Season 3, Episode 54: "A Lesson in Tightropes"

Sorry for the late posting, everyone. I totally lost track of time this week. Not to mention, I thought today was Saturday. Whoops!


All right, here we go: I introduce to you the most dramatic, tear-jerking episode in the entire series. As stated in "Kiss Today Goodbye," this episode follows the events of Dodie convincing Darren to come clean with Ginger about his budding relationship with Simone.

I've been waiting to review this episode since beginning this blog because it's my absolute favorite episode of the series. One of the reasons is that there is a very good B-plot with Carl that really explores Ginger's issue from his perspective, going to surprisingly mature depths far beyond his typical farce.

And, although I will admit this episode is more melodramatic than it needs to be, keep in mind this show is from the point of view of Ginger--a teenage girl. Don't lie--we were (are) all a little over-dramatic at that age.


The episode starts out on a dark, eerie tone with matching background music. Ginger's voiceover is heard as she's slowly walking down an empty hallway, and she says something very important: "Have you ever been struck by the feeling that something is... wrong? Nothing in particular, mind you, nothing you can quite put your finger on. Just an overwhelming sense that something in your universe has, well, shifted..." And part of that shift in Ginger's universe just so happens to cross paths with her, totally unaware that both their lives are about to change in the next 22 minutes. Again, melodrama.

We then cut to the boys' bathroom, where Darren is slumped against a toilet stall crumpling a letter to Ginger he wrote, crying. This is it, you guys. Here it comes.

The scene then cuts back to Ginger, who's at home finishing up the last of her latest song. We finally get to see her band in its entirety--a bunch of dudes we never get introduced to, and Orion. Ginger shoves the lyrics into Orion's chest and forces everyone to practice the song, despite their rumbling stomachs. Song first, then food.

So, the band performs the first verse of the song, and I have to say, it's down-right impressive for a bunch of high schoolers. Not that I don't think young teens can be talented, but these guys have some serious chops. The genre is best described as bluesy-alternative, using the same instruments as the music for the opening of each episode of the series. Ginger's voice when she sings is also much stronger and more raw, as you can tell she's really putting her energy into the song, which is, you guessed it--"Splinter in My Heart," a more complete version of the acoustic version she played last episode.

Right before they start the second verse, Darren shows up--hands shoved in his pockets, head low to the ground. "We need to talk," is what he says.

So, they take a walk down the street, away from the band, where Darren tries to get the words out. Ginger's being all grabby and snuggling up to Darren, interrupting him so she can tell him that they need to work harder on their relationship now that they have their extracurriculars going on. Darren realizes he can't beat around the bush, so he blurts out that their relationship is over.

I have a feeling Ginger knew Darren was going to say that, because she doesn't look too surprised. She definitely took a punch from those words, and struggles to maintain her composure as Darren explains that he's hard for Simone now, and lately, he and Ginger have been growing apart (that's true, though). What really hurts Ginger--and I want to knock Darren on his ass for saying this--is that he says Simone is "easier" to deal with at the moment. Translation: Simone is paying more attention to Darren and actually cares about his football games.

Okay, pause. Guys, girls, everyone--if you're going to break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, never ever use another person as a reason to justify your break-up. That's a really shitty thing to do that, even if true, will make your now-ex feel inadequate. Unless the person you're breaking up with is truly an awful person who cheated on you, beat you, or manipulated you in any way, telling your boyfriend/girlfriend you've found someone you like better is just a disgusting thing to do that'll surely tear whatever relationship you have left after the break-up, and possibly scar them for a very long time. (I don't speak from experience, but as a writer, I have to imagine how it would feel.)

Darren tries to stop Ginger from totally breaking down by saying all these wonderful things about her--that she's opinionated, headstrong, (those two words mean the same thing) and wonderful, and all these things make you question why Darren is doing this in the first place if he feels this way about Ginger. Alas, he wants Simone. He apologizes and hopes Ginger can forgive him for this. Luckily, Ginger tells him to fuck off in a subtle way before running back home.

