Plot

Michelle's rocky start with her new mother-in-law finally seems to smooth out, until an unexpected occurrence turns everything on end. Michelle quickly finds herself back at odds with Fanny, but at the same time wanting to empathize with her. Inspired by Fanny's students, Michelle has an idea to help Fanny face the reality of the situation.—ABC Family Publicity

Just as Michelle & Fanny are starting to get along & bond, bad news puts a strain back on their relationship. As Michelle & Fanny deal with the loss of Hubble very differently, Michelle feels lost & alone. As Fanny plans the memorial service, Michelle realizes that she is an outsider & has no say in anything. Trying to regain her thoughts, Michelle gets inspired by Fanny's ballet students and figures out a way to bridge the gap between her & Fanny. She also helps Fanny understand the situation she faces & is there to help Fanny through—Carrie DeCosta

Fanny walks purposefully back to the house after getting the news. She turns off the lamps one by one and leaves Michelle alone in the dark.

Michelle lies in the bed, looks at the books and admires Hubble's Metallica t-shirt. She looks at their wedding photos and finds the open wine. She goes down to the beach and sits on the sand looking at the sunset.

During gym class, Melanie and Sasha sit out a soccer game in the stands. They have a note from their ballet teacher excusing them. "'Anything involving bats, helmets, rackets, goal lines, shin guards, personal fouls or high fives could cause injury or jeopardize our dance careers'....plus, I have cramps," Sasha says.

Ginny comes with the news about Hubble, but she can't bring herself to say he's actually dead.

At the house, Michelle comes in from the beach to find Fanny manically looking for a tent for Hubble's "traditional Buddhist ceremony" memorial service. She's overly cherry anticipating the lasagna and hams people will bring. Michelle isn't sure what to make of it all.

Fanny wants to get a band, and tinfoil and toilet paper. All those people, one guest bathroom. "Don't think of it, Fanny. Just lay back and think of England," she tells herself.

Truly comes in with a casserole and wordlessly puts it in the fridge by Michelle. "I blame you," Truly says. "Me too," says Michelle.

In school, Sasha interrupts Boo's Spanish class, using breaking the news of Hubble's death as an excuse to pull her out . Out in the hall, Sasha is quickly over the news as the four girls make plans to hit a movie.

Fanny sits with friends to make memorial service plans, bummed she can't get the tent she wants. One of her friends (Ellen Greene) suggests a Wiccan ceremony. Maybe everyone could wear a scarf or a cape.

Michelle gives them a wide berth and goes to the empty studio. She does a bit of her Vegas routine, but it's not working. She tries the dance she taught the girls, but then steps outside when she hears someone coming in.

The four girls race to class, 20 minutes late, from the movie. Boo is upset they went. "What about a Mark Wahlberg movie says 'Sorry for your loss?'"

The class waits for Fanny and gossips about the accident. They heard Hubble and Michelle had had sex just before he died.

Fanny keeps planning, wondering if she can order cocktail napkins with the Dalai Lama's face on them. When Fanny takes a call, her friends worry about Fanny being in denial.

Michelle drops by with bagels, but Fanny is cool and dismissive. And "no one eats carbs anymore."

Fanny's friend (Ellen Greene) observes Michelle. "She's awfully tall, isn't she? Was she ever a man? I just think the town could use a woman who used to be a man, to go with the Republican and the Liza Minelli impersonator."

Inside the house, Truly cleans up after the party and is similarly snippy to Michelle. Fanny talks on the phone to a monk about coming to the service to pray for Hubble. "Well, does he have a friend who's not busy chanting for the Japanese people?" she says.

Truly starts crying about how much she misses Hubble. Fanny comforts her, saying they were made for each other and no matter what, Truly should know that Hubble loved her with all his heart. Michelle is offended and goes for a walk as Fanny is telling Truly she can call her "Mom."

On her walk, Michelle walks by a guy in a trailer who asks her if she wants to walk his dog. She's out on a walk when her Vegas showgirl friend Talia calls for an update. "We got here, I bought a dress, went to a party, fought with his mom, had sex, danced with his mom, he got in a car accident, now he's dead," she says. She waits for Talia to tell her again that she has the worst luck with men. She hangs up.

Talia calls again and Michelle says that she's lost and doesn't have a house key and doesn't even know if Fanny will let her in.

She finds a bar and asks what's not gross on the menu. She orders something and a margarita. She bonds with bartender Rico over distaste of brunch. They toast to "time specific eating habits." She introduces herself as Sophie Tucker and says she came to town with her husband.

Rico figures out who she is and pours her more tequila. Rico introduces his wife Nina, who also pours her more tequila. Michelle takes a call from a sitar player auditioning for the memorial.

Fanny's friend (Ellen Greene), who can't ask Fanny questions because she's entered her 16 hours of meditative silence, comes to Michelle with a question. There was talk of having the service on the aircraft carrier Intrepid.

Fanny asked her to do a sculpture and she only does nudes, so she draws Michelle a rendering to check for accuracy.

Michelle gets another call about the service, from a caterer trying to confirm a head count of 500. She runs out.

At the studio, the girls entertain themselves but Boo won't give up hope and won't let them leave. Michelle, still with the dog, returns to the house, and finds Fanny on the couch with a pillow over her head.

She tells Fanny they hired a sitar player and some other things and Fanny says she'll handle it. Michelle says that'd be great if only she were handling it. Ringling Brothers calls to say she can use their tent, but they have to come to Sacramento. Michelle hangs up and announces she's cutting the crazy quotient in half.

She says they should have the memorial tomorrow, like Fanny planned. Michelle tells Fanny she's going through this too, she gave up her life to come here.

Fanny finally gets upset saying that her heart is broken completely and when your heart is broken completely you get to do anything you want, even if it seems crazy. She doesn't want the woman who was his wife for 24 hours to do anything.

Sasha finally gets tired of waiting in the studio and goes in the house to find Fanny. She's in the house with her head in her hands sobbing. Michelle is out on the gazebo, with the dog. Sasha gets hysterical, suggesting someone needs to do something.

Michelle goes in to the studio and starts looking for seating. The girls break into tears, guilty that they went to a movie. Michelle tells them they have to stop crying so she doesn't start. She tells them to start calling people.

In the house, Fanny calls and cancels all the things she's ordered, saying she's postponing the memorial.

Boo knocks at the door and Fanny realizes she forgot the class. Boo tells her the sink in the studio is filling up .

Fanny makes her way over and notices luminarias and ribbons outside the studio. She goes inside and finds the people that matter waiting for her. Michelle directs her to her seat in a chair at the front of the room.

"I don't know you that well, so I don't know what to say. Sometimes it's better not to say anything; sometimes maybe, you just need to do something. So, Fanny, it's not the Intrepid, but this is for you," Michelle says.

She takes her seat next to Fanny's, and Ginny, Sasha, Boo and Melanie and the rest of the class dance for her.

Michelle tells her the girls arranged it. The dance is beautiful and quietly joyful. Fanny claps and cries.

At the memorial after, Fanny sits down with her beer and tells Michelle the dance was good. She liked the song. Michelle had found the Tom Waits song in Hubble's CD player. Michelle tells the girls they were great, after three hours of rehearsal.

Sasha cuts right to it and asks Michelle if she's leaving. Fanny interrupts to introduce Michelle to Hubble's friend and insurance agent, Jerry. Hubble went on and on telling him about her for a year.

Jerry tells Michelle to come by when she's ready to sign things. Which is how both Fanny and Michelle learn that Hubble transferred his will to Michelle before he died. The house and land are all hers.