By anyone’s account, Cassie Nightingale is an amazing mother.
Loving and nurturing, empathetic and empathic, Cassie (Catherine Bell) makes every bad situation better, which is why Middleton’s townsfolk seek her counsel. They know she listens with an open mind, doesn’t judge and gives sound advice.
Who could want anything more in a mom?
Grace (Bailee Madison), Cassie’s daughter, but Grace is 15. And, it is pretty much an accepted fact that even when the loveliest girls hit 15, they get zapped with hormones and act possessed. Even darling Grace.
Poor Cassie. She’s overwhelmed when Grace starts acting out. And if that weren’t enough, Cassie’s duplicitous cousin, Abigail (Sarah Power), shows up. Though Cassie welcomes her, neither she nor her stepdaughter, Lori (Hannah Endicott-Russell), is happy to see Abigail.
Sam (James Denton) – smart, capable, accomplished surgeon, now small-town doc – is also having his share of teen woes. His son, Nick (Rhys Matthew Bond), has already lied, become mired in trouble at school and has been grounded. Sam fled New York City with his only son because Nick was getting in trouble.
Sam looks deep into Cassie’s eyes a few times during this episode, the single parents of teens feel deeply for each other’s struggles.
Yet as smart, capable and accomplished as the good doctor is, he is clueless. First Stephanie (Kylee Evans), devoid of subtlety, has been chasing Sam and they finally have a date. Now Abigail has decided to pursue him as well.
Abigail left her advertising job in NYC under cloudy circumstances, and now she’s saying she wants to start over. She’s staying with Cassie, Lori and Grace at Grey House, though no one was overjoyed to see her.
Lori warns Grace: “It is very easy to get sucked in to all of her Abigail-ness and then it is easy to get hurt.”
Abigail overhears. Most people would be hurt and try to rectify the problem, but Abigail decides to win over Grace, which won’t be hard because the teen is bristling at Cassie’s rules.
Grace wants to go to an R-rated movie with friends. Cassie says no.
“Whether you realize it or not, I am growing up,” Grace states. “I may not be 18 but I am not a baby.”
Before Cassie can talk, Abigail intervenes and has the audacity to say, “I got this.”
Abigail tries to talk Cassie into letting Grace go, but Cassie holds firm.
Ryan (Anthony Lemke) stops by. He is still petty happy over the kiss Cassie planted on him at the dance, but she is retreating. They decide to go out to dinner, and make a big deal that this is just dinner – not the prelude to a serious relationship.
Sam’s practice has picked up, so much so that he needs an administrative assistant. Abigail decides she is perfect for the job. She flirts shamelessly with Sam, riling Stephanie. Stephanie handily reads Abigail’s blatant manipulation.
Since Lori also has Abigail’s number, Abigail works on ingratiating herself with Grace. She takes her shopping and buys her an all-black outfit. Though it’s hardly a Goth classic, and Grace is still adorable, Cassie does not approve.
“It’s just an outfit,” Abigail says to Cassie. “Loosen the grip a little.”
And it is here when most other moms would tell off Abigail. But instead, Cassie ever-patient, says, “I can’t. I am the one left with a grip on her.”
Abigail does what she pleases, when she pleases, and relishes it. It would be hard to believe she is unaware of her actions. She eggs on Stephanie and goes so far as to throw a wrench into Sam and Stephanie’s date.
Abigail offers to take Grace to the movie despite Cassie’s edict. Even if she’s talking back, Grace is a good girl. Grace’s conscience kicks in and she will not blatantly disobey her mom. Abigail offers to take her to something else, though she’s vague on where.
On the evening Abigail is to take Grace to this event, Abigail has an accident. Who wants to bet she staged it? A cabinet topples and she hurts her ankle at Sam’s practice. Of course Sam, not only a doctor, but also a gentleman, helps her. His X-Ray machine is down. And who wants to bet Abigail had something to do with that?
Sam insists on driving Abigail to a hospital in a nearby town for an X-Ray, making him horrendously late for his dinner date at the romantic French restaurant. So late that Stephanie downs wine, sops it up with bread sticks, pens a note to Sam and storms out, running into Cassie and Ryan as she leaves.
Before Cassie arrived at dinner, Grace lied to her face. Grace had said she was meeting her pal, Anthony (Shane Harte), for a study session. Instead she was meeting Abigail.
Grace waits for Abigail – in her banned black outfit, but Abigail is a no-show. Grace squares her shoulders and walks into a party with a much faster crowd than she is accustomed to; her fresh face looks sweetly innocent in this older, more jaded crowd. Nick, naturally, is there and warns her to go home.
“I am not going home and I can take care of myself,” Grace retorts.
Again, she is 15 so she knows everything.
When Lori goes to retrieve Grace from The Bistro, where she was supposed to be studying with Anthony, Grace is MIA. Lori goes into reporter mode, questioning Anthony. Satisfied that he really does not know, Lori calls Grace’s cell. It goes to voice mail. Lori returns home and tells Cassie no one knows where Grace is.
stormborns
dededos
izzy806
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul