A Million Little Things Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Think Twice
Jasmine Blu
at
.
It never serves anyone well to be quick to judgment.
Gina, Eddie, and Maggie got a hard dose of that medicine on A Million Little Things Season 5 Episode 2, as we had a relatively down-to-earth hour.
Following the emotional A Million Little Things Season 5 Episode 1, it was nice to keep things relatively simple with this installment because we know things will be easygoing for a while.
When you're quick to judgment and action, it can cost you and others in the end, but there are lessons to glean along the way.
The second Gina saw those track marks on Jonathan's arm, she wrote him off and then assumed the absolute worst from him. It didn't matter that whatever goodwill he built up before should've counted for something.
The storyline had this subtle way of reminding a person of how different generations can think and approach certain situations and how popular thoughts about social issues have evolved over the years.
Gina's reaction to Joseph from that moment forward, in some ways, fell in line with what you'd expect from Gen X. She was more guarded and seemingly practical with her line of thinking after the robbery.
Even her response to Rome pointing out that they parked the food truck in a rough part of time fell aligned with some of that. She didn't bat an eye at the notion that she could jeopardize herself because of where the food truck resided, and it didn't seem like something far beyond what she could handle.
It wasn't a pearl-clutcher for her as it may have been for someone a bit older. However, the robbery and her observations about Joseph led to some wariness moving forward.
And even then, her instinct was to be more cautious and gain some distance. Her experience prompted her to want to relocate the truck or tighten up on things, not some preconceived notion about what even being in the vicinity could represent.
Sophie had that youthful, Gen Z compassionate approach to the whole situation. She was fond of Joseph because he was a genuinely decent, fun person she liked to play music with, and the fact that he was unhoused didn't matter to her.
Sophie: Honestly, Gina, the way that you and that cop were just automatically thinking that it was him. It's upsetting.
Gina: My heart breaks for him, but I also need to look out for you, and the sad truth is many of the unhoused are on drugs, including Joseph.
She trusted what she knew of Joseph as a person, not as any identities he possessed or categories he fell into. Her response to Joseph as a suspect in the mugging was one of discernment rather than naivete.
For Gina, Joseph could've posed a threat as a drug abuser because of the stigmas attached, but for Sophie, Joseph being an unhoused person and possibly a drug abuser wasn't even relevant.
One could appreciate how Gina's outlook changed again when she realized she made wrong assumptions about Jonathan after discovering that he attends dialysis instead of using drugs.
But the point was executed even better when Sophie doubled down on the fact that even if Joseph was a drug addict, it didn't make him less of a person or an inherently bad one in the first place.
Gina has been around long enough to have seen the evolution of how we approach and even discuss addiction as it's shifted from a thought process of moral, personal failings to recognition of it as a disease that requires help.
For Sophie, essentially, her entire life, she's operated in a society that has been destigmatizing things like drug addiction, homelessness, and mental illness.
It was one of those situations where these two friends and the chasm between them and their experiences interestingly was on full display.
It was upsetting that Gina reporting that grand theft prompted the city to do what it eagerly loves to do best, destroying the homeless encampment with the implication that it was an eye sore and stain on the community, bothering people.
Gina wanted her money back; she didn't want transient individuals to have whatever little property they had destroyed and thrown out and their makeshift homes torn down.
It was heartbreaking to see that because now these individuals will be on the move, searching for a new place, and the whole thing will likely repeat all over again.
And it never once addresses the root of the problem or helps anything at all.
The introduction of this storyline makes you wonder where they plan to take it. Sophie's connection with Jonathan seemed genuine, and they were sweet together. She's formed an attachment, and Gina has, too, fueled by guilt.
She found his harmonica, so she'll find a way to return it, right? It wouldn't be a surprise if something like this inspired Gina and Sophie to help however they could with the unhoused community.
Gina is such a loving person with a big heart, and running a soup kitchen or something akin to it would be right up her alley, and Sophie is a passionate girl who is still searching for a purpose and may find something fulfilling in a new cause.
They already had a friendly enough rapport with the people there before that incident. And the irony about things like that is the loyalty, trust, and favor one can get with kindness, acceptance, and understanding.
It wouldn't surprise me if, down the road, they find out who took the money when someone returns it or someone approaches them to offer information or help once comfortable with Sophie and Gina.
The thing about those very communities is that when you're good to them, they return that in kind.
Eddie's judgmental moment was easier to relate to because his date would've come across as a chair chaser with a fetish based on what she kept discussing.
She could have been trying to put Eddie at ease with her familiarity with the wheel-chair community, but when you mention how "brave" the people in the Paralympics are, it will raise a few flags.
Her suggestion about a conversion van felt innocent enough, especially since she admitted that her ex was also in a chair. But that Olympics comment, with a few other mild ones, seemed condescending and insensitive, so it's no wonder Eddie jumped to conclusions.
And to be fair, there are people with all sorts of fetishes. If this woman has a brother who has been in a chair since he was four and is heavily active in the community. As a result, she'd know that and understand Eddie's wariness about the whole thing.
Setting aside, of course, that just because she's related to someone who is part of the disability community doesn't immediately mean she's incapable of microaggressions and ignorance or that she's exempt from being offensive.
It also doesn't mean she's in the position to tell Eddie whether or not he's accepted himself or is confident enough. She doesn't even know him.
