Chapter Text
6.01: The Freedom
After the beach-sit of infinite despair, Frankie insists that she’s happy that Grace finally found her handsome capitalist monster dream guy and is finally getting a happily ever after; Grace in turn insists that she won’t really be gone and will always be there for Frankie, just a drive over. The amount of stuff being Angstily Not Said leaves piney period dramas in the dust. We do a little bit of a time skip montage set to Kate Rusby’s cover of “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” (bring the pain!!!), seeing Grace pack up her things and Frankie start putting touches of unbridled hippie style in the beach house.
They go about their somewhat separate lives for awhile. Frankie kind of digs not having Grace nagging her all the time and having the beach house to herself (and Joan Margaret)! Grace basks in the luxury of living at Nick’s penthouse, which is clean and organized (because he pays someone to clean and organize it, but whatever!). They both get to a defiant place of, “Now I can be ME rather than having to compromise parts of myself to make life work with her!”, which is obviously denial code for I AM VERY SAD ABOUT THIS, I MISS WHO I WAS WHEN I WAS WITH YOU.
They see each other again at a family brunch celebrating Carl the Dog’s six month anniversary of joining the family. (“At least the justification for throwing these things isn’t getting totally fucking ridiculous,” says Grace to her Bloody Mary.) Nick comes along, since he’s technically part of the family now. Frankie—in peak hippie mode, at one with all the earth, zen and full of love!—gets super competitive with him playing dog-themed Celebrity, and it is clear to everyone that there is some deeper issue going on here. Nick and Frankie definitely stand on either side of Grace in classic onscreen love triangle fashion, because what is mise en scene for if not that?
“Fuck this bougie scene,” Frankie declares when Nick fails to guess ‘Homeward Bound’ based on her impeccable clues. “We’re outtie, Joan Margaret!”
“Right behind you, dear!”
Frankie still takes the time to pat Carl on the head before she goes, obviously—she’s not a monster—but there is a true discontentment blazing in her eyes. Grace watches her go with all the world’s wariness, and maybe mutters, “Oh, fuck.”
Last Scene/End Credits Music: “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield. Yeah, I went there.
I play along with the charade
There doesn't seem to be a reason to change
You know, I feel so dirty when they start talking cute
I wanna tell her that I love her
But the point is probably moot