Season 1, Episode 18: Brother's Keeper


Written by Mark B. Perry, directed by Richard Pierce
Transcribed by Julie Gumm

Charlie's tending bar at Salingers when he gets a phone call and, excited, he takes off. A company in Seattle has offered him and Gwen a deal with their furniture line. They'd pay him $65,000 a year. They have a business lunch and then Charlie goes home to tell everyone and they have a big celebration in the living room dancing up and down on the furniture. Gwen comes over and says she thinks there might be a problem cuz the company isn't giving them enough for moving expenses. Charlie goes "moving?" Obviously he didn't read the not-so-fine print that said the job would require them both to move to Seattle where production takes place. Charlie talks to Kirsten and asks if she could/would move. She says she guess she could finish her thesis in Seattle just as well. But will the kids go? Charlie is pretty sure he can talk them into it. Boy is he wrong! Charlie calls a family meeting and tells them the news and tells them he doesn't have a choice. No surprise--no one wants to go.

The siblings think the problem is solved but Charlie goes the next day to see the plant in Seattle. Julia tells Justin and they come up with the brilliant idea of asking Justin's parents if she can come live with them. Kirsten picks up Charlie at the airport. He's all excited about the job--he saw the plant and his office etc. He thinks he can get the sibs to get excited about the move. He comes back and tells the kids that he took the job. He found a really great school for Claudia for kids that are gifted in music. And the airline has coupons for cheap flights and Julia can fly home once a month. This is the one great thing that has happened in his life. The sibs tell him that their things are just as important and that they're not going. Then Charlie says, "I'm not asking, I'm telling!" Bailey and Julia say flat out they're not going. Julia tells them about Justins idea. Claudia is upset because now they're all going to be split up.

Charlie tells Gwen how the sibs are acting and she doesn't want to go without him because they're a team. He tells her he hasn't made up his mind yet. Claudia is in the living room deciding who should take what when they get split up. Bailey comes in and tells her, "the truth is Claudia, if Charlie goes we'll go." Meanwhile Justin's parents have decided that the Julia moving in idea is a no-go. (DUH!)

Claudia finds Charlie in the workshed where he's putting away some tools. He tells her he's not going. Gwen bought out his share of the company for $15,000. Claudia hugs him and says, "I love you Charlie."

Bailey is sitting in geometry class and the teacher asks him to stay after. That's when she hands him his test, which he got an "F" on. (Leaving school for 4 days to go to L.A. didn't help.) So she puts him in the10th grade class who is just beginning the unit he failed. Upon realizing that Julia is in the same class, Bailey is, of course, horrified. To make matters worse the teacher has assigned Julia to tutor him after school. At lunch Bailey and Will make up after their fight about Jill how she was screwing Bailey up.

At home that night Julia and Bailey are arguing over what kind of "deal" they can come up with. Bailey thinks Julia should do it out of the kindness of her heart, but we all know that's not going to happen. She agrees to help him if her and Justin can have the Jeep on Saturday night. During one of their tutoring sessions Justin calls and Julia sort of abandons Bailey to coo and giggle with Justin on the phone. This added to the fact that she keeps making snide comments about his intelligence, annoyes Bailey who yells at her and she in turn yells back.

"God Julia, when did you turn into such a bitch," Bailey screems! The night before the test Julia blows their tutoring session (due to the bitch remark) and Bailey is upset when she returns. She yells at him that it's his fault for traipsing off to L.A. and "when did this become her responsibility?" The next day during the test Julia feels bad and turns her paper so Bailey can see her test. He's disgusted and looks away. Afterwards Julia feels bad that she's been such a bitch and goes to the math teacher to ask if Bailey can have another chance since she really didn't help him. But the teacher says, "I'm sorry, he'll just have to do with a B+." Julia is amazed. She congratulates Bai and apologizes. He apologizes for ragging on her about her newfound happiness with Justin. He tells her its not silly or stupid, it's simple and he's jealous of that.

Claudia has another one of her violin lesson. Ross listens as she plays and when she's done he has nothing bad to say. He tells her that she played it perfectly, better than him and that it's time for her to get a new teacher because he's taught her everything he knows. He's spoken to Gloria Metzler who only takes a few students a year and she's agreed to take on Claudia. Claud, however, is not thrilled with this idea. Ross sets up a time for her to play for Gloria, but Claudia throws the recital, playing badly (for her). Ross is upset but Claudia tells him that she doesn't want to give him up. Claudia tells Ross about the pending move and she's decided that if they move she's not going to play the violin, she just wants to do regular kid stuff.


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