Things are mostly looking up for the gang.
For the most part, everyone is in a decent place with minimal drama by the end of A Million Little Things Season 4 Episode 12, and it almost feels like it’s too good to be true.
The Gary, Maggie, and Cam situation got resolved pleasantly, and we traded in a salty Sophie for Daniel, the eternally superior Dixon.
Is it just me, or does it feel like Sophie regressed out of the blue?
Her sexual assault survivor arc was one of the most powerful things they’ve done on the series, and they did such a fantastic job with it. However, the moment they opted for that uncomfortable storyline with Gary, Christopher, and Peter, we got this version of Sophie, who frankly feels immature and bitter.
It’s not that she’s not entitled to her feelings. She endured trauma, and it’ll take years for her to work through all of it. It’s a process, and it’s not exactly a pretty one either.
But by now, we’ve recycled storylines with Sophie angry at almost every adult in her lifetime and again, and it’s become monotonous.
It’s also tougher this time because of how long she’s directing all of her ire at Gary and shifted that to Maggie. It’s been months of Sophie treating Gary as if he physically assaulted Peter himself.
I think part of the issue is that they realized how dark that storyline was and looked for one of the show’s protagonists, so they walked it back. But they still have Sophie treating Gary as if he nearly killed Peter himself.
My mom was right about one thing. It’s time to get the hell out of here.
Sophie
And the way that this one act overshadowed everything that Gary has ever done for Sophie, the Dixon family, and their friendship group is rather absurd.
Even recently, Gary and Maggie were more parental to Sophie in the past year than Delilah was — they literally moved into the Dixon home to be with the kids while Delilah was away in France. Gary stepped in as a father figure from the moment Jon died, and he’s been the most consistent with that out of every other character.
Sophie has seen and experienced Gary at his best and most consistent, so it feels absurd that she holds his worst moment in the years she’s known him against him like this and for this long.
She’s punishing him for caring about her so much that he lost his head. And to this day, I honestly cannot say that her father wouldn’t have behaved similarly.
I know you, and I love you, and I missed you. For now on, it’s you and me against the world.
Gary
The turnaround to her forgiving her mother and Eddie was faster than this and for things they consciously did with total disregard to the feelings of the people they hurt, for an extended period, too.
Gary’s impulsivity and protective streak earned him a permanent place on Sophie’s shit list, but Eddie and Delilah’s longstanding affair and lust child did not.
We reached a point where Sophie understood the complexities of adulthood, relationships, and so on, and she showed these characters grace. However, suddenly she can’t extend that level of grace to Gary or even Maggie, who’s only guilty of loving Gary.
Don’t the others love Gary, too? Eddie lives with him. Gary is everyone’s best friend, and her brother still turns to Gary for every problem despite his former status across an ocean.
She hasn’t acknowledged Gary’s apologies or that he’s gone to therapy in the time since, and it’s like she’s choosing to direct all of her hurt and anger over everything else at Gary, like her personal emotional punching bag.
Sophie was old enough and aware enough to know everything Gary did for Maggie while battling cancer, so it’s bizarre that she cannot fathom why Gary is so important to Maggie.
As crappy as the situation with Maggie and Cam was, and the messiness is offputting, it still was screwed up that after everything Maggie has done for Sophie and every conceivable way she’s been there and supported her without judgment regardless of the situation, Sophie treated her like crap and angled to leave without saying goodbye.
It was also frustrating that she lashed out at Eddie for showing genuine parental concern for her over the tour.
For one, she never even told any of the adults in her life that’s what she was doing. No, she doesn’t owe them anything, but it’s common decency to share that news with people who care about you, so they’d know where you are and what you’re doing.
Gary: Dan Dixon. What are you doing here?
Daniel: I’m here to get Milo back.
Also, wouldn’t someone need to check on the Dixon home that unfathomably is still in the process of being sold?
Again, Sophie is aware of some of the things Eddie faced while touring, so it was sensible that he’d voice his concerns. She also went back and forth with this MMI thing so that everyone thought she was attending again. She worked so hard to get into this school twice, so it was fair game to question her.
And Eddie’s advice to her didn’t feel diminishing to her talent but realistic. All he was getting at was that it doesn’t matter how talented they are, the industry is a hard, competitive one, and it’s nice to have backup plans and more of an edge.
Eddie’s talk with Anna was sweet and all, but it didn’t seem like he owed Sophie an apology. Sophie is exhausting, so by now, I’m perfectly okay with trading her in for Daniel, who we never should’ve lost in the first place.
Daniel is so big now! I was delighted when they gave us a classic Daniel/Uncle Gary storyline. It’s quintessential Gary to put together a care package at Daniel’s request and deliver it to Milo for Danny. My heart broke for the kid when Gary saw Milo with someone else. Understandably he had a tough time telling Danny the truth.
However, the situation with Cam made him reconsider. Danny was a parallel to Cam. He wasn’t willing to give up on the person he loved, and he was ready to do anything to get Milo back, including returning to Boston.
It’s a hell of a thing to do with no notice. Flights are expensive, and it’s good to know he’ll have somewhere to stay with Gary, but damn, does Delilah know he’s gone?
Theo was smart enough to know that his mother had romantic feelings for Greta.
I’m thrilled that so far, Katherine is happy, and no one is giving her a hard time about who she’s dating. It’s not surprising that Theo is okay with it, but his ability to suss things out was shocking.
