Adultesence

Season 1, Episode 5: Adultesence

Episode Guide

Erica is watching some kids playing outside from the window of a baby store where she is shopping with Judith and two of her friends. She narrates:

"When you're a kid, being grown up looks so easy. Nobody tells you it's harder than it looks."

Judith checks things off her list and Erica spots some temporary baby tattoos and jokes that Judith should buy them. Her friends look unimpressed and tell Erica that Judith needs to focus on the important things, not novelty items.

"That those feelings that you have that you don't measure up, that you're not keeping up pace? They never go away."

One of Judith's friends asks Erica how planning for the baby shower is going - she says well. They move on to look at high chairs, where Judith asks Erica's opinion on two chairs - one is modern and flashy the other a traditional wooden one.

Judith's friends say it has to be the more practical and modern chair. However, Erica says that the wooden one is more natural and looks cute. Judith agrees, but balks when she looks at the price tag. She then receives a call on her phone which she takes.

Erica takes the opportunity to look at the price herself, and is surprised by how much it costs - C$400. Judith's friends say it is expensive, but that's what the godmother is there for. Erica looks shocked at this and, when she is told it's supposed to be a secret, she agrees to pretend as if she doesn't know.

Judith returns and tells them she has to go, she's accompanied by her friends - leaving Erica to confirm her registry with the shop assistant.

"What do you do when you feel like you're the only kid in a room full of adults? Well, the only thing you can do. You smile, you step up, and you do your best to fit in."

Erica tells the shop assistant to add the wooden high chair to the registry - which, as godmother, will be her gift to Judith.

On the day of the baby shower, Erica is helping decorate her apartment, where it's being hosted, while Ethan helps put together the wooden high chair. Erica lets him know much she has spent on the chair - and he jokes that she must have an inheritance he doesn't know about.

She says that Judith is her best friend and reveals to him that she is going to be made godmother. Ethan struggles to hide his surprise at this news, but suggests that's only because it's such a big honour.

She invites him to pop round during the shower, but he informs her he'll be in Montreal for the weekend. She doesn't understand, but he explains he needs closure from his marriage to Claire and wants to know why they failed.

Erica accepts his reasoning, and the pair share a moment as they touch hands while leaning on the finished high chair. Jenny then arrives, carrying a cake, and begins to discuss her theory on baby showers - which she argues is just a way of rewarding somebody for having sex.

She comments that she has sex all the time but never gets any reward. Erica suggests that the sex part is her reward. On this note, Ethan takes his leave with Erica hugging him and wishing him good luck for his meeting with Claire.

Ethan leaves and she shuts the door. However, no sooner has she shut it than she hears someone knocking. She presumes it's Ethan returning to pick up something he's forgotten, however, when she opens it she finds Dr. Tom on the other side.

He walks in and asks Erica how she's doing, however, she is more concerned about him being there with Jenny also present. He picks up a book off a table, Girlfriends Guide To Pregnancy, and comments on Erica's choice of reading material.

She explains that Judith has decided to make her the godmother. Erica believes Dr. Tom finds this surprising, but he challenges her saying it's her who looks more surprised at Judith's decision.

Erica concedes that, in the past, she hasn't been godmother material because of the responsibility associated with the role - it requires someone secure, calm, and stable. Dr. Tom asks if this is isn't her?

She replies that it didn't used to be, rather she was more of a wacky aunt figure. However, she believes Judith, and her husband, Anthony, can see that she now has a job which could lead to a career and things are falling into place in her life. Dr. Tom is pleased to hear Erica speaking like this.

Jenny then returns and Erica introduces Dr. Tom as her neighbour, saying he's come to borrow her book. Jenny is confused at this, and Dr. Tom takes this as his cue to exit.

Later, the baby shower is in full swing, with Erica explaining the great lengths she has gone to with the caterer to ensure all the food and drink is fit for somebody pregnant. Judith is impressed with this.

Erica then spots Sam on her cell phone in the hallway. She is checking up, once again, on Josh - who is on his stag night with his best friend, Ryan. Sam says that whenever the pair are together they seem to get intro trouble.

She compliments Erica on her hosting of the baby shower, as does Jenny - who is pleased that Erica has remembered to buy wine for those who aren't pregnant. Alison and Marie, Judith's friends from the shopping trip to the baby store, also congratulate Erica on her shower.

Judith is opening presents - including some baby clothes with 'Made in Vagina' emblazoned across them. She suggests that Erica must have bought this for her, but Jenny admits it was her. Erica leaves to fetch through her present for Jude, the high chair, which she has covered with a sheet.

