- After their first experiment with swinging at the Deckers' party the Millers decide not to make it a habit. Susan makes friends with Trina, while her old friend Janet distances herself from her. Bruce is successful at his new job as a stockbroker, and it turns into a celebration with the Deckers at the local Playboy club. B.J. helps the girl next door with her runaway plans while his sister Laurie accepts her teacher's invitation to see a play.—Peter Brandt Nielsen
- After the Independence day swing party, the Deckers accept that the Millers choose not to repeat the libertine experiment, just remain good friends. However when Bruce misses his train to celebrate landing a major brokering client in oil, Tom convinces the girls to join him too at the Playboy club, where he and Trina are regulars and present some respectable career friends, including one who paid for law-school as a bunny. Roger wisely puts an end to Janet's attempt to replace the Millers as friends with their house successors, the boring Hinkamps. Rick can't believe what sacrifices B.J. makes for the ingrate runaway neighbor girl whose mother didn't even notice. Logan's patience with Laurie runs out being dragged along to an absurd feminist Godot 'version' mounted by her adored teacher Doug Stephens's girlfriend.—KGF Vissers
- "Swingtown" - "Love Will Find a Way" - June 12, 2008
Previously on "Swingtown": We met all the key players in our drama. There's free-loving swingers Tom and Trina Decker, curious new neighbors Bruce and Susan Miller, and the Millers' uptight old neighbors Janet and Roger Thompson and their various assorted children: B.J. and Laurie Miller, Ricky Thompson and Miller next door neighbor Samantha, daughter to cracked out Negligee Nellie.
Janet's baking an apple pie but won't let Roger have any. A naked Trina shows up to offer him some, um, pie, and a shirtless Tom comes to rub on Janet. This is clearly a fantasy. Janet awakes, just as Tom has ripped her shirt open and is nuzzling her neck, thanks to the ringing phone. Janet tells Roger not to answer because she's avoiding Susan.
On the other end of the phone Susan listens to the phone ring. Bruce is trying on new ties for his second week at the "firm." Susan worries that she can't get Janet on the phone since... since they became swingers asks Bruce. They both freak out a little about sleeping with the Deckers and Susan has them make a pact that it will only be that once.
Post-coital at the Deckers they're contemplating a run when Tom gets summoned by corporate at his airline. Tom thinks he might be getting offered a new route to Tokyo but he says he won't take it because he doesn't want to leave Trina alone so often. She finds an earring under the bed and smiles.
Back at the Miller house the kids are scrounging for breakfast amid still unpacked boxes. Bruce says goodbye weirdly to Susan. Laurie asks why they're acting weird. (They don't tell her it's because they just made a pact to be strictly one time swingers). Trina meets Bruce on the way to her run as he leaves the house for work. He acts weird and says "great party." Susan brings out his briefcase. Trina tells Susan she found her earring. Bruce leaves. Trina offers to come with Susan as she runs errands since her day is wide open.
Ooh there's a Credit sequence now: It's a montage of '70s images like Women's Lib protests, movie marquees featuring "Jaws," Gerald Ford, discos as Liz Phair sings about giving it up for love.
Tom goes into his corporate office and meets the boss who ogles a pretty girl as she leaves. The boss asks about Tom sharing playtime with Tammy the coffee-spilling stewardess from last week. Tom says that it was off the clock. Yes, agrees the boss, but what with these womens libbers her chatter about their tryst could make trouble so Tom's off the Miami route. He wonders if he's being fired. Nope, they all laugh, of course not! He's being promoted to Tokyo. He's smart enough to keep his mouth shut and take it.
Susan literally runs into Janet at the old grocery store. Susan apologizes to Janet for not leaving the party with her. Janet snits she assumed Susan would be shopping across town now. Trina shows up holding canteloupes in front of her boobs. Janet is annoyed. Susan apologizes and asks if they're still on for bridge tonight. Janet snippily says no and that, in fact, she's planned a dinner party and Susan isn't invited.
B.J. overhears his crazy, tinfoil-loving, Negligee Nellie neighbor fighting with a man who calls her a junkie. As he storms off she catches B.J. spying on her from his window. On the sill he finds a note. It's a list of things you'd need for camping like a tent, flashlight, batteries etc. and a map to where Samantha is hiding out.
In summer school Laurie is listening to Teach talk about their less-than-stunning Kierkegaard essays. She got a B. As he hands back the essays he offers extra credit to anyone willing to write a review of a local production of "Waiting for Godot." She's in.
