Katherine (Grace Park) started out as one of the most unlikeable character on A Million Little Things, but over the course of Season 1, she converted that hate into a fan-favorite status. Viewers were devastated when she found out about Eddie (David Giuntoli) and Delilah’s (Stephanie Szostak) affair, and then absolutely gutted at the beginning of Season 2 when Eddie confirmed Delilah’s baby was actually his.
The second confession was even more heartbreaking because Eddie and Katherine had miraculously found their way back to reconciliation. They were so close to getting back together when Eddie dropped the second truth bomb, and the reality of it sent Katherine reeling. She was so overwhelmed with grief that she retreated to her mother’s in order to get herself in the right mental space to be a good mom to her son.
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She finally returned home in Episode 2, but it was clear that her return was for Theo’s sake only. As hard as Eddie tried to prove that he was willing to do anything to regain her trust, it was clear that being around him was still emotionally trying for Katherine. For a while, it looked like all hope for them to work things out was lost, but Katherine made the wise decision to stop trying to get back what they had and attempt to build something new.
They are not officially back together, but there is still hope for them to get back on track, or perhaps build a new track. TV Guide spoke to Grace Park about the emotional episode and what is driving Katherine to make her relationship with Eddie work.
Grace Park, A Million Little Things
Theo is obviously the reason that Katherine decides to come back and try and work things out with Eddie, but what is it that convinces her to stay when she’s clearly overwhelmed?
Grace Park: Katherine is not one to flee a situation and not end things. So, even if she wanted to end the relationship, she would actually do that face to face. There’s so many aspects about a relationship, and she’s actually already taken such a massive hit with the affair, which I don’t really think has been wrapped up, really — we’ve just put a light bandage on a giant wound. She’s already dealing with that, but I think for her, she’s been on auto[pilot] for a really long time doing what she thought she needed to do to survive with her family and with her responsibilities… I think she feels like it’s unfinished.
At the very least she needs to have a conversation with Eddie because, sure, she can make somewhat of a decision by herself, but they’ve been together for quite a while. In some ways she really wants to be able to connect with him and, even if they were to part, figure out what happened… Eddie’s been bending over backwards, just on eggshells trying not to screw up anymore. She notices that, but there’s just an incredible amount of pain. There’s just so much, so many things that are unresolved that in a way she would want resolution rather than just taking off.
I really love the scene where she tells him, “We can’t go back to who we were. We have to figure out who we are now.” What do you think that means for Katherine? Who does Katherine think they are now?
Park: I think Katherine doesn’t know, but what she knows [is] it’s not the family she grew up with and it’s not the standard nuclear family that, I think, is actually becoming less and less. I think that’s what she thought she was a part of, but all around her there’s going to be hybrid families, single parent families… mixed orientation. But I don’t even know how to say that. So she knows that exists. It’s not like it’s going to be a new thought to her that she doesn’t know what she’s charting into and she’s a pioneer. It’s just new for her. And I think she’s open. She’s essentially letting go some of … the old dynamic that you would think that a family would have to fit into and essentially letting go of any rigidity or commitment… Sorry, I’m just trying to think of what word I want to say. I guess essentially letting go of this old family… What is the word I want to say? Not pattern. I guess I’ll just say the way a family… the way that she thought the family should look.
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So she’s actually becoming more open and more flexible. And I do think that as we grow through our lives we are beckoned to become more flexible and let go some of these ties to the old ways of thinking. So it’s very uncomfortable for Katherine. I do think just in terms of human beings’ journey, I do think that that’s actually very beautiful, even though it’s painful for her.
Inevitably, she’s going to have to come face to face with this new baby. What can we expect when that meeting eventually comes?
Park: You can expect that it’s going to be loaded and uncomfortable but also surprising.
Due to the affair and all of these secrets, Katherine has kind of been ostracized from this friends group except when they need her professionally. In Season 2, will we see her start to ease back into that or is she going to keep her distance due to this new layer of complication?Park: I think Katherine really used her work as a structure for herself, and because last season she chose to commit more to her family rather than accepting partnership, it shows what was actually really important to her when push came to shove. The friends are an extension of that family. I think she had chosen work for quite a long time, but now is recognizing that if I want to make this work, I need to loosen the reins somewhat and change how I’ve operated in life.
She’s going to start walking that path again. Not really comfortably, because of course there’s a lot of, I think, projected shame from her friends. And there’s so many loaded things that I think they’re, the social taboos or judgments that we have here in North America or the States, I’d say. She’s going to be navigating some of that and it’s really uncomfortable for her. There’s a little bit of push and pull if she wants to go there. It’s not easy. It’s been pretty dry there between her and her friends, so to reacquaint herself with them — we’ll see how that journey goes.
A Million Little Things airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.
Source : TVGuide