The scene cuts to the Bishops' house, where Hoodsey is reading a scene from a trashy romance novel to Carl, shuddering in puberty-stricken bliss at the line, "'Oh, Clifford,' Beth murmured in his ear."

Is that a real bear skin rug?

Carl really doesn't give a shit about Beth or Clifford, and starts making astute observations about clichéd flowery descriptions romance writers often use in their writing, and I can't help but to laugh. I believe I mentioned in a previous post that I think romance novels are poison for the mind, partly because they're fantasy porn targeted to women. Ever crack open one of those short, fat romance novels in the grocery store? Chances are, you'll come across some really erotic lines that are so unrealistic it makes you wonder if the author ever even had sex. Don't even get me started on the gag-worthy purple prose in these scenes. I sincerely just hope the women who read these aren't the same women who complain that their husbands/boyfriends watch too much porn.

Oh, and I love Carl's reference to Clifford the Big Red Dog. I loved that show as a kid. And now thanks to that little slice of nostalgia, I just spent the rest of today looking up Clifford and other childhood favorites. Somehow, this led me to watching the Madeline: Lost in Paris movie that I haven't seen in at least 12 years, making me forget I was supposed to be focusing on this. Man, when nostalgia hits me, it knocks me out cold. 

Anyway, Darren comes over and heads up to Dodie's room, walking in on her having a fake conversation with a fake boy about how sickeningly gorgeous she is through a pony plush. Of course Dodie would be doing that--no guy in their right mind would even think about complimenting her, let alone talk to her.

Not that I care about Dodie's dignity, but shouldn't Darren have knocked first? What if Dodie was naked in there? *Shudder* I believe Darren had this problem popping in through Ginger's window all the time early on in the show. The boy needs to learn how to knock.

Anyway, he tells Dodie he broke up with Ginger, and starts to cry. This scene almost makes me feel a little bit sorry for him because he's obviously distraught over breaking up with his best friend, but Dodie (naturally) has to ruin the moment by reciting advice from some trashy teen magazine that outlines the stages of post-break-up. Put a cork in it, Bishop. No one wants your advice you stole from a teeny bopper magazine. Despite Dodie's distracting mouth, Darren still laments over how Ginger must be feeling. Okay, as much as I've come to dislike Darren over the past season, I have to give him credit for at least considering Ginger's emotions in this time of emotional trauma.

Back at the Foutleys' house, Ginger cries herself to sleep while Dodie and Macie attempt to console her. Dodie picks up a shattered photo frame of a preteen Ginger and Darren on Ginger's desk--Ginger must have taken a hammer to it once she got home or something. Brutal. Ginger feels so terrible, she says it feels like her insides exploded. That sounds incredibly painful. Again, Dodie tries to spout her magazine gobbledygook, but Macie nudges her angrily as a way to shut her the hell up already. Seeing as they have no experience in this department, they figure leaving Ginger alone to mourn the loss of her first boyfriend is the best thing they can do, since they don't know what to do to make her feel better. So, they turn off the lights and leave. I'd say it's better than Dodie attempting to "help."

I know this is the wrong time to mention this, but check out that hyper-realistic Pegasus poster! 

Later that night, Lois comes into Ginger's room after hearing about her break-up from Dodie and Macie and tries to get her to talk about it. Instantly, she realizes something isn't right with Ginger--she's not moving or making any sounds, like she's unconscious. Lois also notices she's running a fever, which causes her to panic. She calls Doctor Dave into the room "stat," which I think is a nice touch to the dialogue as it shows Lois's work as a nurse seeping into her home life. I guess she's so used to yelling for doctors to come in "stat" whenever a patient is in critical condition that she sort-of treats Ginger as a patient. These writers think of everything.

