June 6, 2015
Party of Five 6.23, All’s Well…: Everything Good Is on the East Coast, I Guess
One episode left! One episode left! This frog is pumped!
Summary: Bailey’s planning to spend some quality time with Owen, which must mean he’s feeling guilty about something. He confesses to Victor that he got into a summer college program that could lead to a spot in a business school. The only problem is that the college is in Pennsylvania. And we all know how Salingers feel about leaving San Francisco. Victor urges Bailey to ask Owen for his opinion, since he would have to go to Pennsylvania, too.
Julia’s weighing her own options for the summer: school, more conferences, or counseling abuse victims. She also has an interview with the National Organization for Women. Griffin gets bored and wishes Justin were having to listen to this instead. Over at Todd’s, he and Claudia have fallen into that part of the relationship where they keep having sex and losing track of time. She suggests that they live together next year, since they both plan to be in San Francisco. Todd thinks they should wait until they have a “practical reason” to move in together.
Daphne and Luke are in town so Luke can mansplain that Charlie’s selling off pieces of the factory so all the employees can have a stake. Daphne tells Charlie that they keep looking at apartments but she doesn’t like any of them. She misses Diana, and she knows Luke’s fed up with her being so grumpy about it. Julia interviews for an internship with NOW that sounds like a combination of her three other options – she’d be writing, counseling, and doing public speaking. The catch is that she’d have to move to D.C.
Bailey tells Owen about the possible move to Pennsylvania, though Owen questions whether he actually gets a vote. He announces that he wants to stay in San Francisco. Typical Salinger! Bailey still wants to go, though. Owen doesn’t like that idea either. Claudia tells Julia that she and Todd are having sex, assuring her sister that they’re being safe and everything is good. However, that increased intimacy in their relationship has made other parts of her life more complicated.
Charlie comes home to find Daphne upset. She loves Luke, but everyone else she loves is in San Francisco. Since she could never ask him to give up his job, and he could never ask her to give up Diana, she feels like she needs to break up with Luke. Bailey discusses Pennsylvania with Joe, who tells him about the dreams he gave up to help with the restaurant when he was younger. He doesn’t want Bailey to give up his own dreams. Joe reminds him that other people can take care of Owen.
Claudia has a lesson with Ross, but she’s too distracted to play well. She confides that she got into Juilliard but isn’t going to attend because of Todd and expenses. Ross tells her that money and a boy aren’t good reasons to give up something so huge. He thinks Todd would understand. Julia tells Justin about the internship offer and how perfect it would be for her. He notes that she would be closer to him, but he gets that it would be tough for her to be away from her family. Julia thinks that the rest of them will still have each other, so it’ll be okay. She’s going to D.C.
Bailey brings up Pennsylvania to Charlie, who’s annoyed that Bailey let him believe they might become business partners. Bailey can’t decide what to do since getting what he wants would mean Owen’s unhappy. Charlie reminds him that they had that big custody battle, so Bailey better not expect to be able to just pass Owen back to him. Parenting means sacrificing, and Owen deserves the best, so Bailey better give him that.
Justin’s not so sure about Julia living in D.C., because it can be dangerous, and humid, and also he won’t be there. Bailey looks into colleges he could attend closer to home. The guy who helped him get where he is now is like, “You want to go somewhere that’s not Wharton? Are you crazy?” Todd confronts Claudia for not telling him that she’s thinking about going to Juilliard. He found out from Ross when he asked their boss for a signature on an aid application. But Todd’s not mad that she wants to go – he’s mad that she’s hesitating. If it were him, he’d definitely go.
Julia’s annoyed that Justin seems to be trying to prepare her for the big, bad world. He actually wants her to ask him to leave Yale and come to D.C. with her. Apparently she’s on board with that, which I just don’t get. Charlie berates Bailey for having his head somewhere other than their business. Bailey whines that he’s finally close to getting what he wants, but he can’t have it because what Charlie wants is in the way. Basically, he wants Charlie to let him back out of the promise Bailey made to take Owen.
Charlie talks to Owen about the possibility of him coming to live with him and Kirsten. Owen likes the idea of being a kind of big brother to Diana, like Charlie was to the other Salingers. Claudia admits to Todd that she asked him to live with her partly because she wanted a reason to stay in San Francisco. She didn’t want to hurt him by leaving. Todd thinks he hurt her, though, because he let her feel guilty when she should have been excited. He points out that they don’t have to break up, and they still have the whole summer to spend together before she leaves for New York.
Julia laments to Justin that she and her siblings will grow apart if they don’t see each other every day. I CAN’T HANDLE THESE PEOPLE’S CO-DEPENDENCE ANYMORE. Charlie tells Bailey that he’s made the decision for him about Wharton: He’s going. Charlie has given Bailey’s job to Luke, which allows Daphne to move back to San Francisco. Charlie will take Owen, and possibly move back into the Salingers’ house. He tells Bailey that he’s earned the chance to do something for himself. Bailey’s touched by his brother’s generosity.
Thoughts: Dear Salingers: You are ADULTS. You do not have to live within five miles of each other forever. Go live your own lives!
Julia, don’t laugh at Justin for cautioning you about finding an apartment in a safe neighborhood in D.C. Some parts of the city are flipping scary.
Julia was at Stanford. Claudia got into Juilliard. Bailey could go to Wharton. Why so many overachievers in one family? How did that happen?
Part of me thinks Owen deserves a vote in where he lives. But part of me is like, “Bailey gets to make the decisions. Suck it up and go to PA.” And then there’s the rest of me, which stopped caring two seasons ago.
There’s just one! Episode! Left! I’ll probably post the recap during the week instead of waiting for next weekend. That way I can get started on my next show sooner (and be rid of this one already). I’m too excited to wait!
May 23, 2015
Party of Five 6.21, Taboo or Not Taboo: Temptation, Frustration, So Bad It Makes Him Cry
Not a good look for you, Kimberly
Summary: Bailey and Holly are pressuring Will to move out of the Salingers’ basement and into Holly’s apartment to continue their ruse with the INS. Will resists, saying he’s settled where he is. Plus, his girlfriend, Meredith, won’t be happy if he moves in with another woman. Bailey thinks something else is going on, but Will won’t talk about it.
Also not wanting to talk: Julia, who’s avoiding calls from a woman who wants to interview her about her book for an online magazine. Claudia reminds her that the point of writing her book was to help people. She made an appointment for Julia behind her back. Daphne’s supposed to go out for a crazy night with some friends, happy to have a break from motherhood. Kirsten, who’s been focusing a lot on getting ready for the baby, decides to tag along.
Claudia has a paper to write, so she can’t go out with Todd (who can somehow go out a lot despite having a job and schoolwork). A work friend suggests that she get a paper off the Internet and use it to “help” her. Bailey goes to Will’s work to confront him over not wanting to move in with Holly. He thinks it’s because Will doesn’t like her. Will insists that he does, but doesn’t confess that the problem is that he likes her more than he should.
Daphne, her friends, and Kirsten go to a club, but Daphne doesn’t have the stamina she used to. Julia meets with the interviewer, Phoebe, but they’re interrupted by Justin. He announces that he and Laura are done, and now he wants Julia back. She closes the door in his face. Phoebe praises her for what she thinks is Julia standing up to a bad boyfriend.
Kirsten tells Daphne and her friends that they’re brave for being strippers – she could never do it. She’s a rule-follower and has always done what was expected of her. Will moves in with Holly (sleeping on the couch) and resists any kind of physical contact with her. She and Bailey make plans together, then invite Will and Meredith along.