She brings it in and reveals the high chair - much to Judith's surprise. Erica says that it being Judith's first born, she couldn't not buy it. Alison and Marie comment that this is awkward - as they have bought Judith the other high chair. They say it's the godmother's right to spoil the baby, particularly when there's two of them.

Erica is perplexed at this revelation and tries to hide her pain at discovering she's not going to be godmother. She says that the other chair is more practical and uses the excuse of looking for the receipt for her high chair to leave the room.

Judith follows her into her bedroom and suggests that she's upset at not being made godmother. Erica says she's fine and that she simply got carried away in the baby store - wanting to do something special. Judith tells her the shower is exactly that.

She confesses that she put a lot of thought into the decision, but she had gone for people who already have a child and "get it." Erica concedes that Alison and Marie are godmother material, and that she will just have to be a wacky aunt.

Jenny then joins the pair and reminds them there's a party still going on. Judith returns, but Jenny stays with Erica, who admits how upset she is. Jenny disputes Judith's decision, saying she hardly knows Alison and Marie and that Anthony doesn't know them at all.

She suggests Erica is better off not being godmother and Erica drinks to the night being over quickly. They return to the party where Erica gets out the cake and Judith gives a toast thanking Erica for her hard work and friendship.

Suddenly, Jenny collapses onto the floor, having fainted. Erica rushes over to see if she's okay and Jenny, awaking, asks Erica to drive her home as she isn't feeling good. Erica tells everyone she'll be back in half an hour.

Erica drives Jenny home but, when they get out of the car, Jenny reveals she was only acting faint and is actually fine - she just wanted an excuse to get Erica out of the party. Erica is angry and insists they return to the baby shower.

She refuses, saying Erica needs time to "decompress" and calling Judith insensitive. Erica says she understands Judith's decision, and that if she was more like Alison and Marie she might have been chosen. Jenny is shocked at this comment and says it calls for drastic measures.

Jenny steals Erica's purse and runs into a nearby bar, forcing Erica to follow her in. It's a karaoke bar, and a guy is singing on stage. Erica watches him for a bit before spotting Jenny. She again tries to persuade Jenny to go home but Jenny refuses to return her purse until she has sung with her.

Eventually, Erica agrees to singing one song on stage with her if they can return home straight away afterwards. They both down a shot and Jenny spins a lie to the guy in charge to ensure the pair can go straight on stage and start singing.

They take over from the guy who Erica had been watching, and he tells her to "break a leg" as he hands her the mic. Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun starts up, although Erica insists Jenny starts the singing as she's too nervous.

Erica takes over later, telling the watching crowd that she has been forced into it. Watching her with some interest is the guy who had just been singing. Also in attendance is Josh, on his stag night, who takes out his camera and starts filming Jenny and Erica on stage.

He then calls Sam to tell her about it. She doesn't believe him until she watches the video he has sent. Judith watches this over her shoulder and gets Sam to admit that it has been recorded by Josh this evening. Judith can't understand this.

Erica and Jenny finish singing and come off stage. They are approached by Josh, who congratulates them and compliments Jenny on her looks. Erica tells him that they are now leaving but is shocked to see the guy who sang before them also coming up.

She is even more surprised to discover that the guy is Ryan - Josh's best man and former college roommate. Clearly smitten, she asks Josh why they haven't been introduced before. He tells her that Josh works internationally, and has four houses across the world.

Ryan and Erica flirt for a while, which Josh looks unimpressed with and tries to drag Ryan away to play poker. He tells him that he doesn't need to buy the cow when the milk elsewhere is free. Ryan tells Erica he has to go, but doesn't share Josh's opinion. He also invites them to play poker later if they decide to.

Erica then notices she has two missed calls from Judith on her cell phone and calls her back. She is surprised that Judith knows about the karaoke bar and says it was just a misunderstanding with Jenny.

She tells Judith they will be back in ten minutes, but an angry Judith tells her not to bother and suggests Erica's reaction to not being made godmother only serves to justify her decision. Erica doesn't appreciate this and Judith hangs up.

Annoyed, Erica declares that she wants another drink, and then, against Jenny's wishes, suggests they join Ryan and Josh in the VIP room to play poker.

Jenny tries to calm her down, but Erica laments that she has tried hard, but whatever job she does she always seems to be "Wacky Aunt Erica." She states this is fine, as she is happy to party at the "kid's table." With this, she pushes the door to enter the VIP room.

She finds herself entering Dr. Tom's office though. He is sitting in her usual seat reading the book he borrowed earlier. He looks around as she enters and thanks her for the loan. Erica tells him he can keep it, and he suggests the baby shower didn't go well.

