Gary catches it again when he makes another Dixon member upset.
Also on A Million Little Things Season 4 Episode 13, Maggie makes some interesting decisions at work and in her personal life, Eddie gets advice from Katherine, and much more.
Join Christine Orlando, Jack Ori, and Jasmine Blu as they discuss the hour.
Did you appreciate Maggie taking a stand at the radio station? How do you feel about Jane getting fired over it, and do you think Maggie will also face repercussions?
Christine: I loved that Maggie took this stand. Whether to carry a pregnancy to term or not is a personal decision that will change someone’s life forever. Personal medical decisions should be private and not political.
Maggie has the right to counsel her callers as she sees fit. The flip side of that is the station can fire her because they don’t like her content.
As far as the station is concerned, firing Maggie was Jane’s job, and she failed to perform her duties, so they can fire her too. That’s just the way the world works.
But in the past, the station pushed Maggie to share more of herself and her personal history with her audience. Now they don’t like what they hear. It will be interesting to see where this goes.
Jack: I thought Maggie was right to take the stand she did. Her job is to counsel callers, and she did that. The people who call in to discuss their feelings around abortion deserve the same non-judgment and honest advice as any other caller.
It’s unfortunate that Jane was fired for failing to keep Maggie in line, but as Christine said, that’s how it works sometimes.
Jasmine: I feel Maggie had every right to counsel her caller as she deemed fit, and there was nothing inherently wrong with that at all.
However, I do tire of Maggie always going on a crusade and other people consistently facing the repercussions for her actions. It’s become an annoying pattern, and Maggie always comes across as inconsiderate to the people she puts in jeopardy when she’s laser-focused on her specific point.
She made her decision to help the caller, and that was great. But she went out of her way to make a big thing about it after the fact when it wasn’t necessary, at least until she helped another caller in the same way again.
I also didn’t care for how they wrapped it up like Jane lost her job, but hey, at least she has a man now? Like, what?
What are your thoughts on Rome’s plan to expose his former teacher? How do you feel about this turn in his arc?
Christine: Rome was devastated by the teacher’s lack of action, and he never felt safe or accepted at that school. I’d love for Rome to talk to the man about it because it’s hard to tell what the teacher was thinking at the time.
Schools struggle with how to deal with racism now, but In the 1980s and 1990s, racism and sexism were mostly ignored. Did the teacher not know how to handle the situation? At that time, I doubt there was any guidance from the school, at least nothing remotely helpful.
But I don’t believe that attacking the man now, especially in front of the entire student body, is right. Plus, he’s agreed to show Rome’s film, so perhaps his perspective has evolved, but Rome won’t know that unless he speaks to him.
Jack: I agree with Christine. While Rome was devastated and should talk to the teacher, there’s nothing to gain by coming at him aggressively. The teacher may not even remember the incident or may have changed his perspective in the years since.
Jasmine: Hell, while I didn’t have to endure what Rome did during the ’80s and ’90s, I’m still very much familiar with his experience.
Yet, I’m still not a fan of this storyline and find it confounding. I don’t feel like the buildup or anything else to this arc supported this weird direction they went with introducing this storyline. It feels contrived, and Rome’s plan made me cringe.
The series always makes an effort to explore race and the experiences of its characters of color, and they’ve done well with those storylines sometimes; I just can’t say I’m a fan of this particular one. I’d prefer if we sat through his therapy sessions or something instead.
Do you understand why Danny was upset with Gary, or are you tired of people getting upset with him all the time? Should Danny have taken Milo back?
Christine: Danny was lashing out. He’s hurt and needed someone to blame, and as usual, Gary was there. But yes, I’m tired of everyone getting upset with Gary, especially Delilah’s kids since Gary seems to be there for them more than their own mother!
And no, he shouldn’t have taken Milo back just because he’s lonely. (And did he really make it sound like there are no young gay men in France?)
Due to their age, distance, and Milo already having cheated on Danny, this relationship is destined to end. But Danny needs to learn that for himself, and no one will be able to change his mind until he does.
Jack: Danny is a teenager, and Milo is his first love. He doesn’t like having his decisions questioned, especially since Milo overheard and was upset about it. So it’s understandable why Danny was upset with Gary, though I am tired of everyone lashing out at Gary, too.
I think Danny needs to broaden his horizons. He assumes that there are no gay boys besides Milo anywhere in the world, and that’s simply not true, even if it feels like it is right now. But he also has to learn for himself why taking Milo back is a bad idea, and Gary can’t force him to see it.
