Spoilers ahead.
After two emotional and intense episodes, it was nice to have a bit of a break with a lighter, more relaxed episode. For the most part, at least.
It was a joy to see some funnier, more hopeful moments in 2008. Emily going back to work (and just as importantly, Simon supporting her in doing so); Emily’s mother looking after Rosie while they’re out having lunch; even Rosie going to daycare – it all felt so very normal. It was the sort of lightness we needed, and undoubtedly it was what both parents needed, too. Kath singing on the phone to Simon – long after she’d left Rosie – was hilarious; Simon’s and Emily’s reactions in particular truly made that scene. Their exasperated amusement (or just exasperation, depends on who you’re looking at) certainly came through well.
Quiz night was slightly more confusing to me, particularly since I don’t remember anyone ever mentioning it existed. Still, it was good to once again see something that both Simon and Emily are passionate about. It was significantly more important to see how synced they were – be it through their inside jokes or how well they know each other’s quirks – than it was to understand the quiz. Even Rosie making a scene and Barney’s irritating girlfriend couldn’t ruin that.
But as we all know by now, with There She Goes, it’s never just about calmer, more normal moments. It’s about reality, and in reality, things sometimes happen when you least expect it.
I won’t pretend to know what it feels like, the dread of knowing there’s something wrong with your child and not knowing what to do. Particularly with a child like Rosie, who’s already got a severe learning disability. But in those few breath-stopping moments, when Emily is trying to bring Rosie back, or when they’re talking to the paramedic or the doctor, I could almost feel it. Even though I knew Rosie would be fine, I was still scared for her. Emily’s desperation and the fear running through her and Simon were so genuine, it might’ve been impossible not to react to them.
And yet, as difficult as those moments were, there was something really beautiful in them. Not in the fear, of course; it was in the way Emily fought to get Rosie out of the seizure; in the way Simon comforted Emily at the doctor’s; in the gentleness with which Emily holds and talks to baby Rosie; and in that conversation between Kath and Simon, once they return home. There was such raw emotion in those moments; the love between both parents and their love towards Rosie was crystal clear, in a way you could feel it, even through the screen. It was in little things like Emily’s voice when she said, ‘I don’t want her to have to go through any more‘, or the way Simon hugged her and told her she was amazing; in those precious moments, their emotions couldn’t have been clearer even if they spoke them out loud.
And it was made even more beautiful by how – not too long ago – they weren’t even sure they still loved each other; let alone whether they could love Rosie. And yet, that same love they weren’t sure about was running the show in these scenes.
I’d like to take a moment to concentrate on that conversation between Kath and Simon. One of the things I loved about series 1 was seeing the grieving process Emily and Simon had to go through when Rosie was born. Again, I can’t imagine what it must’ve felt like in real life, but with the way the show is written and acted, I certainly felt some of it. And one of the scenes that made the strongest impression on me was the one in which Simon breaks down and admits that he knows there’s something wrong with Rosie and he didn’t want to say it; in which the two of them decide to get through it and grieve for the girl Rosie could’ve been together.
The reason I’m saying all of this is to me, Simon and Kath’s conversation shows not only how Kath’s changed, but how Simon’s changed, too. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to see Kath finally acknowledging it was wrong to try to convince Emily and Simon that Rosie was fine; but the real significance was in how Simon reacted to it. His admission that he’d made mistakes with Rosie too, and that underlying, unsaid thought that ‘I don’t know what to do in moments like this’, show a different Simon than the one we’ve seen in most of the 2008 scenes. They show the gentler, more supportive side of him; the one that is willing to admit that he doesn’t know how to handle things or that he’s done the wrong thing. I was certainly happy to see that side of him coming back.
And it was just as good to see that side reflected by 2017 Simon; the one who texted Emily the questions throughout the quiz; who was there to try to comfort her; who grieved with her as Barney’s girlfriend’s remark reminded her again of everything Rosie could’ve been. It was sweet and heartwarming and exactly the type of bittersweet moments that There She Goes does so well.
There’s still one thing that I’m curious about, though: Rosie. I keep wondering, what was it about that picture that drew Rosie to it? While her condition undoubtedly makes it harder for her to show it, there’s no doubt that she is intelligent. I believe I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: I feel like Rosie’s intelligent in a very different way than most of us, but that doesn’t make her any less clever. So I wonder what she saw in that picture, or in the picture Simon gave her in the end. What is it about these pictures that make her obsessed with them?
I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. But I feel like it’s still worth asking.
On the whole, it was lovely to have a somewhat lighter episode. Admittedly, both Ben and Barney’s girlfriend were irritating, but it didn’t get in the way of the episode. And lighter doesn’t mean it wasn’t emotional; between the fear for Rosie’s life and Emily’s grief, there were plenty of raw, even heartbreaking, emotional moments. But somehow, in its usual fashion, There She Goes managed to weave those into this episode in a way that still left me with a smile and with a certain hope for a better future. And perhaps that’s what really matters in the end.