“You See Right Through (Me)” (“Kids These Days” Recap)

If the biggest question about tonight's episode (is Alex changing her image?) were a controversial sports play being reviewed, whatever was the original call would stand based on inconclusiveness.  In other words, I can't really say whether or not tonight was the start of a new Alex.

Yes, it was Alex who wanted to dress sexier for a hot weekend date with Bill, and she went so far as to go to Gloria and not Claire for advice.  And some of her words indicated she wanted to do this for herself as much as Bill.

But after she put on that dress, it felt like she was having second thoughts.  Or maybe she was just feeling awkward and uncomfortable dressed like that in front of Claire.   Or maybe she saw dressing for hotness in a different form than how Claire saw it.

Actually that entire finale scene felt awkward – it was hard to buy either Alex or Claire saying they were comfortable with this direction¹.  I'm not saying it was a badly done scene, by the way – I think that's exactly the mood/reaction the show wanted for it (certainly Gloria's funny reaction brought home that point).  And they did establish in the restaurant that Alex and Claire really have never been comfortable discussing the birds and the bees so one could probably have seen that awkwardness coming.

But it does leave the door wide open as to whether or not Alex will try again for a sexier look after tonight – I'm pretty sure she was wearing that dress under the coat when she left to go on her weekend with Bill, but I don't know if she'll want to do it again any time soon.   (I suppose she could have been wearing that coat to surprise Bill, but she was still acting awkwardly about the whole thing as she was leaving home.)  I've always believed that Alex never feels comfortable dressing up at all (even in simpler dresses like she's worn in the past), and tonight felt like a confirmation of that.

Alex might be getting closer to coming out of her shell (not just in how she dresses, but, as we've seen all season with her relationship with Bill, in how she lives a love life), but if tonight was part of that journey it was only that proverbial “single step” in a thousand-mile one.  (P.S. I can live with that.) The next time Bill gets mentioned may tell us where that journey may go.

Yes they could have done more with tonight. But they could have done a lot worse, too.

Alex's Line Of The Night: ”I needed some sexy clothes, so I asked Gloria to help me shop. No offense to my mom, but, she dresses kind of conservative, while Gloria knows how to pick out clothes that will help take this baby (hands out in a 'Ta Da! Here I am!' pose) for a spin. Ugh, Alex, come on – sell it if you're going to talk like that.”

That last sentence almost sounds like I might have said it, but no, it was Alex. I was beginning to wonder if Alex was ever going to get a private scene this season, so, I went with this line (her saying she wanted to dress sexy for herself and not just for Bill was a close second).

Don't forget: Ariel's on “GMA Day” tomorrow – I doubt she'll say anything new about Alex since she hasn't said much this week, but, you never know.
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¹ And, speaking of not buying, if I were Claire at the beginning I wouldn't have bought Alex\s explanation of how she wound up shopping with Gloria, or that those shoes were for Gloria either.