Susan and Trina put away groceries at the Miller house. Trina apologizes for making things awkward with Janet. Susan promises Trina that Janet used to be funny and free but that she's uncomfortable with change. Trina says she hopes that they didn't scare the Millers off, what with the Quaaludes and group sex. Susan says no, but that the swinging was far from their normal lives. Trina suggests the Millers come over for dinner, just dinner, no Quaaludes.
Laurie comes in and meets Trina and compliments the Deckers' post-and-beam house. Trina wonders if she's interested in architecture. Susan says she's interesting in everything calling her "our little over-achiever." As Laurie leaves, Susan accepts Trina's dinner invitation.
Tom finds Trina in the pool at home. He tells her he said yes to Tokyo because of the bad move of bedding Tammy. She's annoyed, reminding him she told him it was a bad idea, but sweetly understanding. She tells him about shopping with Susan and inviting them to dinner. He says he thought they were a one time thing. She says it doesn't mean they can't get to know them better.
B.J. and Ricky are dragging the camping gear to Samantha. Ricky hopes B.J.s having sex with her since B.J. spent all his allowance on this stuff for her. Samantha ungratefully gripes that she told B.J. to come alone and sends them off condescendingly after taking the stuff.
Ah, Bruce works on the trading floor at the Chicago stock exchange. He takes a big client away from a work rival and succeeds.
Susan is making some tuna noodle casserole as Laurie comes in and asks if she can go to the library, Susan says sure if she brings B.J. Laurie asks if Susan is going out and if so that is what she's wearing. She doesn't want Susan to feel frumpy around the more stylish Trina. B.J. comes in covered in dirt, Susan tells him to clean up before dinner.
At the Playboy Club Bruce is buying drinks for his broker friends/rivals, celebrating his good day. He asks if anyone has a dime so he can call home and tell Susan he'll be late. Susan's already left for the train station so he gives Laurie the number of the club where he can be paged when she gets back.
At the station a waiting Susan spies a de-training Roger. He tells her Bruce wasn't on the train, and that she looks great but kind of dressy for bridge. She tells him Janet cancelled. He looks embarrassed. She tries to apologize for the party but he stops her saying he had fun and that Janet will come around. She offers him a ride home. He declines saying the walk is the only exercise he's been getting. She watches him walk away in the driver's side mirror.
He gets home and Ricky is playing a game. In the living room Janet introduces Paul and Martha, who moved into the Millers' old house. Roger pulls her into the kitchen and asks about canceling on Bruce and Susan. Janet says they can change too.
Susan shows up at the Deckers with wine and an apology that Bruce can't make it. When Trina and Tom find out that he's at the Playboy Club they propose joining him. Trina says Susan shouldn't waste the dress.
Logan pulls up in front of the Miller house as Laurie is leaving. He compliments her house and in his way says he's missed her. He gifts her with a copy of Aerosmith's "Rocks" as a way of apologizing for being a dolt at the beach last week. She tries to dump him by saying he's a good guy and all but they have nothing in common. He offers her a ride and a chance to talk about it. She says she's going to a play and if he can name one she'll take the ride. He struggles but comes up with "Hair."
At the Playboy Club Bruce is tying one on and is psyched to Susan and the Deckers show up. Ooh Mark Valley is there with a blond who knows Trina and Tom. Trina introduces them as Sylvia and Brad Davis. The sextet squeezes into a booth.
At the Thompsons' the new neighbors are angry conservatives who are anti-Jimmy Carter and the husband smokes at the dinner table. Roger is not charmed. There's an awkward pause so Roger goes to get the pie. He meets Ricky in the kitchen who calls Paul a douche. Roger offers him five bucks to do something.
Laurie and Logan show up to the play and Logan is psyched to see it's an all female cast, hoping for nudity. She asks him to please not embarrass her. Teach meets them saying they're just in time for the curtain.
Peeping B.J. is at again looking in negligee Nellie's window. She's on the phone making a date for the evening. She snipes at B.J. asking what he wants already and closing the curtains.
At the Thompson house, the awkward pause continues. Janet asks the nasty new neighbors if they play bridge. They don't. There's a crash in the kitchen. Ricky has apparently dropped a plate and cut himself, as Roger holds up a bloody towel to Janet. He tells the NNN they have to call it a night and get Ricky to the hospital. When the NNN leave, saying "thanks for the eats Jan" - even in a crisis, she replies "it's Janet"- Ricky and Roger show her it was a gag. It's just ketchup. She's annoyed saying the joke's on her.