Her jump to that when his reservations and caution with her were totally reasonable was a stretch.
There are brownie points for Eddie wheeling away from that experience, concluding that he's not totally happy with where he is, not because of the chair, but just life in general.
Greta: Anyone who shows up and has a problem with your chair, they'd have canceled themselves in the first five seconds.
Eddie: I am pretty comfortable with myself in this thing, but waiting to see if she is too it kind of sounds like torture.
He's ready to enroll in school and finish earning the degree he never got when he left college to tour with his band. The older he's gotten over the years, the more he's distanced himself from the glamor of being a rockstar.
He doesn't make it his entire identity or the thing that defines him anymore. What does he intend to go to school for and earn a degree?
The hour starting with Eddie planning to jump into his next relationship and ending with him pursuing something else was refreshing.
And frankly, so is his relationship with Greta. The two of them becoming besties is hilarious, yet it works. Greta went from annoyed that Eddie was always around to her helping him with his dating profile and thoroughly invested in his life sans Katherine was good fun.
While every bit of Eddie and Greta entering their bestie era is appealing, they still need to do something with Katherine soon.
Rome had some amusing moments with his father, too, as he spent most of the hour trying to prove that Walter wasn't at the top of his game, and Walter fought him on it the whole way through.
The exchange at the ticket stand was funny until the dark side of it sank in. Walter wasn't just some elder man stubbornly and defiantly proving a point to Rome and the ticket guy.
He rolled backward, puncturing all his tires, not because he was too worked up to pay attention but because he forgot that he had put the car in reverse.
It still wouldn't have fared well if he destroyed his car or at least marked up it by rolling through the bar.
The Lexus shtick was solid product placement. And it fueled their games, resulting in that road test.
But it's not uncommon for people battling dementia to recall the distant past better than the present. Walter's attempts to prove he was okay to Rome have mostly been references to the distant past.
When he pulled up at his old apartment 40 years ago, even Walter couldn't keep fighting the idea that something could be wrong. It was painful as he acknowledged that himself.
Walter: Maybe I've just been making excuses, telling myself it's not about forgetting where you left the car keys; it's about forgetting what the car keys are for.
Rome: I got you, pop, no matter what. I'm going to take care of you; you know that, right?
The whole storyline is heartbreaking. It's not something anyone wants to see before their eyes. It's hard, emotionally taxing, and devastating.
As important as these stories are, I'm not prepared to watch this one play out this season. And again, I hate that we're revisiting it. It was hard enough when Delilah's father went through all of this.
On the Air with Gar should be a thing. Gary has the perfect personality for his own radio show or podcast. He balances out the humor with solid advice effortlessly.
If things fall through at the station, Maggie and Gary should do their own podcast together.
For a bit, I thought Carlton would invite Gary to replace Maggie temporarily, and that would be the conflict that would drive Gary and Maggie's relationship as she finishes out her pregnancy and goes on maternity leave.
It would've been amusing with her incensed that Gary was "making a mockery" of what she did but, worst yet, that people would prefer him over her.
Instead, they went in a totally different direction, with Dr. Jessica replacing Maggie and the implication that it could be on a more permanent basis.
Is it me, or did Colton not seem that bad? Maggie was complaining about him so much that one would've expected that he would be this truly horrible person.
But it was sweet that he gave her a soda machine as a gift because he paid attention and knew she could only keep down bubbly water.
And Maggie did all this complaining about the maternity leave situation, but she wouldn't just have the discussion she needed with him.
She's about to have this baby practically tomorrow. It made no sense that a woman who doles out advice couldn't follow her own and address her maternity leave and issues with Colton early on.
Colton not only brought it up but gave her the allotted 12 weeks instead of what she asked for, and he seemed more supportive of the idea that she has space to figure out what she desires rather than feeling pressure one way or another.
I'm sure they're trying to make us think that Collton is some sexist plotting to get rid of Maggie or punish her for being pregnant, but it's not translating that well.
For one, his possible beef with Maggie could be based on how she's treated him thus far.
And from a practical viewpoint, if Colton noticed how much people responded to Gary and loved a new voice, it doesn't seem unreasonable that he's responding to that and figuring out how to capitalize on it for what's best for the station.
If he's getting all his ducks in a row in case Maggie, who everyone knows is pregnant and has also been dealing with her spouse's cancer, can't pull off her radio show anymore, can we fault him?
And if there was a sexist point about pregnant women, would he have reached out to Dr. Jessica, a woman who could end up pregnant herself or maybe a working mom?
The thing that did feel off about this storyline was that Dr. Jessica showed up and may take on this job temporarily. She likely knows who Maggie is and her relationship with Gary.
The overlap is weird, and it doesn't feel like something an ethical therapist would even do. Colton reaching out to Jessica after Gary's name drop makes sense, but Jessica showing up and even considering this doesn't feel right at all.
Gary: Please, don't forget how much power you have. Or, instead of worrying about what Colton Culter and his dad want you to do, you just go tell them exactly what you want to do.
Maggie: Wow. That's not bad, Dr. Mendez.
And this will put Gary in a sucky position. He already hasn't felt like he's been the best for Maggie during her pregnancy. But now he'll be stuck between his spouse and his therapist.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics. What did you think of the Dr. Jessica development? Did Eddie's date overreact? 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.
