Jessie to her mom Karen in "Chance of a Lifetime”:
“Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong, and those are the ones that change your life."
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My friend and I have been quite obsessed with Grace and Dimitri, but it has seriously increased after "Experience is the Teacher"...Back when I thought I was the only Grace/Dimitri deeply obsessed fan around, I felt very lonely. Only after I started searching for fanfics and visiting "Television Without Pity" forums that I found out that there were many others like me.
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So, I'm not the only one harboring a tiny crush on Mr. Dimitri, huh?
Wow... do I feel stupid for saying that.
I was in NYC so I got a cab fast as I was not going to make it home in time for it the start of Once and Again. Don’t matter I had my VCR hooked up to tape it right, so I hoped It would tape so anyway I told the driver to go faster. Time was 10:06 so it had already started. So looking out the cab window I saw a TV store that was close. I see in the store window is a big TV and Once and Again was on it. 3 people were all standing outside the store window trying to watch it and doing to good of it, the older man had to keep his ear to the glass so he could hear. The other could hear it fine.
I had the cab driver pull (over) by now I just had to see this. By now at 10:36 there were 16 people all watching the show, then when the advertising came on all they did was talk about the show and how good it is, then it came back on. Looking around to take a head count I saw my price in the cab going up but I did not care. Now I see 23 all around that TV all very into Once and Again. I had found that no one had known the other well just the 1st 3 did know each other. When it was over they all cried and gave big hugs, then went back to their lives whatever they were going to do when disappearing into the night. There were of all colors b/w/h/c and ages, man and woman. But see what this show does. (edited slightly for grammar and spelling)
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I was riveted by that scene with Grace & Mr. D in the car. Nothing more powerful than a 17-year-old girl/woman! (If only I'd realized that when I was one!!) But seriously, the acting was truly inspired and I can't wait to see where this story line goes. I'm not sure I really like Grace, but she's so REAL, warts and all (rare on any TV show). Nothing more delicious than forbidden fruit. What a hot scene.
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The character development with the kids has been outstanding. Early on, Eli was the really cool one, Grace was very insecure about her looks and had a crush on Eli, and Jessie was a pre-teen and thought Grace was the coolest. It's amazing how the dynamic has shifted between the three of them. I'll be watching for the rest of the season, now that it's airing on Mondays!
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...hopefully Once And Again pulls through! If so, I would love for Eric Stoltz to remain on, it makes the show so exciting. If he and Grace do something stupid right away and get caught it will get depressing to watch! Grace has one more year until she is 18..I say let the tension between them mount until then, then when she is out of school...we can watch their relationship become really incredible. All I can say is she is one lucky girl!!
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Unrequited love between Grace and her teacher August, or is it requited? The Kiss didn't shock me but the brief moment of silence between Grace and August in the car did. That show took my breath away. The writing was awesome.
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I agree that the Eric Stoltz car scene was outstanding and applaud the actors and also the directing...The writing for this episode was terrific. I loved the misplaced concerns about Jesse and Grace, i.e.- Lily approving wholeheartedly of Grace's relationship with Mr. Dimitri. Some say this relationship is creepy but I don't get that feeling at all. Grace is too deep to find anything in common with boys her age on a intellectual level. A meeting of the minds for her is with her teacher. Ms. Whelan does a superb job with the girl/women about faces of her character. I also noticed that during this episode Mr. Dimitri's class was studying the works of John Donne. What a coincidence that this British metaphysical poet nearly ruined his career when he married an under age girl without her fathers permission! As for me, I'm rooting for Mr. Dimitri and Grace!
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On the other hand, we can be grateful that the writers didn't take the soap opera path and have Grace stand in front of Dimitri when Jake threatens him and scream "but Daddy, I love him!" I can just see that happening in some crappy show like 90210 or something.
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I agree that Julia Whelan should definitely be nominated as well…Julia creates an inner life for Grace that is accessible to us, like for instance you can sense what Grace is thinking sometimes, before she says it. And Julia trusts the power of a look, or a pause, or gesture (like her hands pushing Dimitri away after the kiss)…Julia has the entire package.
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We don’t run out of new things to talk about re. the Grace/Dimitri storyline because it’s so brilliant. These episodes go into my “Touch these and you’re dead meat” pile.
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He's gone!! I want to cry! This was the saddest relationship ever. UGH!!!! I wish they got together. That passage was really beautiful that she read at the end, does anyone know what book it's from?
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You only wanted to cry, I did. But in my eternal optimism I hope that their story continues to echo John Donne's. He lost his appointment when he secretly wed an under age girl without her father's permission.(Grace and Dimitri should wait 'til she's 18 as to not cause any more headaches for the teacher). John and Anne struggled, but he finally got a career going in the ministry and continued to write poetry although his love poems understandably ceased upon her death. I have to take to heart the words Mr. Dimitri spoke to Grace. He was referring to her story but he could have well been speaking about their story. "Just finishing something is not an ending."
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[Rashomon] was very influential in its technique, and for Zwick/Hershkovitz and the rest of the O&A writing/production staff, it is an important touchstone. They use it nearly as much as Chekhov's focus on relationships in their storytelling.
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I can't believe I'm quoting a bumper sticker... "Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."