebrations out of fear that she'll jinx it or invite some bad things. It's something that Gary understood as a fellow survivor.
But Gary has been great at reminding Maggie to heed the advice she so effortlessly doles out to other people. She needs to live for now. She beat cancer, so she may as well live the life she fought for in the first place.
Maggie probably wouldn't have worked up the nerve to attend that party if not for Gary's words. No one else could've gotten her to the location in the first place.
For a bit, it felt as if the reemergence of feelings was one-sided and coming from Gary, but if it wasn't evident from her admission on the air, all that was put to rest when she followed him into that elevator and kissed him.
It's funny how the two of them can reel you back in a bit. After a while, it was sensible that the two were no longer together, but now, it seems they're in the right place in their lives to make a relationship work out.
Maggie: Wait!
Gary: What are you doing?
Maggie: I'm showing up for the rest of my life.
Of course, the Cam of it all is where things get sticky. He's a good guy, and he doesn't deserve to have Maggie kissing her ex in the elevator at a party he threw for her.
It's okay if Gary and Maggie are careening toward one another again, but this isn't the way to do it. They have to clear things up with Cam before they continue following up on what's between them.
Gary started the night down in the dumps about how lonely he was and his seemingly unrequited feelings for Maggie, and he ended it with her kissing him in the elevator. Let the drama begin!
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics. Are you thrilled about Maggie and Gary? Will Anna forgive Eddie? Sound off 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.
