Chatswin's Valentine's Day

Suburgatory, S02E13

Tessa and Ryan went to see an art house movie that she wanted to see, and she was surprised that while she found it to be boring, Ryan identified with it and found it provoking.  George planned an expensive dinner for him and Dallas, but her botched beauty procedure made her hide her face at home.  Shelia's mother came into town and her mother's closeness with Fred made her realize the mistake she had made dealing with Malik as Lisa's boyfriend.

In this week's chapter of the Tessa and Ryan romance, the two argued over different opinions on a movie.  Considering it was a movie that Tessa had to cutely bribe Ryan into seeing with caramel corn and gummy bears, it was a real shock that Ryan was moved by the movie and it went over Tessa's head.  There are so many layers to Ryan that are revealed now that he's with Tessa.  I really loved that even though they were in a fight again, we got to see Ryan thinking deeply on a level that Tessa wasn't.  It was nice to see her on his lap, asking him to explain parts of the movie.  I want to see more of him in a position where he can teach Tessa, a change from her always being more informed than he is.

Also, I liked the beginning of their story where Ryan gave her that Valentine and he got so excited when she replied "Y" to it.  He's like a little kid, and I love it.  You would think his childish ways would get annoying after a while, but it just makes me like him all the more.

 I applaud George for not getting too upset about Dallas crushing his plans for dinner when he spent $600 on it.  I mean, he did try to get his money's worth by eating an 18-course dinner for two by himself, but he could have taken a much more negative route.  I guess it shows how much he cares for Dallas when he can be less concerned about the cost and more about Dallas herself.

As for Dallas' face, she looked like a freaking alien who had a face lift.  I don't think it was nearly as bad as Dalia had described it, but it was enough to make me cry out when I finally saw it.  I was just glad that George wasn't too horrified when he saw her.  It might have been due to the fact that he had a lot to drink before, but even so, she was a sight to see under any circumstances.   I wouldn't have blamed him if he ran out the door.

In Shelia's story, it was a little weird how much her mother liked Fred.  It's not that I couldn't see anyone infatuated with him, it's just that it's odd to see Shelia being pushed to the side.  She's usually so overbearing that few can ignore her.  But it was interesting that her mother troubles made her realize what she had been doing wrong with Lisa's former relationship with Malik.  I never saw it as Shelia butting into their business, but I guess it was that way.  Malik seemed to have been an ally to Lisa's mother instead of on Lisa's side, which explains better why she didn't think she could be with him anymore.  If Lisa ever needed to complain about her mother, Malik would have only defended Shelia.  Thankfully, Shelia butted in one last time to make things right and pretended to get upset when Malik stood up for Lisa.  Shelia might be smothering, but she does have Lisa's best interests at heart.  This was one of the few stories that I actually liked her because she seemed more vulnerable and helpful without being pushy.

This was a good Valentine's Day story.  It was too mushy or trying to be overly romantic.  I got to see some interesting development in Tessa and Ryan's relationship.  Tessa might be the smart one, but it doesn't mean that she understands everything.  I like seeing that Ryan has more to his mind than making out and football.  George's date with Dallas was a flop, but no more so than Dallas' procedure.  I really hope I don't have to see her face looking so horrific any time soon.  Shelia may not be my favorite character, but she helped Malik and Lisa get back together, which scores her a lot of points in my favor.  It's been way too long that they been broken up, so I'm eager to see them lovey-dovey again (well, as long as they're not too nasty together like last time).