‘A Million Little Things’ Boss: The Maggie-Gary-Darcy Love Triangle Gets More Complicated

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the A Million Little Things Season 4 premiere “Family First.”]

A Million Little Things has our attention: Gary (James Roday Rodriguez) wasn’t the only one there the night Peter (Andrew Leeds) was attacked and beaten “pretty badly.” (He might not make it.)

The final scene of the premiere flashed back to what happened after Gary dragged Peter into his own house. Christopher Gregory (Michael Weston), presumably because of the role he feels the music teacher played in his daughter’s suicide (she was one of the girls Peter assaulted), joined them in the studio. So what did Gary actually do and what did he maybe just instigate? And why was there a significant amount of blood on his arm when he got home that night?

Also in the premiere: Rome (Romany Malco) and Regina (Christina Moses) reluctantly send Tyrell (Adam Swain) to visit his mom, but he leaves a video promising to be back in a few weeks. Eddie (David Giuntoli) takes a closer listen to his recording of the woman who called taking responsibility for his accident. Maggie (Allison Miller) is enlisted to fill in on a radio show after Dr. Stacy rants on-air about her “whiny” listeners.

Showrunner DJ Nash teases what’s ahead. (For what that farewell party meant for how much we’ll see Stephanie Szostak’s Delilah this season, see what he had to say here.)

We still don’t know exactly what happened to Peter, though it is looking like it’s more a matter of what Gary let happen or instigated than what he did. What can you say about that and how we’ll see that affecting him going forward?

DJ Nash: Our show from the very beginning has looked at this idea that one little small thing can affect another thing. If Gary hadn’t called about Jon, Rome may have taken those pills. And in a similar way, we are experiencing that if Darcy [Floriana Lima] had just called an hour before, maybe Gary wouldn’t have gone over there. And yet there are so many things that are happening because of that. Gary, it seems like, only went over to sort of scare Peter and then things escalated.

ABC/Jack Rowand

We’re going to find out stuff very, very fast. We’re not going to make you wait and you’ll see what played out that night and the effects it has on Gary, on Gary and Darcy, on Gary and Sophie [Lizzy Greene], on Gary and Maggie, on this friend group. When Sophie was hurt [by Peter], she wasn’t the only person who was hurt. It’s what she says in the finale. We’re seeing the true extent of how much Peter hurt people and what that fallout will be.

Eddie seems to be doing better, but going down this rabbit hole with the caller who hit him may not be the best idea. What can you preview about his investigation and how it affects those around him, especially since he’ll have Theo with him part of the time?

Yeah. In fact, that’s an early episode we do, where his commitments to being a dad are put against his desire to know the truth. That’s exactly at the heart of what’s going on for Eddie this season. When we made the decision to have him lose his ability to walk, we really wanted to tell this story of Eddy’s true grit. He realizes and discovered he’s not going to be the dad he thought he was going to be, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t even be even better. I know from my own perspective, as the son of someone who was physically challenged, that I saw my dad’s true grit and I saw his determination and it’s something I admire in him so much. We’re going to give Theo the opportunity to experience that with his dad, and we’re going to give Eddie the chance to show his true grit.

That will be challenged because as he’s setting out to do that in ways that he did beautifully by coming up with a custody plan with Katherine [Grace Park] in the finale, now that he has this new information and now that he’s in such a weak place with regard to his sobriety emotionally, he’s going to be challenged and we’ll see whether he can rise to that and be the person, the friend, the father, the man he wants to be.

ABC/Jack Rowand

Rome and Regina are the one couple that I do not want touched. I want them together and happy. They both had to make adjustments to their career plans because of the pandemic. How will what’s next for them career-wise affecting them as a couple?

I’ve heard from many people, “just please make Regina and Rome OK.” And so the part of me that enjoys the relationship I have with the Millionaires goes, “oh, how do we challenge that?” We did it in some pretty big ways so far, with Rome wanting a baby and Regina thinking she didn’t and then finding the adoption and that falling through, and now these challenges of losing his movie and losing her restaurant. There is something pretty special about Regina and Rome. When I was pitching the show, I said, “this is the relationship we want for ourselves. This is the couple we aspire to be.”

We’re going to see them challenged in very huge ways this season, and some of those challenges threaten them as well. We’ll see if they overcome them. I’ve always loved the way that Christina approaches Regina with such authenticity. I always love the way that Romany plays Rome with just the right amount of humor to cover for the pain he’s feeling. We the writers have done an incredible job this year of setting up a couple storylines for them that really allow their strengths as actors to show, but also the pain we feel when characters we identify with suffer. We’re going to see that. I’m very excited for the fans to see that.

Gary and Darcy seem to be moving forward in a big, quick way, considering the whole discussion about kids. And then there’s Maggie. What’s coming up with the love triangle?

I love that triangle. What I love most about it is when we first talked about it, we thought, “is anyone ever going to really believe in Gary and Darcy?” But when we got Floriana to play Darcy, we really did. She is so charming, both on camera and off. She’s so fun to work with and to write for. I do love that there are fans who are Maggie endgame and refuse to see otherwise. Darcy’s got her fan base and it’s very active on Twitter. I love that, and I also love the people who were like, “I thought I was Maggie, but now I’m Darcy.” I love that that has, from a story standpoint, not been determined.

ABC/Jack Rowand

I know the plan we have for that, and I’m excited for fans to see it, but there are some real challenges now because Gary is very much in love with Darcy. The family he wanted, it’s right there. We obviously will see whether what happened with Peter challenges that and threatens that. Obviously what happens with Peter means he might need some emotional and maybe even might need a psychologist to help him find his way. Things are going to be as complicated as they ever have been, if not more so.

And he might need a lawyer?

Yeah, and a lawyer.

The realtor notes that Eddie and Katherine get along quite well, so it looks like they’re better when they’re apart, but that could always lead to something happening… How are they navigating this new divorced, co-parenting relationship?

I think they have made the determination to put Theo and what’s best for Theo first. The thing that would put the brakes on [something happening] would be is that what’s best for Theo? Do we not want to confuse him? They are both exceptionally good parents and we’ve seen them do that in such incredible ways. I remember first season when Katherine taught Theo remorse after the field trip, and I’ve seen Eddie just be there for his son, especially when Katherine left because of the baby. I just have seen them both rise to the occasion.

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The stories we have this season further that, and yet one thing that Eddie and Katherine didn’t do prior to this season is really work on themselves and model the behavior for Theo as the best way I can parent is to show you me trying to make myself better and to have self-compassion. And so we’ll watch that. … The romance in their storylines is ever-present.

A Million Little Things, Wednesdays, 10/9c, ABC