Dr. Tom vacates Erica's seat so she can sit down and moves around to his side of his desk. He speculates that the party hadn't gone as Erica planned and now she doesn't want to return. Erica isn't in the mood for his games and asks him directly when she will be going back to.

He informs her her Bat Mitzvah. Erica is surprised at this choice, and asks him why. He replies that she also ran out of that party and that, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Erica is shocked that she will be returning to the 1980s, but he says he wants to send her back to the special ceremony when she left childhood behind forever and became an adult, and asks her why it's a regret.

She sighs, and explains that it took her parents six months to plan her party - with a Dirty Dancing theme - but it didn't go to plan. She then became freaked out by everything that went wrong.

Erica tells Dr. Tom that a cool kid, Cody Maxwell, had called her a 'Jewser' - a combination of Jew and loser - and that it was the final straw on a day she had pinned all her hopes on, only for it to be a huge failure.

Feeling as if she had failed too, she ran out and spent the evening crying in the car - which led to her parents getting into a big fight.

He asks her what she would do differently this time, and Erica explains that she would instead stay, enjoy the occasion with her family, dance with her friends, and experience her Bat Mitzvah for what it is, instead of making it into something it isn't.

Suddenly, she finds herself transported back - and is standing at the front of the synagogue during her Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Her dad is chanting in Hebrew, and she sees all her family sitting on the front row. The rabbi then tells Erica it's her turn to read from the Torah - which scares her.

She walks up to the bima and, being handed the yad, stares at the words she will have to sing - trying to remember what she is supposed to do. The rabbi whispers to Erica that she can start singing, but she asks him for help with the first line.

He starts to sing it for her, and she eventually starts to sing along and remember. He once again has to help her out when she stumbles, but Erica then remembers the rest and smiles as she comes to an end. Everyone throws candy in her direction and congratulates her.

Afterwards, Erica is being led into the hall where her party is to take place. Her dad is covering her eyes while her mom tells her how proud they are of her and - quoting from Dirty Dancing - tells her they would never put baby in the corner as she is now a woman.

Her dad removes his hand to remove all her family and friends congregated and they applaud her. At that moment, a band starts playing and Uncle Ruby - who Erica's mom tells her has watched the movie 53 times - starts to approach Erica.

He is dressed as Patrick Swayze's character and asks her for a dance. Erica dances with him as everyone, including an unimpressed Cody, watches. The dance concludes by Ruby lifting her into the air and she hugs him at the end.

Jenny then drags Erica away - suggesting she has just committed social suicide by dancing with Ruby. She tells her that Cody is present - who we overhear telling his friends that Erica's party is "shit" and that he wishes he had gone to Rachel Epstein's Bat Mitzvah instead.

Erica tells him that he can always leave if he feels that way. He suggests he might and once again brands her a 'jewser.' Erica hits back, and says he shouldn't judge people consdering he's a bedwetter - something everyone will know after next year's school trip to Ottawa.

Leo then appears by his sister's side and tells Cody to get lost. Erica is pleased to see her brother and they joke about his mullet hairstyle. He tells her he's brought his guitar and hopes to jam with the band later. He also congratulates her on the way she dealt with Cody.

He wanders off, and Erica then notices Dr. Tom is serving drinks to her dad behind the bar. She goes up to the bar - thanking her dad for the Bat Mitzvah. He tells Dr. Tom to watch out for Erica and serve her juice or water only. Dr. Tom replies that he will "keep an eye on her."

Her dad goes, and Erica sarcastically thanks Dr. Tom for making her read from the Torah again rather than just sending her back to the party. "No party is fun unless seasoned with folly," he insists.

She tries to get him to make her a cocktail in celebration of the way she handled Cody, but Dr. Tom insists that, now as a minor, Erica can't touch alcohol. He queries whether she knows the name of another remarkable child though - Shirley Temple. Providing Erica with the drink of the same name.

Erica enjoys her drink as she surveys the scene of her Bat Mitzvah, commenting that even her dad seems happy despite the fact she can't remember him smiling until the late '90s. Her mom then comes up to her - and looks at Dr. Tom suspiciously when she discovers what Erica is drinking.

She takes Erica away for a chat but - when she begins to inform her of all the changes her body is going to undertake in the future - Erica suggests they do this another time.

Her mom agrees, but goes on to say that she can't believe she will be soon walking Erica down the aisle, playing with her grandchildren, and coming to visit her at the firm. This last one confused Erica, until her mom asks for confirmation that she does still want to be a lawyer.

