'The Secret Life of the American Teenager': A whole lot of nothing

Much like Laure Manaudou this year (yes, I've been watching too much Olympics coverage), The Secret Life of the American Teenager did some serious backsliding tonight. In an episode where virtually nothing actually happened, the Movie of the Week dialogue and acting were more apparent than ever. In fact, I'd say that tonight's episode is a strong contender for the worst episode of the season. And that's saying something. 

Amy, understandably wanting to stay out of the limelight for the next six or seven months, insists on living with her grandmother until the baby is born. Her mom and dad aren't totally on board, but are understanding and willing. Ben, on the other hand, is Not Having It. And I have to say, when he showed Amy's picture to his mom's gravestone and started talking about how Amy doesn't understand how in love he is, I was 50% touched, and 50% worried that he'd kidnap Amy and force-feed her sausages in a secret pit in his basement until her due date arrived. I'm sure his dad would be ultra-supportive, as always.

Amy's dad, for his part, is ready to come home. Um, pretty sure that when you're the cheating party, it's not totally your call when you get to move back in, dude. And that conversation at the end when he begged Amy's mom to let him come home again was really weird. What was with the sitcom-y music they chose for that scene? Anyway, I'm totally with Amy's mom. If you've been staying with your secret girlfriend the whole time, then maybe you're not quite ready to play the loving husband again.

And okay, Amy's dad is officially up for the "Worst Actor on the Show" prize as of this episode, though competition is certainly stiff, and the writing did him no favors. His confrontation with Ricky at Adrian's apartment (awkward!) was laughably ridiculous. Instead of the highly anticipated Beatdown '08: Future Dad vs. Future Granddad, it's Painfully Bad Acting '08: Mark Derwin vs. the Crappy Script. Sigh. Sample dialogue: "I don't wanna go to prison for killing the likes of you...and I don't wanna lose any business for killing the likes of you." Oof. I found it believable that he'd insist that Ricky stay out of, well, everything, but the execution was terrible.

Ricky was another disappointment tonight with plenty of emotional material to work with, but overwrought, unsubtle performances--a contrast to much of Daren Kagasoff's previous work on the show. I'm more inclined to cut him a break, though, since he has no professional experience beyond SLAT. Now that Ricky understands that he's a man who makes mistakes rather than a piece of trash, he's able to step up and tell Amy that he wants to be kept in the loop, if not necessarily in the decision-making process. And you know what? Good for Ricky. I like that they're painting him with a little more depth. Amy won't commit to it, but it was a big step for them both.

Adrian also had some meaty material to work with this week. When Amy's dad gifts her with a desk, her adorably nerdy pleasure at the gift is tempered by her realization that he's probably leaving her mom, just like the rest of the men she's dated. Her scenes with Grace, though, were especially interesting. I mean, it must be tough to respond to a perky robot, right? Grace, you see, not only apologizes to Adrian for her actions at the clinic (rightfully so, but still), but also insists that she wants to be friends. And when Adrian pokes the bear by pointing out her indiscretions with Jack, Grace pokes right back. Their potential friendship is as unlikely, despite their mutual loneliness, as it is intriguing.

Other tidbits:

• I think it's really realistic that Ashley is acting out a little in the face of Amy's trouble and the attention that's since been focused on her. However, I'm still interested to know if there's any deeper backstory in Ashley's anger at her mom, or if she's just angry at having a broken home. It's tough to tell with precocious TV kids when they're just being (uncharacteristically) kid-like, and when there's something more going on.
• Looks like the word will be out soon about Adrian's mom and Amy's dad, since Ricky figured it out and Grace's dad overheard enough to guess the truth. Ruh-roh.
• How awful was that filler scene between Ben's friends about having sex? I don't think I could be less interested, and I don't think it could have been more pointless. But thanks for the clunkily obvious pro-abstinence viewpoint, ABC Family! Next time, try to make it fit in with the plot a little more.

How do you feel about the Grace/Adrian friendship? Is Ben weirding you out a little, too?

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