Love Bites Episode 1.08 Modern Plagues

Charlie stops by the restaurant to give Jodie some keys - the keys to his apartment. After he leaves, Jodie steps into the kitchen, announcing to Chef James that she's moving in with Charlie tonight! When James thanks her for opening up to him, Jodie explains she's only telling him because Annie's on maternity leave. Prattling nervously - she's not even keeping her apartment as a safety net - Jodie follows Luis to drop off a plate in front of a customer. Luis isn't sure Jodie's making the right move, since she tends to run when the issue of commitment comes up. Just then, a guy at the bar, Owen, who's sitting with his friend Matt (the doctor Annie keeps running into) declares, "It's a mistake." Jodie thinks Owen's talking to her and storms off, griping loudly. Why is Annie on stupid maternity leave?!

The next morning, Jodie calls Annie from Charlie's apartment for moral support. Four days after childbirth, Annie's complaining about leaky breasts. Jodie woke up with a full body rash. She's worried she might be allergic to commitment. Annie jokes that Jodie probably just has bedbugs and tells her to relax - Charlie's great. Annie suggests Jodie check Charlie's sheets, because he's probably had them since college. Jodie hangs up the phone, just as Charlie calls her back to bed. Itching like crazy, Jodie asks Charlie if he could possibly have bedbugs. He thinks it's ridiculous, but when he lifts up the mattress, there they are... bedbugs! Jodie and Charlie fight about who brought the bedbugs into Charlie's apartment. Charlie assures Jodie that he knows a guy who calls himself the "bedbug exorcist."

A little later, bedbug exorcist Wayne Michel arrives with his dog, Breezy. Wayne announces that his work's cut out for him - he's got to fumigate, seal cracks, replace the mattress and steam clean. He's seen bedbugs rip couples apart, and they'll just have to see whether Charlie and Jodie can buck the odds. Charlie figures they can stay at Jodie's during the fumigation, until she reminds him that, like they agreed, she gave it up so they'd have no safety net. Jodie and Charlie go to a hip hotel, where they're having a great time until Charlie finds a bedbug biting his leg. When he calls the front desk to complain, the concierge insists the hotel is clean. Charlie and Jodie are the victims of "hitchhikers," which stow away in luggage and clothes.

There's a knock on the hotel door. It's a scary-looking man from hotel management. He's sorry, but Charlie and Jodie have to leave immediately because bedbugs are death to the hotel business. The man won't even let them pack. The hotel will pay to steam clean everything and cover their room, but they must get out now. Jodie wonders what they're supposed to wear. A minute later, the couple walks down the hall wearing matching sweatpants and T-shirts as the cleaning crew gets to work. The next morning, the couple meets Charlie's friends, Murder and Todd, at Jodie's restaurant for breakfast. It's not long before Charlie blurts out the bedbugs story and asks if they can stay with Murder and Todd. When Jodie starts scratching, Murder and Todd run off, so Jodie turns to her new friend James. Hip to their predicament, James quickly boots them out of the restaurant. Bedbugs are bad for business.

Charlie and Jodie walk through the park, itching and lamenting their predicament. She worries it's a sign they moved in too soon, and he's worried that Jodie's ready to bail. A fight ensues. Charlie declares he's going home. Jodie can come too, but since she's not, she can call if she changes her mind. Jodie calls Annie, who's nursing her sore, leaky boobs with bags of frozen strawberries. Now that Jodie and Charlie have turned on each other, Jodie's changed her mind - she needs a safety net! Safety net Annie invites Jodie to come live with her anytime - as long as she showers first. Later that night, Jodie knocks on Charlie's door, explaining that Annie offered her apartment - not for both of them, but as a safety net for Jodie. But once the safety net was in place, Jodie realized she didn't want one anymore. With Charlie is where she wants to be.

Colleen and Judd and their neighbors, Kyle and Drew, hang out on a picnic blanket at a cemetery, bantering as they wait for a screening of a horror movie to start. A few blankets away, a woman screams with delight because her boyfriend has just proposed. They all make fun of the spectacle. Drew wonders when proposals started requiring an audience. Just then, Kyle starts choking. He turns to Judd and gestures in a panic. Judd calmly takes control and gives Kyle the Heimlich maneuver. A piece of food flies out of Kyle's mouth, and he's fine. Kyle thanks Judd, and Colleen proclaims Judd's a hero! Judd yells to the engaged couple, "Who's the show now?" as everyone claps. Drew smiles wanly; it's clear something's not right.

Later that night, the two couples return to home, and Judd is basking in his hero status. Colleen and Judd head into their house as Kyle and Drew do the same. A little later, Kyle asks Drew what's up, since he's been so quiet. Was he scared at the thought of losing Kyle forever? Drew is hurt that Kyle turned to Judd for help in his moment of need instead of the man he's going to marry. Kyle doesn't know why he turned to Judd, but isn't it more important that he's alive? Putting an end to the conversation, Drew agrees, then stomps off to bed.

The next morning, Judd brings coffee over to Kyle and Drew's. Still in a snit, Drew takes his coffee and leaves. Kyle explains that Drew's upset Kyle chose Judd over Drew to save his life. Judd thinks Kyle simply caught his hero vibe, then tells a heroic story of how he stayed calm when Colleen freaked out during an earthquake a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Drew has coffee with Colleen, telling her how he wants to be Kyle's hero. All men need to feel like the hero sometimes, but sometimes they just aren't. She shares her version of the earthquake story in which Judd is terrified. Colleen tells Drew that he just has to let it go.

