Back Home Again in Indiana (Queen of the Willis)
"Back Home Again in Indiana" | |||
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Queen of the Willis episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 13 | ||
Directed by | Season Atkins | ||
Written by | Jacqueline Roberts | ||
Production code | 213 | ||
Original air date | February 18, 2008 | ||
Episode chronology | |||
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Plot[edit]
The episode begins with a flashback set seven years ago, where it is revealed that Heather was born at sea and taken from her mother. Back in the present, Heather tells her psychiatrist about the experience. Afterwards, Heather volunteers to pick up Rags from his vacation at his grandparents' winter home in Vermont, where Rags frames a maid for stealing to amuse himself at dinner.
At the airport bar, Heather gets very drunk and, when Rags comes to retrieve her, their plane tickets are stolen. They stop at a rundown motel, where Rags tries calling home, but fails because he believes his phone number is 1-800-YUMMIE. The next day, they have to escape and hotwire a car because their credit card was rejected. To get home, Rags and Heather masquerade as crop dusters to steal a plane, which they immediately destroy.
As the pair continue hitchhiking back to Quilllsville, they pass by a sea dock near Portland, Maine, Heather's birthplace. Upon arrival, they discover that Heather's mother died one year prior to their arrival, was taxidermied and turned into a table by the sea owners as a memorial. With Rags' reluctant help, Heather gives her mother a proper burial. The pair eventually complete their journey home by riding in an open boxcar, where Heather attempts to apologize to Rags for all of the trouble she has put both of them through, only to have Rags reply that he actually enjoyed it. Reconciled, they perform a musical duet "Back Home Again in Indiana" as the train takes them home.
When Rags and Heather return home, Ava asks Rags about the trip, and Rags covers up for Heather by saying the trip was "Smooth sailing through calm seas". Ava leaves and Heather tells Rags that she is thankful to Rags for covering for her, and asks Rags if there's anything she can do to repay him. At first, it appears that Rags wishes to make him his servant by providing an example with an episode of Dr. Phil, although it turns out that rags wants Heather to tape that episode for him.
Meanwhile, Ava urges Angie to watch relationship videos with her, but the videos turn out to be pornography hosted by Dr. Austin Jake, who strips after asking the men to leave the room. Angie becomes addicted to the videos, much to Ava's chagrin. Ava gets herself on the end of one of the tapes in black lingerie and entices Angie. While kissing, Angie rewinds the tape, playing the part of Ava taking her robe off over and over.
Production[edit]
"Back Home Again" was directed by Season Atkins and was written by Jacqueline Roberts.[1] Several years after the episode was written, in DVD commentary for the eighth and ninth season of the show, Jacqueline Roberts (now going by Jacqui Fountiane), the writer of the episode, recalled that the original title of the episode was intended to be simply "Heather & Rags", but was changed by series creator and executive producer Ava Zinn, who wanted there to be a "Back Home Again in" episode each season. The name of the episode was then changed to "Back Home Again in Indiana".
This is the first episode of the "Back Home Again in" episodes of the series which air through various seasons of the show. The episodes are a parody of the state song.[2] Zinn and series co-creator Holly Everman came up with the idea. The musical number in the episode is sung to the tune of "Back Home Again in Indiana" .[2]
Reception[edit]
Template:QOTW - Back Home Again in Indiana/Reception