On The Wagon
Directed By: Jeff Perry
Written By: Elizabeth Gill
Rayanne has been clean 33 days since she nearly died of an overdose, but she feels like she's being ignored by Angela as a result. On Amber's advice, she decides to worm herself back into Angela's life by becoming the new lead singer for Jordan's band when Tino quits. Unfortunately, her debut with the band doesn't go as planned, and in the meantime, Patty is worried about the chance Rayanne will have a relapse.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Angela and Jordan are talking at the beginning of the episode:Angela: What's wrong?
Jordan: Nothing. Just...
Angela: [voiceover] You need me. You must have me as your own. You can't live another second knowing others could possess me.
Jordan: I could kill Tino. - Call-Back: Graham lords it over with Patty about the fact he got to meet Jordan and she didn't.
- Captain Obvious: When Rickie sees Brian at Vertigo, where Rayanne is about to sing:Rickie What are you doing here?
Brian: What am I doing here? You, like, begged me to come!
Rickie: Oh! Oh, right, right. I had this fear that...that there would be, like, no audience. So I just started asking anyone.
Brian: Oh, thank you. That-that really makes me feel wonderful. - Do You Want to Copulate?: After Patty and Graham argue about whether she should talk to Amber about Rayanne, she asks Graham, "Do you want to make love? I mean, you know...since we're up?"
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: A non-heroic version - Patty complains to Graham Rayanne hasn't thanked her for saving her life. Near the end of the episode, after Patty has dropped Rayanne off at school, Rayanne tells Patty, "Thanks. For, like...for my life."
- First-Name Basis: Near the end of the episode, Patty tells Rayanne since, according to Amber, they're all in the same karass (see Shout-Out below), Rayanne should feel free to call her by her first name and not Mrs. Chase.
- From the Mouths of Babes: When Angela answers a phone call that turns out to be for Danielle, she teases Danielle, "It's your boyfriend, Ryan." Danielle responds "He's not my boyfriend. He was, but we're keeping it loose." At hearing this, Angela, Graham and Patty all look shocked.
- Gilligan Cut: Rayanne tells Mrs. Krzyzanowski even with Angela's obsession with Jordan, she's still there for Rayanne. Cut to Rayanne asking Rickie, "So, where's Angela?"
- Hypocritical Humor:
- When Danielle is listening to Angela and Jordan on the other line, Patty tells Danielle to hang up and respect Angela's privacy, only to listen herself when Danielle leaves.
- Later, Patty thinks she should talk to Amber because she thinks Rayanne's drinking again:
Patty: You really believe it would be that much of an intrusion to casually and non-confrontationally mention to someone that you happen to be a little concerned about her child?
Graham: Uh, okay, okay. How would you respond to something like that? You know, some friendly, well-meaning, comment like that?
Patty: Poison dart. - I Have This Friend: Rayanne tries to do this with Sharon, but Sharon sees through it:Rayanne: Lemme ask your opinion about something. Say one person finds out there's a way she can get into a band that, like, needs a lead singer, and say this person can sing-
Sharon: This is you, right?
Rayanne: Just listen. So she asks this other person to put in a good word for her because this other person, like, hangs out with someone in the band-
Sharon: W-w-wait, what band?
Rayanne: Shut up! So, this other person is acting, like, all put out about this, like it's some big chore or something.
Sharon: Why? Because she wants to sing in the band herself?
Rayanne: No, that would be totally impossible. She totally would not attempt that. The point is, wouldn't she want to do this? I mean, if she was a real friend? I mean, if she really believed in me? I mean, her. Unless, I guess, she thought this person would make a complete fool of herself.
Sharon: So this is Angela, right? - Locked Out of the Loop:
- First, it's played straight when Graham and Patty try to ask Angela about her relationship with Jordan (along with finding out about Danielle and Ryan), and she asks Graham at one point, "How much have I missed? Are either of them married yet? I mean, how much have I missed?" Graham also lampshades it when he asks Angela, "I'm sorry, I asked a question about your life, didn't I? Whoa, what came over me?"