Doctor Dave takes a quick look at Ginger and instantly makes the decision to call 9-1-1. Well, that was an awfully fast diagnosis. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

The scene fades to white back to the Bishops, where Joann is attempting to cook a turkey for dinner. And by attempting, I mean she has no idea what she's doing. Hasn't she done this every Thanksgiving? Hoodsey tries to keep it on the down-low that he and Carl are reading her romance novels (oh my God--those are Joann's books? Joann reads softcore porn? Aaahh! What a sick mental image I got just now!) This scene delivers a hard kick of sexual innuendos, mainly because Hoodsey tells Carl they can't let Joann know they've been sneaking a peek at her books otherwise--and then Joann cuts in, uncomfortably reading from a cookbook the most overtly sexual way to stuff a turkey. Is there any chance Hoodsey and Dodie are adopted?

"...Scrape the cavity clean and stuff mixture into the gaping hole. Stuff with pimento and allow to stew in own juices." - Joann

Great mother of Manitoba--for someone as haughty as Joann, she seems to be the one spouting the most risqué dialogue the censors will allow on this show. Yeah, don't think I forgot about her calling Carl a "budding exhibitionist" last season.

Seeing that Carl is witnessing Joann treating her cookbook like one of her moist nightstand reads, Joann indirectly tells him to get his ass home. Carl picks up the phone to call Lois, only to be stopped by the sound of ambulance sirens and flashing lights outside, heading right for Ginger.

Ginger is rushed down the hospital hallways to the operating room while Doctor Dave makes a solid diagnosis--ruptured appendix. Ginger had apparently woken up between the last scene and now, because Doctor Dave tells her that she's in the best possible care--his (way to toot your own horn, Doc) and he is determined to not let her die. I sure hope he wouldn't let her die--that's his fiancée's daughter. If she dies in his hands, well, I'm not sure if there even would be a wedding. You know, I'd actually like to see a (fake) version of this episode where Ginger dies right as Doctor Dave wheels her into the O.R., just so I can see how everyone reacts. Yeah, that's really mean of me to say, but I did say a fake version!

Lois stands outside the operating room while Doctor Dave preps for surgery. Wait a minute--why can't Lois be in there, too? She works there; she's a nurse. Not to mention, that's her daughter in there. Maybe she doesn't want to see Ginger in so much agony, but would rather watch from afar. Still, it's strange. It's never discussed why she's outside like she has no authority to be in there.

Also, there's this weird time transition that doesn't make much sense--it's in a series of four still-frames. Lois, alone. Lois with a group of people. Lois with the same group of people plus more further down the hallway. Lois alone again. Visually, it doesn't make sense. I think I know what the animators are trying to do here, but it could have worked much better. If I directed this episode, I'd have people walking up and down the hallway in fast-forward while Lois watches through the window indefinitely, so it'll seem like a significant amount of time has passed.

As soon as the anesthesiologist slaps on Ginger's oxygen mask, the screen goes black, and we hear the beeping of the machines. Doctor Dave becomes deeply concerned about an abscess that had formed around the rupture of Ginger's burst organ. Suddenly, Ginger starts hemorrhaging (bleeding profusely), which means she is within a hairline to death. Really.

This next sequence--I'm not sure if it's part of Ginger's dream or if it's supposed to be filler to keep the drama at an all-time high. Whatever it is, it's certainly melodramatic, yet it's also kind of nice. We hear Ginger's voiceover singing yet another verse of "Splinter in My Heart," yet this version is much more shaky and soft.

The scene cuts to Lois in the waiting room desperately awaiting the news that Ginger survived the operation. Ginger's voiceover continues to sing over the flashbacks of Ginger growing up with Lois.

I'm just wondering where Jonas is in all these flashbacks. He left shortly after Carl's birth, and Carl was obviously born after Ginger, so what gives? Well, these are Lois's flashbacks. I suppose since Jonas left so abruptly, he was never really part of Ginger's life in the first place, therefore he doesn't deserve to be part of Lois's flashbacks. Now that's deep.

