Plenty of Fish

Season 1, Episode 3: Plenty of Fish

Episode Guide

Erica is coming to end of a first date with a guy named Mike. She tells him she hasn't had so much fun in ages.

She then gets a call on her cell phone from Ethan - pre-arranged just in case she needed an excuse to get out of the date - but she tells him how well it's going. He anticipates that, knowing Erica, she will be on the look out for a problem with Mike, but Ethan tells her that, this time, maybe there isn't one.

Mike invites Erica in for a drink at his apartment, which she immediately falls in love with. She notices his sink full of dirty dishes, which he admits is one of his flaws. Looking past that, Erica spots some African masks on the wall and asks him about it.

He tells her that he recently spent some time in Kenya and points to one mask in particular, telling Erica about the special tree it was carved from. She picks it up for a closer inspection - only to discover a label on the inside saying it was made in Taiwan.

Beginning to wonder whether she can really believe him, Erica quickly finishes off her wine - although she accepts a second, as she tries to look past his lie. She begins to narrate:

"The first date is like an open house. The pictures look great, the dimensions are good and, as you stand at the threshold, you think: 'Could this be it? Could this be the one?'"

Mike and Erica begin making out on the couch, however she is finding he is taking things too fast. She also can't help but look at the African masks, which create doubt in her mind. She begins to look around at more of the things on Mike's shelves as he continues to kiss her.

"You open the door full of anticipation. You walk in and then you start to notice the details. The cracks in the wall, the weird little quirks, and then you think: 'No, this isn't for me.'"

Spotting a book on his shelf entitled 'An Idiot's Guide to Dostoevsky', Erica makes up her mind that she doesn't want things to go any further. She makes her excuses and leaves, declining his offer of a ride home. Mike looks stunned at her sudden and hasty exit.

The next morning, Erica and Ethan are discussing her date over a game of Wii Tennis. Ethan comments that Erica always sniffs out the weirdest things about guys. She bemoans her inability to find someone and suggests she may be the problem.

Ethan reassures her that it's the dating game itself which is the problem. Erica cuts short their conversation as she has to go and help Judith decorate her old High School hall for a reunion that's happening.

Her lack of enthusiasm is obvious, and she explains she isn't looking forward to meeting up with people when her own life - single and unemployed - isn't going well.

She tells Ethan she's worried she is one of those people who will turn out to have peaked at high school, he dismisses her theory though and she leaves.

Helping Judith put up a banner outside the school, Erica and her discuss who will be coming to the reunion. Just then, Judith spots an old friend, Katie Atkins, walking towards them. She has just enough time to warn Erica before Katie greets them.

She tells the pair of her job success - she's just earned a promotion to write her own column at the Globe & Mail and is going to write a piece about the reunion. When asked about her own work, Erica says she is between jobs - with Katie patronising her for not getting "caught up" in a career.

She then continues by boasting about her husband, Brian, and tells Erica that, being single, she will have the pick of old flames at the reunion tomorrow. Annoyed at Katie assuming, albeit correctly, she is single, Erica lies and says she is seeing someone and that it is serious.

Katie is surprised at this revelation, but tells her she is looking forward to meeting him. She also reveals that Zach Creed - a name which seems to perturb Erica - will be attending tomorrow evening as the photographer for the event.

The next day, Ethan and Erica and walking through the city centre on the way to her job interview at River Rock Publishing. She explains that she just snapped at Katie's attitude and she begs him to be her pretend boyfriend for the evening. He reluctantly agrees before she goes in for her interview.

The interview is conducted by Ambrose Kincaid, who is surprised that a fiction lover like Erica is applying for a job in a non fiction department. He also tells her he's not used to someone so "mature" applying for a purely clerical position. Erica seems to impress him in their conversation though.

Later that evening at the reunion, Erica and Ethan begin their charade, with Erica suggesting they arrange a secret 'abort mission' signal - a flamboyant flick of her hair - just in case their attempt to fool Katie begins to go wrong.

As they're making their way into the hall, they are approached by Zach, who wishes to take their photo. Erica is reluctant, but Ethan agrees. As Zach takes their picture, encouraging Erica to smile, she experiences a flashback to him being on top of her having sex.

Erica begins to feel faint, and excuses herself to use the restroom. She makes her way into a quiet corridor and ends up leaning against a locker, overwhelmed and distressed by seeing Zach again.

Somebody she quickly identifies as her former lab partner Alex Berlin, then comes up to chat. She says he looks so different, and he jokes it's because he's not wearing a lab coat or goggles.

They both recall how quiet and shy he was at High School - hardly talking to Erica when they worked together. They both seem pleased to see one another and return to the hall to find Katie grilling Ethan.

