Gary is marking his one-year anniversary of being in remission, but what should be a happy event brings up a lot of anger, as the members of this group have complicated bereavement issues to process.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Observations:

• It's nice to see Jon back in the picture since he's been gone for a few episodes.  Of course he was there when Gary was getting his chemo treatments.  Gary doesn't like looking at a blank wall in the hospital?  Jon gets a picture to hang on the wall.  We still don't know all that much about Mr. Dixon at this point, but he was clearly the "fixer" of the group.  Maybe that was his way of distracting himself from his own problems.

• Eddie's old bandmates want him to go back on tour with them, and while he initially says no because he needs to be around for Theo, we have no doubt he'll eventually change his mind.  It's a move that keeps him at the bottom of our rankings for the guys, while Katherine continues to rise as she regains control of her life.

• It turns out to be a swerve, but this scene where Eddie and Rome bail on the Boston Bruins game does hit an authentic note.  Sometimes traditions do get lost with the death of a loved one, and that can add to the pain as survivors try to regain a sense of order in the new landscape they're facing.

• Really enjoyed these scenes with Gary and Jon.  They give a stronger sense of how important they were to each other, and it strengthens our understanding of the pain Gary is feeling about Jon's death.  Jon was there when Gary's life was on the line, and Gary is haunted that he couldn't return the favor, although that was never his choice.

• Eddie lecturing Katherine about needing to be there for Theo is a bad call.  Eddie lecturing anyone is a bad call, and especially in this case, since it seems he's about to bail on everyone.

• Many people will relate to Maggie's story about feeling a sense of relief when she heard her brother died, and the guilt that comes with that relief.

• Of course we're not going to actually hear more about Barbara Morgan this week.  Grumble.   On a related note, does Ashley still have a job?  It's been seven weeks since Jon died.  What exactly is she doing for money?  Also, it sounds like she's trying to help out Jon's family, which is nice, but there's still no excuse for not handing over the suicide note.

• Just stumbled across this post about who Ashley might be.  No idea if it's right, but if it ends up being correct, she could quickly become one of the most interesting characters on this show.

• Loved Rome's conversation with his dad, even though his dad didn't handle the discussion of depression as well as we hoped he would.  Dealing with depression doesn't say anything about a guy's masculinity, and Rome's awkwardness around the topic makes us all the more sympathetic to him.

• Delilah has her own complicated bereavement around Jon.  She says something changed in him two years ago and that's when he abandoned her.  Jon's scenes with Gary were one year ago, so maybe he was hinting about what was to come when he said Gary would outlive him.  Did Jon think it would make him less of a man to admit he had problems?  Seems likely.

• Aww, this group deserves a happy moment...and it doesn't last long, as Gary's anger towards Jon comes pouring out.  Kudos to James Roday for this rant.

• The discussion between Gary and Delilah is also moving.  You believe these two are trying to support each other as they struggle with their loss.  In a reversal from our complaints last week, the characters are getting more time to work with in these conversations, and they're all nailing it.

• Glad, although not surprised to see that Maggie changed her mind about chemo.

Final thoughts:

This was the best episode of A Million Little Things so far, apart from maybe the premiere.  We all have mixed feelings about certain things in our lives, and it can take a long time to be able to say them out loud.  This week's stories were moving, they added to our understanding of the impact of Jon's death, and the improved flow gave us more time to focus on how much we like the members of this group. 

See you next week!

Jon was there for Gary.  (pic via spoilersguide.com)