The interview turns into a therapy session for Julia, who tells Phoebe the whole Justin saga. Phoebe can relate since she has an ex who would come to her crying every time one of his relationships broke up. Then she would sleep with him. Julia says it’s different because Justin’s still in love with her. She admits that she feels the same about him. Phoebe thinks Justin’s selfish, and Julia shouldn’t feel bad about rejecting him.
Todd visits Claudia for a study break, surprised that she says she has to rewrite her paper. Apparently she’s taken one from the Internet and is going to use it as a guide. After some sweet talk, Claudia decides to put off the “rewrite.” Kirsten finds Charlie’s date-night plans for them boring now that she’s had a taste of Daphne’s fun friends and their fun life. He promises that they’ll do something crazy sometime. (As if Charlie could ever even think of something crazy to do.)
Phoebe tries to meet with Julia to finish up her interview, but Julia’s made plans with Justin. So much for all that encouragement Phoebe gave her. Bailey, Holly, Will, and Meredith’s double date goes south when Meredith reveals that she and Will broke up. Bailey says Will should have said something so they wouldn’t have an uncomfortable date. Will objects to the idea of Bailey and Holly wanting him to be comfortable, since it’s so clear he isn’t.
Kirsten complains to Daphne that her night with Charlie was boring. Daphne admits that her friends’ life – her former life – isn’t that great, and she doesn’t miss it as much as she thought she did. Kirsten points out that at least Daphne used to have that life and knows what she’s not missing. Will watches Holly through her shower curtain, which is pretty creepy.
Julia meets with Phoebe to make sure she won’t be portrayed negatively in the interview. She says she had to be nice to Justin because he was upset about his marriage not working out. While they were talking, she realized she’s not mad at him. In fact, they’re back together. Phoebe points out that the article has nothing to do with Justin – why does Julia feel the need to talk about him? If Julia wants to be with him, why does she feel like she needs to explain herself?
Claudia’s teacher praises her for her great work on her paper. Daphne takes Kirsten to see her friends at their strip club, which Daphne now looks down on. A stripper suggests that Kirsten take the stage just to see what it’s like. Justin’s happy to be back with Julia, who wonders if their reunion was too easy. He didn’t treat her that great while he was with Laura. She thinks they’re both rebounding. He thinks she’s overanalyzing it and trying to talk herself out of it.
Bailey tracks down Will in the Salingers’ basement and asks again what’s going on with him. Will finally admits that he has feelings for Holly. He tried to avoid her, but Bailey kept pushing them together. Bailey tells him that if he wants to be Bailey’s friend, he needs to find away to ignore his emotions.
Julia has been cut out of Phoebe’s article, which now talks about taking back the ex who cheated on her. Phoebe says that sometimes you need to rewrite the rules for something important to you. Charlie wants to take Kirsten somewhere fun, as she requested, but now she’s fine with their boring life. When she gets ready for a bath, a dollar falls out of her pants. Oh, Kirsten.
Claudia tells Todd that she failed an exam on purpose to make up for the paper she plagiarized. She needs to spend more time on her schoolwork, which means she can’t go out with Todd all the time. She admits that that makes her feel like he’ll leave her behind. Todd suggests that they turn their time together into study time. He’d rather be with her than go out anyway.
Will apologizes to Bailey for not confessing that he has feelings for Holly, but Bailey isn’t mad. He still wants the plan to go forward, though. He says it’s because Holly could get deported and Will could be arrested if the truth comes out, but we all know it’s really because Bailey wants to keep Holly around, even if it makes Will miserable.
Julia makes a parallel between buying ice cream she likes, knowing she shouldn’t, and being with Justin, knowing it could be a disaster. She thought buying the ice cream/giving into temptation made her weak, but it doesn’t. So the lesson is that you should go after what you want even if it hasn’t been good for you in the past and you could get hurt. Awesome.
Thoughts: Phoebe is played by my girl Kimberly McCullough from General Hospital. Meredith is played by Samaire Armstrong from The O.C. and the just-cancelled Resurrection.
Matthew Fox directed this episode, in case anyone cares. That’s probably why he’s not in it much.
I love that Daphne and Kirsten are friends. They could so easily hate each other. It’s so much better for Diana if her mom and stepmom actually like each other.
“Stop having feelings you can’t control!” Shut up, Bailey. “My relationship is more important than those feelings anyway.” Seriously, shut up, Bailey.
May 9, 2015
Party of Five 6.19, Isn’t It Romantic: Indecent Proposals
I bet Daphne made these
Summary: Apparently Adam has gone to an artists’ colony in Mexico, but Julia isn’t mad, since the stuff he said about her not doing things for herself was true. Claudia’s surprised that she’s stopped working on her book. Julia says it just has problems and people don’t get it; otherwise, it would have been published. The sisters suddenly spot Ned and everything goes into slow motion. They leave before he can see them.
Bailey has signed up for three classes but is now considering going back to school full-time. He’s thinking of going to Stanford, which is where Holly wants to go to med school. She tells him she’s probably not going to be able to go after all – she has to work full-time to pay her rent, but that violates her student visa, which has now been revoked. After exams in a few weeks, she has to go back to England. Holly’s optimistic that her lawyer will work things out for her.
Kirsten makes Charlie breakfast in bed to commemorate the first anniversary of the day they got back together. Charlie’s too overworked to remember the anniversary. He offers to skip a meeting that night so they can celebrate. Claudia encourages Victor and Ross to talk, since Ross knows a little about custody issues, and Victor now wants custody of his daughter, Charlotte. Victor quickly catches on that Claudia’s trying to hook them up. He notes that he and Ross aren’t automatically compatible just because they’re both gay.
Holly’s lawyer doesn’t have good news for her, and she can’t think of any other options to keep her in the U.S. Bailey suggests a green-card marriage. Holly doesn’t want to put any pressure on their relationship, since they haven’t been back together that long. Plus, they could get caught lying. Bailey says that people only get caught when they don’t love each other. Holly can start keeping some of her things at his house, and everything else will stay the same.
Julia’s jumpy knowing that Ned’s in town, and she’s considering being proactive by going to see him before he can ambush her. Griffin hears her and Claudia talking and objects to the idea of Julia visiting him. Julia insists that he’s not going to hurt her, but Griffin notes that she’s scared anyway. He tries to get her to promise not to see Ned. Charlie and Kirsten’s romantic evening is interrupted when Daphne and Diana show up a week ahead of schedule. Daphne says they may be back in town for good.
Julia ignores Griffin’s concerns and goes to see Ned, blasting him for taking away a year of her life. After only about a minute, she leaves. Daphne tells Kirsten that Luke travels a lot and there’s nothing to do where they live, so she decided to come for a visit. She wonders how Charlie and Kirsten find time for each other. Kirsten admits that she’s not sure how she manages to be as patient as marriage requires her to be.
Bailey calls for information on getting married, pretending he’s looking for a fishing license when Will walks in. Will’s not as dumb as he used to be, and he easily figures out that Bailey wants to marry Holly so she can get a green card. Bailey insists that he’s only being helpful; he doesn’t really want to get married. Will’s happy that Bailey has finally made a solid decision about something. If he felt the way Bailey does about Holly, he’d get married, too.
Claudia’s matchmaking has been half successful, as Ross is now interested in Victor. Claudia tries to let him down easy, telling him that Victor would rather stumble across a guy he likes than be set up. Kirsten tries to talk to Charlie about Daphne, but he doesn’t think they should worry about her. She just needs to be patient while Luke gets settled. Kirsten feels bad that Daphne’s alone with Diana in a place she doesn’t see as home. She doesn’t think Daphne will stay at the base long if Luke keeps traveling.
