"A Book By Its Cover" might be called the "To Kill a Mockingbird - Boo Radley" episode of "State of Grace". Each episode of the show had a central theme, with 2-3 seemingly unrelated stores illustrating that central idea. At the end the narrator (a grown-up Hannah) would do a voice-over commentary tying the stories together under that episode's theme.
The theme for the appropriately named "A Book By Its Cover" is the concept of prejudging people and things. Hannah begins the episode by noting that people are a lot less open to new/different stuff than they like to think. First there is an abstract painting that Tattie is trying out (pre-purchase) above her fireplace, it doesn't fit her definition of a painting and she goes with something more traditional. Meanwhile Hannah has become a member of the Junior Cotillion where she attracts the attention of Warren, a science nerd with big glasses and a passion for fungus. Warren doesn't fit her definition of a worthwhile boyfriend and after enduring his attentions for a few days she orders him to stay away from her. Finally, there is Evie's new book club of southern girls who (much to her dismay) are interested only in romantic novels.
At the end Hannah notes that a few years later the rejected painting sold for a half million at auction. While the book club grew on Evie and she stayed an active member for years. And Hannah saw the grown-up Warren on television (now famous and charming); displaying a host of qualities that she finds desirable, qualities that he already had at age 12 but which she did not appreciate then.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
The theme for the appropriately named "A Book By Its Cover" is the concept of prejudging people and things. Hannah begins the episode by noting that people are a lot less open to new/different stuff than they like to think. First there is an abstract painting that Tattie is trying out (pre-purchase) above her fireplace, it doesn't fit her definition of a painting and she goes with something more traditional. Meanwhile Hannah has become a member of the Junior Cotillion where she attracts the attention of Warren, a science nerd with big glasses and a passion for fungus. Warren doesn't fit her definition of a worthwhile boyfriend and after enduring his attentions for a few days she orders him to stay away from her. Finally, there is Evie's new book club of southern girls who (much to her dismay) are interested only in romantic novels.
At the end Hannah notes that a few years later the rejected painting sold for a half million at auction. While the book club grew on Evie and she stayed an active member for years. And Hannah saw the grown-up Warren on television (now famous and charming); displaying a host of qualities that she finds desirable, qualities that he already had at age 12 but which she did not appreciate then.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.