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maggies-dies-million-little-things.jpg

'A Million Little Things' Recap: You Know It's True Love When You Kiss Someone After They Puke

By Dustin Rowles | TV | December 13, 2018 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | December 13, 2018 |


maggies-dies-million-little-things.jpg

Before we hit the recap, a little housekeeping is in order: When A Million Little Things returns in January 17th, it will be on a 9 p.m. on Thursdays, sandwiched between Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder instead of its Wednesday timeslot. (Eventually, Lauren Cohan’s new series with Scott Foley, Whiskey Cavalier, will inhabit the 10 p.m. spot on Wednesdays on the ABC schedule).

So, last night’s winter finale toyed with us for 40 minutes while careening towards a spectacular feel-good midseason finale, upon which it tacked some twists and revelations to keep us invested until its January return. All in all, a great stopping point before the break.

Rome and Regina were saddled with the eh plot this week, as the series continues to explore Rome’s depression. He’s on meds now, and he’s feeling better, but also “not himself,” which means Rome can’t get it up. It’s not just because of the medication, but also because of the way he now feels in their relationship. Regina’s taking care of him, and Rome grew up in a very patriarchal family. I guess being taken care of makes him feel less like a man, which makes him less able to perform sexually. The long and short of is this: At the end of the episode, Rome reveals that he’s going to stop taking his meds.

This is a terrible idea, because while Rome may not be “himself,” recall that Jon’s suicide was the only thing that kept Rome from killing his “self.” Maybe not feeling like himself is a good thing. I do appreciate this storyline, however, because it helps lay the foundation for what I expect will be a future episode in which Rome’s father concedes that he needs medication and that the reason he decided to start taking it is because Rome was “man” enough to inspire him to do so. It’ll be a big father/son lovefest.

Meanwhile, Eddie … oh, Eddie. I’m not sure what this show wants to do with Eddie anymore. Does it eventually want to get him back with Kathleen, because he’s sweet and apologetic to her? Or does it want to pair him up with Delilah, since she’s having his kid and because Eddie spends so much time mooning over Delilah? He is very good with Delilah’s daughter this week, but it’s hard to escape the feeling that he’s doing it as a way to enamor himself more to Delilah.

In either respect, he’s headed out on tour now, and I’m curious as to what the show wants to do with him out there? Does he get wrapped up in it and reinvest himself in music and become a negligent father? Does he relapse while on tour and come home a drunk singing “The Shallow”? IS EDDIE BRAD COOPER IN A STAR IS BORN? Or does the show … kill him off while he’s on tour? In a way, killing Eddie off frees both Kathleen and Delilah to pursue better storylines. Both of their storylines are wrapped up in Eddie, and they’re both such terrific characters, I’d like to see them operated independently.

In fact, that may become a possibility when the show returns, because one of the storylines the show is teasing for its return sees Delilah approaching Kathleen — whose husband is the father of Delilah’s baby — to help her with a legal matter. Or financial matter. During a Christmas party, a man serves Delilah with an eviction notice, informing her that not only had the mortgage not been paid off by Jon as Delilah had thought but that payments on the mortgage were in arrears. That might be a legal matter, for which Delilah is pursuing advice from Kathleen. Or it might be a financial one, for whom Delilah is seeking financial assistance (the latter feels especially tacky).

In either respect, Ashley is up to her neck in whatever the issue is. She’s trying to hold off creditors, hiding overdue bills in an apartment building where — as we learn in the episode’s final scene — she and Jon apparently had an affair. “I’m not the man everyone thinks I am,” he tells Ashley before they kiss in a flashback. No, apparently not, Jon.

This does rule out the possibility that Ashley is Jon’s secret love child with Barbara Morgan, as some fans had speculated. However, it does portend the possibility that Jon and Ashley had a second life in a second home, and that Jon fell behind financially because he couldn’t afford both lives. But the complications also apparently have something to do with Jon — in a flashback — complaining on the phone because he couldn’t “get the votes.” For what, Jon? The votes for what?

Whatever is going on, Ashley holds all those secrets … except for the Barbara Morgan one.

We end, however, on a happy note: Maggie and Gary makeup and bond over using their cancer to guilt people who cut in line at a Christmas Tree place. However, Maggie soon finds out that Gary slept with Ashley, but that bombshell is quickly diffused when Gary says, “I slept with Ashley BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.” Maggie doesn’t even get enough time to react before she pukes, because she’s back on chemo. So elated, Gary kisses her AFTER SHE VOMITED ALL OVER HIM. That’s how you know its true love. Now Gary is attending chemo treatments with Maggie, and they’re once again the happy couple they should have been all along.

Anyway, here’s the teaser for its return, and it teases lots of Jon revelations, but also slyly suggests that Maggie will die. THAT IS A TOTAL FAKE OUT. This show isn’t going to kill off Maggie here, and if it did, Gary would be a lot more animated with his, “I can’t believe she’s gone.” Also, the teaser would not pronounce, “There’s one thing you never saw coming,” IF IT TELLS YOU EXACTLY WHAT IT’S COMING.

In fact, the low-key “I can’t believe she’s gone,” delivered by Gary is more befitting the death of Ashley. Maybe Delilah kills her for SLEEPING WITH HER MAN AND LEAVING HER $18 MILLION IN DEBT.

That life insurance payout cannot come soon enough (assuming it even applies in cases of suicide).



Header Image Source: ABC