Holly’s annoyed to learn that Bailey discussed their marriage with Will. He tells her to relax – this could be fun! There’s almost no chance the INS will catch on! This is a totally brilliant, not-at-all-risky plan! Bailey thinks a honeymoon will be a good way to convince the INS that they’re a legitimate married couple.
Ned goes to the Salingers’ to apologize to Julia, telling her that his abuse landed him in jail for two weeks. He’s trying to become a better person, and has made a vow not to date anyone until he’s sure he won’t hurt her. He wishes people would stop looking at him like he’s a monster. Julia points out that it’s not up to her to make him feel more human. Griffin walks in and chases Ned off.
Ross tries to chat with Victor when he comes to the house to meet Claudia, who claims she forgot he was coming. Ross calls Victor on saying Ross wasn’t his type because he’s too smart and sweet for him. He thinks Victor has the wrong idea about love – working for it is hard, but it’s worth it. After all, he worked hard to adopt his daughter, and he doesn’t love anyone more than her.
Luke makes a surprise visit to San Francisco with the news that he wants to be home more. Charlie admits to Kirsten that he got Luke to see what Daphne needed. Kirsten isn’t impressed – she needs Charlie to make the same kinds of promises about being home more. Otherwise she’ll feel like a single mother, too.
Griffin thinks Julia’s crazy for wanting to talk to Ned, but she wants to forgive him. She thinks that will help her forgive herself. After all, she did love Ned, and she wants to feel like that wasn’t the wrong decision. Griffin thinks that forgiveness will make Ned believe that his abuse was okay. Holly tells Bailey that she appreciates him for coming up with a solution to her problems, and she loves him, but she can’t marry him. She doesn’t want a relationship where they’re confused about what’s real.
Julia finds a website for victims of abuse where people can share stories of their experiences. She wants to upload her book so people can read it. She’s added an afterword about seeing Ned again, and now thinks the book is “good enough.” She thinks it’s ready, and hers is the only opinion that matters. Claudia runs into Victor at a coffee shop and apologizes for trying to fix him up with Ross. Then she spots Ross and realizes that the two of them have decided to go on a date after all.
Charlie comes home from work early and promises Kirsten that he’ll work shorter hours a few nights a week. She doesn’t think he’ll be able to keep that promise. Thanks, Kirsten! Will has a proposal for Bailey and Holly: He’ll marry Holly so she can get her green card without jeopardizing her relationship with Bailey. Holly agrees to this, clearly not having thought this through. Julia gets positive feedback about her book, from women who are happy to have someone to relate to. One woman says that now that she can count on herself, she’s never alone.
Thoughts: How is Victor single, though? He’s such a catch!
“Person I abused, don’t you feel sympathy for me?” Go away, Ned.
“I know I told you that you should take over the factory, but now I’m mad that you did.” You go away, too, Kirsten.
April 4, 2015
Party of Five 6.14, One for the Road: Luke and Laura
Still a better relationship than Justin and Laura
Summary: Charlie and Daphne discuss the details of her move to Texas with Luke, and her desire to take Diana with her. Charlie warns that Daphne doesn’t get how difficult it’ll be to take care of Diana without his help. Plus, she can’t be sure that things will work out with Luke. He thinks they should work everything out in Texas, and then he’ll take Diana to visit. Daphne doesn’t like that Charlie will only be letting her visit.
Claudia and Julia corner Bailey to talk about the restaurant’s money situation, but only to thank him for giving them his own money. He’s confused that they’re not mad at him. Justin and Laura are in town, and they go see American Beauty with Julia and Adam. Justin and Julia clearly still have a deep bond, leaving Laura and Adam feeling like outsiders. Bailey visits Evvie, who invites him to a party, warning that it’ll be wild and there will be lots of beer.
Adam’s uncertain about attending Justin and Laura’s engagement party the next day, admitting to Julia that he thinks they’re a horrible couple. They don’t have much in common, and certainly don’t have the connection that Justin and Julia have. This seems to be the first time Julia’s thought about this. Evvie busts Bailey for drinking at the party, figuring out that he’s been skipping AA meetings because he’s not sober. She thinks she can drink a little, too.
Daphne decides to challenge Charlie’s plans and try to take Diana to Texas with her. She questions whether he’ll even let Diana visit once Daphne moves. She tells Charlie that she feels like he believes he’s Diana’s father and mother, and Daphne’s mother as well. Charlie tells her that she doesn’t get to make all the decisions on her own, and if she tries to take Diana, he’ll stop her. Daphne won’t be backing down without a fight. Meanwhile, Bailey and Evvie have drunken sex.
Charlie and Kirsten meet with a lawyer so they can be ready in case Daphne fights for custody. Kirsten warns that Charlie’s going to be in the same situation he was with Bailey when they fought for Owen. A judge will be deciding what’s best for Diana, instead of Charlie and Daphne doing it themselves. Kirsten doesn’t think a judge will give Charlie custody anyway. Plus, he should have known this could happen, considering the circumstances of Diana’s conception.
At the engagement party, Laura tries to keep Justin away from Julia. Julia complains to Adam that he put the idea in her head that they’re a bad couple. She thinks the marriage was Laura’s idea from the start, and Justin doesn’t really want to get married. Adam encourages her to say something to Justin. Julia refuses, knowing that Laura will accuse her of wanting Justin back, which she totally doesn’t! Really! She doesn’t want him! Adam thinks she should look after her friend.
Luke tells Charlie that Daphne’s decided to stay in San Francisco while he moves to Texas. Charlie feels bad. Julia and Adam decide to leave the party early, and as they’re saying goodbye to Justin, he tells Julia that he feels like things are moving too fast. She says he can stop it, then backtracks. Justin thinks she wants him to call off the engagement. He reveals that Laura thinks Julia’s jealous, and now he’s starting to agree.
Bailey goes to Evvie’s place and finds her unconscious, apparently from alcohol poisoning. He takes her to the hospital, where he runs into Holly. Evvie’s sponsor arrives and yells at Bailey for letting Evvie drink at a party, and for drinking himself after two years of sobriety. Bailey’s more concerned with what Holly thinks of him. Things are now super-awkward and tense between Charlie and Daphne.
Julia tells Griffin about the Justin situation, because if there’s one thing Griffin likes to talk about, it’s Justin and Julia’s relationship. He thinks she’s jealous of Laura, not the other way around. When Griffin and Julia were married, he wasn’t as worried about bills and marital problems as he was that one day Julia would realize she should be with Justin.
Charlie wants to smooth things over with Daphne so they don’t fight for the rest of Diana’s life. Daphne complains that she’s done everything Charlie wanted her to do, and he won’t let her have Diana. She feels like he sees her as putting herself ahead of Diana. Daphne hates that she has to see how happy Charlie is with Kirsten and Diana, but gets shot down when she tries to have the same thing.
Julia shows Adam a story she wrote about a couple reconnecting after being separated for years. She tries to make out with him, but he gets that she’s trying to prove to herself that she doesn’t want to be with Justin. He encourages her to talk to him. Charlie tells Kirsten that he wants to be fair to Daphne, but he’s worried that she won’t let him see Diana again. He wants to do the right thing but doesn’t know what it is.
Bailey gets drunk and goes to see Holly, rambling that he was trying to be a good person. Holly’s annoyed that he hasn’t changed. He snaps at her for looking down on him for not being perfect. She needs to accept that people have problems. Charlie tells Daphne that he does see her as Diana’s mom after all the work she’s done to get there. He supports her decision to take Diana to Texas.
