Louisa C

Gaah, had a massively long post about this ep all typed up & then I accidentally clicked somewhere & it disappeared! Maybe my rambling caused a malfunction?
I adore this ep, and I realised I was addicted to the show when I stayed up til the early hours to watch it, as the channel I viewed the show on decided that its content was not suitable to be broadcast during the working day!
I thought Sam's pre school teacher was quite evidently in the wrong line of work, as was the patronising & backward-thinking Miss Violet! As someone who wants to go into teaching, it pained me to see two people showcasing the profession so badly!
Also, if the info about the effects of Ritalin on little people that the show used is correct, well, that's just frightening!
I have to say I totally missed TA's reaction & non-vote at the council meeting, so I'll have to rewatch the ep for that, not that that's a hardship or anything! I also didn't notice how his change of stance also echoes the abortion ep & his views on that...
I have difficulty imagining Ephram being as rambunctious & energetic as Sam when he was the same age, as I think of him as a much shyer, introverted little boy who had relatively quiet artistic pursuits. Pergaps he held back at school & let loose at home? I can definitely see him as highly inquisitive & very loquacious, so I can imagine his responses to his parents' questions must have been a lot like Sam's when Andy asks Sam if he sees a lot of his Dad ("Yeah, all the time, except for sometimes... When he comes back we're gonna go for pizza or ice cream, or maybe pizza and ice cream, 'cause he likes both & we'll go to the park, but you can't come 'cause you're not my Daddy & it's just us...")-the writers totally nailed writing an over-excited child there, hee!
Andy's story to Nina about losing Ephram was so sad! I can just imagine little 5/6 year old Ephram being all forgiving for the first time Andy missed going to the arcade with him, then him just getting more & more miserable every subsequent Saturday. I can picture him getting all excited every time he heard a car stop outside the house or footsteps/noises in the corridor leading to the front door of their apartment and asking Julia when is Daddy going to take me to the arcade, is it nearly time yet, then segue-ing where his Daddy is, what time is it & why didn't he remember. Then there'd be tears, I'm sure... Then, later, confusion & hurt at Andy's solution of throwing money at the problem by buying Ephram a pinball machine when all he really wants is some attention & affection from his dad!
The end of the ep makes me smile as it's awesome to see how much Ephram & Andy actually understand eachother-they get the other's unique brand of humour and have this phenomenal bond when they're not at eachother's throats!
I adore how noble & selfless is regarding his feelings for Amy, and this ep really manages to convey just how much he loves her!