The One Where I Seal a Seal’s Fate

Date: 4/30/2024

I’m sitting outside somewhere with Brody when I somehow remember that I recently learned he has a form of Alzheimer’s. I start to feel very anxious as I listen to him talk on the phone with Jeremy about it. When he hands up, we start talking about it and I get frustrated by how calm he seems because it makes me think he’s not taking the situation seriously. I end up raising my voice exasperatedly as I try to explain how this might affect our family … I’m in what’s supposed to be an army base of some sort where I see Sam Hamilton (a girl from my high school journalism class). I realize she’s a war photographer as I see her posed against a wall with a soldier and a camera … I’m Emma Watson. I’m apparently on some sort of ocean expedition with a black guy I don’t recognize. We’re standing on a weird, small contraption floating on the surface of the water with a seal in a sort of basket. We’re tagging it because we know it’s being hunted by some nearby predators. I’m sad about the seal’s inevitable fate, but understand that this is simply the circle of life. At some point, I end up under the water — which is surprisingly clear and shallow — where I see a bottlenose dolphin and a large sawshark fighting each other. Eventually, they’re replaced by an orca and a great white shark. I’m suddenly desperate to get out of the water … It’s nighttime and I’m outside with a group of people that includes Jeff Crytzer. At some point, he ends up catching a small albino alligator. I take a closer look at it and find that it’s covered in colorful polka dots which, upon further inspection, I realize are M&Ms. I then discover that its eyes are also just blue M&Ms. It ends up coming toward me, so I run toward it and yell, “I scare gators!” and see it turn and run off in the opposite direction … I’m in what sort of looks like Aunt Ronny and Uncle Michael’s old backyard with Brody and the DeHoogs. Lincoln — who’s much younger and smaller than he is in real life — ends up telling us about his itchy skin, which Debbie seems to think is because of puberty.