Julia admits to Justin that she’s jealous of Laura. It’s hard for her to see her first love committing himself to someone else. Justin reveals that he said he felt things were moving too fast because he thought he might still have feelings for Julia. He plans to go back to school with Laura, and then “we’ll see.” Sorry, Laura! Your fiancé is a coward who doesn’t want to marry you! Charlie says goodbye to Diana, who of course has no idea what’s going on.
Bailey drinks at the restaurant, then goes home, where he tells his sisters to leave him alone. Julia guesses that he’s been drinking. He rambles that he’s been in charge of the family for years, and just wants a break. Julia tells him not to blame the family situation for his problems with alcohol. Before she and Claudia can stop him, Bailey leaves the house, driving recklessly.
Thoughts: Someone needs to tell Charlie and Daphne about the concept of joint custody.
Julia wants to have Kevin Spacey’s baby. Awww.
If the show hadn’t ended at the end of this season, I hope Lacey Chabert and Jeremy London would have left, because they had nothing to do.
March 28, 2015
Party of Five 6.13, The Declaration of Co-Dependence: Say It Ain’t So, Joe
Me, preparing for the rest of this endless season
Summary: The restaurant’s profits have dropped, so Bailey takes a look at all the finances and learns that some purchases have been entered twice. Joe admits that he’s responsible – he needed money and took it from the restaurant. Bailey tells Joe not to say anything to the family; they already have enough financial problems since they’re paying Griffin’s hospital bills. He also blames himself for letting this happen. At the house, Bailey gives his sisters what he claims is their share of money from the restaurant, but it’s actually from his personal account.
Charlie has a big group ready to put together his furniture, and they’re thrilled to hear that this means their jobs are safe. Bailey goes to a party at his AA friend John’s house, claiming that he’s been going to meetings at a different location. He meets a woman named Evvie who jokes that AA is like a cult. She’s annoying. Charlie, Kirsten, Daphne, and Luke have dinner together and discuss childcare. Thrilling.
Julia complains to Adam that everyone she knows has a stable life and a plan for the future. When she mentions Justin, Adam tries to find out how close they are. He convinces her to crash a bar mitzvah with him to get free food. Joe tries to come up with ways to pay back the money he stole, but Bailey warns him not to do anything stupid. He thinks he can use his own money to keep the restaurant afloat. Joe leaves, then comes back for his keys and catches Bailey drinking beer. Bailey admits that he’s been drinking again but only moderately.
Charlie tells his boss, Gus, that a recent lumber delivery was incorrect. Gus reveals that he changed the type of wood to cut costs. Charlie reminds him that the customers paid for a different kind. They’re trying to appeal to a clientele who wants something better than they provide. Gus takes offense and tells Charlie to keep doing what they’ve always done. Evvie tracks down Bailey at the restaurant and asks him to be her sponsor, since she doesn’t feel like she can talk to hers. Bailey resists, and when she keeps pushing him, he snaps at her to knock it off.
Taking care of Diana means Kirsten can’t do all the work she wanted to. (Get used to it, wannabe mommy.) Adam cooks dinner for Julia and she starts to think that he’s interested in her romantically. He starts to express his feelings, but she tells him they don’t need to talk about it. Joe calls Bailey out on lying to Evvie about going to AA meetings, which he can’t do while he’s drinking. He asks if the other Salingers know. Bailey downplays the situation again, basically saying that he’ll keep quiet about Joe’s theft if Joe keeps his mouth shut about the drinking.
Bailey meets up with Evvie and babbles about having people around who understand what you’re going through. One of Charlie’s co-workers, Warren, has concerns about the materials they’re using on the furniture. Some customers have come by to see their chairs and weren’t impressed. Charlie tells him they need to defer to Gus. Warren points out that Gus hasn’t exactly steered the factory to a good place, but Charlie has made things better for everyone.
Bailey and Evvie go to the Salingers’ to talk about her problems with AA. All she wants is to feel good, which he can understand. Julia ambushes Adam at his apartment, since he’s been avoiding her, and tells him that she likes him…as a friend. She’s afraid to lose his friendship when she really needs it, and when she’s trying to figure out who she is as a single person. Adam pretends he only likes her as a friend, too: “Not every boy wants to marry you.”
Charlie checks with the customers, a bunch of who say they’d pull their orders if the factory switched types of wood. Gus says that he recently answered a question for some employees who then asked to talk to Charlie. He loves the furniture and thinks it would be better for Charlie to take the lead in the business. Charlie resists, but Gus promises that he trusts him.
Bailey comes home to a mini-intervention comprised of Joe, Claudia, and Julia. He’s relieved to learn that Joe only told Claudia and Julia about the restaurant, not his drinking. Bailey insists that everything’s taken care of, so Charlie doesn’t need to know anything. His sisters are annoyed that he’s been saying for months that they just need to be patient and wait for profits to improve. They’ve set up a meeting with Bailey’s accountant. Bailey’s furious and leaves the conversation.
Charlie gives Kirsten the news about his job, admitting that he’s not sure about being the person who makes all the decisions for the company. Kirsten thinks he should focus on the positives, like being able to employ his creativity. Charlie points out that running the company would take up even more of his time, so Kirsten will have to cut back at work to look after Diana. She’s willing to make sacrifices so Charlie can have a job he really wants.
Julia happily gives Adam the news she overheard from a friend in the admissions office that he passed his GED. This means he’ll be able to apply and get into the school. She hugs him, but Adam doesn’t want to have physical contact with someone who says they should just be friends. He’s worried that he’ll kiss her and decide it’s not a bad thing. Julia agrees that they’ll keep things platonic, though now it seems like she’s regretful.
Charlie, Julia, and Claudia gather for the meeting with the accountant, but Bailey is a no-show. He’s too busy stopping by an AA meeting just to say hi to Evvie, who decides to skip it with him. Daphne and Luke return from a trip to Texas with the news that Luke has been transferred there. Daphne’s agreed to go with him, and she wants to take Diana.
Thoughts: Evvie sucks at reading people, because Bailey couldn’t have been less interested in her when they met.
Adam took and passed the GED in the past two weeks? Aren’t there multiple parts? Wouldn’t he need to study?
Bailey, didn’t you learn anything about hooking up with fellow AA-goers from your experience with Annie?
Why doesn’t Charlie get Victor to watch both Owen and Diana?
March 21, 2015
Party of Five 6.12, Bad Behavior: Teach Your Children Well. Or Not at All. Whatever
Julia’s new boyfriend. Maybe this one won’t be a big mess
Summary: Bailey comes home after a night out and pretends he got up early to go to the gym. Owen notices that he’s wearing the same clothes he wore the day before. Will and Victor know that Bailey’s been hooking up all week; they approve. Will mentions that he’s in a new relationship with a woman named Deborah, and things are going slowly. They’re about to go even slower since Deborah’s sister is coming to visit. Bailey offers to entertain the sister so Will and Deborah can be alone.
Daphne accidentally interrupts Charlie’s work presentation, then saves it by making a sale. Julia has trouble with a class assignment that doesn’t give her any specifications. One of her classmates gets right to work while Julia faces writer’s block. Victor tries to clarify arrangements for a sleepover Owen’s having with a friend, but the friend’s father changes the plans to keep his kid from going to the Salingers’. Julia’s surprised to see that her classmate wrote something good in a short amount of time. She asks him for tips to overcome writer’s block.
