3x13 Grad Night

[7.9/10] A very nice, albeit very schmaltzy, ending to the show’s third season. They’re really going for the sap here, but it largely worked on me, so who am I to complain?

That said, I think my favorite moment here was one of the less schmaltzy ones. It was Alexis looking at the resumes for other receptionists and realizing that not only is there someone who could do a better job, but that they could help Ted. It’s a sort of selflessness, empathy, and understanding and concern for others that we don’t normally see from Alexis. It’s a nice way to show her growth continuing; it shows that all that time with Ted has been good for her soul, and hell, it even paves the way for the two of them to date again without the uncomfortable boss/employee dynamic.

The rest of the episode is good too. The scenes involving Alexis’s high school graduation are some of the sappiest, but they still work. I particularly like the scene of Moira and Alexis with the latter in her cap and gown. You forget how good a dramatic actress Catherine O’Hara is given how great a comedic actress she is, but she totally sells the look of sincere pride and joy in Moira’s eyes when she sees her daughter ready to take this big step.

The Jazzagals performance is the icing on the cake at that point. It’s nice that Ted shows up to support Alexis too, cementing their bond even apart from the vet clinic. But it is very sweet, however cheesy, for Moira to put her money where her mouth is (while, admittedly, stealing some focus) to make her daughter a priority in her life. It’s not quite Lorelai locking eyes with Richard and Emily, but it’s still quite nice.

There’s even a victory for Johnny here! Lord knows the last thing we needed was more Roland-related sex schtick, but the fact that he and Stevie managed to sell out the motel is an achievement for him too. It’s nice to see all the Roses having their little victories.

That includes David. His is maybe the lowest key, but I like what they do. For some reason, David’s seemed really hesitant to push things with Patrick. Maybe it’s just the demands of a network sitcom where payoffs have to come at the end of the season. Whatever it is, I like Stevie kicking David in the pants and telling him to treat this “birthday dinner” with Patrick like the date that it clearly is. Their kiss in the car is very sweet, and there’s interesting ground to cover with Patrick still testing the waters of his sexual orientation. They have good chemistry together, and Patrick’s thank you to David for the kiss is really genuine and sweet.

I even liked the tag, with Johnny and Moira bringing in a cake (with the wrong names) to show that they didn’t fully forget their kids’ achievements, while also crediting themselves for their recent successes. It’s the perfect, “We’ve grown, but we’re still adorably flawed” note to go out on, especially the over-the-top singing.

On the whole, this was another strong season, one that may even top the prior one. It’s focused on the growth for each of the Roses and taken them in interesting directions, even if it started a little shaky. Onto season 4.