Should we be prepared for a custody battle?
Katherine and Eddie may be fighting for Theo after the heartbreaking reveal on A Million Little Things Season 3 Episode 14. Meanwhile, Sophie discovered that she’s not the only victim of Peter’s abuse.
Join Meaghan Frey, Jack Ori, and Christine Orlando as they discuss the hour!
On a scale of 1-10, how heartbreaking was it when the Savilles talked to Theo about their divorce?
Meaghan: 8. I was heartbroken for Theo. He handled the moment with such maturity for a kid his age, but you know it was killing him inside. It would have been a 10 on the heartbreak scale, but I quickly went from sad to livid after Katherine made her custody intentions clear.
Jack: 10. I couldn’t stop crying throughout that scene. This has to be so hard for Theo, especially since Eddie just came home from rehab. In the long run, he will have less of a roller-coaster existence with his parents permanently separated, but this is still a huge blow for him.
Christine: It was an 8. It was very realistic for a kid Theo’s age, especially since his parents don’t outwardly fight in front of him, so he likely never saw this coming. The kid is heartbroken and feels like his world will never be the same.
Do you think Katherine is going for sole custody? And if so, should she or is that a step too far?
Meaghan: I absolutely think that’s what she is doing, and I’m not on Team Katherine for this one at all. Eddie has been an amazing father to Theo. He was pretty much his sole caretaker, while Katherine focused on her career for years. Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but Katherine seems to forget that fact.
I understand her hesitation because of Eddie’s addiction, but Eddie would never do anything to hurt Theo. Eddie got the help he needed to get sober again.
Obviously, he needs to show proof that he is continuing his work and his commitment to his sobriety, but there is no reason Eddie shouldn’t have partial custody as long as he is.
Even if she goes in with the initial demands that Rome or Gary be there or something like that to make sure everything goes smoothly, she needs to give Eddie the chance.
Jack: I was surprised, but I think she is, and I honestly think that’s going too far. I agree with Meaghan that if she wants there to be someone there to help Eddie at first, that would be reasonable.
Even when he was getting high, Eddie never put Theo in any danger, and this feels more vindictive than anything else.
Christine: Yes, and in some ways, I can understand why. Katherine has concerns, and she didn’t want to promise Theo anything that she wasn’t sure she could deliver moving forward.
Eddie was using and hid it for weeks. Just because nothing bad happened doesn’t mean something won’t happen in the future if he falls off the wagon again. Katherine’s first priority is protecting Theo.
Eddie is a fantastic father, but I understand why Katherine may want to put some restrictions in place moving forward, especially since he just got out of rehab. I think she’s cautious, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
What are your thoughts on Shelly appearing for another round of bickering with Gina? Will they ever get on the same page?
Meaghan: I wanted to jump through the screen and strangle Shelly when she suggested that Gina give up the restaurant and sell closets.
Sure, the pandemic has been tough on the business, but it is surviving, and that says a lot. Those two will never be on the same page, but I think they can at least move forward with Shelly accepting that fact.
Jack: I think they made progress, and Gina admitting to Shelly that she’s having cognitive issues was a good start. But Shelly trying to dissuade Gina from running a restaurant or having a BLM sign in her window wasn’t going anywhere good, and she needs to stop doing things like that.
Christine: I thought this was very realistic. Parents and children frequently come at things from different points of view. Shelly loves Regina desperately, but she doesn’t always understand where she’s coming from and vice versa.
That said, I thought these two made progress this time around, and it’s still worth it, even if it was only incremental.
Do you have any theories or predictions on what could be happening to Gina after her head injury?
Meaghan: Concussions are awful and can have such a long-term impact on people, so I’m sure it is just related to that. She definitely should get it checked out and make sure nothing has changed since her initial injury.
Jack: I assumed it was cognitive issues related to her concussion. Traumatic brain injuries can cause all sorts of problems, and I’m glad that she isn’t having more serious issues than she does.
