This episode begins with Mitchell standing outside, smoking a cigarette and delivering the following soliloquy. It was so powerful, I decided to share it in full.
"Where do I belong? Where do I fit? Who are my people? Where do my loyalties lie? We all choose our tribe, it's our need to belong, to live within boundaries, 'cause it's scary on the outside, on the fringes. Some labels are forced on us. They mark us, set us apart 'till we're like ghosts, just drifting through other people lives -- but only if we let the labels hold. You can piss your whole life away trying out who you might be. It's when you have worked out who you are, that you can really start to live|.
The scene shifts to Mitchell attacking Seth, looking for Lauren. Herrick walks into the room and says that Mitchell is always hurting her. "You just keep hurting her. You recruit her that's fine, then you just leave her. She wakes up with us, she doesn't know where she is, she's still calling for you. So fine, we pick up the pieces best we can. Then, Jesus Christ. Then, you try and take her back". Mitchell tells Herrick that Lauren came to him. Not satisfied with that answer Herrick says, "where else was she going to go? She couldn't exactly go to child find. When I recruited you, I didn't abandon you. I took care of you. Do you know why? 'Cause it was my responsibility." Mitchell protests that he was helping her; however, Herrick is not still not impressed. "What by getting her into your fad? You know what, does this have to do with you and your furry friend, raiding the fairy box, pretending to be human? It's a game. Meeting in hotels like what? Lovers? You rip her mortality away, and then you try and patch it up with this scraps of human behaviour, that is cruel Mitchell. Why can't you just let her be the thing you made her.? Mitchell points out that Herrick forced her to screw a man and then kill him. Herrick tells him to go and do his thing, and get it out of his system, and that there will always be a place for him there, just like there was for Lauren.
Back at the house, Annie is sweeping up broken dishes. George walks into the room all dressed in Black clothes and white running shoes, and asks if he is dressed to flash. Honestly, he looks incredibly geeky. When he leaves the room, Mitchell asks Annie, if the mug moved on it's own, but Annie denies that it did. Seconds later, George comes in, wearing an even more hideous shirt. There are couches from the 70's desperate for the material that went into that shirt. Mitchell asks if he plans to tell Nina that he cross dresses. Okay, why demean him like that? It's obvious that George has no taste and the times he does dress in women's clothing it's because he has no choice due to the change. It feels wrong to use naturally gender variant people to shame George.
The drawers start to move on their own, and Mitchell asks when did this start to happen. Annie responds, "When I found out about Owen. This could be perfectly natural. You find out that your fiancee murdered you, and you become a throwing things about ghost." Mitchell simply says, "poltergeist". Annie responds, "see you, you know the terms. You understand how this works. Do you think I can channel it? I have been dying to get behind that freezer and clean it". Mitchell tells her that cleaning the kitchen is not the best way to deal. George enters the room wearing a simple shirt, which actually is the best so far, but Annie tells him that it looks like he can't be arsed.
Mitchell goes outside during the day and notices a bunch of boys bullying another. These kids start to push Mitchell and ask him what he is going to about it. When his eyes turn all Black, the bullies run away. Bernie thanks him and says that he could have handled it himself. When Bernie's mom Fleur shows up, she thanks Mitchell for saving Bernie, and invites him in for a cup of tea.
In the house, Fleur says that the kids picking on Bernie are little shits. Fleur says that Bernie is different because he is sensitive and kind. Bernie answers, "Mom, you make me sound gay". I was relieved when Fleur immediately corrected him, saying that she would tell his uncles that he said that. It was absolutely necessary, after the opening scene in which a father and a son, pulled away from George as he was returning home obviously women's clothing. Fleur continues saying, "There is no shame in being sensitive, is there Mitchell? Of course you can't blame the children, not when you consider the parents. You know we're not born assholes." I love this entire scene, because it recognizes that we actively teach children to hate.
When George gets over to Nina's, she tells him that she has to cover someone's shift. When Nina notices that he dressed up, socially awkward George says that her commitment to her job is so passionate and attractive. Nina says we may not make the restaurant, but I still have an hour before I have to leave. He thinks that she is suggesting take away, but she clearly meant sex. George starts to stumble once again, saying that "you might be expecting", just as she bites his ear. He screams bloody hell and she answers, "I thought you liked it rough". "I'm not anti the rough stuff", not at all, responds George. "It won't always be like the other night". Nina says, "thank God," and he answers, "I thought you were impressed". They both agree to slow things down a bit. Throwing in a nice dose of ableism Nina adds, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting we wear chastity rings, we're not shagging cause we're mentals". She could have made her point about the abstinence movement without descending to ableism. George lets the comment go by saying that they should rewind to romance and flowers. I am starting to like George less and less. He may be socially awkward but he is more than willing to over look violence against Annie, as well as ableism. At least when Bernie used the word "retard" earlier, Fleur made a point of calling him out.
Mitchell leaves the house the next day, and runs into Bernie who says that he is on his way into town. Mitchell offers to take him out, and asks if Fleur minds, because she hardly knows him. When she looks through her mirror, she sees only Bernie walking away, because Mitchell's reflection does not appear in the mirror. Mitchell takes Bernie bowling and Bernie asks, "what did you want to be when you grow up?" Mitchell says, "just happy. People really didn't have careers where I come from, mostly they were in the army or in the church". This has me wondering whether I should revise my estimate that Mitchell was turned in WWI. He goes on to say, "it was different back then, there was less choice about what happy people do". Lauren shows up in the bowling hall and Mitchell drags her away.
Mitchell looks at her and says, "You're killing again. I can see it in you, I can smell it". Lauren responds, "it's all about the blood with you". Mitchell asks if they can just skip to the part where she makes him feel guilty. Lauren tells him that they've got the message and that they're leaving him alone. She walks out and he follows her asking, "Is this a trick?" Lauren says, "It's okay, what you did to me. There's no bitterness, I love it. Take care of yourself."
