Does This Show Have Something Against Dads?

So, I skipped two weeks' worth of Secret Life. All I know from two weeks ago is that Amy and Ricky finally talked. Last week, Adrian drove Mr. Molina up a wall trying to get her birth certificate to learn about her real dad. Mimsy came into the picture, but she can't take Amy due to her Alzheimer's. And Madison started dating Lauren's brother.


In tonight's episode, Molly Ringwald is freaking out about sending her daughters to visit their father. Apparently the BIG THING this episode is whether Amy should go back to school or not. But they convince themselves it's a good thing as Amy's Dad thanks Adrian for use of the apartment. He tries to make it homey before his daughters arrive. They are bored out of their minds, with Ashley trying to figure out if they are in dad's girlfriend's house and Amy on the phone with Ben. He races over with a pizza (which is giving a discount to students) with Henry, who refuses to talk about Alice. He spends the night talking with Ashley in a very uncomfortable scene where he tells her she is beautiful. Meanwhile, Ben is trying to convince Amy to come back to school--last week, he was hallucinating about her. He's in bad. Ben and Henry leave as Ricky comes to the door, revealing the truth about the apartment.


Meanwhile, new BFFs Grace and Adrian are staking out a house. It's apparently the house of Adrian's dad--whom I surprised is not already someone in the cast--and she's waiting just to see him. Grace is a little nervous, especially since her parents are out and Tom (who we learned was adopted) is home alone. The man comes home but Adrian remains there. Sometime later, he comes out to confront her. He figures out who she is and tells her to never come to his house again. That's harsh. The girl obviously had issues with men before...she's going to need to start going to counseling with Ricky.


Speaking of Ricky, he needs friends. He calls Adrian, who is on the stake-out and tells him not to bother calling her partner-in-crime Grace. He then visits Tom, who is waiting for someone, before busting Amy's Dad. He ends up talking with Lauren, who is bummed as Madison and her brother go on their first date. She and he end up talking about Amy and the baby. In the end, Madison and the brother spot them kissing.


Molly, lonely, is surprised by a visit from the Sausage King. He brings some food and talks with her. He reaffirms he is all for Ben and Amy's marriage, willing to take care of her. He's also willing to support her in whatever direction she goes with her education. The King encourages Molly to do the same. He tells her essentially that the past is the past and she should just focus on the present, go with the flow. As for Amy's plans, she talks with her dad before Ricky walks in. He says she should go back to her school and walk the halls proudly--it is her school. However, Amy knows how mean teens can be and doesn't want to be the girl everyone gossips about. In the end, the BIG THING--not solved.


Tom, who has been left alone, orders a pizza. He tells the delivery guy, like he told Ricky, he's waiting for a friend--a female friend. And he's waiting with a lot of cash--where did he get that? The delivery guy tells him to be careful. And then Jennifer Coolidge rings the doorbell. I did a double take because I didn't think she would do a show like this! She tells Tom she'll be his friend--for a price. Tom hired himself a hooker! She starts smoking, which he almost tries until she stops him. She asks him for money before a bad man comes and beats him up with a bag of oranges (I kid you not. The pimps in Tom's neighborhoods use ORANGES). Before anything can happen, Grace comes home and breaks it up.

The Jurgen girls return home to their mother and Ashley suspects their mother of having an affair with the Sausage King. Molly looks upset though there were some romantic undertones I picked up on earlier. Okay, from the moment he showed up, I thought, "Great. Now Molly's going after Ben's dad?" Ashley tells Molly that Dad is having an affair with Adrian's mom, which Amy clarifies is over. Then Ashley reveals Dad is living in his furniture store. She and Molly realize it before Amy--Dad's broke. Ashley pleads with Molly to let Dad stay with them. She says she can deal with the cheating, pregnancy and affairs but not with them being poor. Well, someone's got their priorities straight. Molly agrees but Ashley has to tell Dad.

Ashley goes to tell him, but walks in as he is comforting Adrian. The girl is still upset about her father's dismissal of her. Ashley tells Dad he can come home, but she hates him for cheating on her and Amy. Wow. My dad's comforted my friends and my sister's friends--it's the paternal feeling. Anyway, Ricky calls Adrian after dropping off Lauren and she agrees to meet him. Henry says that he's going to dump Alice while Ben urges him not to be so hasty.

And it ends with the question why most of the dads on this show are scumbags in some shape? Honestly, only John Schneider and the Sausage King are good--and I think the Sausage King needs to take off the rose colored glasses sometimes! Hopefully Schneider comes back soon--we need a good father on this show. But there are only two episodes left until the season finale (cable seasons, got to love them). Who knows what will happen, though I hope they decide what Amy is going to do about school by then. And it looks like there's a turning point with Ricky, who suddenly WANTS the baby. I'm confused.