Remarkably Bright Creatures An Impossible Jam—Not a Date Summary & Analysis

Summary

An Impossible Jam

Cameron chats with Marcellus as he cleans the aquarium, still distrustful of the octopus. He is tying down the lid of Marcellus’s cage when Elizabeth calls him to catch up. She tells him she is on bed rest for her pregnancy, and he updates her on his relationship with Avery, to her delight. After they hang up, Terry walks in to ask Cameron to fill out paperwork for the job and for a photocopy of Cameron’s driver’s license. Cameron does as he’s told, revealing that he once lost out on a full scholarship to college because he didn’t fill out paperwork. The photocopier jams, and he leaves his license on Terry’s desk for the night.

Day 1,352 of My Captivity

After Cameron leaves, Marcellus unties the lid of his tank and makes his way to Terry’s office, determined to do something to show Tova who Cameron really is. He takes the driver’s license from Terry’s desk and places it beneath the sea lion statue, where he knows Tova will find it while cleaning. The mission takes all of his energy, and he remarks that it would have been worth it even if it killed him.

The Bad Check

Ethan racks his brain to remember where he’s heard the name Daphne Cassmore before, and remembers it from a bad check that the previous owner of Shop-Way kept on display as a warning to thieves. He has deduced from conversations with Cameron that Daphne had a drug problem, and that she is the missing link in the mystery of Erik’s death. He decides to invite Tova over for dinner to tell her what he knows before the town finds out and begins gossiping about it.

The Downside of Free Food

Cameron transfers the rest of the money he owes Aunt Jeanne to her bank account, and buys Ethan digital albums to thank him for his help, feeling proud of having earned his own money. After he falls asleep in the camper van, Aunt Jeanne calls him. She is drunk and tells him he sent too much money, that she’d rather he do something worthwhile with his life than go around trying to fix other people’s lives. Cameron realizes she is drinking with Wally Perkins, and feels resentful as his aunt tells him she doesn’t believe Simon Brinks is his father and that Cameron needs to try and empathize with his mother.

Not a Date

Tova goes to Ethan’s house for dinner, firm in her belief that their plan is not considered a date. She has been spending most of her time looking up Daphne Cassmore to no success, and is relieved to do something else for the evening. Ethan’s house is filled with music paraphernalia, and Tova admires the tidiness of his home, wondering when the last time someone cooked her a nice meal was. Toward the end of dinner, Cameron bursts in, clearly upset, and asks to talk to Ethan, who follows him outside. While they are talking, Tova decides to clean the kitchen. She finds an old t-shirt under the sink and works while the men are out, cleaning until the kitchen is spotless and she feels proud of her work. When Ethan returns he begins to say something to her, only to stop when he sees that she has used a precious and rare Grateful Dead t-shirt to clean with. In using it for cleaning, she has greatly damaged the shirt. Ethan is heartbroken, and Tova leaves, embarrassed, before he can tell her about Daphne.

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