Erica realizes that she has feelings for Adam, but won't do anything about it since she believes they are like oil and water. As such, Dr. Tom tells her to spend her day doing what her impulses or "id" tell her to do, without her conscious or "superego" censoring those decisions. This day happens to be the day of the Pride Parade when her old friend Cassidy is coming back to town. Spending the day with homosexuals, Cassidy in particular, may help Erica in this task as she has seen how Cassidy, as a homosexual woman, has taken those risks and acted on her impulses. But what will Erica do when confronted with the issue of Adam. Meanwhile, three other couples take their friendships/relationships to a new plateau, namely Julianne and Ivan, Barb and Gary, and Sam and Lenin. With the latter, Sam, on her first date with Lenin, is uncomfortable with their professional disparities, and has to figure out what to do about it.
Full Plot[]
Erica and Adam are arguing in group therapy about Rebecca's situation. Rebecca finally interjects: it's her regret, and she made her decision. It's late, and they wrap up. Erica is helping with planning a Pride party tomorrow. Adam is working on his application for the landscaping program and essay writing is not his thing. Erica offers to help and tells him to swing by Goblins.
She leaves and turns in for the night. Voiceover: "Desire. It's powerful, maddening, and utterly unpredictable. All too often we deny the desire that we feel, hoping that will make it disappear, along with all the uncomfortable questions we don't want to answer, and the complicated truths we'd rather not see. What happens when desire rises within us unexpected? How do we stand against it, and should we try?" She fantasizes Adam comes into her bedroom and seduces her, then realizes she's alone.
At Goblins, they're getting ready for Pride. Dave and Ivan argue over a misunderstanding - Dave had an ice penis sculpted when Ivan wanted an ice Venus (de Milo). Cassidy is in town for the Pride parade, and she and Erica work on making signs. Julianne spills water from a flower vase on her top.
At Barb's house, Barb is preparing to renovate and paint the fireplace. Lenin calls Sam and invites her to rock climbing.
Cassidy and Erica are working on signs and Cassidy notes this feels very familiar, making Erica blush. Erica asks what brought Cassidy to Toronto, and Cassidy is moderating a discussion on inversion rituals - where every one breaks rules, like with the Pride parade, Halloween, etc. You violate the social order, it's a healthy release where you can act out fantasies and dreams. Erica looks thoughtful, but won't tell Cassidy why.
Julianne is trying to dry her blouse with no luck. Ivan brings extra shirts, and she whips off her top exposing a purple bra, and chooses a shirt. Ivan is flustered.
Cassidy and Erica are talking, and Erica sees Adam come into Goblins. She panics, and hides behind a curtain. Cassidy thinks he's cute and can't understand why she's hiding, and Erica says she's processing. He eventually finds her hiding behind the curtain, and he's brought three paragraphs for her to look at.
She and Adam are in her office and she gives him insights to improve his essay, asking him questions. As he answers, she looks at him more closely. Adam says you're good at this, helping people. You'll make a great doctor. Erica is a bit uncomfortable, tries to return to Goblins and ends up in Dr. Tom's office.
Dr. Tom: "Running away will never make you free. - Kenny Loggins." Erica: Sometimes you're supposed to run away. Am I attracted to Adam? Yes. Do I want to do anything? No. It's a bad idea, we're like oil and water. He's different from me. We're in group together.
Dr. Tom asks if she's familiar with Freud's theory of personalty? Erica: Ego, super ego, and id. The id lives in our subconscious, it's the force that drives most primitive impulses. Ego is the self, super ego keeps the id in check. Dr. Tom muses that we spend most of our lives stopping ourselves from doing what we want to do. It makes sense, otherwise there would be chaos. Let today be your own personal inversion ritual. Follow all of your impulses, no matter how uncomfortable they may make you. She leaves Dr. Tom's office.
She returns to entering Goblins and Adam is right behind her and bumps into her. He asks if she's OK, see you in group, and Adam is leaving. She flashes back and Adam bumps into her again. He asks if she's OK, and see you in group. She hesitates, then invites him to stay and hang out for a bit. He says OK.
The Pride party is in full force in the street. Erica helps a muscled hunk with his suntan lotion, and Cassidy laughingly pulls her away, wondering what's she doing. A guy squeezes Adam's rear end. This whole day is a first for him, he has never been to Pride. He wants to know how Erica met Cassidy. Erica: Cassidy is an old friend, I used to have a crush on her. She's smart, tough, interesting. But I'm straight. Adam: Find a guy like her and you'll be set.
Julianne says she needs a stepladder to see the parade, and grabs Adam.
Gary shows up at Barb's house. She's ready to paint and he's surprised at the degree of renovating she wants to do. Barb declares she's spent too long putting stuff off.
At the Pride party, Erica denies to Cassidy that Adam is right for her. Cassidy: You have no idea of who's right for you. Your problems with men - you look for safe relationships where you have all the power and you call all the shots. Ethan. Ryan. You need someone strong, who can meet you where you are, challenge you. Someone with balls. Go after what you really want, for once. What do you really want? Erica looks around and says: those shoes, that dress. Her eyes pop and she says she'll be back in 5 minutes.
