A Million Little Things Recap: Oh Baby, Are You the One?

Kimberly Roots
·6 min read

In this week’s A Million Little Things, Rome and Regina meet the woman who wants to let them adopt her baby. You’d think that this development would be cause for celebration… if you’d never seen an episode of this show.

Because of course there’s a twist — or, as showrunner DJ Nash likes to call it, a “flip” — that indicates that the Howards’ path to parenthood isn’t going to be as straightforward as it now seems. At the end of the episode, we learn there’s a whole thing with the birth mother’s ex-boyfriend, who is an abusive jerk and who might not be super on board with the idea of his child being raised by another family.

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I mostly worry about Rome, who is so eager to be a dad that he’s pushing to ignore the red flags that Regina notices right away. Listen to your wife, man!

Anyway, read on for the highlights of “Daisy.”

LENNY ON THE LOOSE | Delilah’s dad, Lenny, now resides at an assisted living facility. He also looks quite different, because he’s now played by CSI alum Paul Guilfoyle. Delilah tries not to let it get her down when her father, whose memory is impaired, can’t remember the details of the stories he’s told her for her entire life. But it stings, as does Sophie’s continued iciness toward her mother.

After Delilah catches her daughter kissing an older kitchen assistant at the restaurant, she tries to strike up a conversation about it. But Sophie refuses to be admonished by someone who cheated on her husband, and the talk turns into a loud argument. In the middle, Delilah gets a call: Her father has gone missing. Without a word, Sophie climbs into the car to accompany her mom to the assisted living home.

While a panicked D is reviewing security footage, Sophie realizes that it’s Friday, and her grandfather might’ve gone to the grocery store for supplies. That’s where she finds him, safe but a little confused. On the way back, he mistakes her for Delilah and makes comments that indicate that Delilah was suffering in her relationship with Jon. “He may be a good father, but for more than a while now, he hasn’t been a great husband,” Lenny says, not realizing how upset Sophie is getting. “I just want my daughter to be happy.”

After Lenny is safely returned to his apartment, Sophie apologizes to her mom for their argument earlier. Then they share a warm moment as Soph says she’ll sleep at the house that night. Later, Delilah smiles as she hears Sophie telling Charlie one of the stories Lenny always used to tell Delilah, about how he met and fell in love with her mother. (We also learn that Daisy is Delilah’s middle name.)

BABY MAMA DRAMA | Regina and Rome’s aforementioned maybe-baby mama is named Eve, and she’s 8-and-a-half months pregnant. She works at a diner in Brighton, and their meeting is going really well until Regina asks why Eve put “father unknown” on her adoption paperwork. “Trust me: I don’t think he’d want anything to do with a baby,” Eve answers uncomfortably.

At home, Regina points out Eve’s caginess and the that the child’s father could file a legal claim, both of which are troubling. “What if we never get another chance?” Rome asks, advocating for pressing forward, regardless. He also wonders is Regina is looking for a way to back out of the decision she’s made. She maintains that she is not; still, they eventually decide to call their social worker and turn down Eve’s offer.

That causes the young woman to request another meeting, during which she tearfully apologizes for not being honest with the Howards the first time around. She says she and her baby’s father were together for fewer than two years, and he was so abusive, she hid the pregnancy from him. When she saw that Regina was on the board of the woman’s shelter, she thought their match-up was meant to be. “I don’t want him to know where I am,” she cries, sobbing as Regina hugs her.

Later, we learn that the adoption is on. Unbeknownst to the Howards, Eve gets a call from someone her phone identifies as “Derek Jones.” From the way she immediately sends it to voicemail, I’m thinking this is the baby’s dad… and it’s not a great thing that he’s making contact.

POOR THEO | Eddie and Katherine basically have to trick Theo into seeing a therapist. While there, both Katherine and Theo realize that they just kind of push down their own uncomfortable feelings in order not to be a bother to other people. In order to support Theo when he feels like things are getting out of control, Katherine starts a mac-n-cheese food fight at the end of the episode. (I’m leaving out a few details, but honestly, not that many.)

GARY’S BACK ON TRACK | Gary and Maggie agree to go together to a party marking a friend’s five-year cancer-remission anniversary. They’re collegial and just a little awkward, and none of the other support-group members can believe that they’re able to be just pals after everything that went down.

Things get a little fraught when the friend in remission, whose name is Elena and who is played by The Mick‘s Carla Jimenez, starts taking swings at the pill bottle-shaped piñata her husband lovingly procured. Her hits don’t break the papier-maché cylinder, no matter how hard she tries. This causes a freak-out and tears, followed by her admission that she’s terrified her cancer will return.

The crowd watches, saying nothing until Maggie comes forward and tells her friend that she can’t let fear paralyze her. Then Gary steps up and promises that the group is there for Elena, no matter what. “When you don’t feel strong enough, we lift you up,” he says. With that pep talk, Elena tries again and busts the piñata wide open. (Side note: I’m with Gary: A piñata with no candy is no piñata at all.)

In the elevator afterward, Gary tells Maggie that he pushed her away before she had a chance to hurt him. “I think I got cancer so that I could find you. I love you, Maggie Bloom. I loved you then, and I love you now.” She responds in kind and they kiss… but then JUST KIDDING IT WAS GARY’S DAYDREAM. In the lobby, Maggie tells Gary she was wrong: They can be just friends. “I was just thinking the same thing,” he lies.

Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!

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