The Village: Episode 8: Choosing to Hope
While we might be currently wishing for warm weather, it’s Christmastime on the Village. A time of magic and hope, is it not? After last week’s episode, we’re definitely going to need some magic and forgiveness.
It would seem Nick has left the building… and I’m not talking figuratively. Sarah is alone in her apartment and some time has passed. Patricia comes down and does what any social worker is great at—finding strengths and promoting change. She tells Sarah she needs to forgive Nick if she expects her daughter to forgive her. Wise words from our wonderful social worker woman. (I’m not biased or anything.)
“I will stab you with this fork.”
We catch up with Liam and Katie in his apartment. Granted, I feel like he means well, but this is still strange. She hardly knows Liam; she does not truly know what his intentions or thought process could be down the line. You can tell he cares for her, but eventually, she’s going to have to face her parents. Katie is a teenager, full of hormones, angst and unjustified attitude. Anyone who knows a teenager knows how long a grudge can last, but for the sake of everyone’s sanity, hopefully, the cold weather has a reverse effect on her chip.
“I bet that pretty lawyer in an elf costume would change your mind.”
Ah, Enzo. Everyone’s favorite… strange romantic. Gabe is not a fan of Christmas, but Enzo is. He sets a tiny tree on his table, though his grandson isn’t impressed. Meanwhile, Ron is literally decking the halls with boughs of … pine and sparkly things! Also, cue a cute moment between Ron and Patricia. I love those two.
Ron takes Enzo with him to pick up a Christmas tree. Of course, he picks the biggest one they sell and doesn’t want to pay for delivery, so they must drag it home. I feel like back in the day, Enzo and Ron probably caused all kinds of trouble together. Enzo’s mouth with Ron’s heart? A disaster, of course.
“I got a snow globe.”
Sarah stops by Smalls to drop a box off and runs into Nick. She tells him she was looking for him. Their conversation starts a little awkward, as it probably should. The two of them are walking on eggshells. How long can this go on? Can the adults in this show please act like adults and work through this? Apparently, it isn’t today. But, Nick says he wants to talk to Katie. That’s going to go over so well…
“He’s a trained killer. Retired.”
He heads to the apartment and Liam lets him in. Not surprisingly, Katie is less than willing to listen. She’s cold and harsh, asking if he would be there if he didn’t get blown up. Nick tells her he didn’t come to ask for forgiveness, but to admit that he failed her. She doesn’t care, she leaves him standing in the room.
Ava’s ex asks if she has plans for Sami if she is deported. He is willing to keep him, but she tells him she doesn’t know if she could leave him. The worst really falls on Sami here. He’s an innocent child whose entire life will be turned upside down regardless of how they chose. Her ex tells her he wanted to stay in her life. Is that true? It is hard to say.
Patricia finds out that she has to have surgery and a complete hysterectomy if she wants to recover, before the holiday. A terrible decision to have to make, and a hard one at that. Why is she doing it alone? Why is she shutting out Ron even after she promised to keep him in the loop?
Old, Familiar Faces…
At the Village, Ava answers the door to Dana. In an awkward conversation that has ever been, the two realize they have more in common than they realized. As their conversation continues, it grows easier. Ben walks in at the end of it, with Sami, to which he chases after her. She realizes that Ben wanted a divorce that day, not to catch up with her. Ouch. She gives the ring back.
Nick goes to the fire department he used to work in, after sitting at the Brooklyn Bridge and staring at the Freedom Tower. (How beautiful is that skyline? How inspiring is it to see the Freedom Tower stand? One of my favorite parts of the city.) He asks the firefighter if he can help him jog his memory. While he is waiting, he stares at pictures in the room, noticing a familiar face in a wall of fallen heroes. Who did he see?
And then a reveal…
Katie, Sarah, and Claire head to her ultrasound, except Katie sneaks in with Claire, leaving Sarah outside. I’m really starting to grow a distaste for Katie these last couple episodes. I understand she’s hurt, but she’s acting like a spoiled child, not a near-adult carrying a baby. She is investing in people she doesn’t know and ignoring the person who has brought the most positivity into her life. Liam and Claire might be good people, but they’re not her family. They did discover that Katie is having a baby boy. (Yay! About time.)
We catch up at another bar with Patricia. She begins talking to this man, who is flirting with her. I’m sorry, what?! Excuse me. Nope. No way. This is not okay, this does not belong. I am not here for this. She even gives him a fake name! Alas, I should’ve trusted Patricia. She heads home to the party that is waiting for her.
“You’re as strong as I made you.”
Sarah confronts Katie at the nursing home, keeping her in a room so they must talk. There are so many moments in this scene that I don’t even know where to start. Like I said before, Katie is being a spoiled child and acting like she’s grown when she’s not. Sarah throws a lot at her, saying nothing that isn’t true. She has given her everything in life, whether it was good or bad. She tells her she is a good mother.
The look of shock and surprise on Katie’s face when its over tells a lot. Will she listen? It is hard to say. She lets Sarah leave the room, which is a bit disappointing. Michaela should be proud of this scene. It gave me chills hearing her speech. And mothers everywhere I’m sure can relate to it… parenthood is often a thankless job, after all.
“What are you two talking about?”
After helping Enzo and Ron set up the tree, Gabe learns that his grandparents were headed to Florida before they took him in. Gabe explains that he always hated the holiday because his parents split up that day. He realizes the sacrifice they made to give him a better life.
Meanwhile, Nick knocks on Sarah’s door. He realizes the person he’s seeing in his episodes of PTSD is a fireman. The picture shows a younger Nick and his fellow firemen. He wonders if coming back to NY is causing his PTSD, not Afghanistan. He has no memory of what happened during 9/11, just knows shut down and didn’t talk to anyone. It leaves him wondering what happened back then.
Sarah tells him to take it one day at a time and then asks if he’ll bake cookies with her. PROGRESS! Finally. I hope these two can forgive each other for their mistakes and work together as one again. They clearly care a lot about each other and love each other… so it will just take work. Truly, they are better together.
“Tonight, we’re going to choose to hope.”
Finally, the episode comes together with the yearly holiday party at the Village. We get little snippets of the group and a special music montage. The party first, then Katie crying in the apartment while she paints a tree on the wall. Ava goes and visits her ex. Sarah and Nick share a longing gaze. Finally, at the bridge, someone picks up the snow globe that Nick asked Sarah about. The little boy shakes it … and its snowing over the beautiful skyline showcasing the Freedom Tower.
Thoughts:
All in all, a solid episode. The one thing that does bother me a bit is the ever arguing and changing couples. Love isn’t perfect and that is something we all are probably familiar with. Everyone fights and disagrees… but it feels a bit repetitive for Ben to fight with Ava and vice versa, or the same with Sarah and Nick. As everyone pairs off, it makes sense that not everyone can last together… but it feels a little rushed.
And then there is Katie. She is so frustrating… as I’m sure many others can agree with. I am losing my patience for her, and I hope she begins to come around. The preview for the upcoming episode makes me wonder if an event will bring her back to her family.
There are two episodes left in season one… what will happen to our Village residents?
My questions:
Will Nick and Sarah finally give in to what they both want?
Will Katie decide to come home?
What happens to Ava? Will she stay with Ben or give her ex another chance?
Where is Sofia and why wasn’t she meeting Gabe under the mistletoe?
What happens next for our soldier and his PTSD? Will he find the answers he needs?
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