Rating: 7.3
Opening Credits
Callie has bought a fancy bar for the living room of the apartment. Bailey is not too happy and fights her, asking why she bought it? She shrugs, saying it's all part of the "cocktail scene." There's a knock on the door and when Bailey answers it, he's shocked to see Will! He introduces Will to Callie as his "best friend," to which Callie replies, "Wow, Bailey has friends?" Will won't really say why he's home and although he's actually about to start crying, he fakes a problem with his contact lense, but...he doesn't wear contacts.
Claudia is in the middle of doing laundry when Julia storms in, taking her dirty clothes from Claudia. Julia is leaving and going to Sam's and tells Claudia about Charlie's mandate. Claudia, caught up in the dirty clothes wants to know when she's coming back!!
Will is upset over breaking up with his girlfriend. Patsy. He found out she was sleeping around. Bailey doesn't really want to hear it, so Will asks him what happened with Sarah. Will wants examples but Bailey says he doesn't want to wallow, then tells Will they're suppose to meet Callie.
Charlie is talking to Grace about Julia and her turning down Stanford. He says his father would hit the roof and his mother wouldn't know how to react. Grace changes the subject by asking him what the rules are with him staying over? He says he's an adult...he can do what he wants...he'll just have to call home. As they kiss in his car, they hear sirens and as they approach Grace's house, they see there are firetrucks dealing with a blazing building. Charlie hugs Grace to him.
Sam comes home to find Julia at his doorstep waiting for him. She suggests cooking dinner for him, watching some movies and staying the night...or for a few days. Sam says they're not ready for that step yet...but Julia laughs at him saying "No....not that!" Sam tells her she's acting weird and she tells him she just had to get away from Charlie. He tells her he knows Charlie hates him, so she can stay - nothing to lose. She's happy and asks him to get suitcase out of the car.
Grace is laying in Charlie's bed in a robe of his - upset about her apartment. She tells him it was just stuff and she's glad to be with him now. He turns off the light, slips in behind her and holds her tight. He can't sleep and then he jumps up and tells her he should probably go sleep on the couch. Grace realizes it's because of Kirsten and she says she should sleep on the couch. Charlie won't hear of it and then kisses her goodnight.
Bailey, Will and Callie are at a bar shooting pool. Will is going on and on about the fake ID Bailey got him, with Bay hushing him. Callie wants someone to shoot pool with her. Bay goes for more beer. Callie is stumbling around in the background trying to find a proper pool cue and in the process, knocks all of them off the rack and onto the floor. Bailey returns and asks Will how he feels and he tells him "sloppy drunk." Callie knocks the last of the sticks over as Will passes out cold. She looks down at him and says "Lightweight."
Commercial Break
Grace is on the phone getting details about her building. Charlie explains to Claudia what's going on. Claudia informs him Julia went to stay with Sam. Totally frustrated, Charlie tells her he'll take care of it. When Grace gets off the phone, Charlie suggests she stay there as long as she needs to.
Bailey wakes up with Will sleeping cuddled next to him calling him Patsy. Will is terribly hungover and talking about Patsy's eyes. Bailey hops up, goes to the kitchen and comes back with two beers. "Hair of the dog." Will's stomach can't take it and he runs to the bathroom.
Sam comes home from work to find Julia cooking and is impressed with the aroma. She has totally reorganized his kitchen. She thanks him for letting her stay. Claudia arrives to tell Julia it's her day to watch Owen and to tell her she's having to take care of everything at the house. Claudia yells to her that she can't just walk away from everything. She's upset that Grace has moved in and then starts to leave. Wisely, Sam speaks up that it's dark outside and he'll drive Claudia home. Julia pitches a fit, saying her dinner was timed perfectly and if he takes her home it will be ruined. She then relents and tells Claudia to stay for dinner.
Will and Bailey are walking down the street to the coffeehouse when Will decides to tell Bay he thinks he should stop drinking. Inside the coffeehouse, a much toasted Bailey knocks into Sarah. He is so glad to see her and tries to hug her but she pushes him away. Bailey makes the comment that perhaps Sarah and Will can get back together now that they're both free. He's falling over and into things and Sarah turns to leave.
Charlie kisses a sleeping Owen and goes into his bedroom to say goodnight to Grace, but she's not there. She's making the couch up downstairs and tells him she's putting him out of his own room and that's too weird. She kisses him goodnight. He pulls her back to him for a deeper and longer kiss, but she pushes back and says it will only be frustrating and takes her hand to lead her upstairs..."get back on that horse." "Life goes on."