Christine: Yeah, Regina needs to see her doctor ASAP. Concussions are no joke and can cause all sorts of issues. I’m hoping these won’t be anything long-term or serious, but it’s hard to tell.
Were you surprised to learn Peter’s previous victim was another young girl who died by suicide? Where do you think Sophie’s arc will head after this discovery?
Meaghan: I’m not surprised to learn that the other victim Sophie knew about was a young girl. I am going to assume she was far from the only other one.
The fact that she committed suicide is devastating.
I think now that Sophie knows that staying silent may have ultimately lead to her death, it is going to light a fire under her, and she’ll go after Peter.
As I said, I don’t think the two of them are the only two victims, so I think Sophie will seek out other potential victims to bring him down.
Jack: This was more tragic than surprising for me. Predators like Peter rarely go after just one victim, and they usually have a “type.” In Peter’s mind, it was probably a quid pro quo for his recommendation (UGH.)
I’m wondering if and when they will connect Sophie’s feelings about this girl’s death to the fact that Jon also committed suicide. It was for different reasons, obviously, but Sophie may be motivated to help survivors overcome suicidal feelings after this. But first, I think she’ll go after Peter before anyone else gets hurt or dies.
Christine: Peter was far too good at manipulating Sophie and the situation for her to be his first victim. I’m sure Sophie will find several others out there once she begins to look. I hope Sophie’s story will be taken seriously if more than one victim is willing to come forward.
Did Rome just find his next big project, documenting protests, etc., with Tyrell?
Meaghan: I think that is the perfect next step for him! Rome brought such honesty to his first project, and I think he will bring that same raw honesty to this one.
Jack: Yes! This is perfect, especially after Rome felt that going to the protests would negatively affect his mental health. This is a way that he can make a difference and be an advocate.
Christine: Yes. It’s a fantastic and very relevant project that might do some good in the world. It’s also a great way for him and Tyrell to bond.
Do you have any other observations not mentioned that you’d like to address?
Meaghan: I know that it wouldn’t necessarily be realistic, but I was so disappointed that Sophie wasn’t given another chance after she explained the circumstances that lead to her blowing the audition.
Obviously, the woman felt for her as she was so encouraging of her auditioning next year, but I would have just loved to see her get a second chance this year. Sophie’s entire life has been turned upside down thanks to what Peter did to her, and I hate that it has to derail her future too.
Jack: Was anyone else annoyed that there’s nothing set up so that Eddie can get upstairs to help take care of Theo? I felt awful that Gary had to drag his wheelchair up and down the stairs.
Christine: I was the flip side of Meaghan! I liked that they didn’t give Sophie another audition because I thought that was far more realistic. Once these types of things close and all of the available spots are filled, it’s highly unlikely to get another chance no matter what your story is.
The upside is that they might remember Sophie, and it could help her get a leg up for next year.
Jasmine: Oh my gosh, Jack. That bothered me so much, too. The more I thought about it, the more frustrating it was to me. Darcy built a ramp so he could get into the house before he even made it home from the hospital, but no one thought of a way to make the house handicapable so he could get up the stairs? Damn!
What was your favorite moment?
Meaghan: Every scene with Sophie and Maggie was pure gold — from the fact that they were playing mad libs during her quarantine to Sophie helping Maggie with her theme song.
The one that really got me, though, was Maggie breaking quarantine guidelines and putting herself at risk to comfort Sophie.
Jack: As tragic as it was, I loved the reveal about the other student, and I’m glad that they are continuing Sophie’s storyline. I was so proud of Sophie for telling the director that she was assaulted even though she didn’t feel ready to tell her all the details, too.
Christine: I liked Darcy calling Gary out on being jealous of her talking about her ex. Maggie is around constantly, and Darcy handles that with so much grace. Darcy and her ex are co-parents who have remained friends. That’s the best possible outcome, and Gary’s mature enough to deal with that.
Over to you, AMLT Fanatics!
Do you agree with our round table?! Do you disagree? Hit the comments below and share your thoughts.
A Million Little Things airs Wednesdays on ABC.
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.