Susan ogles a Bunny and thinks it must be humiliating. New friend Sylvia says it's actually empowering. Being a bunny helped put her through law school, and she organized the girls into a union before going to work at a firm in the city. She still has the outfit, which husband Brad is psyched about. Coincidentally, he's a psychologist and author of several books on human sexuality. When they ask Susan what she does she demurs she's "just a homemaker." Brad calls it the most culturally significant job there is. Susan wonders how many women are at Sylvia's firm but says careers like that are long past her. Sylvia says it's never too late for someone like Susan, or any woman, to try whatever she wants. They all get up to to dance to the Bee Gees.
In her tent Samantha is listening to Hall and Oates. B.J. arrives and Samantha points a toy gun at him. Turns out he brought her tuna noodle casserole for dinner. After gruffly berating him for letting bugs in, she scarfs it down.
At the play Logan is highly confused by Godot, and talking back to the actresses. He leaves. Laurie gladly lets him. Teach shrugs. Teach and Laurie share a smile.
Samantha scarfs the noodles and says that her mom and Stu, the guy B.J. overheard earlier, are always fighting. Stu is not her dad. Her dad went to Vietnam and never came back. His wedding ring, which she wears around her neck, came in a Christmas card. B.J. offers her a walkie talkie and says she can't stay away forever. She assumes that her mom has cops looking for her. He counters he doesn't think Negligee Nellie even knows Samantha is gone.
They're literally "Hustle"-ing at the Playboy Club. They all take to the floor as couples to "Dancing in the Moonlight." Bruce marvels at his night on the town with Susan. He is so happy and asks if he she has any idea how much he loves her. He says she keeps surprising him. She says "it's a good thing right?" And echoing the pilot he says "and it's only going to get better."
A little later Trina and Susan watch Tom dance with another woman. Susan marvels that their open marriage works. Trina says it's only sex. Susan reveals the pact she made with Bruce. Trina understands saying it's good for couples to decide on their own what they want to do and that she and Tom have pacts too. Susan says she's so glad to have met Trina. Trina returns the compliment. Tom comes over and is sad to see Sylvia and Brad have left since they've been invited to a penthouse party. Susan begs off saying they have to get back to the kids. Trina, who would normally be up for this kind fo thing, is ready to go too. Tom wonders what's wrong. She says it was nice to have a spontaneous night like this. He agrees that once he's on the Tokyo run they might happen less.
On the way to get their coats Susan sees Bruce giving a warm kiss off to Sylvia and fights jealousy.
At the play Teach and Laurie discuss the play, existentialism, feminism etc. Teach introduces her to the black, female director who is glad that the play spoke to Laurie. Logan returns and acts the dolt in front of Teach and the Director criticizing the play and saying he's found a bar that doesn't card around the corner. Laurie pulls him off to the side and tries to make him see that when he shows disrespect to things she cares about he's disrespecting her. Logan ditches her and says if she's such a genius she can figure out her own way home. Teach shows up to save the day offering a ride. The Director comes up and slides her arm in his crooked elbow, they're obviously together to Laurie's dismay.
Janet is forlorn at the kitchen table as Roger says he's going to bed and apologizes about the broken dish and says dinner was great. She says it was a disaster. He says the people were a disaster but dinner was one of her best and thanks her for everything she does to make things great for them. She wonders why everything seems to be falling apart around her. He says it's not. Janet admits she misses Susan. He tells her to do something about it. Janet says she's not sure what to do. They hold hands, very touching.
Janet drops off her apple pie with a note at Susan's house just as Tom and Trina pull up in their Porsche to drop off the Millers. They're all surprised to see each other at this hour. Janet now feels dumb and dismisses an invitation inside. The Deckers thank them for a great night.
The Millers have their pie, and probably eat it too. At least for now.
Samantha calls out to B.J. on the walkie talkie. She's back in her room next door. Underneath her room, her mom is having her "party" with the dude from the phone.
Back at the Thompson house, Janet defaults to her obsessive cleaning to express her anger.
Bruce enjoys some pie looking at the receipts of his good day in the briefcase.
Tom nibbles Trina's neck. She takes off her earring and spies Susan's in the jewelry tray.
Susan takes off hers and spies its mate. She picks up Bruce's pants and a card falls out. It's Sylvia's business card with "lets get together" scrawled on it. Susan looks fretful.
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