"Divine Intervention" is the tenth episode in the first season of the Showtime drama The Big C. It originally aired on October 25, 2010.
Synopsis[]
Cathy's relationships with three people are on the outs. Following his decision to divorce Cathy, Paul turns to rugby tramp Tina for solace. Cathy has decided not to rekindle her friendship with Rebecca, due to Cathy believing that she has always put her sexual quest for men a priority over their friendship. It doesn't help that Sean is the latest in that long line of men. And Andrea drops out of Cathy's class, which Cathy learns is due in large part to knowing about her affair with Lenny, and Andrea's own attraction to him. Of those three relationships, Andrea's is the one Cathy tries to mend by helping her with her drug addicted mother, who has long been widowed when her husband was killed while he was committing a robbery. As Cathy finds out more about Andrea's life, Cathy turns to God, with a little advice from Marlene, to get through not only to Andrea, but Rebecca and Paul as well.
Plot[]
Adam comes downstairs, announcing he's going to a friend's. Cathy tells him he has a concussion and shouldn't go. He promises her he'll take it easy.
Cathy tries to help Marlene paint. She tells her Paul asked for a divorce, but she doesn't blame him since he caught her having an affair. Marlene slaps her hard across the face and tells her that cancer doesn't give her the right to be a "destructive bitch." Cathy takes it calmly.
She comes home to find Rebecca (Cynthia Nixon) on her porch, saying she wants to be friends even though she's sleeping with Cathy's brother. Cathy can't handle their friendship always coming second to Rebecca's "dalliances," but Rebecca argues it's not her fault she didn't settle down. Cathy is unmoved and suggests they break up.
At school, Cathy asks Andrea what's wrong with her. Andrea announces she's not going to take her class. Cathy reminds her if she drops the class she doesn't graduate. Andrea lays a ton of white guilt on her, mentioning her junkie mom and her dad who was killed trying to rob a liquor store and then says she knows she's sleeping with Lenny and her son's a "judgmental a--hole."
Paul gets sauced at a bar in the middle of the day. Rugby Slut Tina joins him. He tells her he's getting a divorce. Tina offers to join him drinking until they forget.
In a hotel, Rebecca tries to get Sean to talk instead of doing it, saying she wants to fix things with Cathy.
Cathy pulls up to a pretty suburban house, checking to make sure she has the address right. A perfectly lovely woman who is not a crack whore answers the door. She's Andrea's mom Dorothy and she introduces Cathy to her also perfectly lovely husband, who is not a dead stick up man. They tell Cathy that Andrea talks about her all the time. They tell her Andrea's at choir practice.
Back at the bar, Tina tells Paul tales of joining the mile high club.
Cathy drops by the church and sees, in fact, that Andrea is in the choir. Cathy sits down in a pew and leans over a woman's shoulder to talk to her about her hat. The woman moves.
Cathy waves at Andrea and busts her for her lies. Andrea tells Cathy that Lenny isn't good enough for her. Cathy figures out her attitude is about a crush and urges her not to quit school. Andrea tells Cathy to leave the church. Cathy sees the sign outside saying their God is the God of second chances.
Paul gets busy with Tina in his sister's waterbed.
Cathy arrives at school to find Sean talking to her students. He tells her about Rebecca abstaining to repair her friendship with Cathy, which Cathy says is a waste of her time.
Over a game of Scrabble, Cathy asks Marlene about church. Marlene says she goes every week and prays every day. Cathy used to go as a kid and "now that I'm a dying person, I'm wondering if I should re-open my spiritual options."
Adam comes home and Cathy asks Adam why Andrea would call him an "a----." She tells him to apologize if he did something wrong, life's too short.
On Sunday at Andrea's church, the pastor talks about do-overs. He invites people to speak up so the congregation can pray for them. A couple people stand up and confess. Then Cathy, with a big hat on, stands up and asks them to pray for her. She says she's sitting on a big pile of lies and had an affair and hurt people she didn't expect to. She starts crying, talking directly to Andrea and telling her she likes her and she makes her life better. Outside, Andrea tells Cathy she'll see her tomorrow at school.
Cathy comes home to find Rebecca on her porch. She confesses to having a pair of Cathy's pants tailored to fit her years ago. Rebecca calls herself a terrible friend for missing Cathy's wedding. Cathy says she's made mistakes, too. Rebecca promises to be around, but Cathy tells her to just be herself.
At school, Adam tells Andrea he didn't mean what he said. He asks if they're OK. She tells him to lick her locker to prove it. He does.
Cathy knocks on Paul's door, handing him a jar of olives. The store didn't have any olive branches and that's as close as she could get.
She tells him she has something she's been wanting to tell him. Tina comes up behind him from inside the house and Cathy remains calm, asking for a minute with Paul. Tina leaves quickly.
Paul waits for Cathy to yell at him, but she just smiles. He announces he slept with Tina repeatedly, which seems only fair to him. He asks what Cathy has to say about it.
"I have cancer," she says.
Cast[]
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