'Til Death Episode 1.17 The Clay Date

Eddie and Joy are heading out on a trip when the phone rings. Jeff, whose call was unanswered, walks into the house. Eddie breaks the news that they're visiting Allison at college for the weekend. Jeff asks if they happen to know a good tile guy, and Joy, in fact, does.

Eddie and Joy are staying in the dorms during their visit because... well, because that's funnier than a hotel, we suppose. Eddie and Joy begin to recreate their passionate college days when Paul Nash - that's recently-divorced single dad Paul Nash, of course - introduces himself as their suitemate for the weekend. Allison comes in and Eddie reviews their itinerary for the weekend. Allison invites them to a showing for her pottery class, which is a requisite for her major, ceramic studies. Joy worries that this degree won't send Allison into a competitive job market fully prepared.

Hector the tile man is having a tough time with the incredibly demanding Steph. Steph wants the tiles laid in a particular way, but Hector doesn't think it will look right. Jeff asks Hector to just lay the tile Steph's way, and then when she hates it, come back and retile the bathroom.

Eddie and Joy arrive at the showing and find Allison's object, a mug that looks more like a gravy boat. Or, as Joy colorfully describes it, a piece of poo. Allison claims this is an ironic, deconstructed mug that makes political commentary on modern society. No, you can't drink from it. That's not the point. Then Allison breaks some more news. She's taking next semester off to live with Doug, her pottery TA, on an art collective in Vermont.

Joy frets that when she took a semester off from college, she ended up pregnant and never went back. They need to figure out how to talk Allison out of this without seeming like they're against it. They decide to tell Allison if she drops out, she'll lose her financial aid.

The next day, Eddie and Joy break the bad news to Allison. Allison tells them not to worry, Doug explained to her how she can get student loans. Her parents plead with her to not start off life in the hole financially, but Allison says she's going and storms out. Back in the dorms, Eddie and Joy reminisce about all the bad decisions they made at Allison's age, and realize that maybe things won't be so bad after all. Eddie and Joy tells their daughter to go for it, but when she realizes that means she could end up just like them one day, she isn't sure what to do.