A Million Little Things Season 4 Episode 18 Review: Slipping
Jasmine Blu
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Oh, we have some captivating new predicaments!
This time, it was David Giuntoli's turn to direct, and he had a huge task, given that A Million Little Things Season 4 Episode 18 was chocked full of so many different arcs and new revelations.
We saw the return of Shanice and Maggie's mother, Patricia, and a mysterious young redhead may have it out for Anna.
Oh, Katherine! She's put herself in a hell of a predicament with Shanice. It was so good to see Shanice return, and she and Katherine have amazing chemistry together.
It was hard not to replay that kiss they shared and the connection between them that set Katherine on this path to coming out and embracing herself and her sexuality.
It was awkward enough that Greta is a massive fan of Shanice, but it was made worse when Katherine didn't share how close she and Shanice were with Greta.
In some ways, the difficulty was not being able to share with Greta that she had a closer relationship with Shanice because it would've meant outing Shanice.
But Katherine was also feeling some conflict. Because she didn't share with Shanice that he had a live-in girlfriend either, Shanice only learned the truth when Theo spilled the beans.
He's so good at telling all the secrets and instigating drama without realizing it. You could tell that Shanice would've happily picked up where things left off, which placed Katherine in some dangerous territory. She's a woman who has been on the other end of infidelity.
You ready to have your world rocked?
Shanice [to Katherine]
She probably never envisioned how complicated things could be in that regard. But her conversation with Shanice needed to happen, and you could understand both women's perspectives. Katherine is happier than she's ever been because of her ability to face her truth, and while she's still a work in progress, it's been good for her.
She never would've gotten to that point without Shanice, but she also wouldn't be happy if she had to hide a relationship with Shanice if they were together.
On the flip side, Shanice had some understandable reasons for wanting to stay in the closet, especially as a famous actress who fought tooth and nail to get to where she is now.
Nevertheless, it felt like a gauntlet was thrown when Katherine saw the news that Shanice publicly came out. Things are about to get more complicated for Katherine.
Patricia was another unexpected guest who stirred things up. It's always a delight to see Melora Hardin, and she and Allison Miller not only have great chemistry as they play mother and daughter, but it's always uncanny how much they resemble.
Patricia can never resist inserting herself in all of Maggie's business, but Maggie often feels like her mother doesn't care enough or have a genuine interest.
Some of Maggie's insecurities about motherhood flared up after Patricia found out about Maggie and Gary's pregnancy plans. And it was brutal to watch Maggie snipe at her mother and Patricia pushing Maggie's buttons.
But Patricia aided things, too. Her scene with Gary was a great one, and she does have a knack for giving decent advice and making corny, cute jokes, too.
I always say in the room with Dr. Bloom. Dr. Bloom was in my womb.
Patricia
Gary needed to get over his issues about his sperm and be more open to the idea of IVF. And by the end of the hour, he was, and Maggie and Patricia made their amends.
Gina had some maternal issues of her own, but it was a matter of her figuring out how she felt about Tyrell's dating life and inserting herself into it when she had concerns.
It's not surprising that Tyrell is dating Val's daughter Vali now, but they are going too fast for either of their benefits.
Gina and Val can't pretend as if the teens' romance doesn't affect their relationship, and it's a disaster waiting to happen for all involved.
Vali is younger, inexperienced, and has some other issues, and Tyrell is a good guy, but rarely does that matter when a breakup happens. The women have reason to be concerned about all of this.
However, there's only so much that Gina can do. She talked to Tyrell, and she gave him some advice. Everything else is out of her hands now.
It's undoubtedly been delightful that we've gotten more of Gina and Tyrell bonding in the last few installments, as usually, the show loves to focus on Tyrell and Rome's relationship.
But Rome had his hands full with freaking out over whether or not he was handling things well with Maddox. The fact that Rome worries so much only shows how much he cares and how great he is as a teacher.
Rome: Maddox, hey, what happened?
Maddox: I went home.
The hour even remembered that Rome used to turn to Maggie for some of his biggest problems. Their friendship has all but fallen off the map, but Rome calling into her radio station under a fake name to talk through the Maddox situation was amusing.
Maddox was so proud of himself, and he was brave for choosing picture day to come out as trans and share his name.
Rome was beside himself with worry, partly because of his experiences in that same school. But Gen Z is a different breed, and they tend to be far more open-minded and accepting than those before them.
A fellow student inquired about Maddox's attired but was unfazed when Maddox stated who he was, and that was the end. The teens weren't Maddox's biggest obstacle in living his truth; his parents were the issue.
It was soul-crushing when he went from beaming in his slacks and blazer one day to wearing that skirt and barely being able to make contact the next.
Since we're on the topic of eye contact, there are so many red flags going on because of Tye, the redheaded teen at the end of the hour.
Sophie's plan to rent out a room as a safe space for anyone who experienced the same abuse she did was moving. It was a bit concerning that she left the information out there so even people who doubted her and accused her of lying or Peter's family could see.
It was too likely a chance that an unfriendly could breach the meeting and further harass the girls.
And in a way, that happened.
Initially, it looked as if Sophie would be sitting in that room all by herself, but then others came flooding in, making your heartbreak.
On the one hand, Sophie probably got some twisted comfort in knowing that she's not alone since Layla is dead. However, you don't want anyone to endure what she and the others did from Peter, so it was heartbreaking to know there were so many others.
Tye was the only one who refused to talk about her experience or so much of anything, though. And she sure as heck didn't have the best reaction when Anna showed up.
But to be fair, Anna probably should not have gone to that meeting. For starters, Anna needs to be at AA or at least attempt to get her drinking under control. Eddie cannot force her to recognize that she has a problem and do something about it.
Eddie means well, and it's obvious that he cares. But from handing her his sobriety chip to directing her to AA, Eddie wants this for Anna more than she does herself, and it's not beneficial to him that she's become a project more than a partner.
Anna could've gone anywhere. She could've let those girls have that safe space without her showing up as another reminder of Peter and making it about herself.
But she intruded on those girls to apologize and express her remorse, anger, and more with herself because she didn't see the signs sooner or save them.
I just came here to say that I'm sorry. And I should've known what was going on, and I don't know how I didn't.
Anna
But it wasn't about Anna at all. It wasn't about her feelings, and as emotional as that scene was for Anna, beautifully performed by Erin Karpluck, it was frustrating that she centered herself at that moment.
Most of the girls softened to her presence after what she had to say, but it was too soon for that.
Tye doesn't appear to be an Anna fan, though. Maybe she has something to do with Peter's death, and maybe not.
But nothing good can come from her stalking Anna and Eddie right now. What does she have planned?
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics.
Gina: The girl that was here this morning, was it Vali?
Tyrell: Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. We've been hanging out a lot, and I promise I'm being safe.
What is Tye planning? Are you worried that Shanice's presence will cause friction between Greta and Katherine? 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.
