The character of Jon Dixon (Ron Livingston) has been the connecting thread for the entire show — from common get-together traditions where all of the characters reminisce; to contemplation of Jon’s choice and what it means to them on an micro and macro level. “Jon always had a plan.” His suicide and the questions that followed have mostly brought up the best memories. That’s the most common thing with the deceased — you want to see them in the best light. However, Jon Dixon is not who we thought he was.
The last moments of the midseason finale “Christmas Wishlist” revealed that he had a secret apartment and an affair with his assistant, Ashley (Christina Ochoa). Perhaps some bad deals that now Delilah has to come to terms with has she is about to lose the house. The opening of the midseason premiere “Secrets And Lies” sees a recording from Jon apologizing to Barbara before ending the transmission. These new revelations have made unlikely allies between Delilah (Stéphanie Szostak) and Katherine (Grace Park). That’s a pretty big pill to swallow for Delilah. Asking for aid from the women you wronged. It also says a lot about Katherine’s character to put the infidelity aside briefly, as she sympathizes being a mother with children. There’s even a small nod to the awkwardness when Katherine, Delilah, and a returning Eddie all find each other in the same room.
The conversation that Gary (James Roday) and Delilah have give nod to the theme of shades of grey. All this time, Delilah thought that Jon committed suicide because of her infidelity. While that still could be partially true, there’s more to the story. Jon’s “hero” aura is not all it’s cracked up to be and this is hard for Gary to take in especially, with Jon being so instrumental in his cancer battle. The discussion with Maggie (Allison Miller) at the end of the episode brings to light that both can be true. She says that Jon can both be good and human. If you get anything from this show, it’s that everybody makes mistakes. Somehow, they can be redeemable.
What ‘A Million Little Things’ does, even with the amount of characters it has, is that it tries to give everybody a moment. It also tries to bring everybody together through one common event. This week – a 5K! While things are going haywire, the most heartfelt was when Danny (Chance Hurstfield) comes out to the family and lets them know about Elliot (Bodhi Sabongui). Delilah took a role of strength and said the right thing. It took the sting away from Theo (Tristan Byon) letting Sophie (Lizzy Greene) about the bubbling troubles and the role that her late father played in them. As this mystery gets unwrapped, there’s only so much that you can keep from the children.
The relationship between Gary and Maggie continues to be one of the pleasantries of the show. As Maggie progresses in her chemo treatments and Gary struggles with the image that he had of his deceased friend, they are able to help each other through banter and heartfelt talks. With the long, winding route that took them to get here, it’s nice to see that they have some happiness. Running is one of Maggie’s coping mechanisms from her sickness and to see that she couldn’t finish the 5K because she was so sick was a real moment of vulnerability from someone who has been trying to keep it together the best she could. Maggie has grown a part of this family of friends as shown when they cheered her across the finish line after the race is over.
Regina (Christina Marie Moses) and Rome (Romany Malco) also have their own issues that go on. Rome is off his medication and feeling a lot better. However, this makes Regina feels apprehensive. With an impending job offer, this sends Regina into reconciliation mode with her mother to become an investor in the restaurant. While Rome mulls over a new job offer so that Regina doesn’t have to go that route, there’s an apprehensiveness that Rome could relapse in his depression. Especially, now that he’s off his medication.
There’s a brief flashback to when all four guys have a chance meeting in an elevator. It’s as “if fate would have it” as it gets, but there’s something important here. Throughout the series, the guys have been wondering about signs that Jon exhibited before his suicide. The word Rutledge triggered memories from Gary. Again, the theme of “could we have helped Jon while he helped all of us” comes into play. I hope the show dives into Jon’s reasoning more. It’s a slow burn and sometimes, you don’t get the answer. I get that. The pay off as to why Ashley is sneaking around everyone’s back has to be big.
In A Million Little Things fashion, there are more questions than answers. Who is Constance Zimmer’s character? Is she Barbara Morgan? What does she owe Jon according to Ashley? Is Ashley finally going to give Delilah the letter that Jon wrote her?
A Million Little Things airs Wednesday nights on ABC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0aB4nA5MOQ