At a concert, Claudia runs a guy named Todd, who she used to compete against in strings competitions. He’s stuck with music and is surprised that she gave it up. He invites her to sit with him. Charlie tells Kirsten that Daphne’s a surprisingly good salesperson. Kirsten falls asleep, but I don’t think it’s personal. Deborah’s sister Megan wants to go to a club after their double date with Will and Bailey; Deborah objects, but Bailey agrees to go. After he leaves, Deborah tells Will that she doesn’t like Bailey.
Claudia hangs out with Todd, who plays violin on hip-hop tracks for a living. He asks her to a party, and she balks until he assures her that he just wants her to meet some of his friends. Julia tracks down her classmate, Adam, who works on a historical ship. She’s thinking about using him as her character in the writing assignment she’s struggling with. She reveals that she’s figured out that he doesn’t really go to her school.
Victor tells Bailey that he thinks Owen’s friend’s father had a problem with his son spending the night under the guardianship of a gay man. Bailey decides that he doesn’t want his brother hanging out with homophobes. Victor advises him to explain things to Owen so he gets what’s going on. Charlie goes to a work party with Kirsten, who encourages him to leave early to help Daphne get some furniture ready for a convention.
Todd praises Claudia after a jam session, telling her she may already have a job offer in the works. He tells her that this job involves really listening to the music and trusting your instincts. He kisses her, but she runs off. Adam tells Julia about his dead father and runaway mother, who left him with no money. She thinks he should apply for financial aid. Adam’s worried that he’ll get busted for auditing classes; he doesn’t want to take the risk.
Bailey’s late to the restaurant, and Will accuses him of hanging out with Megan. Apparently Bailey slept with her the previous night, and she was a virgin before that. Now Megan’s upset that Bailey didn’t call her. Bailey tells Will that Megan basically begged him for sex, and if he hadn’t slept with her, someone else would have. Will still thinks Bailey’s a bad guy for…sleeping with a virgin, I guess. I don’t know.
Kirsten’s late getting to the convention, which Daphne has jazzed up with naked women (might as well put pretty women in a bed to sell the bed, right?). Julia finds Claudia practicing her violin in the shed, apparently trying to hide that she’s playing again. She tells Julia about Todd and how stable and adult he is. She wanted to kiss him back, but after the situation with Derek, she’s not sure she can trust her instincts.
Owen tries to avoid Victor, eventually calling him an extremely offensive word he learned from his friend. Victor calmly asks him not to use it again. Owen doesn’t know what the word means, but he knows it’s bad. His friend said Victor would turn him gay. Victor’s annoyed that Bailey didn’t explain things to Owen. Victor tries to use people’s likes and dislikes to explain that everyone is different, and it doesn’t make anyone good or bad.
Kirsten arrives at the end of the convention, and she and Charlie bicker about how they’ve been unable to be there for each other at work functions. He points out that he was able to make time to go to Kirsten’s work party. One of them will need to make a concession. “Are you volunteering?” Kirsten sasses. Adam blasts Julia for using him for her assignment, because a professor figured things out and he’s been banned from campus.
Victor confronts Bailey for not talking to Owen, who now has that new vocabulary word. Bailey claims that he just got Owen out of the house because he didn’t know how to explain things with him. Victor reminds Bailey that he’s not Owen’s parent. He’s considering leaving so Bailey will have to take care of his brother instead of passing him off to someone else.
Julia tells Adam that she talked to someone on the school’s board (uh-huh, sure), and if he applies, he might get a spot. Adam admits that he never finished high school. His mom left and he had to work to support himself. Julia encourages him to finish and then apply to college. Adam doesn’t want her help. Bailey finally pretends to be a responsible adult, telling Owen that he’ll always be there for him.
Claudia asks Todd to meet her for a talk, which he commandeers by admitting that he’s still the same geek he always was. His sister has been helping him seem cooler, but he realized he couldn’t keep up the charade forever. Claudia asks him to help her get the job he thought she might get offered. Julia bugs Adam again, advising him to let her help him study for the GED. She accuses him of being afraid of having his work judged along with everyone else’s. He accuses her of being afraid to try new things. When she agrees to work on that, he makes her create a character on the spot.
Charlie calls Kirsten at work so they can discuss staying connected while they’re both so busy. Their conversation veers toward phone sex, so…I guess that’s their solution. While cleaning up the kitchen at the house, Bailey casually grabs a beer from the fridge and takes a few sips. Dun dun!
Thoughts: Adam is played by Sean Maher (Firefly). Todd is played by one of my childhood crushes, Thomas Ian Nicholas (Rookie of the Year, the American Pie movies).
As a writer, Julia would know to NEVER read someone’s writing without asking. Adam was right to try to avoid her.
Victor: “You know how some people like D.C. Comics and some like Marvel?” Owen: “Right. I like both.” You heard it here first, folks: Owen is bi.
Ugh, I hated this he’s-not-really-a-student plot on Dawson’s Creek, too. At least that one had Roger Howarth as an entertainment factor.
March 14, 2015
Party of Five 6.11, Fear and Loathing: Use Your Words (or, Failing That, Kick Someone in the Chest)
Charlie wants to build this? Cool! I don’t think it’ll make a comfortable chair, though
Summary: Claudia’s packing for a big East Coast college trip, which is news to Bailey. She’s still planning to apply to college early so she can get away from high school. Julia knows about the trip since she wanted to go visit Justin at Yale, but she didn’t realize it was happening so soon. Claudia’s determined to go on her own if no one can accompany her. Julia volunteers to chaperone her, all excited about a sister road trip.
Kirsten calls Charlie at work to report that the surgical procedure she wanted is going to be mostly covered by insurance. This means they might be able to conceive without fertility treatments. She schedules the surgery, though she’s worried about Charlie making a tight deadline at work. Owen tells Victor about a kid named Morgan who’s been bullying him. He doesn’t want Bailey to know. Victor encourages him to stand up to Morgan, which will definitely, 100 percent work.
Claudia and Julia head to Yale; Julia’s staying at Justin’s apartment while Claudia stays on campus. Since Victor is now effectively raising Owen, Bailey has more time for sex with Holly. Yay? She wants to spend more time together, because being apart for 48 hours was too much for her. He’s hesitant to push things too much. Charlie’s late picking up Diana, thanks to work, and discovers that Luke has moved in with Daphne.
Julia meets Justin’s girlfriend, Laura, who’s full of energy and has turned Justin into a runner. (She also broke the nose of a guy who once tried to assault her, so: new role model.) Charlie’s still working on finding ways to spend money, with no luck. He’s also stressing over Daphne’s new living situation, and the possible complications of Kirsten’s surgery. Kirsten thinks he should be focusing on his work project instead.
Owen stood up to Morgan, but it didn’t work. Womp womp. Claudia meets up with her student guide, Peter, who thinks they should skip the standard freshman tour since it won’t tell her what she really wants to know about college. He’s going to take her on the insider’s tour instead. Claudia, if he makes a move, pull a Laura.
At a bowling alley with Owen, Victor encourages Bailey to take Holly up on her suggestion that they spend more time together. Bailey doesn’t want to change their schedule since then they won’t be casual. (Because nothing says “casual relationship” like a schedule.) Owen runs into some musclehead, spilling ice cream on him, and when Victor steps in, the musclehead threatens to hit him. Victor bends the guy’s arm back, so now Owen has a new role model, too.
Daphne takes Diana to visit Charlie at work, because that’ll help him meet his deadline. Daphne suggests that they alter their custody arrangement so Diana spends a few nights with her. After all, Charlie’s working later hours, and Diana’s already falling asleep at Daphne’s. Charlie declines, and Daphne immediately guesses that it’s about Luke. Charlie’s worried about leaving his daughter alone with a guy they don’t know well. He doesn’t think Daphne’s being as responsible as she wants to be.