We then zoom in on Ginger--and her flashbacks cut around to a lot of seemingly nonsensical shots. We get her writing with Orion, her writing on the couch, childhood photos on the mantle of the entire Foutley clan, and then we see someone in the hospital prayer room desperate for "The Big Guy Upstairs" to make sure his loved one is okay.

We even get a cameo from the character in Ginger's poem from "And She Was Gone." Neat!

This next shot is possibly the most talked about one from the entire episode. It appears to be an adult/older teen Ginger in a laundromat looking at her reflection in a washing machine and seeing her preteen self staring back at her.

"What could this mean?" you may ask. After taking many courses in literature interpretation, semiotics, and the like to prepare me for the rare real-life usage of this skill, I've come to find that your guess is as good as mine as long as you've watched the show up until this point. This scene could mean many things, and only the writers truly know what they intended to portray in these ten seconds. My interpretation? Considering Ginger put out a wanted ad for herself--an opinionated, headstrong, and wonderful Ginger Foutley (just like Darren said when he broke up with her) and circled it with a yellow highlighter, she's looking "into" her past self to find that version who is all those things. Again, this may or may not be what the writers intended with this scene, but it's my best guess. I never said I was good at literature interpretation. What do you guys think?

Here's something you may not have thought about--if you listen closely to the lyrics to the song, after the first verse, they start to not make much sense:

"There's a road that's left to travel 
There's bridges left to burn 
There's songs I haven't written
Lessons left to learn.
There's reasons still to fight
There's you to kiss goodnight 
So hold on, hold on tight." 

It sounds like lyrics someone would scribble in their notebook during class--and considering the song is about Darren, I expected the song to be deeper and have more of a connection to their failing relationship. Instead, this reads like generic nonsense. I am sorely disappointed the writers didn't put more effort into this. The song was supposed to be a crucial part of the episode, and yet it falls apart after the decent first verse. Whatever. At least the music is nice.

Anyway, the surgery is finally over. Doctor Dave tells Lois that the infection from her appendix is still working its way through her body, so she's going to be weak, and then Jonas shows up! What a genuine surprise!

Doctor Dave leaves the room to allow Lois to explain the situation to her ex-husband, and then Ginger wakes up. I really like the level of detail the animators put into sick Ginger. The dark circles around her eyes, her lack of energy, her raspy voice--the detail in this scene is amazing and really adds to the plot. It almost makes up for the disappointing lyrics. Almost. They all get acquainted and hug her head (since everything else is in pain currently), meanwhile Doctor Dave watches from the window, kind of jealous. Then, some old lady pokes her nose where it doesn't belong by interrogating Doctor Dave as to why if he's her future stepfather, why he isn't in there hugging Ginger. Uh, leave, please. I think the bingo hall is downstairs, you nosy old bag.

Carl comes running down the hallway calling out for Doctor Dave. He's absolutely terrified that Ginger just had emergency surgery, and is so thankful that Ginger is alive. Doctor Dave tells Carl he can see Ginger if he wants, but because Jonas is in there, and doesn't want anything to do with the so-called "father" who abandoned him after he was born, he decides to stay outside with Doctor Dave.

You can tell Carl looks up to Doctor Dave as his true father.

Meanwhile, in the hospital gift shop, Darren and Simone shop for the perfect get well soon gift for Ginger. Why would Simone agree to go shopping for her boyfriend's recently-dumped ex-girlfriend? I figure she's doing it because she feels sorry for her, but wouldn't she feel kind of weird? Darren is totally on-edge, as he feels like it's his fault Ginger is in the hospital. This leads to him yelling at Simone out of frustration, who figures it's better for Darren to do this alone. Darren apologizes, and to calm him down, Simone tells him that this is not Darren's fault, that it's just an "ugly, unfortunate coincidence." She's absolutely right, and it works. You know, as much as Simone is destined to be season 3's antagonist, she's actually incredibly sweet. It's nice to know that the writers don't rely on stereotypes to keep this show going. Unfortunately, they decided to hide this originality from my country's Nickelodeon.

