A Million Little Things Season 3, Episode 5 recap: Non-Essential
By Ariba Bhuvad
A Million Little Things Season 3 has officially returned from its midseason hiatus, and, boy, did it deliver! Joining a handful of shows, the series decided to incorporate the COVID-19 pandemic into its storyline. Personally, I think that shows should try to go beyond that especially given television is our escape from reality, and this past year has stressful and scary enough without having to relive it all over again.
There were a couple of surprises (including the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown) in the midseason premiere, but the biggest of all deals with Maggie (Allison Miller). More on that in a bit, though! We also have Eddie (David Giuntoli) dealing with his paralysis and the pain that comes with it.
Before the midwinter hiatus began, he was trying to avoid taking painkillers, but that hasn’t been working out as well as he would have liked.
Rome (Romany Malco) was all set to partake in his movie’s first table read, but with the COVID-19 pandemic gaining unwanted traction, everything falls apart before it even begins.
His character has been through the wringer over the course of three seasons so it’s really difficult to see his passion project taken away from him.
Of course, in light of the pandemic, other characters are impacted which will likely play out as A Million Little Things Season 3 plays out. I’m hoping that we’ll get more emphasis on the journey each character takes rather than focus on the devastating year we’ve already been through.
A Million Little Things Season 3, Episode 5: Maggie’s surprise
As you may remember, she moved to London (finally!), and sort of has a new man in her life, aka her roommate with benefits Jamie (Chris Geere). For a fleeting moment, it seems all is well for dear ‘ol Maggie, until she has to schedule her 6-month cancer screening.
Due to the lockdown going into effect in the U.K., she can’t get into the local doctor, so she schedules an appointment in Boston. Of course, this comes with its repercussions as once she arrives in the U.S., Europe closes its borders to the world. But that’s just the start of Maggie’s laundry list of issues to deal with.
First and foremost, she was meant to stay at Delilah’s (Stephanie Szostak) place during her stay but awkwardly arrives at her house only to learn that Delilah is still in Europe. What is so awkward about this, you ask? Well, Delilah left Gary (James Roday Rodriguez) in charge of the house as well as the kids, Sophie (Lizzy Greene) and Danny (Chance Hurstfield). And Darcy (Floriana Lima) has been staying there with him, so walking into all of that is a lot to process!
Props to Darcy for trying to alleviate the tension and then extending an offer to Maggie to stay anyway. I have to say, as much as I love Maggie, I’m really loving Darcy with Gary. I feel like she makes the best of every situation when she has more than enough reason to get dramatic if she so chooses.
Maggie really faces the music of her trip to Boston when she learns that not only has Europe closed its borders but that she is–pregnant. Yes, that’s right, PREGNANT! I have so many questions about this journey for Maggie, and I’m so here for wherever it’s going to take her.
A Million Little Things Season 3, Episode 5: Gary and Darcy
Apart from Maggie’s surprise arrival, Gary and Darcy have quite a bit on their plate. As we saw before the midseason finale, Maggie has PTSD from her time serving, and it’s something that has manifested in a multitude of ways.
Gary has only recently learned of Maggie’s PTSD but is there for her 100% of the way. So much so, that he finds a therapist for her to talk to. But what he omits from this discovery is that it is a therapist Maggie recommended to him because she used to work with her.
Knowing that Gary divulged her personal issues with Maggie isn’t exactly something Darcy wants to hear, and from the looks of it, it’s going to take a toll on their relationship. I’m rooting for them to work it out!
A Million Little Things Season 3, Episode 5: Rome’s movie
As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to take over the U.S., Rome faces the consequences of it through his movie. After spending all his emotional and mental energy on the movie, all the funding and support are pulled from it given the uncertainty of the current situation.
It’s such a bummer to see Rome have to go through this because he’s had a very difficult journey and things have not gotten easier with time. But this one really, really hurts because it was his baby and something that represents such a large piece of himself.
Given how long A Million Little Things focuses on COVID-19, we may see Rome eventually get what he’s hoping for. I’m hoping there is a time jump in here somewhere!
A Million Little Things Season 3, Episode 5: Eddie and Catherine
Eddie is really struggling to keep it together in the midseason premiere. At first, he throws away all of his pain medication because he’s due to get cortisone shots to help with the pain. But when the pandemic hits, all non-essential services are shut down, his shots being one of them.
Unfortunately by then, Eddie had already flushed away all his pain meds. It’s a rough handful of scenes to watch Eddie panic and try to get his hands on more pain meds. His prescriptions won’t allow him to get it for another two weeks, and he has no other options to go with.
So when he finds Vicodin at Rome and Regina’s (Christina Moses), he steals it and opts to take it in secret. Personally, I think he can trust Katherine (Grace Park) and let her know he’s struggling and lost. But this is a drama series, and they can’t just let the addict find his way, they have to put him through a relapse.
Speaking of Katherine, she has a lot on her plate apart from Eddie during the midseason finale. She’s busy trying to get the eviction notice for Delilah and Regina’s restaurant lifted. Because if they’re evicted, she will be as well since her office is in the same building, the very same one Jon (Ron Livingston) made sure to secure for them.
In the end, things work out but I will admit, I love seeing Katherine in action as a lawyer. She’s such a badass and so incredibly inspiring in so many ways. I’ve loved the writing for her character over the last three seasons, and I’m excited to see where it continues to go–especially with Eddie’s relapse into drugs.
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That’s it for this week’s episode recap! See ya next week!
What did you think of the A Million Little Things Season 3 midseason premiere? Share your comments below!