Uh-oh, it's that time, you guys! :o)

I own a xerox of the script, and will make a comparative observation about the First Act shortly..

This takes place over 4 weekdays, though a weekend tried to assert itself. There's one glaring abnormality, but what are you gonna do..

Day # 1 (call it Monday) -- Lily lunch-making, readying the girls for school, chase around the kitchen when Rick calls. He can sneak out at 4, so they plan to meet at his place at 4:03P, an eternity for both. As they babble, Grace complains how Mrs.Anderson doesn't appreciate people being late for homeroom. As they leave, Lily observes that the girls are "having dinner with Dad tonight."

At the bookstore later, Lily is about to leave to meet Rick but takes her coat off after learning his kids will be back from the mall early because they have lots of homework. I used to think that the snack in the courtyard scene (Grace, w/Carter and Annie, spying Eli cuddling with Jen) took place at school, but it's clear now it's at the mall foodcourt -- after school.....because Eli says he has to find his sister. Carter tells Grace about Mock Trial, which "starts tomorrow.."

Back to the bookstore, Judy offers her loft as an assignation (thanks, Karen, for that word..) -- Lily flies off to call Rick... And it's clear that she flies home to freshen up first, because when they arrive at the loft, she's changed her blouse and applied glitter. Of course we know that R&L are taken' it easy and don't hear Judy's call.. She leaves the movie early, surprises them, and doesn't like Rick. [ okay, it used to bother me that she closed the bookstore early on a weekday to go to a movie, but what the heck.. And what's "early" -- she may have closed at 5, gone to movie, walked out, and it's still light out when she arrives at her loft.. ]

Very late that afternoon, Jessie and Eli are back at their dad's studying... and Karen stops by to pick them up -- she can't talk to Rick because he's "in the shower.." Hmm, did Rick not know that Karen would be picking the kids up that day?

Day # 2 (Tuesday) -- Back in Lily's kitchen (drum roll.....), Zoe runs in to show her mom the pictures she found at Dad's, and Lily asks Grace, "How was your weekend?" and if she got her homework done. !??! Ok, so maybe she forgot to ask Grace on Monday.. Outside, Grace tells her mom that she's staying for Mock Trial after school, thus can't go shopping. Across town, Karen leaves her house with Naomi, on a volunteer cupcake mission to school. At the bookstore, Lily's anxious to hear Judy's true thoughts about Rick...mentions his scarf, about which Judy wonders, it being October and all. At Rick's office, David plies him with questions about the Playboy and Playgirl in "the sister's" bathroom. Back at school, Mock Court is now in session. That night, Judy stops by to offer a Legal Dictionary to Grace and a scarf to Lily. On her bed, Lily ravishes the scarf, and excuses herself to dash to Rick's (by Judy's leave, who observes that "his kids are with their mom..")

At the apartment, R&L are besotted. Eli, who comes over to get his World Cultures book, hears the sounds from upstairs, and leaves w/o book.

Day # 3 (Wednesday) -- Breakfast at Karen's, and she asks Eli, "How late did you stay up studying last night? Did you get the chapter read?" At school, "E" is gloomy thinking about the test; at the bookstore, Rick and Judy share some awkward moments while awaiting Lily, and soon Judy tells Lily she won't be lying for her anymore. At Karen's office later, she's already heard from his teacher that he failed his test. Jen approaches Grace about the dirty looks she, Grace, has been giving her, Jen. Tensions ease. That night, Jess interviews her dad, and finds the missing book on the bedroom floor just as Karen arrives. Back at Karen's, she's very distressed Eli lied to her about studying. He goes back to the apartment and is very upset -- Rick finds out his son "was here, last night.." and heard the sounds.

Day # 4 (Thursday) -- At the bookstore, Lily apologizes to Judy for being late -- she met Naomi for lunch.. Lily admits to her sister that she's besotted and doesn't know how to handle this fact around Grace. Rick visits Karen at her office, she confesses in a b/w the distress signals she's sending her son. Later that day, at home, Eli saves Jess and his mom from the spider. Over at Lily's, she drags Grace out for a walk....Grace says, "I met a girl I kinda like today.." (though it was yesterday that tensions eased between Jen and Grace).. Tensions ease between mother and daughter as they agree to respect one another's personal lives.

[ Note -- The opening Act is a rewrite from the original script, which opens with Lily and Rick tangled up in sheets at a seedy motel. It's not the first time visiting a motel, either. The scene fast-forwards to Lily saying to Judy, "They're (motels) costing us a fortune." It's a Sunday now, the bookstore is closing early and Lily doesn't relish the thought of going back to a motel. This Sunday scenario would've worked much better in the opening Act, explaining 1) Judy going to an afternoon movie, 2) Grace and her friends being at the mall -- which they clearly are in the script -- talking about Mock Trial starting "tomorrow", and 3) LIly asking Grace the following day how her weekend was... So, we have a resulting mishmash wherein the storytellers wanted to advance the story without paying attention to timeline details... One more little example -- Eli forgot his World Cultures book at the apartment on Day #1, and didn't miss it until the night of Day #2 -- he didn't miss it in class that day? Ah, the little things.... ]

So, I rest my case...

Sue (thinking it might not appear as bad as I'd remembered..)