He lies to her, saying he is a doctor and later tries to pass off a plot line from the TV show House as being based on an experience he encountered in his "high profile" medical work.

Erica, concerned that Ethan's cover is about to be blown, begins to flick her hair - although this seems to catch Judith's attention rather than his.

Erica makes an excuse that she needs to freshen up and heads to the restroom. However, as she pushes the door to enter she finds herself in Dr. Tom's office. She sarcastically states that a therapy session is exactly what she needs right now.

"Sarcasm. The last refuge of modest people when the privacy of their soul is intrusively invaded," he tells her, citing they were the words of Theodore Dostoevsky. Erica is not amused with his deliberately ironic choice of source.

He comments on the reunion and Erica's "fake boyfriend" plan. She concedes that she shouldn't have lied to Katie, but that she winds her up. She goes on to explain her nervousness has only been increased, with Dr. Tom correctly anticipating that Zach is the cause.

He recalls his name on her list - she lost her virginity to him. Erica looks pained and he asks her why it's a regret. Clearly emotional, she asks for a "pass" to his question as she doesn't want to talk about it.

Dr. Tom tells her that she wrote it down and that this is therapy, not a spa - it's not supposed to be comfortable. Erica reluctantly begins to recount the summer of '94, and a trip to Muskoka before going off to university.

Erica tells him that, after much coveting, she had just begun going out with Zach, who she describes as having been the hottest guy in school. She says her youth and naivety had seen her go along with having sex with him because he said he had it all planned.

While the sex was horrible, she explains the worst part was when she discovered he had filmed them together to show his friends.

Erica says it took her months to get over and that it has made her picky with guys ever since - she is always looking for faults as soon as she meets one. He suggests that, rather than it having taken her months to recover from Zach, she isn't over the episode at all.

Erica confesses she wanted to say something to him about it at the reunion, but didn't feel able to. She says if Dr. Tom sends her back that, rather than have sex with him again, she would tell him off.

He suggests she would like some revenge on Zach, which she struggles to deny. Erica says she really wants the opportunity to just erase a bad experience.

Satisfied, Dr. Tom stares out of his window, then back at Erica, and she finds herself spinning around and arrives back in 1994 at the wheel of the car on the way to Muskoka.

Shocked, she manages to narrowly avoid crashing the car - which also contains Judith, Jenny, and Katie - into an oncoming vehicle as she, as usual, tries to find her bearings.

When they arrive, Erica apologises for her driving saying she was distracted. Jenny jokes she was thinking about getting to have sex with Zach but, to her friends' surprise, Erica tells them she's changed her mind and doesn't want to anymore.

Zach then pulls up in a car and, much to Erica's dismay, comes straight over to her. Clearly cold towards him, she says his revelation that Zach has brought a box of condoms is "really optimistic" of him.

However, she then changes her mind and decides to play along with Zach, making him believe she does still want him.

Later, Erica and Judith are walking through the forest trying to find firewood for a bonfire. They discuss Erica's plans with Zach, with Judith hoping her gory revelations of having sex haven't put Erica off.

Just then, something falls from the tree above where they are talking and they look up to see Alex up the tree holding a book. He apologises but, after Jenny arrives and takes Judith away to collect more wood, Erica decides to stay and chat with Alex for a bit.

She discovers that Alex writes poetry and eventually convinces him to read her one, which shes thinks is beautiful. Zach then approaches and tells Alex to get lost and takes Erica back to the bonfire where everyone else is congregated.

Once lit, Erica and Zach walk off together and Zach takes her to a spot by the lake where he lays down a rug. He goes to kiss her, but is confused when she backs away. She tells him there's something she's wanted to do to him for a very, very long time, and removes her top.

Thinking he's about to get lucky, he eagerly strips naked and lies down on the rug at her request. She tells him to keep his eyes closed because it's all part of her surprise. However, she then proceeds to pick up the video camera she knows he has hidden nearby and uses it to film him naked.

When she instructs him to open his eyes, he is shocked to see her filming him. She refuses to hand over the camera, and tells him that he would have happily filmed her. She eventually hands him the camera telling him that what goes around comes around.

Erica walks off and further down by the lakeside where she comes across Dr. Tom sitting in a chair, fishing. He tells her he hasn't caught anything yet but jokes that's there's plenty of fish in the sea.

She says that, after what's just happened with Zach, she feels as though she can now finally go fishing, too. "Let your net always be cast and, in the pool you least expect, there will be a fish," Dr. Tom quotes, although Erica is impressed when her knowledge of Latin literature enables her to finish off the quote herself.

