Jenny Bicks on "Wander/Lust"

Airdate: 4/16/08

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

And so…Julia and Marin finally meet. It's been a long time coming. And of course, as you could have guessed, they get along. Because really, Julia is pretty groovy and she isn't a threat to Marin. Right?  Right??

I wanted this episode to be about comings and goings. Patrick departing for parts unknown (starting with a stop to see Jane in

New York

). Jack gets a part-time job in

Anchorage

with Julia.  Jane's ring goes missing.  Celia gets a roommate. Marin gets a sculpture. Of Julia. In her living room.  Yikes.

I also wanted to try writing a smaller story about the ebb and flow of a couple--there is something really interesting to me about what happens when two couples meet for the first time.  It's almost like you are dating the other couple.  Comparing, contrasting in your own head.  Are they happier than you?   Do they have your same troubles? (p.s.- I suspect it may only be women who do this--guys?  Thoughts?)   There is sometimes a "grass is always greener" thing that happens in these situations and I wanted Marin to go through that and realize maybe what she and Jack have is pretty damn good.

And of course, this is all made complicated by the fact that Jack and Julia shared that experience at sea. What happened out there bonded them, and Marin will always feel like a bit of an emotional outsider with Jack when it comes to that.   Would you let him take that job with her?

Stay tuned for the hilarity of Mai and Celia as mismatched roommates and Patrick on his journey...and,  I promise, more Cash.

Jenny

Comments

[Denise in Tucson]

Great episode... Loved it... Can you please tell us if MIT will be picked up next season.... PLEASE SAY "YES"

[Amy]

Annie returning her engagement ring to Patrick was heartbreaking! Like Annie (and, well, everyone else in Elmo, I guess), I've been waiting for Patrick to either regain his memory and remember Annie and loving her, or fall in love with Annie all over again. As sad as I am about their breakup (and I don't like or trust Ivan the hockey player; he is all wrong for Annie!), I hope that between this and Patrick's journey, he'll come to a few realizations and fight to get Annie back!

Mai and Celia as roommates will be hilarious, I'm sure.

LOVE Jane and Sam and the ring!

And it was great to see Marin and Jack learn something from Julia and Jim about compromise and allowing your partner to follow their dreams.

Still holding out hope for an Annie and Patrick reunion (and maybe, possibly, if you could, a wedding with NO lightning strikes or bobby pins this time that actually gets to the "I now pronounce you husband and wife" part),

Amy

[mitfan4ever]

Awesome episode as always Jenny! You are a fantastic writer, we fans are lucky to get to watch the sheer genius of this show every week. I hope that we have many many more years of this wonderful show!
I sure missed Cash though. Glad to hear there will be more of him next week. We're missing those baby blues! I also missed Sarah and Eric. There are so many great characters and actors on this show and I know they can't all be in every episode. I miss the ones aren't there.
Thank you Jenny for creating this wonderful show and bringing something worth watching to tv each week. And a HUGE KUDOS to whoever the brilliant person was that cast Scott Elrod! This guy is going to go far. I find myself liking him more and more with every episode. I hope he will become a permanent part of this cast in season three ( I am thinking positively!).

[MaryRose]

Jenny, I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful series. My heart goes out to all of you for the ups and downs ABC has given you. What an emotional ride. MIT is truly the only show on that I make sure I watch. I'm not into crime dramas and the anything but real reality shows. I know I'm not the only person in the world who feels your show is the only one to watch - I just wish ABC would wake up. Their treatment of this show has proven to me that it is time for me to move on past Disney.

[Lynn]

I can't wait to see what happend with Patrick. I know others have said they didn't like his amnesia but I am enjoying it. By the way, where did you find all these hot guys Jenny? Sam, Cash, Jack, Eric, what a bunch of hunks. I can't believe this show doesn't get more exposure just because of all the eye candy.
LONG LIVE MEN IN TREES!

[Jake Lipson]

Hey -

This was a fantastic episode. Thanks for it. I hope you can make more of them and will be writing a letter to ABC in the next few days about picking you guys up next year. TV Guide says yet another pre-emption is upon us after next week, and apart from being quite annoyed about it, I'm not sure the continued rescheduling bodes well for the show's future on ABC. I know this is an ABC-hosted blog and all, but can you talk about that at all?