She comes back wearing high platform red shoes, a purple dress, and an Indian headdress. Julianne, Dave, Adam, and Cassidy ogle her. She saw the outfit in a storefront.
Sam and Lenin are at the rock climbing place. He puts her in a harness, and divulges he's been to New Zealand and Thailand, and will go to Brazil when he's saved up enough money. A woman named Pam recognizes Sam, they went to med school together. She wants to know about Lenin, and learns he works at the hospital. Lenin is missing his carabiners and leaves. Pam wants to know what Lenin does and Sam tells her he's a general surgeon like her. They promise to catch up, Pam leaves and Lenin returns.
At the Pride party, everyone is dancing and guys in underwear on a float beckon to Erica. She goes, and drags Adam and Julianne with her. Adam is not the most comfortable but dances on the float.
Afterward, Erica and Adam sit when her shoes get to be too much. He thanks her for inviting him and, impulsively, she leans in and kisses him. He's taken aback and says he respects what she brings to the group, enjoys spending time with her, but he just doesn't think of her that way. She apologizes and says she'll head home.
Back at Goblins - Cassidy gives Erica a strong shot. Erica feels humiliated, and Cassidy knows all to well as Erica did the same to her. Cassidy: I'm not saying this to make you feel badly, but it sucks when you like someone and they don't like you back, or like you the same way.
Julianne goes to storage room to get nachos, and witnesses two gay guys making out, which turns her on. Ivan startles her, and she leaves while Ivan continues watching.
Sam is finally rock climbing, and Pam returns and tells Lenin he's the fourth surgeon she's met who climbs.
Erica is getting very drunk at Goblins. Ivan confronts Julianne as she is avoiding him. He tells her she caught his friends Richard and Doug, and to admit she liked what she saw. She's embarassed, saying: You're all open and used to weirdness, but I'm not. Ivan retorts: Being gay is weird? He's offended and walks off.
Barb is standing on a ladder, almost falls, and Gary grabs her from behind to steady her. She comes down from the ladder and asks Gary if he still thinks she is pretty. He tells her he never stopped thinking she was pretty, and they kiss.
A very drunk Erica wants another penis colada and is cut off by Ivan. She rebels, climbing on the bar, and hugs the ice penis. Ivan tries to drag her off the bar, but she escapes, bumps into the ice penis and it crashes onto the floor.
Cassidy takes Erica home to sleep it off on her couch. Erica: We should have just hung out on the patio. Then we would have had a real visit and avoided all this. Cassidy: When you go after what you want, sometimes it works out, and sometimes it ends with an ice penis being smashed to smithereens. Get some sleep.
Ivan is cleaning up, and Julianne approaches and apologizes, saying what she said was insensitive but it wasn't what she meant at all. She says: I'm in awe of you, you embrace who you are. She discovers that, the way some straight people can be 10% gay, some gay people can also be 10% straight.
Sam and Lenin return home. He wants to know, why did you tell your friend I'm a surgeon? Sam apologizes that it just came out of her mouth, and that she doesn't care what he does. He notices, however, that she does care what other people think. She says she doesn't know why she cares, and doesn't want to. She wants to know how he feels, and he admits he likes her. She invites him in for a sandwich.
Sam and Lenin come in only to run into a naked Barb and Gary. A mortified Sam runs out the front door, and Lenin is speechless.
Ivan sees Julianne and says they're wrapping up and leaving. Julianne asks if Ivan ever kissed a girl, or maybe more. Kissed yes, when he was a teenager, but no more than that. She discovers he's curious about breasts, and while Ivan is reluctant, Julianne grabs his hand and places it on her breast. Dave interrupts wanting to know the security code, and Julianne and Ivan break away, and Dave and Ivan leave.
Cassidy is asleep when Erica wakes up. Voiceover: "Desire. It is the most powerful force on earth, the seed from which everything begins. It upends the best laid plans. It challenges who we think we are. It defies what we think we need."
Erica is walking and sees Dr. Tom. She tells him she doesn't know about the id but her ego's pretty bruised and she's glad it's over. Dr. Tom: You followed your impulses today, had some new experiences. Erica: Like being rejected? That was a lot of fun. Dr. Tom: What is the root of impulse? Erica: Stupidity? Dr. Tom: No, desire. It's the fuel that drives us. It's at the core of who we are, yet in our earliest days we're taught to control it, suppress it, banish it. A little inversion can be a good thing. You were brave. Truthful. Didn't second guess or censor. You said this is me, let the chips fall where they may.
Erica: But things are awkward with Adam. Dr. Tom: Maybe. Or maybe Adam is just like you, and like me, walking around all day stopping himself from feeling what he's feeling and wanting what he wants. This story, like any story, has to play itself out. No one can tell where that's going to end.