Samantha Who? 2.12 ‘The Amazing Racist’ Recap

Samantha Who? 2.12 “The Amazing Racist”
Air Date: April 09, 2009
Recap

After a series of misunderstandings, Samantha (Christina Applegate) discovers she needs to be a better friend to Frank (Tim Russ). Meanwhile, when Andrea’s (Jennifer Esposito) pro-basketball player boyfriend is outed as gay, she fears that all the glamorous perks that come from dating a celebrity will end.

Samantha Who? Highlights:

• Regina (Jean Smart) uses guilt and motherly disappointment to get Sam to pull more of her weight at the house showing
• Sam tries to level with a client about ‘people like us’ wanting to live in one neighborhood vs another, but the client thinks she’s being racist. Turns out the client’s husband is African American and Sam had no idea what the other region was like
• Sam worries that her life doesn’t have enough black people – voting for Obama and watching Oprah aren’t big in her favor. She doesn’t think she knows any black people – Andrea and Dena (Melissa McCarthy) do.
• Turns out that Andrea’s fake boyfriend, Tony Dane (McKinley Freeman), was caught kissing another man! So much for keeping being gay quiet. Andrea worries her posh lifestyle is over.
• Sam comes home and is greeted by Frank; “Frank, you’re black!”
• Frank tells Sam they’re not friends – she may talk to him, but doesn’t even know his last name or anything about him
• Sam thinks they have enough shared experiences to have a friendship and is determined to be his friend (though, I wonder, is it to make herself feel less racist??)
• Todd (Barry Watson) is growing a mustache, perhaps to spite Samantha, who mocks him. He’s trying to point out she’s not his girlfriend and has no say.
• Sam tries to get Frank to join them for “F Day” dinner, but Frank doesn’t want to get “Fired”

(Photo Copyright © 2008 ABC Studios / Bob D’Amico) MORE RECAP…

• Todd seems to be pulling out the guilt too – telling Sam she always messes up his food order
• Todd wants to know why Sam is pursuing her “Frank project”, and thinks it’s for selfish reasons. That Sam thinks not knowing anything about Frank reflects poorly on her. Not a good basis for friendship.
• Sam takes a homemade pie and balloons to see Frank, but gets stuck trying to get out of her car. Someone tries to mug her, but Sam refuses to be mugged, not wanting to “reinforce a negative stereotype.” He steals her purse anyway.
• Andrea is drinking away her pain. Seth (Stephen Rannazzisi) comes to ask why Andrea passed on him to be with a gay guy. He accuses her of being afraid to be with someone, to be loved. Andrea kisses Seth, then leaves.
• Frank is angry with Sam for coming by, and is determined to find the mugger. He doesn’t want that in his neighborhood. Frank also thinks Sam is just trying to befriend him out of guilt for having no black friends.
• Flustered by what Frank said and the two black police officers, Sam has trouble trying to describe her mugger as black. She lies and says he’s white.
• Sam tries to make awkward small talk with Frank. He thanks her for the pie, which wasn’t good. But she tried to reach out and he’s feeling guilty that she had to come to his place and was attacked. Frank says “it’s ok” if they want to try to be friends.
• Andrea has a meeting with Tony Dane’s people, thinking she’s being blown off. She makes demands on what she wants to keep. Their counter-offer – a proposal to marry Tony Dane!
• Regina tells Sam they were fired from their showing. The couple Sam offended are telling everyone they’re a racist company.
• Sam takes Frank to the steakhouse those clients own in an attempt to prove she’s not racist to them. She nearly begs to speak to the owners.
• The woman comes out and is offended that Sam is there with Frank. She tells Sam she’s going to report Sam’s racist company to the real estate board.
• Frank, offended by Sam using him, starts to talk like a Southern hick, telling the owner he’s her doorman not her friend. Frank leaves.
• Sam doesn’t see that she was using Frank. Dena tries to tell her that she was. And not to stop fighting to be Frank’s friend – it took Dena 20 years to be Sam’s friend ;) “You’d be amazed at the beautiful friendships you can force on people.” [see video below]
• Andrea shows off her big engagement ring – she doesn’t care that she’s engaged to a gay man. They all gush for her, because she asks. Tony wants to avoid negative publicity.
• Seth overhears that Andrea is engaged. He asks, “What about the other night?” and believes Andrea has feelings for Seth. She hesitates like it may be true.
• Samantha goes to see Frank, who wants to not know or care about Sam anymore. The same man tries to mug her again, with Frank there!, but realizes she’s the “chatty white lady with no money in her purse.”
• Sam gets a call from the police, who found her mugger. Turns out it was Todd using her keys to get into her car! They had him in a police line-up!
• However, Todd isn’t mad long. Not after he hears that he was the first person Sam thought of when trying to describe someone to the police. He makes Sam flustered, asking if she thinks about him
• Now that Sam & Frank are friends, Frank asks Sam to cover for him while he goes to play a gig with his band.

For more Samantha Who? information, visit the Samantha Who? Season 2 summary page.