Julia has dinner with Justin and Laura, hearing all about Laura’s goodwill work in Kenya. When she leaves the table, Justin tells Julia how being with Laura has made him a better person. He admires how she’s already planned out her life. He’s been thinking about proposing, and has decided that he’ll just do it instead of talking about doing it. Julia’s like, “No, yeah, she’s totally great! I’m not exhausted just listening to her talk!”
Outside Holly’s building, Bailey – who has apparently become a stalker – sees her with another guy. Daphne goes to Charlie’s to get Diana, but he’s dozed off and lost track of her. Fortunately, Diana’s just wandered into the bathroom to play with the toilet paper. Daphne remarks that things like this happen, “even to responsible parents.” Nice one. Claudia’s enjoying her time with Peter, experiencing actual college things like attending classes and hanging out at coffee shops.
Victor teaches Owen some self-defense, reminding him that violence is always a last resort. Owen would also like to learn some wrestling moves in case words aren’t enough. Claudia stops in at a restroom before going to class with Peter, but he surprises her by meeting her inside. She’s understandably upset, lecturing him that a girl being nice to him doesn’t entitle him to anything. Peter tells her that it’s a co-ed bathroom and he wasn’t there to do anything sketchy.
Charlie decides to take the night off to spend time with Diana and Kirsten. Kirsten’s surprised to hear that he’s put his big project on hold for a while. She thinks he’s giving up because he hasn’t come up with any ideas he likes. Charlie says he’s just focusing on more important things right now. Kirsten encourages him to face challenges rather than avoid them. He’s dreamed about making furniture for years, and this is the first time he’s gotten the chance to actually do it.
Bailey asks Holly for clarification on their dating arrangement, which she says is open, but only between each other (whatever that means). He wonders if she would tell him if she wanted to go out with someone else. She asks if he would want her to. He would, so Holly says she will if that ever happens. Bailey questions her recent social activities, and she says she’s spent some time with a co-worker, but nothing’s going on between them. She’s not happy with him for stalking her.
Julia confides to Claudia that she doesn’t think Justin should propose to Laura, since they haven’t been together that long. Claudia announces that she doesn’t care. She’s skipping the rest of the trip and going home tomorrow. Julia asks what she can do to make things better. Claudia asks her to go back in time and stop her from going into the bedroom with Derek.
Charlie drops Diana off with Luke, seeing that Luke has done a lot of decorating in Diana’s room. He agrees to let Luke and Daphne keep Diana overnight. So I guess putting up pictures of sheep is all it takes to prove you’re responsible! Justin thanks Julia for being supportive of his decision to propose to Laura – he’s officially decided to do it. Julia pretends to still be supportive.
Owen is sent home from school for using his newfound self-defense moves on Morgan. Bailey confronts Victor for not telling him about the bullying, and for teaching Owen to fight. Victor thinks he’s justified in using violence if using words has failed. He spent years feeling ashamed and afraid because of the way other kids treated him. If Owen can get through his childhood by taking care of himself this way, he should.
Julia tracks down Claudia and asks for more information on her decision to go home early. Claudia refuses, ordering Julia to leave her alone. Julia also refuses. Claudia cries, unable to figure out what to say. Kirsten’s surgery goes well, and Charlie tells her that the doctor thinks it could be successful. Kirsten admits to being scared because conception is dependent on her now; there are no more excuses for failure. Charlie admires her courage, saying he also has no more excuses for his career.
Bailey tells Holly that he needs to face his fears about commitment – they should become exclusive. Holly knows he’s not over Sarah, and that she’s a rebound for him. She knew that going in, but she thought dating for long enough would help him work through his breakup with Sarah. Holly wants Bailey to take more time before he gets into another serious relationship. However, she can’t promise she’ll still be available when he’s ready to commit.
Charlie gets up in the middle of the night to work on a design after having a Frank Gehry-inspired dream about unfinished work. Julia and Claudia are also up late, getting ready to head home. Claudia asks Julia if it took her a long time to trust another guy after she and Ned broke up. She thinks that’s what’s hurting her the most. She’s ready now to tell Julia what happened with Peter.
Thoughts: What a waste of a title. No one went to Las Vegas!
Hello, Charles Esten’s biceps! How you doin’?
Victor, please teach Claudia some self-defense as well. Maybe it’ll help her feel better.
March 7, 2015
Party of Five 6.10, Dog Day After New Year: Another Tragedy for the Salingers
For us, too, Thurber
Summary: The Salingers (minus Charlie) take down their Christmas tree while discussing their plans for New Year’s Eve. Bailey’s going to Holly’s cousin’s wedding, though he insists that they’re just casually dating. His sisters think he’s being naïve. Kirsten had a rough day at work, so Charlie tries to cheer her up with news of a promotion. It means longer hours and only a little more money, but Charlie’s excited about the possibility of showing his boss, Gus, his own designs.
Julia helps Griffin with some paperwork, since his hand is still messed up. She’s been trying to get in touch a potential new editor – Evan dropped her – but the woman keeps cancelling their meetings and can’t see her until March. Griffin thinks she should just go to the woman’s office and ambush her. Bailey asks Claudia to help with some errands, including taking Thurber to the vet. She tells him she’s busy because she’s taking a test that will let her opt out of her senior year and go to college early. Bailey doesn’t get why she’s so eager to get out of high school.
Griffin and Julia go to the editor’s office, but she’s already gone. Griffin has done some reconnaissance and learned that the editor is mostly likely going to visit a psychic before she leaves town. Julia can “bump into” her, and the editor will see it as a sign that she should publish Julia’s book. Bailey and Holly shop for wedding gifts and debate signing the card as a couple. They determine that they’re exclusive, which she likes, though it makes him a little nervous.
Gus is impressed with Charlie’s chair designs, thinking he’ll sell a lot if he can get the right person to make them. Charlie’s like, “That’s you, right?” Gus doesn’t have the money, and admits that the company is dangerously close to going under. Holly’s family knows all about Bailey, though one elderly relative is confused about their relationship (and Bailey’s name – she calls him Barry Salender).
Julia and Griffin check out psychics, and Julia lets Trudy, who needs more experience, practice on her. Her “readings” are accurate, and she tells Julia to find the answers she wants by looking inward…or maybe outward, at a gathering. You know, one of those two. Griffin learns that the editor is going to a New Year’s Eve party, so Trudy decides that Julia will get her answers at a gathering. At the house, Owen sadly tells Claudia that Thurber’s sick.
Charlie and Kirsten go to dinner with Daphne but ignore her to talk about Charlie’s job. Kirsten thinks he should convince Gus to make and sell his chairs. Daphne suddenly has a new boyfriend, Luke, and the two of them are in that early-relationship stage where they’re just sickeningly cute all the time. Bailey freaks out when he’s pulled into a picture with Holly’s family and someone mentions that they could be at Holly and Bailey’s wedding in a year.
Julia and Griffin track down the editor, Elaine, who’s not thrilled to have party crashers. Julia reminds Elaine that she read and liked Julia’s book, but now won’t talk to her about publishing it. Elaine informs her that her managing editor has already signed someone with a similar book. Julia lost the race, so she’s not getting published. At the wedding, the bride throws the bouquet too far and Bailey catches it. He throws it back and it lands on the floor.