Well, in the meantime THIS episode was great. The scenes with the two couples really worked; I've never been in that situation but it felt authentic to me, and I understood where everyone was coming from with their issues.

The whole Gretta situation was interesting because I really liked her in Get a Life, but she started to get really annoying really fast here. Patrick and Annie making their breakup official broke my heart! "New" Patrick or not, I hope that they eventually find their way back to each other. I'm not opposed to them exploring other options for the time being, but they're the best together!

Mai and Buzz's issue was interesting too, although it felt a bit sudden. I missed a few episodes from when you guys were airing on Fridays for the first leg of season one, but I don't recall anything about Buzz having a gambling problem coming up before he lost on the hockey game. The storyline is fine and should lead in interesting directions, but I'm just putting that out there that it felt a little at odds with what's come before.

Can't wait for next week. Thanks for keeping up the blog even while you guys aren't actually at work on the show.

[Mrs.C]

I LOVE MIT...wonderful show!! I feel that Marin should have more comedy with the local animals..she is sooooo stinkin' funny!! I still think the hairy leg contest would be a winner for the Elmo females!!
Keep up the good work.

[Down East]

This was a very good episode.

Mai and Celia. Roomies!
Yes. That's going to be good. They are a great duo. Good comedic dynamics.

I was glad that Annie verbally ended it with Patrick and can at last shut the door on it. I do like Ivan as a quirky character. It's okay that he's not the nicest of guys. His flaws make him more realistic and interesting to me. It will be even more interesting to see how Annie, who is so very nice, such a sweetie, deal with a womanizing egotistical guy like Ivan. Some good stuff there, too.

Patrick still has a lot of growing up to do and maybe his journey round the world will help in that. Gretta -- well, she was rather over the top. She and Terry have a lot in common as periferal characters. Kind of obsessive/spazzy types.

I hope Buzz is going to get rid of these lonesharks after him. He lied to Mai. He's going to spend some time in the doghouse.

Love Jane and Sam. He's always bringing her back down to earth and reminding her of the basic values that lie beneath the veneers and trappings of wealth, style, etc...

I'd like to see a scene where Sam is doing his job in NYCity. A NYCity Snow plowing scene would be good....with Sam telling the other guys about his snow and machinary they have in Alaska.

I liked Julia and her husband and their imperfect marriage. Good point about his missing out on opportunities because of their moving to Alaska for her job -- or just moving to a remote area and finding it hard to make a living in a particular profession--such as art. That's VERY realistic and rung true.
I think you have a strong plot in that. For many characters. In remote, rural areas, it's hard to make a living. Unless you're independently wealthy, you can't just transplant your profession there in the wilderness. That's a tough one.

I do think Jack's staying with Julia for two days could pose a little trouble for them when you consider that there's discord with Julia's marriage. Maybe. Just a thought. But Marin was right to let him go. She has to trust him.

I also liked seeing Jack teach his class of students. That was good stuff. MORE! It's a good venue for...some current topic. And maybe Marin can sit in on one of his seminars too, and see him through other people's eyes.

The coconut cake bit had me laughing pretty hard. That was good. You guys do that stuff really well.

And the advice the guys were giving Patrick about how to break it off was also good stuff.

Well done, I say.

[Sabrina]

Great show as always. I loved every minute. My husband makes fun of me because I have to tape the show and then watch it a few more times. There is just so much wonderful dialogue that I always catch something new. True sign of genius writing. As usual all couple moments were interesting. Annie and Patrick were so heartbreaking. Mai and Celia have very funny chemistry. Jack...hard to watch his feelings flow so easily with Julia. Loved the dinnner scene with Marin and Joe, obviously annoyed. Fantastic, wonderful, can't wait for the next episode.

[The Danish girl]

A little comment from Denmark (Scandinavia).

First, I would just like to say; I LOVE your show.

We're well behind in episodes - we've made it to "Charity Case". MIT is not aired in Denmark at the moment and that irritates me. So I cant help but to read forward what happens i little town Elmo.

The suspense is killing me, I want to see what happens to them all - not just reading about it. I guess I just have to wait patiently until MIT returns..