Darren pulls a card for Ginger out of his pocket and tosses it in the garbage. Then, they leave. So, what, they're not even going to visit Ginger? I get Darren is probably the last person Ginger wants to see right now and vice-versa (out of complete discomfort), but you two came all the way to the hospital. The least you can do is pop by to see how she's doing. Then you can leave and go make out behind the bleachers or something.

Hoodsey depresses Ginger with an excerpt from 50 Shades of Grey and then Dodie and Macie pop in with presents and a goofy get well song.

*Harmonica* "Oh, here's your get well song... it isn't very long." - Dodie and Macie

So, they talk about the surgery for a while, including a bit about the new scar Ginger has, to which Doctor Dave had said was low enough so that she could wear a bikini. I sincerely hope it was Ginger who asked about that, otherwise that's an unsettling conversation. Dodie and Macie also mention that Ms. Zorski (the nice one) wants to come visit Ginger. That's sweet! But hey, what about Courtney? Why isn't she visiting Ginger? Or Laetitia? Or any of Ginger's other friends? It would have been funny to see Chet pop in:

"Hey, um, Paprika. No, sorry, wrong spice. Ginger! Hey...Ginger. So...uh...can I see the scar?"

And then the subject of Darren comes up, so Ginger hounds her friends about his whereabouts in her time of suffering. Dodie and Macie are clearly hiding the fact that he chose not to come. And that makes her feel like shit all over again.

A very important scene follows with Doctor Dave and Jonas interacting. Jonas comes up the elevator with a bouquet of sunflowers--Ginger's favorite (oh, but he can't remember Carl's allergies to peanuts?). Doctor Dave wants to establish a good rapport with Jonas, hoping that their relationships with Lois and the kids don't cause any tension between them. Doctor Dave is trying so hard not to offend Jonas with how much he loves his soon-to-be family, but Jonas is clearly defeated, as he realizes and accepts the fact that he's slowly losing the family he abandoned twelve years ago. Perhaps there's some regret, there. He doesn't want to admit that Doctor Dave is a better father to Carl and Ginger, but he does admit Doctor Dave is a better man, which is basically the same thing considering Jonas says he could have never saved Ginger's life, unlike Doctor Dave. Not that I want to rain on your self-pity parade Jonas, but you're not a surgeon. Of course you wouldn't have been able to save Ginger's life. I know that's besides the point, but it's something that really sticks out to me.

I'm guessing Doctor Dave is still kind of sore watching his fiancee and her ex-husband interact in the same room like friends, so perhaps this is also a test to see if Jonas and Lois have any romantic chemistry remaining.

We see Carl exiting the hospital's prayer room. Lois catches him and comments on how she thought he was an atheist. Carl apparently needed a moment of hope to get him through this. And here it is--my second favorite moment of the episode. I believe I mentioned how talk of religion/atheism is never even touched with a ten-foot pole on Nickelodeon. Except in cases of spirituality like in Avatar: The Last Airbender, it's amazing to see Carl kind of defeated. Or desperate for one last bit of hope to make sure Ginger is okay.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean Carl actually believes in "The Big Guy Upstairs." While this may be true, in retrospect, most people would probably do something similar in times of crisis. A quick prayer. Fingers crossed. An empty promise for their loved one's safe operation. I've heard of old people on their death bed, those who are straight-up atheists mind you, praying to God in hopes that they end up somewhere peaceful after they're long gone.

Carl notices that Lois is holding a cup of coffee, and discovers it's for Jonas--the "man of the hour"--or someone held to high regards by a group. Carl unsurprisingly gets pissed off by this, and vents to Hoodsey in the lounge (or is it the waiting room?) about how Jonas doesn't deserve to hold that title. I must say, I agree and disagree with Carl.

