SkimIt
When Carly Chaikin's spoiled brat of a character Dalia gets a fancy car as a reward for just taking the college aptitude tests, Jane Levy's Tessa steams off angry at her dad, George (Jeremy Sisto). Dalia in return feels insecure and that she cannot compete with the smarter and more accomplished Tessa - and that leads to a hip hop dance off not only between the two girls, but also between their parents.
Suburgatory starring Jane Levy, Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines airs on ABC Wednesdays at 9:30 pm ET.
Venison Every Night Until Ryan Comes Home
The show opens with Sheila (Ana Gasteyer) saying grace before dinner, praying for her son Ryan (Parker Young) to return home. Lisa (Allie Grant) laments that dinner is once again venison, "and it will be every night" until Ryan's return, Sheila quips sharply, as it is her son's favorite entr'ee. Desperate to get their son back, the Shay's don masks and kidnap Malik (Maestro Harrell), hoping to hold him hostage in exchange for Ryan. Instead, Malik's family invites them over for dinner, just before which Malik's mother (Paula Newsome) lets them know that, as a lawyer, she is helping Ryan become an emancipated teen - and one who prefers to be known now as Eugene Goldfarb.
Tessa and Dalia's SAT Standoff and Hip Hop Dance Off
As George and Dallas (Cheryl Hines) breathlessly await Tessa and Dalia's exit from the SATs, Dallas reveals that she got Dalia a car after she completed the preliminary (PSAT) test. Tessa hears this and wonders what kind of score Dalia got, because she scored 186 - well into the top percentile. Neither Dallas nor Dalia reveal what score Dalia earned, only that "she was in a percentile." Tessa is miffed and jealous, noting that she scored very high but only got a card - "that's card with a ‘d’" and not a car.
Feeling insecure because Tessa does everything better than she, Dalia asks her mother if there is anything she can do that Tessa cannot. Dallas hesitates and plays for time until she notices a dance class certificate on her daughter's bedroom wall. Determined to show her up, Dalia invites Tessa to her hip hop dance class, where she challenges her to a dance-off. Dalia can dance - and has a posse of posers to help her, but Tessa shows some very good moves of her own. The battle escalates as George and Dallas argue over the talents of their respective daughters - and then launch into a dance battle of their own. This turn of events convinces Dalia and Tessa to call off their little spat, as they do not want their parents to break up.
Mr. Wolfe: Talented Toddler Tutor
Noah (Alan Tudyk) and his wife are concerned about having their toddler be accepted into a pre-pre-school, and meet with the high school principal Mr. Wolfe (Rex Lee) to get his help. It turns out that he is a "tutor for talented toddlers" and despite his initial hesitancy grudgingly agrees to take on their little boy as a client. Unfortunately, Otis, Mr. Wolfe explains after spending some time with the lad, is "blithely average," fueling Noah's earlier fears that his boy "could end up working the pole on Toddlers and Tiaras."
Ryan on Pudding and Family: "Skin is Thicker Than Water"
During dinner at Malik's, Ryan appears disappointed with the chocolate pudding - which everyone knows is his favorite dessert. He confides in Malik later that Sheila makes pudding with skin, and that the skin is the best part of the pudding. Malik says his mother will not make it that way, as none of them like the skin. Ryan slinks home in the middle of the night, and is found by Sheila, Fred and Lisa sitting at the dining room table eating chocolate pudding skin by handful. He explains that he is no longer Eugene Goldfarb but is once again Ryan Shay, because, after all "skin is thicker than water."
Best Lines
" I colored in all the bubbles really fast." – Dalia
"There's only one way to settle a beef in beginners hip hop, ya'll - dance off!" – Dance Instructor Dan
"When people feel backed into a corner they tend to do pathetic things - like a dance off." – Tessa
