Wonderfalls : Pink Flamingos

Season 1, Episode 2

Written by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts

Directed by Todd Holland

Original Airdate: 1 April 2004

Karen "Honey, you should go in there."
Jaye "Me?"
Karen "Otherwise, I'll have to."

REGULAR CAST

Caroline Dharvernas as Jaye Tyler
Katie Finneran as Sharon Tyler
Tyron Leitso as Eric Gotts
Lee Pace as Aaron Tyler
Diana Scarwid as Karen Tyler
William Sadler as Dr. Darrin Tyler
Tracie Thoms as Mahandra McGinty

GUEST CAST

Kari Matchett as Beth
Chelan Simmons as Gretchen Speck-Horowitz
Neil Grayston as Alec

CO-STARRING

Noah Klar as Robert
Michael Blue as Chuck
Marcia Johnson as Nurse
Zoe Mugford as Cindy
Sarah Armenia as Tow Truck Driver
Gerry Florini as Pizza Delivery Guy
Mark Andrada as Volunteer

MUSE VOICES

Sandra Caldwell
Jeffrey R. Smith

SYNOPSIS

Jaye reminds Dad that the restaurant they're going to stops serving breakfast at eleven o'clock. Dad climbs into the car with a stack of mail, which includes an announcement for Jaye's six-and-a-half year high-school reunion. As Dad puts the car in reverse, he notices garbage cans blocking the driveway. He gets out of the car to move them. As Dad's moving the cans, some plastic lawn flamingos talk to Jaye, telling her, "get off your ass." She reaches over to shut the driver's side door so she won't have to hear them. She accidentally hits the emergency brake, and the car runs over Dad. Mom, Jaye, and Sharon visit Dad in the hospital. Jaye is guilt-stricken. Later, as Sharon makes her way to the parking lot, she hears a car horn and realizes it's Beth. Sharon tells her Dad only suffered a broken leg. Sharon sees Mom approaching and tells Beth to drive away, but Beth doesn't react quickly enough. Jaye happens by, and seeking to diffuse the potentially embarrassing situation, tells Mom that Sharon and Beth carpool together.

When Jaye returns to work Gretchen Speck, her old high-school classmate, happens by. Gretchen explains that she needs help with the school reunion, and tries to enlist Jaye's help. Jaye isn't interested, and neither is Mahandra. Gretchen reveals that the reunion is being held at the bar where Mahandra and Eric work. Jaye borrows Eric's cell phone to check on Dad, who's busy playing poker with some fellow doctors. Dad tells her that he's already arranged for Sharon to pick him up when he's discharged. Gretchen eventually gives up on Jaye and says she'll do the work herself, but when a stuffed bass says, "get off your ass," Jaye tells Gretchen she's had a change of heart and will help with the reunion after all. Mahandra reacts with shock when she learns that Jaye's helping Gretchen. She looks at her old yearbook photo: her eyes are red and her hair is completely out of control. Mahandra remembers that the photo was taken the same week Gretchen put activator in her shampoo. Mahandra decides to attend the shindig, as she's bent on revenge. Meanwhile Sharon drives Dad home from the hospital, and reacts with surprise when she finds Mom waiting. When Dad assures Mom he'll be fine without her, Mom decides to attend a function that night. Before she leaves Mom tells Sharon to check on her father's foot every 45 minutes to make sure it's not turning blue. She then heads out the door. Sharon gives it some thought... and after tranquilizing her father with the drug Percocet, invites Beth over to the house.

When Jaye and Mahandra show up at the bar, Gretchen tells them they're invited to a pre-party bash at the hotel where she's staying. Jaye and Mahandra reluctantly accept the offer, and when they show up at the hotel they realize they're the only invited guests with the exception of Mom, who attended the school prom as chaperone and was also told to come. Gretchen pulls out a photo album and starts showing the threesome pictures of her husband, Robert. Gretchen converted to Judaism before she married him. A short time later Robert phones the hotel and tells Gretchen he's not coming. Gretchen runs to the bathroom, crying. Despite her better instincts, Jaye begins to feel sorry for Gretchen. She enters the bathroom and cheers Gretchen up. Gretchen then removes a ceramic rooster hairpin from a jewellery box and asks Jaye to fasten it to her hair (the high school's mascot is a rooster). Suddenly the rooster squawks, "destroy Gretchen."

As the reunion gets underway at the bar, Jaye tells Mahandra she'll help her destroy Gretchen. Meanwhile Chuck, a cute guy in a Marine uniform, enters the bar. He's nervous, and when he spots Gretchen, he tries to get close to her. Later Jaye strikes up a conversation with Eric, who tells her about his ability to correctly guess the amount of letters in any word. Jaye tells him that when she borrowed his cell phone earlier, she answered a call from his bitchy wife and said something nasty to her. Eric is instantly smitten with Jaye. Later Jaye tells Eric that although her mission is to destroy Gretchen, in her heart-of-hearts she wants to help her. Eric encourages her to follow her heart. Jaye takes his advice, borrows Gretchen's cell phone, and places a call to Robert. It turns out that Robert has already changed his mind and is driving to the bar to attend the reunion. Jaye temporarily distracts Robert, causing him to lose control of his car and crash. Jaye tells Eric she thinks she may have inadvertently killed a man in her quest to help Gretchen. She decides to throw in the towel and stop fighting fate. She asks Eric to make her a "foofy" drink. She then walks up to Gretchen -- who's on a stage handing out awards to her classmates -- and tosses it on her. An embarrassed Gretchen runs to the bathroom. Suddenly Chuck appears and professes his love for her. After conversing with love-struck Chuck for several minutes, Gretchen concludes he's crazy and pulls out some mace. Meanwhile, as Sharon and Beth make out in the living room, Beth mentions that she's had sex with men. Moments later Dad happens by, still dazed by the Percocet. He doesn't notice a thing.

Gretchen uses the public address system at the bar to ask Jaye to step forward. As Jaye approaches, Gretchen tells everyone that she's learned something: she's bigger than Jaye and always has been... and she's decided to leave her husband but keep the ring. Meanwhile Robert falls head-over-heals for the beautiful tow truck driver who shows up at the accident scene. Dad goes to the hospital for a follow-up exam. When he's finished Jaye picks him up in her car. Dad tells Jaye he's a lucky man, because doctors detected a blood clot in his leg that could have killed him. He lets Jaye drive him to a restaurant, making Jaye feel less guilty about the accident.

TRIVIA

The opening theme for the show is 'I Wonder Why the Wonder Falls' by Alan Partridge. The video for the song has Caroline Dhavernas and Tracie Thoms lip-synching the words as the Muses float around them, and also features several other cast members.
Probably due to an error by the FOX Network (surely not!) this episode aired fourth, but on the DVD set, which is said to be the correct order of airing, it appears second.