Did ‘A Million Little Things’ Just Drop a Major Hint About Eric’s Phone Call? (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 2, Episode 10 of A Million Little Things, “The Kiss.”]
Remember that phone call Eric (Jason Ritter) took at the end of the fall finale? Well, A Million Little Things‘ winter premiere didn’t tell us what exactly it was about — or who was on the other end of it — but it may have provided at least a hint. Right now, all we know is that Eric doesn’t appear to be the man we thought he was, and the first episode back in 2020 builds to a big reveal.
“The Kiss” picks up three months later, and while Gary’s (James Roday) facing an STD scare (“If you’re going to be sexually active, you’ve gotta be careful,” his doctor reminds him), Maggie (Allison Miller) is struggling with even putting herself out there on a dating app. And the only one really in her life at the moment is Eric. But at least they can understand what the other is going through, right?
“My brand is more cuddly but hard to get, mystery wrapped in a cardigan,” Eric shares as he tries helping her fill out a profile. (But he tells her, he hasn’t been on any dates.) Maggie’s still uncertain about jumping back into dating (in Boston), even though she knows that Gary’s likely on an app himself.
(ABC/Jack Rowand)
“It’s not easy to be physically vulnerable with someone new,” she admits. “You know. You get it. You have a scar that’s probably bigger than mine.” The barista who serves them drinks suggests they date, leading to the two of them awkwardly explaining their connection — Eric “physically” has her brother’s heart, he’s not dating him — and stressing they’re not dating: awkwardly laughing it off, separate checks, Maggie’s making a dating profile, you know, the usual stuff.
When Gary and Maggie eventually see each other for the first time since the breakup, it’s awkward for everyone at Danny’s school musical. It’s not until after the first act that the two talk, which does not go well. She notes he looks tired and has been biting his nails, as well as the dent in his car.
He argues that she can’t have an opinion on his life since she broke up with him. She protests he broke up with her, but he just wants to know how long it took for her to reach out to Eric after. Five minutes, she tells him, because he’s the only person she knows who’s not one of Gary’s friends. She’d hoped that the breakup wouldn’t last long enough that their friends ever had to know.
Maggie tries to get rid of her annoyance by running with Eric, but she’s still mad about Gary’s behavior. “Breaking up is hard to do, isn’t that from Grease?” Eric asks. She corrects him (Neil Sedaka), and points out, “You run a music store. You should definitely know that. People are going to think you’re a fraud.” Chloe was the one who loved music, he tells her. Simple explanation, right?
(ABC/Jack Rowand)
Sure, if not for what comes next. Maggie assures Eric she didn’t see his scar after he removes his sweater; she, too, is “super self-conscious” about her scar. In fact, it’s half of the reason why she’s afraid to date again … and he’s suspiciously quiet. After she asks what he does when he’s with someone, he tells her he hasn’t been with anyone since Chloe. She kisses him, and when he eventually pulls back, she apologizes and hurries out, not letting him say anything.
But what would he have said, given that after she’s gone, he takes off his shirt and we see he doesn’t have the scar he should if he’d had a heart transplant?
If he’s lying about that, can we believe anything he’s said? Is Chloe dead? (Probably. Or is A Million Little Things going to have two characters lie about dead significant others in the same season?) Could the person to whom Eric was speaking at the end of the fall finale have Maggie’s brother’s heart?
After all, executive producer DJ Nash told TV Insider after the fall finale, “Who [Eric’s] talking to and what he’s talking about come out in early episodes when we’re back. The big thing, whether it’s his feelings for Maggie or something else, reveals itself in our next episode.”
“You’ll learn stuff about him and his story that will make you feel a bunch of different things about Eric,” he added.
Could this secret lead to the scene in the 2020 return promo of Gary and Eric fighting? If Gary learns the truth — perhaps before Maggie — he could lash out. We saw in this episode that he’s had some anger issues, especially when it comes to drivers who don’t pay attention to signs. (But maybe having one driver pull a gun on him will pull him back.)
(ABC/Jack Rowand)
We’ll have to wait and see, but for now, we’re questioning everything A Million Little Things has told us about Eric.
A Million Little Things, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC
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