Men in Trees—How Do I Love Thee?

Last night’s episode of Men in Trees was really titled “Read Between the Minds,” and one of the underlying themes looked at the different ways people express their love for another person. Not just romantic love, but a parent’s love for a child and the love between friends.

I’ll be honest, though. At first I thought the writers got a little carried away with this one. Seriously. Patrick taking to skies with a lawn chair and a bunch of balloons. Jane’s parents turning out to be little people. Those are the kinds of over-the-top situations that make me think, come on, that would never happen.

Ever since Patrick developed amnesia, the poor boy hasn’t been himself. What is a poor, distraught mother to do? Well, if you’re the police chief, you can put him in jail. And that’s exactly where Patrick’s reckless flight landed him. I’m sure every parent has wished for the same thing—the ability to keep a child safe and secure and out of harm’s way. In Patrick’s case, locking him up also helped Annie to continue to rekindle their relationship. Now it’ll be interesting to see how long Celia keeps her under lock and key!

Thanks in part to Jane’s parents, we got to see a new side of Sam last night. He’s a crier. He even got emotional over his new bride’s very badly written vows. So badly written that at first I thought he was laughing. At their reception, he did the chicken dance with her father, then he took the mic and we got to hear his vows. And then I was crying, Jane was crying, and even Jane’s dad was crying. Oh, Sam. You are a keeper.

Sam’s vows were so moving that Jerome sought out a piano in the hotel bar. He had even sheet music with him, and I imagine he’d intended to play that piece for Mary Alice. If only she hadn’t broken his heart after he’d mustered the courage to overcome his fear of flying so he could go to New York City to see her. I hope we haven’t seen the last of Jerome and Mary Alice. He deserves to have someone who loves him.

And then there’s Jack. He’s not much of a talker, never mind a crier. He’s a man of action. Fod days he sleeplessly agonized over watching another man die in the Bering Sea, and he tried everything he could think of to make himself forget. Sex. Scotch. Plumbing repairs. It wasn’t until he found the words to tell Marin what happened that he managed to sleep. It’s not about sex, Jack, it’s all about the love. You just have to learn to trust it. And yourself.

By the end of the episode I was trying to count the ways I love this show, and I had completely forgiven the writers for transgressing into over-the-topness. They made it work, and that takes a lot of skill.

Noticeably absent from this week’s episode of Men in Trees were Eric and Cash. However, Sarah caught the eye of a handsome doctor-slash-volunteer-paramedic, and it’ll be interesting to see where the writers go with that.

Next week’s episode is called “A Tale of Two Kidneys,” so it’s safe to say Cash will be back. Anyone care place bets on who’s going to be a donor match?

Back later,
Lee