A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 14 Review: Someday
Carissa Pavlica
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There is some good news and some bad news.
The bad news is that Jasmine is off tonight due to a blackout in her area. You're stuck with me to review A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 14!
The good news is your prayers might be getting answered when it comes to Delilah and Eddie. While they're never going to exit each other's orbit, they are moving farther apart.
Running a restaurant seems stressful enough, but opening a restaurant seems nearly impossible.
All I've done recently is move, and the stress is killing me. Trying to coordinate waitstaff, menus, a certificate of occupancy, a liquor license, and who knows what else to achieve the perfect opening night takes a lot of help from surprising sources.
Related: A Million Little Things Round Table: Has Delilah Improved?!
Even when all of that comes together, there are still the everyday personal pressures eating away at the day that can throw a wrench into proceedings.
With "Someday," we got a little of everything.
At its core, opening the restaurant is all about Regina.
Her dreams of having a successful restaurant are coming true thanks to Jon and all of her friends. She also got some help from her mother, but even with that financial assistance, the emotional support always seems lacking from Shelley.
Many of us understand what it's like to have a mom who is always second-guessing your decisions and thinks your choices aren't the best. It's frustrating at best, and debilitating at its worst.
Why is it I have waited my entire life for you to take my side? Just ONCE, take my side!!
Regina
Having an aggravating mom like Shelley almost seems natural if you have been in her situation. It's never been easy to understand exactly where Regina was coming from when it comes to her mom, but when she learned Shelley didn't have the money for the restaurant, and it came from Uncle Neil, everything fell into place.
There is nothing to help us through. Every penny my mother gave us we're giving back. This restaurant will never open. Not with me involved.
Regina
Walking away from her dreams had to mean something more than annoying mom issues were at the heart of Regina's discontent with Shelley.
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Facing her child abuse on the day before her restaurant opening turned out to be one of the best things that could happen to Regina and Rome, though.
With all the stress, more of it was agonizing for Regina, but her decision to face her uncle with the support of her husband and friend meant she was invested in the opening and in moving on with her life.
Gary's relationship with Maggie sure has come in handy for his group of friends. She's a personal therapist for Rome (who still needs the work), and she really came through for Regina at a time she could have either fallen apart completely or bravely gone where she hadn't dared to before.
Now that it's been confirmed from the showrunner that A Million Little Things is, indeed, a soap opera, taking all of the problems thrown at the group becomes a little bit easier.
Sometimes, you just want for the characters to get what they worked so hard to achieve. On a soap opera, there will always be something in the way of that happening. The out-of-the-blue abuse story with Regina couldn't have come at a more inopportune time, but it ties in nicely, as odd as that sounds.
It will be interesting to find out if the storyline will progress into the future, but it seems like the story might be a closed-end loop to straighten Regina's relationship with Shelley, kick Rome's ass into doing something about his depression as well as to divide Eddie and Delilah further.
That's a significant personal trauma for Regina to have had to confront to move forward on other stories, but it was very effective.
Related: A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 13 Review: Twelve Seconds
After all, Rome has been unwilling to listen to the best advice and remain on antidepressants.
If you know someone personally who suffers from depression or even anxiety, then you may know what a world of difference the right medication can make. With all of the scientific advances in pharmaceuticals, there isn't much of a need to continue with one that causes you any serious side-effects.
Maggie: The meds have been out of your system for a while now.
Rome: Yeah, but I'm fine. I mean, there are rough days, but there were rough days on the meds, too.
Maggie: You used to say that it was like wearing a heavy coat that you couldn't take off. Your days like that?
Rome: Try to understand. I want to be in control, not some pill.
Rome's stubborn inability to consider he might not be able to get through the other side of life and see sunshine again wasn't helping Regina. He even resorted to giving her advice he would have taken from himself instead of what she needed.
Too many people do what Jon told Regina. You can "someday" yourself out of a life. If anything, Jon's suicide should have driven home to his friends and family that tomorrow isn't as simple as the sun coming up the next day because sometimes it doesn't rise.
Watching how strong Regina was as she dealt with her past and Uncle Neil gave Rome the shove he needed to reconsider what he believed to be too far off limits.
Rome's been counting on others to get him through when the medication could alleviate some of that. Maggie already has her own personal crisis, and Gary is having a hard time with the possibility he could lose her. They need to focus on what's in front of them instead of trying to help Rome.
Gary's been working overtime trying to make everything perfect for everyone else but himself. It's his way of dealing with his concern for Maggie.
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His stress levels must be out of control. It was very recently that he got declared in remission himself, so jumping head first into the water again with Maggie only dredges up all the fears he had about his life and its potential end.
It was something Delilah noticed and called him out on, so hopefully, they'll all be more aware of his distress going forward.
Delilah was doing well even as Eddie returned home from his "rock and roll" tour, as Gary called it. Sexless as it was, that didn't mean he wasn't interested in sex altogether.
Gary's search for Barbara Morgan opened an opportunity for Eddie to test the waters. Private Investigator Joanna not only found a gallery that once represented B. Morgan, but she provided some lips for Eddie to nosh, as well.
It never hurts for a dude in a band to feel loved for his music. Joanna provided that, too. Her job might be done as an investigator, but she could stick around to connect with Eddie.
Delilah removed her wedding ring after the melee of the restaurant opening.
She finally got to use the contact she met at the gas station, and now we have to wonder if Andrew (Martin Tupper) is on his way to A Million Little Things for a more permanent role. When he first appeared, it seemed odd his role was so small. But AHA! He's back.
He's a good guy much like Gary which is why Gary was so worried about him and his actions with Delilah. A good guy sometimes can't believe there are others like him hovering around, and Gary suspected Andrew was one of the bad guys.
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With an opening in the gang thanks to the departure of Ashley, he'll fit in nicely and cause problems between Delilah and Eddie.
Andrew finished the hour as a recent widower who was potentially going to invest in the restaurant, and something tells me he's in it for the long haul. He wasn't even curious about Delilah's pregnancy.
It won't hurt to have someone who knows the business well and has opened many successful restaurants. Andrew came through for Delilah in a crunch with a liquor license, a couple of bartenders, and the certificate of occupancy.
At first, I thought maybe he was Barbara Morgan's husband trying to get his hand into the rest of Jon's world, but the woman who appears to be Barbara's husband didn't have the same voice.
Because yes, Gary seems to have found Barbara who doesn't want to be found.
Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video.
Yep, all the speculation about Drea de Matteo led to her opening the door at Barbara Morgan's address. And even though she tried to play coy with Gary, she's Barbara. Her address matches, she has Jon's paintings on the wall, and she was unduly inquisitive about the death of a guy only her husband heard about second hand.
Plus, she was watching Jon's video. And I can't help but think her son screaming "mom" was meant for us more than it was for her. What could be so private you'd keep your laptop locked with a key that she kept in a little envelope? A son who doesn't know he belongs to another man.
That's where I'm going with the Barbara Morgan stuff now. She got pregnant but didn't want Jon involved. Or worse, he was involved and didn't want to be from his end.
With things between them in the crapper, she might not have wanted to accept child support from him. So Jon provided for Barbara in the only way he knew how -- by purchasing all of her work so she could make the money he needed to give to her herself.
That's my theory. What's yours?
Are you happy with how things are proceeding between Eddie and Delilah?
There is a LOT to say about the previews for A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 15, but I'm leaving that for Jasmine. We know already that those trailers have the potential to worry us beyond belief for no reason whatsoever because, well, soap opera!
Hit the comments, and watch A Million Little Things online if you are already homesick for more.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