He then asks her whether those who say revenge is sweet are right. She says it doesn't matter if they are or not, she just needed Zach to know how she felt. Erica enthuses that, now she has let go of that experience, everything seems easier - just because Zach hurt her doesn't mean every guy will.

Dr. Tom says he can't argue with her on that point, but informs her that it's still not easy. "There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path," he explains. Erica is pleased to recognise the quote from The Matrix and she and Dr. Tom share a laugh as they look out over the lake while the sun sets.

Darkness has fallen by the time Erica returns to the party where she is met by Judith and Jenny. They inform her that Zach has told people that he has dumped her because she is suffering from "syphilass."

Angry, she confronts Zach - who is making out with Katie. Erica accuses him of not learning his lesson from before. Katie suggests Erica is embarrassing herself and Zach tells her to go away, calling Erica "syphilass."

Hearing this, Alex then comes over and tells Zach not to speak to Erica like that. He dismisses his made up disease and calls him a moron. The pair end up in a fight which ends with Alex throwing Zach into the lake. Erica and Alex quickly leave.

In the forest, Erica notices that Alex has a cut on his face from the fight and tells him he didn't have to defend her. Alex admits that he's liked her since he met her and they end up kissing.

Erica then proceeds to remove both her shirt and bikini top and she and Alex have sex in a tied-up canoe on the lake. As she begins to climax she closes her eyes and screams and finds herself transported back to the present day - still screaming - sitting in the boy's locker room.

Embarrassed, she exits - and makes up an excuse about a big spider after getting strange looks from people in the corridor outside. Alex approaches her, saying he heard a scream, and the pair both admit that seeing one another again is quite intense.

Spotting Ethan approaching, Erica excuses herself and tells him that Alex is showing potential but he needs to leave so she can continue talking to him. Ethan tells her that, despite them having sex once, she hardly knows Alex. However, he agrees to depart.

On the way out, Zach stops him to ask where Erica is. He says that they split up. Zach hands him the photo of Ethan and Erica from earlier and tells him that he must have had a good reason to walk away from a girl like her. Ethan stares at the photo and explains to Zach that it's what Erica wanted.

Back in the hall, things seem to be going well between Erica and Alex as they continue to reminisce about Muskoka. He then tells her about his current work and a newly found passion for trains. Erica suddenly looks less impressed.

Meanwhile, Katie, Judith, and Jenny are dancing when Katie asks where Erica is. Jenny lets slip that she is interested in, and chatting to, Alex. Katie, shocked at Erica's lie about Ethan, goes over to confront her.

She tells Erica how much she enjoyed meeting her 'boyfriend' and tells her that pretending with Ethan was a new low even for her. Katie walks off and Erica struggles to explain herself to Alex who explains he has just got out of a relationship where he was cheated on. He also departs, leaving Erica upset and alone.

On her walk home, Erica goes into a store to pick up a couple of tubs of ice cream. Coming out of the store, she spots Dr. Tom sitting on a nearby bench and walking over telling him that he was right with his "Matrix thing."

She explains that Alex's love of trains had put her off, but that he had done what she does to guys - judged her without knowing the full story. She wishes that she could stop picking guys she meets apart and asks Dr. Tom why she is unable to.

He suggests that it's because she is afraid of what comes next. She knows the pain that can be involved with falling in love and that the fear of pain is holding her back. She asks what will happen if she can't overcome it.

Dr. Tom explains that it's all about taking a risk and jumping off a cliff. There are no guarantees and she has to decide whether she will allow herself to be caught up in fear for the rest of her life or whether she will take a leap and see what comes of it.

Erica considers his words but he warns her that her ice cream is melting and she should go home. He whistles her a taxi which magically pulls right up. Erica is surprised and impressed and thanks him.

Dr. Tom watches the taxi drive off, and thinks out loud to himself: "Chasing the past, she stumbled into the future." He then walks off.

Erica is lost in thought as she is driven home, but then receives a voicemail on her cell phone. It is from Ambrose - offering her the job at River Rock. She smiles to herself as something has finally gone right for her this evening.

She arrives home on Ethan's doorstep and tells him things didn't work out with Alex. She apologises for making him pretend like that and says he was great. He tells her that the thought of re-joining the dating game makes him want to throw up.

Erica tries to reassure him when he says he's damaged goods, doubts whether he is "sexy on paper," and recalls his habit of talking in his sleep which annoyed Claire so much.

She reminds Ethan of a time in college when he thought he was having a nightmare and she had to comfort him. Erica puts her hand on Ethan's thigh and strokes his head. However, when she goes to move her arm away, he holds it in place.

Their eyes meet and they move in for a kiss which lasts a few seconds. They break the kiss and stare into one another's eyes wondering what has just happened.