I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away 7/10

A few students walk along the walls of the hallway as Adam brings up a dinner tray. It looks like he too is using the walls for guidance. Oh, is he blind, also? That would explain a few things. Again he knocks on Mary's door before barging into her room. Mary sits up on the bed as Adam apologizes for being late. Apparently one of the students cooking in the kitchen mixed up the cayenne pepper and cinnamon bottles. Ouch and yuck. Of course anyone, blind or not, can make a mistake like that in the kitchen. I ate in food co-ops all four years of undergrad and one time the dessert makers made brownies but didn't realize until the treat started cooling that they had used salt instead of sugar. They were not good brownies. According to Adam, the apple pies the students were making were a bit hotter than usual. Mary is so beyond small talk at this point and Adam is able to pick up that vibe instantly.

Adam invites Mary to join him at the table, but Mary is hesitant to do any thing. She has a defiant look on her face, which really is not a good look for her. As she stumbles over to the table, Adam informs her that supper is part of Mary's homework. Mary says she is not particularly hungry, despite the menu of roast beef, peas, and potatoes. Adam hands Mary a napkin, that she rudely snatches, and he begins the lesson. Mary says she wants to eat by herself, but Adam sternly informs her that she doesn't get that privilege until she learns how to eat properly. Mary says she doesn't like people looking at her, which Adam supposes is because she has become accustomed to eating with her fingers. Mary takes great offense to this and says she didn't come to school to learn table manners. Uh, yeah, they did. Just because it wasn't itemized doesn't mean it isn't part of the package. Adam tells his pupil that she doesn't get to eat like an animal just because she's blind. He then begins the lesson, explaining that food is arranged in a clockwise pattern: potatoes at 2 o'clock, meat at 5 o'clock, vegetables at 8 o'clock. That's kinda cool. Mary grabs whatever is at one o'clock with her hands and takes a bite. Adam admonishes her, but Mary says that if he doesn't want to watch her eat that way he can leave. "All you think about is being blind," Adam lectures. Mary tells him to leave, but he keeps going. "Pitying yourself won't help," he says. Wow, way to bust her M.O. there. "Blind people are just as good or as bad as anybody else. You're not special." Mary throws her plate on the ground and screams for him to get out. Adam raises his eyebrows and tells his student that she can find towels on the top shelf of the closet and that she will need them to clean up her own mess. Yay blind co-op!

The next day, in the drawing room, Adam walks over to the harp. Am I right to assume that harps were a staple in 1870's drawing rooms? Mary is sitting on a hideous chartreuse love seat (another staple? I hope not). Adam instructs Mary to walk towards him, but she says no. "Do it, Mary." That's what he said. Adam is able to tell when Mary stands as he then informs her that she should follow the sound of his voice to reach her destination. Mary slides her feet along the carpet until Adam yells at her to stop shuffling. He also brings up the idea that everyone will be watching her. "Walk with confidence," he tells her, gently. Mary Ingalls sucks at runway. As Mary starts to walk towards Adam, I suddenly realize who the two of them remind me of: Cameron and Chase from House. This is not a compliment. When Mary reaches Adam, he tells her "See, it's not so hard." "No," Mary responds. "No, I don't see; that's the point." Really, Mary? I'm trying to be nice this episode but you are making it EXTREMELY difficult with comments like that. Adam's just about reached his limit, also, and he tells the little brat that if she doesn't learn he doesn't get paid. Adam curtly tells his student she has five minutes to sulk and wash up for dinner. Mary will need to go at triple speed to get all of her sulking in such a short timeframe.

As Adam heads upstairs, he runs into the headmaster who asks about his progress. Adam says things are going just fine, but I can't tell if he is just being polite or if everything is actually going according to plan. Perhaps a montage will help. Yay montage! Mary is attempting to make the bed and she seems quite pleased with herself when she pulls the last part of the comforter over her pillow. Adam doesn't even bother trying to bounce a quarter off the bed as he can tell from one touch that Mary failed. He crumples up the sheets and gives them back to Mary. We then see Adam folding a piece of paper along a ruler. Are they about to play Exquisite Corpse? Anachronism! Oh, Mary is just writing a letter. Wow, it looks like her penmanship has not suffered, which I think is pretty amazing. I mean, I'm barely legible when I can see what I'm writing. We then see Mary pass her final eating exam and she has earned dining room privileges. [/montage]

Back in the classroom, Adam guides Mary to a desk as he informs her that today's lesson will be reading. Mary is baffled by this until Adam gives a shoutout to Louis Braille. Adam asks Mary to move over so he can sit down for what is no doubt a very hands-on lesson, if you catch my drift. He opens a giant book and guides Mary's hand across the page. Adam reads aloud and it is the opening of Genesis. He puts that book away and pulls out a book with the Braille alphabet. He gives an explanation on how Braille works (though he bypasses its interesting history) then grabs Mary's hand so he can guide her through the lesson. As Adam quizzes Mary the line between "lesson" and "date" is completely burred. Before the making out starts, we see Caroline back at the homestead with Mary's letter in hand. "She's learning to read!" she screams excitedly. That's not all she's doing, Ma.