- Hilariously subverted later:
Angela: [to Graham and Patty] There's this thing tonight at this coffeehouse, Vertigo, and I-I promised Rayanne I would ask if I could go, but I-I don't really even want to go, and I feel so guilty. See she's, she's singing, um, with this, this band that...all right, fine, it's Jordan Catalano's band, but this has nothing to do with Jordan, or the fact that we broke up or, or anything, that's what's so weird. It's something between Rayanne and me...I-I can't even describe, but it's there, and it's been there for, like, a while, since that night w-when you had to drive her to the hospital. It's the thing we never talk about. [Angela picks up her laundry and hugs Patty] Thanks for listening.
Graham: [to Patty, who's in a complete state of shock] It's okay. She'll ignore you for another month to make up for it.
Patty: [weakly] I know. - Off the Wagon: Rayanne goes back to drinking by the end of the episode (see Wham Shot below).
- Performance Anxiety: Rayanne gets so nervous about singing at a live gig she's unable to sing, and ends up running off the stage.Rickie: [trying to comfort Rayanne] Rayanne, you're okay.
Rayanne: [in tears] I'm not okay, and you know it! Now everybody knows it. And you all thought I would screw up, didn't you? Well, congratulations! You were right! [[runs out] - Shout-Out:
- When Rayanne's at home, she's watching Sesame Street. Later, in the girls' bathroom, Sharon hears her sing the theme song, and near the end of the episode, when Rayanne's on line at the movies with Angela and Rickie, she sings it again, to the entertainment of the crowd.
- Amber claims she had a dream with Angela, Jordan, and Rayanne, where they were all on a featherbed in a log cabin, and Amber was making pancakes for George H. W. Bush.
- The song Rayanne's supposed to sing at the gig is "I Wanna be Sedated". Amber ends up singing it with her when Rayanne is practicing in front of the mirror.
- Amber recalls how she once served Bob Dylan a sandwich.
- Amber also tells Patty how they, Angela, Rayanne, and Rickie are all part of the same "karass", which she explains is a group of people who get mixed up in each other's lives to do God's will, and she says it's from Cat's Cradle.
- Online for the movie at the end, Angela, Rayanne, and Rickie gush about James Dean and Andy García.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Rayanne and Sharon have become like this:Sharon: [after hearing Rayanne sing in the bathroom] That was you?
Rayanne: So?
Sharon: Nothing, nothing. It's just...you have a decent voice.
Rayanne: I'm sorry, did I say you could listen?
Sharon: I'm sorry, I didn't know this was your own private recording studio.
Rayanne: I'm sorry, it is. - Wham Shot: At the end, Rayanne accepts a drink of beer from one of the people standing in line at the movies with her.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Rickie is furious when Rayanne comes back to school the morning after her failed concert (see Performance Anxiety above) and he couldn't get ahold of her afterwards:
Rayanne: Rickie, c'mon-
Rickie: Don't! Do not touch me.
Rayanne: Rickie, c'mon-
Rickie: No! I can't anymore. You don't know how scared I was. I thought you were dead. I was picking out the clothes I should wear to your funeral! (during this speech, Rickie is occasionally shoving Rayanne)
Rayanne: Rickie, that hurt!
Rickie: Not enough.- Rayanne does a more downplayed version to Angela right after this scene:
Rayanne: I knew you wouldn't show. I can't stand these looks anymore.
Angela: What looks?
Rayanne: You and Rickie looking at me like I'm gonna lose control, like any minute I'm gonna go on some jag or something. I just can't stand knowing what you're thinking about me.
Angela: What? What am I thinking?
Rayanne: I'm messed up. I'm too messed up to be your friend anymore.
Angela: Rayanne, that's not true. I never...I'm still your friend. Nothing's changed. (voiceover) But that wasn't completely true either. And we both, like, knew it.
Rayanne: Maybe it was just easier, you know? You'd come to me for advice and stuff, like you used to before.
Angela: I should've been there. I should've been there no matter what.