Claudia, Owen, and Diana take Thurber to the vet and learn that things don’t look good. Holly slams Bailey for what he did with the bouquet, but he points out that if he’d thrown it to her, her family would have started bugging them about getting married. He objects to her saying that her family’s just happy that she “found someone.” After all, just the day before, they weren’t even sure if they’re a couple. Holly thinks Bailey’s too focused on words when they should be thinking about their feelings.
Claudia calls to tell Bailey about Thurber, so he tells Holly he has to leave. Holly’s like, “Really? You’re using a sick dog as an excuse?” While Daphne’s away from the table, Luke tells Charlie and Kirsten that he’d like their blessing, since they’re the closest thing Daphne has to a family. Kirsten wonders what Luke would do if they didn’t approve of their relationship. She knows that he would try to change their minds, and even if he couldn’t, he’d do what he wanted. Hey, Charlie, I think she’s trying to tell you something.
Thurber’s kidneys aren’t functioning properly, and dialysis, the only treatment available, is expensive and probably won’t fix him. Claudia knows that their only real option is to have him put to sleep so he won’t suffer. Bailey wants to call Charlie and consider dialysis. Claudia tells him that they wouldn’t be doing it for Thurber, but for themselves. At the house, Julia and Griffin get a message from Claudia summoning them to the vet.
Charlie and Kirsten go to Gus’ New Year’s Eve party, which looks pretty pricey for a guy who’s supposedly on the brink of losing his business. Gus says he’s just rewarding his employees for their hard work. Charlie doesn’t care if Gus uses his designs or not – Gus needs to do something to try to save his business. Charlie doesn’t want to be a manager anymore if it means having to give people bad news.
Julia and Griffin are stuck in traffic on the way to the vet, but at least they have a good view of the fireworks downtown. Julia’s too upset to enjoy them, since the psychic’s reading didn’t pan out. Claudia doesn’t want Owen to know too many details about Thurber, but Bailey wants to be honest. Claudia argues that some bad things shouldn’t be let out in the open. Owen deserves to stay young and innocent. Bailey notes that being honest will give Owen the chance to say goodbye to Thurber.
The next day, the Salingers, Kirsten, and Griffin take Thurber’s ashes to a park and share happy memories about their dog. Claudia’s hit the hardest by the loss. Gus calls Charlie in to ask him to reconsider quitting, though he’s not willing to take a risk to keep the company going. Charlie says that he needs to do something that creates a future for him. He can’t move sideways anymore. Gus agrees to take a look at a business plan if Charlie will draw one up.
Bailey and Holly make up, agreeing not to worry so much about what their relationship is, exactly, as long as they’re together. The family gets together to discuss who had the worst New Year’s Eve (I’d say Claudia). Claudia laments that she only got to watch the festivities on TV; she missed the big moment. Julia thinks they should decide for themselves what the big moments are. They do their own countdown to officially ring in the new year.
Thoughts: Luke is played by Charles Esten (Nashville). Before he started going to Charles and doing dramas, he was Chip Esten on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
How long have Daphne and Chip been together? Wasn’t she sleeping with Griffin two weeks ago?
This episode aired in 2000, so there are some mentions of Y2K, but no freak-outs, which is refreshing. (Remember Y2K freak-outs? We were so naïve then.)
February 28, 2015
Party of Five 6.9, Ties That Bind: Less Money, Mo’ Problems
This might be the worst publicity still I’ve ever seen. At least pretend to be happy, guys!
Summary: The Salingers gather at the house to discuss Griffin’s medical bills. Guess what, guys – hospitals are expensive! Julia suggests that they each give up a portion of their shares from the restaurant’s profits. She also offers to pay more than the others, but everyone agrees to chip in equally. They all think of things they can cut back on for a little while. Charlie and Kirsten pretend that they can completely afford trimming 30 percent off their monthly budget.
Griffin needs further surgery for nerve damage in his hand, and Julia approves it. Griffin doesn’t know that the Salingers are paying his bills. At the house, Bailey prepares for a yard sale while Will, who’s just moved in, tries to talk him into going to a party. (Apparently he works for the 49ers now.) Bailey doesn’t see the point since he never meets a woman he likes at those parties. Will thinks he’s messed up over Holly.
Charlie and Kirsten discuss their fertility treatments and how helping Griffin hurts their budget. Kirsten suggests postponing the treatments, which would give her time to take a job she wanted. Charlie would rather move forward, even if it means giving up luxuries like frozen yogurt. Kirsten makes up the difference a little by stealing sweetener packets. Hee. Holly shows up at Bailey’s yard sale and gets the cold shoulder.
Claudia visits Ross (hey, it’s Ross!) at his studio space and tells him she wants to start playing again. She can’t pay for lessons right now, but he’s willing to start her on credit. Holly goes to the Salingers’ and tells Bailey that she thinks she can get Griffin into a special rehab program at the hospital. Bailey questions her decision to come by the house instead of calling. He orders her to apologize for judging him based on one incident, and when she does, he asks her out again.
Daphne visits Griffin in the hospital, apologizing for crashing his motorcycle and injuring him. They decide that they don’t owe each other anything. Griffin asks who’s paying his hospital bills, and though she pretends she doesn’t know, she eventually admits that it’s the Salingers. He immediately leaves the hospital, but Julia tracks him down at home and blasts him for putting his recovery at risk. Griffin’s mad that Julia made decisions for him that left him in debt to the family.
Ross gives Claudia a lesson at the house, and though he says she’s doing well, she’s frustrated that she has to relearn some things. She announces that she signed up for a competition and needs to perfect what she’ll be performing. Bailey takes Holly to a football stadium so they can have a picnic on the field. He insists that it didn’t cost him anything since Will works for the 49ers. They’re saying nice, romantic things to each other when the sprinklers come on.
Charlie and Kirsten are trying to save money by living like the Amish. Charlie thinks they can also get her fertility drugs at a lower price from some not-so-legal back channels. Griffin has trouble working on his bike with one hand in a cast. Bailey and Holly go to a locker room to warm up in the shower (and make out, of course). They take the date back to her place, and after they have sex, she tells him that she’s surprised by the speed and intensity of their relationship.
Griffin calls his mother from a bar and asks her to let him stay with her for a few weeks while his father is out of the country. She says no because the Holbrooks are horrible people. Claudia’s nervous before her competition, sure she won’t win. Bailey and Holly’s date is interrupted by a guy she’s been seeing; he’s upset to learn that she’s seeing someone else now. Holly lies to Bailey about who came to the door.
Charlie and Kirsten meet their drug contact, who seems like a nice guy who just wants to help out people with problems because he and his wife also had fertility issues. Claudia doesn’t think she’s up to the level she was before, and Ross is surprised that she didn’t already know that. He thinks she was right to give up her lessons before because it gave her the chance to have a normal life. Kirsten realizes that she and Charlie got ripped off – their drugs are expired and the dealer is gone. Oh, and then their car gets booted because they have outstanding tickets.
Griffin tells Julia that he’s moving out of the shed – he can’t pay rent because he can’t work and earn the money for it. Julia assures him that he can still stay, but Griffin isn’t going to accept charity. She reminds him that they don’t have a business relationship, and that the Salingers didn’t just pick out a random person to help. Plus, he’s helped them plenty of times without any obligation. “It’s too late to say you’re not a part of this family,” Julia says. He took care of them, so now they’re taking care of her.
Holly worries that she’s freaked Bailey out by telling him how she feels. Charlie calls Bailey to ask for help getting his car back, and Bailey jumps at the chance to get the heck away from Holly. Kirsten and Charlie end up telling Bailey about the treatments, and he offers to help them with savings bonds. Kirsten wants to put the brakes on the process for now. She reminds Charlie that he wanted to trust fate – maybe fate wants them to hold off for a little while.