Erica says that, while that could happen, she could also not get married right away - she could still be 30 and single. Her mom tries to reassure her that by that age she will be married with two kids.

However, Erica persists, saying she might not even end up being a lawyer, she could end up - describing her current situation - being 30, living in a one-bedroom apartment, and working as someone's assistant. Her mom says that won't happen and describes such an existence as "living like a bum."

Erica is shocked at the scorn in her mother's voice and, after finishing their talk, she walks out of the hall to a back room, looking disconsolate. Just then, Dr. Tom comes through some double doors pushing a trolley full of glasses.

He lets her know that the party is in the other room, she responds that she needs a minute alone. He says it's a shame she's not enjoying her Bat Mitzvah, what with it being a once in a lifetime event. Erica reminds him that's it's twice in her case.

She bemoans having to take part in the event at all and that she will never reach her mom's definition of adulthood anyway. Dr. Tom suggests, in that case, that she just tries being herself. Erica says she's not sure who she is anymore.

He says she's a friend, daughter, crazy aunt, and Bat Mitzvah honouree, and explains that her life is like a rowing boat. At the moment, it's being propelled by a single oar - representing everyone else's expectations for her. However, it's got her going around in circles.

The only way she can move forward, he continues, is to pick up the oar which represents how she sees herself and start rowing with that. "Learn to be what you are, and learn to resign with good grace all that you are not," he says, as he leaves her to think on her own.

Erica returns to the party to find the band packing up and leaving, and Jenny informs her that Cody is dragging everyone to Rachel's party instead. Erica asks her parents why the band are packing up and discovers they could only afford to hire them for a limited amount of time and they can't spend any more to keep them there.

She springs into action, and persuades Leo to get on stage to accompany her. She takes the mic and thanks her parents for her party and says she wants to try something different. Leo begins to play his guitar and Erica sings Girls Just Wanna Have Fun again.

Everyone else begins to join in and dance, including Jenny - who joins Erica on stage. Dr. Tom watches on from back behind the bar, pleased to see Erica is having fun once again.

At the end, the candle lighting ceremony is taking place with Sam and Leo lighting one each before Erica's parents light one together. Uncle Ruby then starts a slideshow as Erica's mom and dad give an emotional speech telling of her birth and how she has inherited various traits from them - tenacity, tempestuosness, wit, and compassion.

Erica then lights the final candle and finds herself transported back to the present day where she is stumbling through the door to the VIP room with Jenny behind her.

Ryan spots them and says he's glad they changed their mind. Josh says if they want to stay then they're playing strip poker and that they must remove their shirts. Jenny says she's in, but Erica declares she is leaving.

Jenny is surprised at this sudden change of heart, and Ryan tries his best to change her mind. However, he and Erica arrange to go out for dinner the next day.

Erica returns to her apartment to find people leaving the shower. She manages to see Judith - who is no mood to talk to her. Later, Erica tries to call Judith on her phone but is forced to just leave a message apologising for her behaviour.

There's then a knock at the door, and Erica opens it to find Dr. Tom. He gives her back the book he borrowed. She jokes it will make great kindling, but he tells her it was a great read. Erica says she isn't the godmother though, and she doesn't want to be the wacky aunt.

Dr. Tom says she doesn't have to be either and that, "It takes a lot of courage to grow up and be who you really are." He wishes her goodnight and leaves. Erica considers his words.

The next morning, Erica goes round to Judith's house to apologise. She gets no response, despite furiously knocking, ringing the doorbell, and shouting her name. She shouts that she won't be going until Judith speaks to her, and she eventually comes out of the back door to talk.

Erica apologises for leaving the baby shower and assures Judith that she understands why she decided on Alison and Marie, and not her, for the role of godmother. Judith explains that she's terrified of being a mom and she just wanted to pick someone who had been through it already.

Reconciled, Erica tells Judith she will just have to spoil the kid rotten and she'll also do everything she can to help Judith - as she is still her best friend. She then gets out a present from her bag - the last item off Judith's registry - which she describes as a "diaper eater."

Judith jokes that she will always think of Erica when she uses it and, while Erica considers the implications of this statement, she narrates:

"There comes a point when you realise, truth is this: being grown up is simply knowing you are and having the courage to be that person - warts and all."

Erica returns home to her apartment building, where she encounters Ethan coming out of his apartment. He tells her that his trip back to Montreal went better than it should have, which surprises her.

Before he can explain though, Ryan turns up, half an hour early, for his and Erica's date. Ethan departs and Erica invites Ryan into her apartment - smiling broadly to herself as she shuts the door.