Jasmine: For a moment, I thought I’d have to revoke Danny’s status as my favorite Dixon. But alas, he was back to the young man I adore by the end.
To be fair, I didn’t understand teens when I was one, so Danny’s anger at Gary felt extra to me. Still, it’s probably because I’m tired of everyone pissing on Gary all the time, especially the Dixon children, who probably wouldn’t be functioning human beings without Gary since Delilah has been useless for an eternity.
And no. He shouldn’t have taken Milo back because clearly, they’re too young and too far away to sustain a serious relationship like this.
And Danny assuming that there are no other gay kids his age IN FRANCE, had me wondering how poorly adapted he must be there. Does he not spend time with anyone outside of baby Charlie?
Katherine gave Eddie advice on intimacy with Anna. Discuss.
Christine: This was such a brilliant conversation. It made me laugh and want to hug the two of them all at once. Eddie and Katherine make much better friends than they did spouses. I love that they can talk about things like this with one another and be so honest. It was one of my favorite scenes from the entire series.
Jack: I loved this scene. I’m glad Katherine and Eddie can support each other now that they’ve moved on.
Jasmine: I loved everything about that scene between Eddie and Katherine. It was my favorite part of the episode.
It reminded me how great Park and Giuntoli’s chemistry is and actually made me miss what they could’ve been if they spent as much time on this part of their relationship as they did all the angst.
Do you think Ronald and Gina will eventually bump heads, or are you hoping they continue to stay the course in their partnership and father/daughter relationship building?
Christine: Both. They come at things from different perspectives, which means they’ll bump heads, but that doesn’t have to end their relationship.
It feels like they are both determined to put in the effort to strengthen their personal and working relationships, and if that continues, there’s no reason why they can’t be successful at both.
Jack: Exactly what Christine said.
Conflict is unavoidable, especially when you have two strong-minded people who have different perspectives. But both Gina and Ronald have good intentions, and it’ll be a big step for them if they can discuss disagreements honestly instead of anyone shutting down or lashing out.
Jasmine: All of the above.
Do you think the series is wrapping up storylines and minimizing conflict as a precaution in case it doesn’t get renewed?
Christine: Unfortunately, yes. I love this show, but the ratings have never been strong. I want another season, but I appreciate the writers hedging their bets so fans aren’t left with storylines dangling if the show doesn’t make the cut.
Jack: I read that DJ Nash said that the season is supposed to end on a huge cliffhanger, so for that reason, I don’t think the series is wrapping up storylines just in case it doesn’t get renewed.
I think some stories are being wrapped up to make room for other big stories. Maggie’s curiosity about whether she can safely carry a baby to term, for example, seems like the beginning of a story rather than an ending, and Rome’s story certainly doesn’t seem anywhere near ending either.
Jasmine: Obviously, I love the show, but they’ve dialed back on the big mysteries, and it feels like they’re treading water at times or running out of steam.
In that sense, some of the storylines they’ve introduced, wrapped up, or they’re allowing to just exist gives off that they’re hedging their bets and playing it safe just in case.
Of course, if Jack is right, then it could be that they’re giving us a lot of filler until they drop some bombshell on us at the end of the season. If that’s the case, I don’t know how to feel about that.
What was your favorite moment, arc, or character from the hour?
Christine: Oh, Eddie and Katherine’s conversation concerning his reservations about having sex with Anna and Katherine’s newfound bisexuality were the best. Sweet, poignant, enlightening, and funny.
Jack: I liked Eddie and Katherine’s conversation too. I also liked Rome’s visit to the school and his shock at seeing the same teacher who had let him down all those years ago.
Jasmine: It’s anonymous. Katherine and Eddie’s chat was by far my favorite part of the episode. I love this part of their relationship where they’re literally each other’s best friend right now, and I thought their discussions were so vulnerable and honest, but they made each other feel safe.
Is there anything else you’d like to address?
Christine: Even when Delilah isn’t on screen, I still feel the need to rant about her.
First, her teenage son hops a plane from London to Boston, and she has no idea he’s gone. Then she agrees to let him stay in Boston for the week and never speaks to an adult about where he’ll be staying or if it’s an imposition. Delilah is the worst.
Jack: I was also annoyed by the whole Danny getting on a plane by himself thing. It was so unrealistic. I tried to give the writers some slack on this since AMLT is more or less a soap opera, but it just felt too far removed from reality for me.
Jasmine: Hahahaha!! Yeah. It got to the point where I laughed bitterly because, of course, Delilah. Delilah gonna Delilah.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics! Do you agree with us? Sound off below!
A Million Little Things airs Wednesdays on ABC.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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