Well, I just wanted you to know that MIT have fans in a small country far, far away..

Big treehugs
Louise

[Corinne]

An exceptionally interesting episode with great writing and fascinating twists and turns. Poor Annie!! I'm so glad she's finally decided to move on since Patrick is too immature and self-serving to merit a woman like her. And the Jack Marin/Julia thing, that's an interesting spin....There are so MANY wonderful stories here, all meshed together, and I'm dying to see how the many relationships evolve, so ABC LISTEN UP!!! Please renew this show, it's the best one on TV, it really is, so sweet, sentimental and emotional. We, the audience truly need that instead of the gruesome or silly shows we're being fed by the networks. PLEASE DON'T CANCEL THIS ONE, it's a gem!!! Thank you Jenny Bicks, for your wonderful writing!!!

[Karen :)]

WOW - Jenny you must be a psychic. I always try to write scripts in my head on how the next episode would play out. You were reading my mind.

I loved this last episode. I especially enjoyed the recurring theme of doors closing and opening. Was that intentional or by accident. There were alot of door closing moments. Jack/Marin not being in tune or in sync with eachother, Annie and Patrick - Annie letting go and moving on. Celia letting go or hanging on. Mi and Buzz and the bookee, Celia and Mi, Plowguy and Jane - the whole snob thing and true love... I could go on forever. For those who don't believe this, I have written it before - Cash and Marin have the same inner connection as does Jack and Julia - they get eachother on a different level. Cash told Jack what Marin needed when she needed to be grounded. Julia knew Jack didn't like duck etc. When a relationship starts without the sex, the characters know eachother on a deeper level - they are able to pour their hearts out because sex isn't between them and they don't have to hold back. Although I am sure it has crossed Marin's mind when Cash was running around naked in her cabin. Yummy. Can't wait until next week. I am confident that ABC will pick this show up again next season. They would be a fool not to. It is the only show on ABC that I watch.
Treehuggers Unite.

[victoria nyc]

thanks, for an awesome episode
annie and the hockey guy looks cute!
can't wait for the next episode.... cash kissing
marin yikes!! hope it will not create trouble
for me its jack and marin
forever!!!

[MIT fan in MT]

You never fail to please!

Love Annie - she (Emily) is such a wonderful actress and her timing is right on. Tore at my heart when she gave the ring back to Patrick. I want Annie to be happy!

Mai and Celia roomies? Too funny! I look forward to the situations these two get into.

The dinner with Marin/Jack/Julia/Joe - very real. You could feel Marin's anxiety (it was written all over her face), so I was very glad to see Julia and Marin get their alone time. They both are very likeable women and in any other situation would have become instant friends. I liked seeing them get to know each other a little bit outside of their connection with Jack. The trouble in Julia's marriage could definately cause some emotional chemistry if Jack and Julia end up together at the apartment, although it wouldn't be malicious on Julia's part. Even though her marriage isn't perfect, she knows how much Jack loves Marin and she is a respectable woman and not out to get someone else's man, just to console her own lack of happiness. However, too much wine ... ??

Marin still isn't completely secure in their relationship so I can see her being overly-sensitive when it comes to Jack and his friendship with Julia, especially when Julia knows so many trivial details about Jack that Marin still hasn't discovered yet. This is disconcerting for a woman.(Plus she can't forget how he dumped her for Lynn right after professing his love for her). Women see and feel things differently than men - Jack knows he's in love with Marin and is committed to her so he sees no issue with his friendship with Julia. However, Marin feels like an outsider and estranged from Jack by this bond he has with this other woman. However, Jack fell into this friendship out of a shared tragedy (he didn't go looking for it) and he sees it as safe, which is why he can discuss things with her openly - he doesn't have to worry about saying something that might hurt or make her uncomfortable which might drive her away. These fears he has regarding Marin, the woman he loves and doesn't want to lose so he tends to hold things back, which in the end only fuels her insecurities. I think your writers are so in-synch with true feelings, in so many different situations, that that is why this show is so excellent. Nothing is done half-a**ed.

Jane and Plow Guy - oh, if they aren't two worlds that collide! I love them! Good Sam, rides the wave and then is always reminded as to why he fell in love with Jane. And Jane continues to learn what really matters in life - and Sam is her perfect teacher.

