(S02E17) "This family means everything to me." - Kyle

The boy without a belly button was put under the microscope this week on Kyle XY. Okay, not a real microscope but still, the social worker asked tough questions to the Tragers and Kyle and visited the house to make sure Kyle was raised in a safe place. Because of this unexpected visit, the teens plotted and planned together in order to get rid of cases of beer and porn, hide Amanda and... take care of the tub situation. "Grounded" was pretty much a filler episode. The storylines didn't really move forward and there wasn't much new info revealed about the characters.

Kyle and Amanda

Kyle and Amanda moved their relationship one step further: they slept in the same bathtub. It was funny to see Kyle tell his girlfriend that her cheeks were pinker and that her body temperature was climbing and hear him tell her that he would give her a thinner blanket! He has so much to learn about relationships!

I'm really happy that this Amanda ordeal is over. If you ask me, this storyline was stretched too much. We get it, her mother is a pain in the behind and Amanda is not liking it at all. Can we move on now? I'm glad Amanda finally had the guts to tell her mother exactly how she felt and that things are somewhat going back in order at the Bloom house. We can now have Kyle focus back on his abilities and the bad guys.

Kyle and the Tragers

Kyle, as expected, gave a heartfelt speech about the Tragers and what they mean to him. Here is the list Kyle gave to the social worker:

• They gave him a seat at the dinner table when he had nowhere to go.
• Stephen gave up his workroom so Kyle could have his own place to sleep.
• Josh taught him how to play basketball.
• Lori shared her birthday with him.
• Nicole always makes him feel safe and protected even when he feels lost and scared.

After such a speech and seeing that nice lives in a nice room with a normal bed (good thing she didn't look under the covers though), no social worker could have filed the paperwork to relocate Kyle to another family.

Brian and Jessi

What satisfied me most about "Grounded" was seeing more interaction between Brian and Jessi. We know Brian is up to no good and I can't wait to know more. This week, we saw that he has a locked cabinet in which he placed different items such as a copy of a vinyl record. Why does he have a copy of the song? Yes, it could remind me a better time with Jessi's "mother" but is there more to it? Some fans thought that Brian put the record under Jessi's pillow but it clearly wasn't him. Who did? My money is still on Foss.

Brian has really been working his way into Jessi's brain. "Brian said you'd be like this. That I couldn't count on you." That sent shivers down my spine. Jessi is so possessive of Kyle that it's unhealthy. She expects him to put his life on hold when she is there, even if it could mean that he could lose everything he holds dear. It looks like Brian is slowly creating a rift between XX and XY. It sounds like he wants his "daughter" to stop believing in Kyle and solely trust him (Brian) so he will have total control over her. You bet that this relationship can only end badly.

The social worker

The Tragers were told that Children Services were called because someone thought that Kyle was living without proper supervision and being disruptive to the community. We all, as did the Tragers, pointed the finger at Carol. When Amanda confronted her mother in front of the others, it is implied that Carol may have indeed filed the complaint. Sadly, the episode cut slightly before the end for me. We know that the social worker is answering to higher "evil" powers. Did we see who? So it can be assumed that Amanda's mother didn't make the call? Is she a real social worker working for both the Children Services and the bad guy(s)? If so, will she file the complaint against Nicole?

No matter the answer, we know the enemy is still watching Kyle closely. Speaking of the watching eye, who was in the car outside of the Tragers? Brian? Maybe he followed Jessi. Foss? Maybe he is back on the job. Who? Why?

Other scenes of interest

• Lori saying that she is the most responsible one in the same sentence where she admits she is hiding beer for a friend!
• Amanda and Jessi fighting over who knew Kyle better and who deserved his time was like watching two cats fight! Jessi will surely try to back stab Amanda a few more times to ensure that she wins Kyle over!
• Stephen warning Kyle that it is not good parenting to ask him to eavesdrop on Nicole and the social worker and then asking Kyle to continue!

Best lines of the week

• "My mom is going to kill me!" - Amanda
• "How could doing something so wrong, feels so right?" - Kyle
• "My guess is that she'll be thrilled to get a break from her mother!" - Stephen
• "As if we're the kind of kids who'd smuggle in one of their runaway girlfriends or something." - Josh
• "I have to hide all my porn!" - Josh
• "Tap into that little cunning brain of yours and come up with something quick." - Lori to Josh
• "The real problem is you have no idea and no interest in who I am and what I want." - Amanda to Carol