Bitter Almonds
Episode 4 of From Scratch starts with a time jump to the fall of 2004. Lino and Amy are sharing a meal with Zora, her partner, Ken, and a few friends. The topic slowly moves from food to Ken’s family and how Zora has already met his dad. Lino feels sad as he has not been able to patch things up with his father. Amy and Lino are also looking for a man named Antonio Russo to give him a gift his cousin sent from Sicily through them. It takes them a while but they are finally able to trace him and give him the gift. He is also an artist and runs an art center. He invites Amy to volunteer for the children’s program and she is happy to. She is good with kids but she doesn’t think she is ready to be a mother when Zora brings up the topic. At the moment, Amy wants to work on her art but Chloe is frustrating her at work. Chloe also wants to promote her to manage artists at the gallery but she is disappointed that Chloe doesn’t see her as an artist and more work will mean less time for her to work on her art. She is even more conflicted when Russo offers a full-time job but the money is less than the gallery. Lino’s boss is also going through a hard time and wants to close down the restaurant. Lino wants to lease out the restaurant from the owner and use their savings to start a pop-up restaurant. Amy is supportive and has no qualms about Lino’s decision. Lino asks for help from his mother back in Sicily and she agrees to send fresh products to the restaurant. Amy calls her dad to help her decide what to do about the job offer and the promotion. He, however, tells her to talk with her husband as this is a matter between husband and wife. Lino thinks it is a no-brainer that Amy should take the job at the art center because it would make her happier. He wants them to go after their dreams and he believes they will be able to manage even without their savings. He is especially optimistic given that his restaurant opening went well. Zora and Amy have a fallout after Amy fails to help her when she introduces Ken to Lynn who as expected said all the wrong things and made everyone uncomfortable. Amy points out that Zora should have done the introduction over brunch instead of Lino’s big night. She still apologizes and Zora recommends a doctor to her as Lino hurt his knee at work. The doctor refers them to an oncologist who informs them that Lino has a rare soft tissue cancer called leiomyosarcoma. Lino will need aggressive treatment and needs chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before having surgery. The doctor also recommends that they bank Lino’s sperm before chemotherapy if they want to have kids in the future. He will need to start treatment in a week and he can’t work at the restaurant. Lino doesn’t want to tell anyone he is sick. He simply wants to undergo the treatment, get through it, and get back to work. He goes for his first chemotherapy treatment and he asks Amy to let him do it alone. Amy agrees and says she will pick him up but she is late. Lino takes a cab and goes to his restaurant. He realizes that he will have to close the restaurant. Amy asks Chloe for a favor to be able to keep their insurance. She doesn’t go into the details but Chloe agrees to find a way to help her keep the insurance. As Lino’s treatment continues, he grows weaker and starts losing his hair. Amy is also finding it hard to talk to her family as she promised Lino she won’t tell them about his condition. Zora stops by Amy’s house as she finds it strange that the restaurant is closed and wants to make up with Amy. Amy tries to make her leave but Lino faints and they rush him to the hospital. The doctor says that Lino needs to build back his strength before surgery in a few weeks. Lynn and Zora show up at the hospital to support them. Amy talks with Lino and asks him to inform his family too.
The Episode Review
It was all going so well, Lino’s dream of opening his restaurant was finally happening. Amy quit her job and was pursuing her dream to be an artist then boom! One doctor’s visit and it all came crashing down. This episode was a tear-jerking reminder that we never know what is going to happen next in life. You might want to keep a box of tissues next to you while watching this episode!