Can't wait til next week!

[MIT's fan]

Hello!
Thank you for another fantastic episode. I love, love, love this show. It is smart, wonderful, "feel good"!!!!

Are you coming back for a 3rd season? HOPE SO

[Pam B]

Great episode, great show! Please let us know when you find out if its picked up for next season. It's just gotta be!!!!!!

[Betty]

Dear Jenny,
Genius! I was captivated as always and continue to enjoy the episode in my head while I keep the wheels of industry moving at my desk!
I continue to be amazed at how much you pack into the mini "hour" and how all the storylines mesh. We concentrate so intently on the characters' actions, feelings and motivations, it's easy to miss the barbs and one-liners you throw in.
Mai sitting shiva for her Florida room -hysterical!!!

[Corinne]

I agree with all above comments and MIT agrees with me! I LOVE THIS SHOW AND WILL BE HEARTBROKEN IF IT DOES NOT CONTINUE. I have never been so involved with a t.v show that I have become educated in the business of television. I understand ABC does not own the show and benefits better by airing shows they own rather than buying rights from a production company such as Warner which owns MIT. This explains why ABC promoted October Road [wretched unwatchable fare] at the expense of MIT. I hope ABC is smart enough to avoid a lose/lose scenario and gets behind MIT with serious promotion and leaves it in a weekly time slot where everyone can find it.

[Michelle from Michigan]

Karen: Your observations of Jack/Julia and Cash/Marin are like mine. I sense that. It will be an interesting week next week.

I truly enjoyed the episode with Sam & Jane, truly touching. Same sentimentality hit with Annie & Patrick.

I look forward to seeing all other characters develop on the show. Each are vital to MIT. Every show ends with me looking forward to next week.

Jenny: Thanks for writing a fabulous episode that touches a whole lot of different things on a lot of levels among couples and the like.

:o)

[Marie]

I have to say I LOVE the show! LOVE IT!

But did I really just see for next week Cash kissing Marin?!?! Really!? I swear I love the way you write it, but sometimes I think this show is gonna be the death of me.

[Shannon]

Jenny, my goodness, what can I say that hasn't already been said. Brilliant. I wrote this on the message boards, but I cried during a scene for the first time last night. It was the scene with Annie and Patrick on the porch breaking up. There have been other scenes I almost cried but wasn't moved as much as that scene. It was so good. I am going to miss you guys so much when Boston Legal takes over until May 28. I will cherish next weeks episode until I get my Men In Trees back! I love this show so much, you just can't imagine!

[Angie]

My Kudos to this entire show and cast!!! I love it and have since air date one!
ABC - Take heed!! This show is a keeper. Don't let us down!!

Angie
from Utah

[Shussy]

I really loved this episode even though it made me cry.
Patrick and Annie on the porch was so moving. I hope eventually they find their way back to each other. Hopefully, Ivan will be good to Annie until that happens. She deserves so much.

The Jack/Marin/Julia/Jim story was so real. Such an honest look at relationships. I'm an artist and can definitely relate to Jim. He's cute too. Where do you find these guys?

I love the way Sam and Jane work out the issues in their relationship. They are adorable.

I didn't get to see the previews for next week (political debates), but I can't wait to see what happens with Cash and Marin. I really missed him in this episode. He's one of my favorite characters.

Please ABC keep this show around for another season.

Thanks for a great show Jenny! I love this show!

[Dee]

What a great show!! I was uncomfortable and intrigued during the dinner party... I can understand why Jack and Julia have a connection but I don't like how his character "lights up" when speaking to Julia and then doesn't when he's talking to Marin. I did like it when he smiled at her when she threw him the 'apple for the teacher' and after she told him to take that job and he said 'I'll miss you..' and she replied 'I'm right here'. Can't wait for next week. Keep up the great writing!!

[Jen]

I love this show so much!! It better be around next season!! I love all of your characters. I was heartbroken about Annie giving the ring back (she's my favorite character!)but she deserves better than what the new Patrick is giving her. Ivan seems to really like her and he is beautiful. Let her have some fun...we need steamy scenes between those two!