The Olive Branch
The Roses are in the motel lobby, as Johnny is printing Alexis’s certificate from community college. There’s a misprint and her degree is in ‘’Pubic Relations’’. The Roses, excluding Alexis, laugh about this.
Stevie and David are at the cafe, and observes that he’s wearing a leather sweater in the dead of summer and looks good. He thanks her. She asks if he’s ready to get back with Patrick, and he excitedly says yes. They converse about how much he’s been missing Patrick, but also about how much he’s been enjoying the gifts Patrick has been sending. It’s clear that David has been stalling because of the gifts, including the bracelet David is wearing. Stevie says she knows a lot of people who will be excited. He’s thankful, but she says it’s because he’s been so needy. David admits he’s missed Patrick and is looking forward to not missing hm. Stevie teases him about the gifts, but David says that if a package arrives, keep it for him.
Alexis approaches Moira and asks to talk to her. Moira says yes, but she also mentions the council is deciding on who will be awarding the first town Arts & Culture Grant. Alexis says she wants to pitch an idea. This is Alexis’s first proposal as CEO of Alexis Rose Communications. Moira praises her but says the council already has its favorite, to Alexis’s frustration. Moira agrees to hear her pitch. Alexis pitches a Singles Night at the cafe, and Moira accuses her of wanting to use the council’s grant as a way to meet men. Alexis says she researched the idea and there’s a small town in Ireland that funds itself with a Singles Week. Moira condescendingly says it’s a good first effort, but she doesn’t even take Alexis’s pitch as she leaves.
Stevie comes into the motel lobby and finds a gift bag from Johnny. It’s an Employee of the Month gift, and Johnny says it’s the second month. The previous month, he kids that he had taken himself out to lunch but says it’s an incentive for a job well done. In the bag is a bag of makeup. Stevie reacts awkwardly tries to leave the room without the makeup, but Johnny assures her it is for everyday use and encourages her to take it. She does, but is clearly not happy.
David arrives to Rose Apothecary and begins a conversation with Patrick, who apologizes for the all the gifts because David wanted space. He promises to respect David and says they should focus on the business. David says he didn’t say that, but Patrick says that by saying nothing, he spoke volumes. Patrick says he wants to focus on the business and hugs David, which David enjoys but looks awkward and pained.
At the Town Hall, Moira and the other counselors discuss the proposals. Roland rejects Ray’s, and Moira excitedly proposes a large-scale, avant-garde art park. Ronnie, Bob and Roland express skepticism, so Moira mentions the idea of a singles week as inspiration. Ronnie, Roland and Bob like the idea, and they reject Moira’s idea in favor of it.
Stevie finds Alexis using the motel’s printer for a lot of stuff, and Stevie asks if there is something off about her look. She admits that Alexis’s dad got her a suitcase of makeup. Alexis says that Johnny is the sweetest man but a lousy gift giver and mentions him getting David a basketball hoop for his bar mitzvah. The only way to show Johnny how wrong he is, she says, is to show him. She says David shot baskets until a ball hit him in the face, which worked about because all David wanted was a nose job. She also mentions a diamond tennis bracelet for her sweet sixteen, which is obviously bad according to Alexis.
David and Patrick are awkwardly labeling and stocking shelves with cream. Patrick says David can go to lunch because it’s not a two-person job. David says he doesn’t want to pretend they were co-workers. Patrick says they are, but David says he liked it when they were more than that. Patrick says he was just trying to go off of what David wanted. David says Patrick wouldn’t let him say what he wanted. He wanted to get back together days ago. Patrick asks why didn’t they? David replies nobody has ever been so nice and generous to him before. Patrick realizes David was holding out because he was getting gifts, which were meant to be olive branches. He goes to the cafe in a huff, even as David asks him to get him lunch. Patrick thinks he deserves a few olive branches.
Johnny comes into the motel lobby, and Stevie is wearing all the makeup from the bag and looks like a clown. Johnny is horrified, as Stevie keeps needling him. Johnny says he gets the hint and he’s not known for his gift-giving skills. Darlene at the store said that all the young women like the makeup. Stevie kindly says she appreciates the thought but they should agree that they don’t need gifts. Johnny excuses himself as he is getting flashbacks of David trying to make a three-pointer.
Moira tells Alexis that the council has made a decision. Alexis glumly states that the council must have accepted her idea. Moira says that only after she insisted on employing Alexis’s firm as part of the PR team, but when Alexis learns that the project is Singles Week she is incensed that her mother stole her idea. Moira insists that she developed the idea, and Alexis is overwhelmed since she wanted to propose a Singles Night, rather than a Singles Week.
After dark, Patrick is closing up the store. He tells David he’s going to dinner, and if David wants to come and pay, that would be a start. David says he maybe could do that but he has something to do first, and he pulls out a chair for Patrick to sit in. Patrick smiles, sits down, and asks what is this? David says consider this my olive branch. He turns on music, which is Tina Turner’s “The Best” and begins to lip-synch for Patrick in the most open-hearted way. Patrick smiles and asks David if he knows people can see him. David continues and performs with all of his heart.
Tropes that Appear in this Episode
- Call-Back: David's apology recalls Patrick's romantic song the open mic night.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: David puts off coming back to Patrick for a few days because Patrick has been showering him with apology gifts. This convinces Patrick that he was coming on too strong and he and David need to only be business partners. When David admits he was ready to get back together days earlier, this means he has to apologize to Patrick.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: David lip-synchs to the same Tina Turner song that Patrick serenaded him with.
- Hidden Depths: Roland is familiar with the avant-garde artists Moira references in her pitch, even being a big fan of one.
- My New Gift Is Lame: Johnny is a bad gift giver, as evidenced by giving Tomboy Stevie a bag of makeup as a thank you gift.
- Nice Guy: Bad gift giver that he is, Johnny is a kind man and is trying to be a supportive co-worker to Stevie.
- Stealth Insult: Stevie perceives the gift of makeup as one of these, but Alexis tells her Johnny is just a bad gift giver.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Stevie asks Alexis for advice about Johnny, and Alexis is helpful and insightful.
- Working with the Ex: Patrick and David try this for a morning before David admits he wants to get back together.