Commercial Break
Claudia wakes up the next morning, goes towards the bathroom as Charlie is coming out. She asks him why no one slept on the couch and as he's trying to explain, Grace comes out of his room, says good moring and slips into the bathroom ahead of a horrified Claudia.
Will has stopped over at Sarah's house to visit. There are still pictures of Bailey all over her room, she just hasn't had the heart to take them down yet. Will says his life sucks totally, but he'll be okay. He then wants to know what is going on and questions her. She tells him Bailey has changed since he got together with Callie. Will says Bailey forgot to mention that little bit of information. Will is concerned about Bailey's drinking and Sarah stops him, saying she can't go there...it's his problem, not hers.
Bailey takes some alka seltzer to get going as someone pounds on his door. It's Claudia, asking him what happened to him? He excuses his appearance as having been sick recently. She tells him she has to talk to him now. He has to talk to Julia. The family is falling apart; everyone is fighting and it was always Bailey who kept them all together. Bailey holds his head in his hands and says they're going to have to work things out on their own this time. He doesn't live in the house anymore and these aren't his problems. Claudia apologizes for bothering him.
Sam tries to get into his apartment, but Julia has the door chained from inside. He rushed home early to watch a hockey game, but finds Owen on his couch watching Cookie Monster. He wants to change the channel, but Owen screams, "NO!" Sam relents and goes to watch the game on the small set in his bedroom.
Grace is at her burnt apartment. The building has been condemned. A fireman knocks down her door, so she can get inside. She doesn't know where to start. The fireman returns with a package that arrived for her that the landlord has been holding on to. It's a new bedspread she ordered after she repainted her bedroom. She finally loses it and breaks down in Charlie's arms crying.
Bailey is walking down the street when Will comes along. He wants to talk... about Bailey's drinking. Bailey tells him it's all part of college. Will seems to be concerned about the amount and asks Bailey if he has a problem. He thinks Bailey is out of control because he dumped a great girlfriend...but Bailey stops him, saying Sarah broke up with him and he's totally out of line. He says going out and partying helps him take his mind off things and he has fun. Bailey tells Will he can go to hell. Will only wants to help, but Bailey says "get lost."
Sam has migrated back to the living room and the big screen TV where he is cheering the hockey game. Julia and Owen quietly watch. There's a knock on the door and it's Charlie. He states Owen can't stay there and when Sam tries to intervene, Charlie tells him to mind his own business. Charlie orders Julia to get her crap and come with him. Owen is scared and Claudia rushes in to take hold of him. Claudia is a bit scared too. Charlie is yelling at Julia and threatens to call Social Services on her. She snipes that would be just like him to do that and she yells at the top of her lungs for him to get the hell out of there! Charlie gets Owen and point back to Julia saying, "I'm not done with this." They leave and Julia sighs.
Commercial Break
Julia emerges from the shower and is combing her hair when she finds Sam in the kitchen making pancakes for them. He wanted to do something nice for her to counter something not so nice that he has to do. He starts with..."Julia...I like you..." She doesn't like how it's starting. He tells her she has to work things out at home and not use him while she's running away from home. He wants her to come to him when it's because of him. She asks if he wants her to get the hell out and he says, "like you wouldn't believe."
Bailey is working out at the school gym when Will finds him. Bailey makes jokes about how he has to work out his elbow. Will wants to know he's doing okay with his drinking and Bailey tells him he's fine. Will understands and apologizes to Bay. Bailey says he's okay; partying is just a regular thing and he's trying to have a good time. Will suggests doing something before he leaves, as this is his last night. Bailey blows him off, saying he has to study.
Julia slips into the back door at the Salinger's house to find Claudia and Owen at the kitchen table and they can't believe she's back. Julia says it didn't feel right and besides, Sam kicked her out. Claudia ignores her and turns her attention to helping Owen with an art project. Julia offers to help, but she is ignored.
Graces comes in and tells Charlie she's been looking for an apartment. He leads her into the bedroom and shows her the bedspread she just ordered. He has put it on his bed and tells her it fits. He wants her to stay with him. It's time to shake things up and make a change...they should do it together. Grace smiles and tells Charlie to help her make the bed.