Don't get me wrong; it's great that Jonas freed up time in his "busy" schedule to visit Ginger in the hospital (that's not what Carl is pissed about). Carl is now concerned that Doctor Dave isn't getting the honor that he deserves, considering he was the one who saved Ginger's life. I understand Carl has a very negative view of Jonas, so much that he calls him by his first name, but I think he should look at this situation through Lois's eyes. I'm sure Lois is grateful Doctor Dave saved her life. But the fact that Jonas came to visit Ginger instead of making up excuses to why he couldn't be there must have meant so much to Lois. Moreso, it probably meant so much to Lois because she knew it would have meant so much to Ginger to see Jonas there, caring. Being a father. Making some kind of effort. 

It's not hard to see that Carl is worried that Jonas being there might rekindle his and Lois's love, screwing up Lois and Doctor Dave's impending marriage. Carl gets pissed because Hoodsey is more concerned about his snack getting stuck in the vending machine, so he basically tells him to fuck off and leaves the lounge. Way to be a dick, Hoodsey.

That night, as Lois sets up Ginger's room for her return, we learn that she was terrified the night she sent Ginger into the hospital, as she keeps picturing what could have happened if she wasn't there. Doctor Dave is with her, and, kind of like the interaction between Simone and Darren, he brings her back to reality. Lois was there, she was lucky she was there, and even if she was at work when Ginger was dying, Lois can count on the fact that she would have been saving someone's life, whether a patient, or Ginger. So she shouldn't have any guilt on her whatsoever.

Doctor Dave then takes this opportunity to question Lois's feelings towards Jonas since he came back into their lives. Carl overhears this conversation and listens in long enough to hear that while having Jonas around was nice, he's not the man for her. Doctor Dave is, and then they kiss. And then Carl is able to breathe a whole breath again.

This is better than anything Carl can find in a romance novel.

A nurse comes by to collect garbage all over the hospital. We see Darren's card to Ginger being thrown into the main bin--so this card is going to bear more significance soon.

Orion comes to visit Ginger and admits he's sporting a major boner for her by reciting some really sentimental poem about his heart exploding into a thousand pieces, and each piece was floating over Ginger's hospital room like wings until Orion heard she was going to be okay. Ginger is blown away by Orion's sappiness, and I guess this means they're going to become a couple.

"That dude just totally made her murmur." - Hoodsey

Ms. Zorski comes by to visit Ginger, and that's when Ginger breaks down and finally lets her hurt feelings out about Darren breaking up with her for Simone. She's devastated that Darren hasn't even made an ounce of effort to show that he's a decent human being, until the nurse with the garbage comes by, and Ginger notices a card for her in there. I feel like this scene is an obvious ex machina, because there's no other way to end the episode. Considering a nurse would hand Ginger--a patient whose immune system is currently down--a card out of the bacteria-ridden garbage is unethical at the very least. She could possibly lose her job if someone caught her. So, we finally get to hear what Darren had written for Ginger in the card:

Dear Ginger:
I feel so helpless right now.
More than anything I want to
be there for you--but I don't
know how. In spite of everything
that happened between us, I just
want you to know that

And the card ends there. Ginger wonders why Darren didn't finish the card, only for the unethical nurse to respond with some degree of wisdom, "But he did finish it. It just doesn't have an ending."

I'll let you come to your own conclusion as to what that could possibly mean.

And that's the episode. It ends on a cliffhanger, but I'll tell you right now that we don't find out what Darren was going to end the card with. Stay tuned to the final part of this unofficial four-part episode next Sunday night. And this time, I'll be sure to keep on track and not struggle to finish this the last few hours.


Lessons Learned From This Episode: Whatever happens after your break-up is not your fault; sometimes it's acceptable to find hope in unconventional places in times of desperation; just because your significant other broke up with you doesn't mean they don't care about you anymore