Ross tries to remind Claudia that not being the best at something doesn’t mean you’re not good. Claudia wishes she still had something to count on, like always winning. If she can’t be the best, she doesn’t want to play. Bailey tells Will that things with Holly are going awesomely, and he sees them on the edge of making a big commitment. He’s hanging out with Will right now so they can spend a little time apart, but then he calls Holly and ignores Will.
Griffin agrees to keep his things in the shed for now, but he tells Julia that he doesn’t want to be a burden or ask anyone for help. Daphne sees the two of them hugging and…is jealous? I don’t know. I don’t care. That whole thing is weird.
Thoughts: Holly, you can go away now.
I sure hope Victor’s watching both Owen and Diana, because neither kid is ever around. They weren’t even mentioned this week. Maybe Charlie should spend less time trying to have a baby and more hanging out with the child he already has.
What’s up with Claudia? When did she become like this? I thought maybe she was competing to win money, in which case her frustration would make more sense, but no, she’s just being weird.
I feel like there was a deleted scene between when Bailey leaves to get Charlie and Kirsten, and when he’s with Will, telling him how great things are going with Holly. All of a sudden, everything’s good?
February 21, 2015
Party of Five 6.8, Fate, Hope and Charity: Fate Is a Poor Excuse for Becoming a Stalker
I want to like you, Holly, but…
Summary: Bailey has dinner with some really annoying girl, ditching her to talk to Joe, then Tracy. He’s disappointed that he can’t spend more time with his married girlfriend. He tells the annoying girl that they’re dating, but she doesn’t care. Charlie’s 30th birthday is coming up, and though he tells Kirsten he doesn’t want to make a big deal about it, he kind of wants to make a little deal about it. At school, Claudia and her friends plan Homecoming, but she splits when Derek shows up.
Brian tracks down Julia to apologize for kissing her. She’s happy to forget about it and move on. Bailey wants Charlie to move some of his things out of the Salingers’ basement so Will can live down there. Charlie would rather talk about how he’s dating two women at once. Then suddenly there’s a third woman in the picture; she’s at the wrong house, but Bailey wonders if they were meant to meet. He asks her on a date for the next night, bugging her when she keeps saying no.
Back at the house, Bailey invites Daphne and Griffin to Charlie’s birthday party. Somehow, they realize that he’s figured out that they’re…dating? Is that what they’re doing? Julia gets down about some critiques of her book, then gets more annoyed when Evan doesn’t show her any sympathy or give her support. Later, Julia and Brian encounter each other again at Evan’s house, and he tries to make her feel better about the critiques. Hey, do you think the show is trying to tell us that Julia and Brian are a better match than Julia and Evan?
Bailey’s fated woman, Holly, must be crazy because she agrees to go on a date with him. We’re supposed to think they’re cute, but it’s gross. She’s all type A and a control freak like Bailey, but she gave in to a guy who harassed her, so I can’t root for her. Julia has also figured out that Griffin and Daphne are…whatever, and she assures him that she’s fine with it. Griffin says it’s just casual, and he can’t picture them actually dating. Julia wonders if he could picture her with him before they got together. She encourages him to tell Daphne how he feels about her.
In the Salingers’ basement, Charlie finds a model of a house he made back when he was in architecture school. Claudia tells Alexa that she’s quitting the Homecoming committee because of Derek. She doesn’t get how Alexa can hang out with him like nothing happened. Alexa points out that Claudia didn’t tell anyone that he assaulted her; Derek didn’t get punished, so Claudia can’t expect other people to punish him.
Brian says goodbye to Julia before heading back to college, admitting that he doesn’t want to hang around and watch his father date someone he’d like to be with. Evan overhears them talking about the kiss but doesn’t say anything. Bailey wants to go out with Holly again, but she likes the idea of ending on a high note and keeping their good memories of each other. Their date is interrupted by Tracy’s husband, who confronts Bailey in the restaurant and punches him.
Julia pushes Evan to talk about her kiss with Brian and how she kept it from him. She wants to make sure he knows that the kiss didn’t mean anything to her. Evan believes her and isn’t surprised that Brian’s interested in her. Claudia’s an outsider at school again, now that she doesn’t want to spend time with the popular kids. Myra’s snuck in some alcohol, and Claudia decides to join her for a drink.
Bailey tracks down Holly, which is REALLY GROSS, and tries to get her to see that he’s really a good guy. He only hooked up with Tracy to get Sarah out of his system. Holly thinks they’re a mismatch because Bailey’s not mature enough to know that a meaningless affair is a bad idea. Julia’s upset that Evan’s always so nonchalant about everything and never shows emotion. Evan admits that the kiss bothered him, but he doesn’t see the point in complaining about it. Julia would like him to give her more emotion than he would any other random person in his life. Otherwise, why be together?
Myra’s alcohol loosens Claudia up, and when Derek starts to leave to get his own bottle, she announces that girls should be careful around him. She accuses Alexa and Cameron of knowing his true nature and not saying anything. She’s tired of the view she’s gotten from being in the top tier. Griffin goes to see Daphne at her job and asks her to go somewhere to talk. She knows what he wants to talk about, so she asks to go for a ride on his motorcycle instead. He puts his only helmet on her and lets her drive. She’s bad at it, and they crash.
Charlie, Kirsten, Julia, Claudia, and Victor convene at the hospital; Daphne’s mostly okay, but Griffin has a head injury and needs reconstructive surgery on his hand. He may not be able to fully use it. Plus, Griffin doesn’t have insurance, so he’ll have to be sent to a hospital with lesser facilities. Julia authorizes the surgery, declaring that the Salingers will figure out a way to pay for it. Bailey arrives late and runs into Holly, who works there and finally finds it creepy that he’s always around. Victor visits Daphne, who cries and asks, “What have I done?”
Evan shows up, ready to do actual boyfriend stuff for Julia. He knows she’s right about his problems showing emotions; she’s not the first person to mention them. He asks her to bear with him while he works through them. Julia, however, has realized that she has the bad habit of dating men who ask her to bear with them while they deal with their issues. She thought he was the opposite of Ned, who couldn’t control his feelings. She can’t keep dating someone who requires so much work.
Charlie spends the morning of his birthday on the roof of the hospital, telling Kirsten how seeing Griffin made him remember when he was in the hospital. He’s decided to start focusing on what’s important to him. He’s going to quit teaching and will eventually go back to architecture. Whenever anything bad happened to him, Charlie would try to trust fate; if he held on long enough, things would get good again. He’s going to try to remember that.
Holly tries to be nice to Bailey (nicer than he deserves), but he’s snotty to her because she said he wasn’t mature enough for her. He thinks he should get a pass because he made a mistake. Acting like an idiot got him a date with Holly, so she can’t say that being reckless is all bad. Julia tells Griffin that the doctors are hopeful, but no one’s 100 percent sure what kind of recovery he’ll have.
Thoughts: Holly is played by Rhona Mitra. When I looked up what she’s been in to find out what she’s known for the most, I realized that I’ve never actually seen her in anything.
Rejected Homecoming theme: the Heart of the Sea. SO ’90s.
Bailey, bugging Holly: “Sometimes you just can’t take no for an answer.” Well, you’d better learn to. Alert to all men: Bailey’s behavior in this episode is not cute. Asking a woman out multiple times and ignoring her when she declines is not romantic. You are not the star of an adorable Hollywood movie. Shut your mouth and walk away.
'90s Flashback 