A MILLION LITTLE THINGS Post-Mortem: M.D.J. Clarke Breaks Down Eddie and Delilah’s Reunion and That Surprise Guest

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Wednesday, April 5 episode of A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, “father’s day.”]

Romances shifted and several characters had to contend with their relationships with their fathers on the Wednesday, April 5 episode of A MILLION LITTLE THINGS.

In “father’s day,” Rome (Romany Malco) had to try and find a place for his ailing father to live; Eddie (David Giuntoli) struggled with what his role as Charlie’s father actually meant given Delilah’s (Stephanie Szostak) primary role of caretaker; and both Gary (James Roday Rodriguez) and Sophie (Lizzy Greene) had to contend with their respective father’s deaths.

Great Scott!

Gary initially tried to brush off any emotions about his father’s recent death—and even stumbling across a scene from TAXI wasn’t enough to convince him it was a sign from his father.

Maggie (Allison Miller) roped in Danny (Chance Hurstfield) to distract Gary, and the duo went to brunch. (And played the “we both have dead dad” card to get a seat.)

But while they were there, they were shocked to see former TAXI star, Christopher Lloyd. So how did they get the actor to cameo?

“I think it was just a big thing for [series creator/’father’s day’ director] DJ [Nash],” “father’s day” co-writer M.D.J. Clarke tells Give Me My Remote. “That was his input. I think he just loves Christopher Lloyd. I mean, who doesn’t love BACK TO THE FUTURE? And that really was just how it came about—just DJ as a massive fan. And he said yes, which is great.”

As fun as the moment was, on a character level, “it was good for Gary,” Clarke says. “For us, it meant closure for him. [At the beginning of the season,] he loses his dad. We have a funeral, which feels sudden, and then it’s talked about, but not massively fleshed out. For him, [this sign is] closure…he is now dealing with the loss of his father and being a father himself. It’s his first Father’s Day with a child and without a father.”

A road trip romance.

Sophie and Tyrell (Adam Swain) bond on their way back home—and Sophie recalled the day she found out her father had died.

“That is important,” Clarke acknowledges. “And for us, again, it feels not completely like closure for Jon, but it’s steps towards it. It’s us respecting him, because he’s not always mentioned. So when you can mention Jon, it is always a good thing, a positive thing. And it’s always at a moment where it’s needed.”

The duo’s bond also took a physical turn, as Sophie and Tyrell moved squarely beyond, um, friendship.

“It was fun [to write that shift] because they’re great as well,” Clarke says. “They’ve got great chemistry and good vibes. So, for us, it was nice to delve into something different. That was unexpected, but felt kind of natural when we were writing it. And we could have a lot of fun writing that.”

Eddie and Delilah, take 2?

With Charlie needing emergency medical care, Eddie had to decide to let her undergo surgery—while Delilah was en route to Boston. Delilah freaked out when she arrived, upset that Eddie had made such a huge decision about their daughter without talking to her.

Ultimately, she was able to acknowledge she was just scared, but things were tense between the exes for much of the hour.

“We didn’t want Delilah to come off too strong,” Clarke says. “We were always worried about it. We didn’t want her to come off like the baddie or the villain. But we also wanted to protect Eddie, as well.” 

“We understand her being protective over their child, but at the same time, we wanted for us to fall in love with Delilah again,” she continues. “So it was up and down, up and down, [between them] all the way through.”

But are Eddie and Delilah about to give it another go? After all, she encouraged him to pursue something with his new friend Nicole (Rachel Nichols)—while Nicole suggested that maybe Eddie and Delilah weren’t as finished as they thought.

“I don’t know if they’re sure in this particular episode [where they stand],” Clarke notes. “[Same for] the audience: we’re unsure, they’re unsure. And I suppose we’ll have to find out!”

A MILLION LITTLE THINGS, Wednesdays, 10/9c, ABC

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