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Episode 4 Recap: "I'm Not in Love"
Was anyone surprised when David said he wanted to join Katie in her therapy session? I've been anticipating this moment and it was worth the wait. The elephant in the room isn't initially addressed when Dr. May asks about their anniversary. David loved the steak and the TiVo, but Katie mentions her disappointment with the purple teddy and that he never made a move on her after she showered. David previously stated he didn't want to be blamed and erupts when (rightly?) assuming Katie is doing just that. An awkward silence ends with his angry outburst about how buying household necessities and reading bedtime stories are not sexy. He might be a financial provider but resents nourishing his family. Katie's response: "Our entire life… that's what you just trashed."
The thought of Katie at the Hair Fairy checking for nit infestation is another turn-off to David. While pumping gas, he stares at the scantily clad ladies on a billboard for America's Next Top Model.
Isabella's doctor tells Katie that the average age for menstruation has dropped from 14 to 12 years old, due to too many environmental estrogens in our "milk, meat, plastic wrap and milk bottles." Katie reacts to the "horror story" by frantically throwing out everything in the house made of plastic. While this overly cautious act is meant to retard her little girl from entering adulthood (and delay any similar unhappiness), it's ironic that Katie also throws out Isabella's Barbie dolls, a symbol of her youth.
Sonya Walger's face amazingly relates the frustration and exhaustion of Carolyn persistently and unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant. (Ripping out a paper towel dispenser gets the point across, too.) The first sound we hear in the opening scene is the 1975 song "I'm Not in Love," by 10cc. Carolyn's blank stare shows she is either thinking about the gloomy lyrics or that she has made her decision and will take action to get inseminated.
After relating to Dr. May that her OB/GYN said she's physically fine, Carolyn searches for a few more answers when she meets with a former boyfriend (who now has two boys) and asks if they "created a karmic debt" when she had an abortion in college.
Palek appears to maintain a good perspective when he says they'll be "OK" (not fine) if Carolyn is not pregnant, but his actions say something else. He misses a therapy session and hasn't been taking Carolyn's calls. He doesn't seem to relate to his workers who want to spend time with their children on Columbus Day. And when Palek buys two suits, one black and one blue, the colors may represent an outward expression of his bruised feelings.
Jamie's distrusting Hugo and defining herself through sex reveal codependency issues. For Hugo, connecting only sexually was like a drug, and now he's "in detox." Her initial visit with Dr. May peels away layers of Jamie's personality. Her parents forced her into therapy after discovering her in a sexual situation when she was 14 years old. (Were there bigger problems at home?) Confiding that she is uncomfortable with being monogamous, we see that Jamie is what she feared in Hugo.
Random thoughts:
•Palek meets David at work. Will their paths cross elsewhere?
•David isn't showing the usual signs of having a midlife crisis (like buying a red sports car.) Is it simply family fatigue?
•Katie wonders if they had children too soon. Would a delay have changed things?
•Given Carolyn's situation, the song "I'm Not in Love" has more than an obvious association. It was rumored that the band 10cc chose their name for the amount of semen produced after ejaculation. (It's actually less than that.)
•What do Jamie's tattoo symbols mean? And did she inflict physical pain on herself just to feel something?
•Jamie meets a possible love thing, Nick (Ian Somerhalder, formerly of Lost). Can her $110 sessions with May change her path or is Jamie doomed to repeat the Hugo story?
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Sep 30, 2007 10:33 PM
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I really appreciate this series. Watching this show is almost a little bit disturbing because I feel like I'm witnessing something that I shouldn't. But I love how raw it is. Thanks for the great recaps Mario!
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Oct 1, 2007 11:39 AM
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Raw is the exact word I use to describe this show. The fact that it doesn't romanticize the content makes it so enticing.
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Oct 1, 2007 12:02 PM
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When the series first started, I was anticipating when the characters would cross paths; but now I'm hoping the show takes its time. I enjoy the pace of 3 different couples in their own separate worlds
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Oct 1, 2007 12:46 PM
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With each episode and with the pacing, we get to examine and see more of their psycological makeup. David was especially great to watch in his scene in therapy. Before exploding, he just sat there like he was on display, and after the long silence asks if it was stand off.
All the acting is great. Palek matches Carolyn blank stare for blank stare. And it looks like we'll start to learn a lot more about what makes Jamie tick.
The more you watch, the more involved you become with them all.
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Oct 1, 2007 1:03 PM
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Thank goodness there are people out that can see past the sex and see the real emotions going on with this show!! This is a DRAMA...there's nothing else like this out there!!!
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Oct 1, 2007 9:13 PM
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Great episode.....love the acting...but I have one silly question. Has anyone else noticed that Carolyn never wipes after taking a leak?
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Oct 2, 2007 1:47 PM
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I love this show too and am glad to see there are others who appreciate it. Having been in a sitution not unlike David & Katie's, I am happy to see it brought to TV.
ccherry....I am with you about Carolyn not wiping NOR does she wash her hands LOL
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Oct 5, 2007 11:13 AM
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