All Theo wants is for someone to care about and be there for his mother, so his excitement over her finding that with Greta was sweet. Greta is so good with him, too. She recognized instantly how terrified Katherine’s fall made Theo and how he didn’t want her to be alone.
It’s a normal response for him, but it’s a good thing that they talked about it.
By now, I’m eager for another group event where everyone is together again, and they can meet Greta formally. Katherine’s separate arc is a pleasant one for now, at least. They need to give us family dinner with the Savilles, Anna, and Greta, too.
Katherine: You’re right. We are more than friends. How do you feel about that?
Theo: I’m really glad someone is looking out for you.
Katherine: Yeah, me too.
Gina repairing her relationship with her father is slow-moving, but Ronald is such a delight when he’s onscreen.
The prospect of him working with Gina as she embarks on this catering journey is exciting. While he is putting his money into the equation, he’s also eager to spend time with her and support her dream, which makes things different from how he was before.
Ronald also had the perfect advice for Rome, who projected his personal experiences on Tyrrell.
I love that everyone acknowledges that Rome is Tyrrell’s father. The unlikely path the Howards took toward parenthood is such an interesting one.
Rome’s perspective regarding Tyrell’s future is a notable one rooted in the experience of being a minority in predominately white spaces. I appreciate the series’ continued exploration of the intricacies of racial identity and culture.
You’re protective of him, Gina too. As far as I’m concerned that is the most important quality to find in a son-in-law. But let me give you some advice from one dad to another. No matter where Tyrell ends up, just make sure you give him a reason to come back. You don’t want to end up my age trying to make up for decades of lost time.
Ron
And it’s not as if Rome’s reservations aren’t unfounded or something that many parents of color think about often, especially when it comes to shipping their children to Ivy-League colleges that are predominately and notoriously white.
College can typically be a person’s first foray into the daily microaggressions you experience in the workforce.
In many ways, Rome’s perspective was an interesting one for the series to attempt to touch on the PWI versus HBCU discourse show, but the overall execution was off, and it was underbaked.
Was it supposed to be an attempt to address the diversity issues at PWIs, particularly Ivy Leagues? Were they trying to touch on the unique struggles of minority students at PWIs and how it can isolate them, lead to Imposter Syndrome, and affect their performance?
Were they trying to showcase a worried father who wanted his son to have a sense of community and camaraderie before he headed into the real world? Was it meant to reflect on Rome’s own identity issues and struggles subtly?
Was it some attempt on the “too Black, not Black enough” discourse that can plague the community? I honestly don’t know because they didn’t give us many talking points to work with beyond vague comments on diversity.
Part of the issue is that it came out of nowhere, and we have never known Rome to show this much interest in things like HBCUs. If he had some deeper ties to one, it would’ve added more layers to the storyline.
We know both of the Howards have been more open and aware when it comes to race, particularly following the George Floyd situation from A Million Little Things Season 3.
But it was jarring to see Rome that forceful about where Tyrell went to school. Rome’s perspective felt excessive and disrespectful, considering Yale was something Tyrell and his mother talked about throughout his life. Rome tried to prioritize his thoughts on the matter ahead of all that.
And frankly, Rome’s randomly rigid perspective about this would’ve had more weight if his entire friendship group weren’t predominately white (and white-passing). Outside of his immediate family, Rome’s social circle doesn’t exactly consist of other Black people regularly.
One could argue that’s why he was pushing so hard for Tyrell to go the HBCU route in the first place, but even still, that’s a Rome problem, not a Tyrell one.
But boy did Tyrell bring all the feels with the essay he wrote about Rome. Rome’s been going through it recently, so those words were touching and what he needed to hear.
Cam’s annoyingly perfect shtick was irritating, and he was not good for Maggie at all, but it still sucks how terribly he got treated.
Gary and Maggie were having marathon sex, and Cam still thought he had a shot at winning Maggie back. What did she even say to him when she broke up? Why did he still have a shred of hope?
She probably should’ve told him about Gary right then and there. It would’ve spared Cam from making a fool of himself by eliciting Gary’s help wooing Maggie back.
And it would’ve kept Maggie and Gary from looking like bigger jerks. They’re happy together, and that’s cool. Their reunion was always a certainty, and Maggie again reassured Gary why it was always him.
From that viewpoint, things are good for this couple. The way it went down sucks, though.
It was also weird that Maggie and Gary were acting like they had been sneaking around longer. Maggie tried to explain things to Cam pleasantly enough with how her love for Gary happened slowly and then all at once.
It still felt like white lies, and it’s doubtful it made him feel any better about it. Although, they closed this chapter with Cam maintaining his status as a perfectly nice guy. From its sounds, the rest of his conversation with Maggie went well, and he wasn’t even angry or anything with her.
It’s like they tried hard to navigate this storyline and give so many fans the Gary and Maggie reunion they wanted without making them look like terrible people in the process.
Gary: He knows.
Cam: I can’t believe I didn’t see it. The trip to Albany, Gary staying with you that night with Colin. I was stupid.
Maggie: You’re not stupid.
Cam: You told me I didn’t have anything to worry about with him.
Maggie; When I said that it was true.
Cam: I don’t get it. How did this happen?
Maggie: Little by little. Then all at once. I was a surprise to me too. I should’ve been honest with you.
I’m not sure it worked, but I don’t think anyone will care that it didn’t because of the results.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics.
Are you sick of Sophie’s anger? Did you feel bad for Cam? Are you happy about Danny’s return? Sound off below!
You can watch Million Little Things online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