Kyle worries that Drew's never going to let this one go; Judd feels terrible and resolves to fix things. A little later at the gym, Judd spots Kyle, who strains to finish a bench press as Drew works out on a nearby machine. Instead of helping, Judd whispers to Kyle to call for Drew, who comes running to lift the barbell. Kyle's lip gets cut in the process. When he sarcastically comments to Judd that now he really is hurt, Drew realizes they set him up and stalks off. Later, Kyle and Drew continue fighting at home. Drew thought his role was to be "the rock," the person Kyle could count on to hold it together. If Drew's not the rock, he doesn't know who he is. Why would Kyle marry him if he wasn't the rock? Taking charge, Kyle declares they're going out.

Kyle brings Drew to a hot dog stand in Hollywood. Before he met Drew, he used to go to the hot dog stand after every bad date and eat his feelings. But Drew changed that. Judd may have given Kyle the Heimlich, but Drew saved his life in a much bigger way. He saved Kyle from being chubby and made him whole. And that's why Kyle wants to marry Drew. Later, Kyle and Drew bring hot dogs over to Judd and Colleen's house. Drew apologizes and thanks Judd. The house starts to shake, and Judd panics, thinking it's an earthquake. But it's just a trash truck. Judd covers, asking Colleen if she's okay. In return, she assures him that had it been a real earthquake, he would have been on it.

Matt opens his freezer to find a bag of frozen strawberries and wonders why he bought them. His girlfriend, Amanda, reminds him that he was going to make a protein shake every morning - whatever happened to that? Amanda calls Matt over to her computer to show him the video that her mom sent her - it's the same musical flash mob proposal Colleen's been watching, despite her best intentions. Matt's very cynical about the proposal and thinks it's fake - all for the camera and the viewers, not the girl. When he offhandedly asks if Amanda would want something like that, she says maybe. What does Matt have in mind? Matt says "nothing," then claims he never thought about it, then tries to cover while tripping all over his words.

Matt shows his doctor friends, Jake and Owen, the proposal video on his iPad as he tells them about the awkward conversation with Amanda. He knows she was hinting that it's time for him to propose. Owen points out that they've been together for almost two years, and Jake thinks the proposal video is fantastic. He's doing a big musical proposal for his girlfriend Liz Beth! Jake's been wanting to ask Liz Beth to marry him and he wasn't sure how. This is perfect! Even though they've only been dating six months, Jake knows he wants to be with Liz Beth for the rest of his life. This sends a chill down Matt's spine. If Jake makes a big hoopla over proposing to Liz Beth, then it puts pressure on him to propose to Amanda in some big crazy way, and he doesn't want to. Owen wonders what it is that Matt doesn't want to do - propose to Amanda or propose in a big crazy way. Matt avoids the question.

Later that night, Matt and Owen sit at the bar at the restaurant where Annie and Jodie work. Matt equivocates over marrying Amanda. Owen calls Matt out, asking who "she" is. Matt finally admits he's been thinking about Annie, even though he only met her twice. Could this be a sign he shouldn't get engaged to Amanda? Owen thinks it's just cold feet, drawing an analogy to demonstrate what a mistake it would be to leave Amanda, which is when Jodie overhears him say, "It's a mistake." Jodie storms off yelling about Annie being on maternity leave, causing Owen to realize Annie works at the restaurant. He tells Matt not to dump Amanda for some girl he's met a few times; Annie's not real.

Jake directs a rehearsal of his proposal in which Matt, Owen and several other doctor co-workers will dance and sing. Getting frustrated, Jake calls for a break, then tells Matt that Amanda's in charge of getting Liz Beth to the park. When Matt wonders if Jake hasn't ever had cold feet, Jake says never. But he hasn't always known Liz Beth was the one. They didn't hit it off on their first date. But then they ran into each other on a subway platform when the trains were stopped and spent hours together. That's when Jake fell in love. It was as if the universe was pushing them together because they were meant to be together. Jake realizes the guys ate all the pizza, so Matt offers to go get some sandwiches. On his way into the store, he literally bumps into Annie.

Matt and Annie chat outside a market. How crazy is it to run into each other again? Matt sees Annie had the baby, and she looks great. And what's she buying - all the things she missed, like wine and sushi? Annie reveals she bought frozen strawberries, which Matt finds to be a terrific coincidence. Since Matt's a doctor, Annie admits the strawberries are to ice her breasts to prevent them from leaking. This may be the least sexy conversation she's ever had, but then again, Matt has a girlfriend - doesn't he, still? Sadly, Matt confirms that he does. Annie and Matt say goodnight and go their separate ways - even though they don't really want to.

The next day, Amanda jogs with Liz Beth to a place in the park where a chair has been placed strategically. She directs Liz Beth to sit as Jake, Matt, Owen and the other guys perform Jake's musical proposal to the tune of "Car Wash" (because that's where Jake and Liz Beth first met). The guys sing and dance, delighting Liz Beth. At the end, Jake kneels with a ring, and Liz Beth says yes! Everyone celebrates. Matt reflects on the moment. A little later, while walking through the park, Matt tells Amanda she deserves someone who wants to make a fool out of himself for her - like Jake did for Liz Beth. Amanda already knows Matt's not that guy. They're both sorry, and they know they'll miss each other; but it's time to go their separate ways.

We see different scenes of our characters at night - Annie looks out the window as she holds frozen strawberries to her chest; Kyle and Drew walk over a bridge holding hands; Colleen and Judd snuggle on the couch as he holds her through a scary moment in a movie. Charlie and Jodie peacefully cuddle in bed, asleep, and Matt makes a smoothie with his frozen strawberries. The next day, Annie and Chloe sit on a bench with the baby. Chloe says that she has a guy for Annie, a recently single former astronaut. Annie passes. She thinks she's already met her somebody. As they start walking away from the bench, Annie says she has a feeling that she and Matt are meant to be together, like it's fate. A few seconds later, Matt walks by the bench where Annie was just sitting, begging the question, are they really fated to be together?