Callie is making martinis at the bar in the apartment when Bailey comes in. She pours him one and tells him to drink it quickly while it's still laughing at you. He sits and drinks. She invites him to move into her room with her and he tells her how great she is...it must be the liquor talking. He finishes drinking and says, "it's stopped laughing." She refills his glass as cheesy cocktail music plays in the background.
Callie's moved Bai's bed to put in a bar because it's hip. Then Will knocks on the door. Bai goes and gives him a hug, surprised to see him. Bai introduces him to Callie. Bai asks him if everything is all right and he's about to tell him something but then makes some excuse about something in his contact.
Julia comes downstairs and grabs her laundry from Claudia and runs upstairs to pack. Claudia runs after her.
Will had some girl trouble (she was cheating on him) at school and decided to take a few days off and come home. "I'm starting to understand country-western music," Will says. Will asks why Sarah broke up with Bai and Bai doesn't want to tell him. He says the best thing is to find distractions.
Charlie and Grace are driving. He's telling her that he keeps wondering what their parents would have done. His dad would have gone through the roof but his mom would have found some really great way to convince Julia she's doing the wrong thing. Grace asks if he wants to spend the night so they can wake up together. Then they pull around the corner and realize that Grace's apartment building is on fire.
Julia is waiting outside Sam's door when he comes home from work. She's rented a bunch of episodes of "I Claudia" and bought microwave popcorn. She asks if she can crash on his couch for a few days because Charlie is ragging on her. He finally agrees.
Grace is in Charlie's bed, kind of freaked out about losing all of her stuff. Charlie turns out the light and Grace cuddles up to him. Then Charlie kind of gets weird, you can tell h's thinking about Kirsten. He says he's going to go sleep on the sofa because he's a restless sleeper. Then she realizes that it's Kirsten.
Will, Bai and Callie are drinking at the pool hall. Bai and Callie are totally drunk, Will not so much. Callie's knocking over pool cues and Bai can barely walk. As Will is trying to tell Bai how he feels, he passes over. "Lightweight," Callie says.
Grace is on the phone with someone. Claudia comes in and asks why Charlie didn't wake her up last night. Then she tells him about Julia moving out. "You guys have got to stop fighting," she tells him. Grace can't get into her apartment until the make some sort of inspection. She almost calls her sister but Charlie says it's nuts, she should just stay with them. "Who's got the bigger problem here, you or me?" he asks.
Bai and Will wake up in the same bed with a doozy of a headache. Will thinks he should call her. "She's bopping another guy," Bai says as he goes to get two beers from the frig. Will can't believe he can drink another beer as he runs to the bathroom.
Julia's making Sam and her dinner (wait, wasn't it just morning) apparently she's organized his kitchen. There's a bang on the door and it's Claudia. It was Julia's day to watch Owen and Claudia tells her she can't just walk out on her responsibilities. She tells Claud she's not going back there. Claud tells her that while she's here playing house with Sam (which gets a jerk reaction from Sam) Charlie is busy moving Grace in the house.
Will drags Bailey into a coffeehouse because he's been drinking since noon. They run into Sarah and he makes a complete ass of himself, knocking stuff over, etc. She just runs out.
Charlie's going to read Owen a book but he's already asleep. He goes into the bedroom but Grace isn't there. She's downstairs and says she's going to sleep on the couch but he says she doesn't have to. He says he wants her to stay with him. As they're walking upstairs he tells her that it's his hangup and he has to get past it. "Life goes on," he says.
Claudia comes out of her bedroom and runs into Charlie coming out of the bedroom. She said she got up around 3 and noticed that the couch hadn't been slept on so she assumes that Grace found another place to stay. Then Grace comes out of the bedroom.
Will goes over to Sarah's. He notices that she's still got the pictures of Bailey up. She starts to take them down. Will asks what's up with Bailey and how long he's been drinking like that. Sarah says she doesn't know, he's a completely different person since he got together with Callie. Then she tells Will about them. He's shocked, but he wonders if they should do something about his drinking. Sarah tells him that she can't go there.
Claudia is banging on the door. She needs to talk to Bailey because he's it. She tells him he has to talk to Charlie or Julia. He can barely listen to her because of his headache. "It's like the whole family is falling apart and you used to keep everyone together and no one's doing it," she tells him. Bai says he can't help her and that he doesn't live there anymore and it's not his problem. "Sorry I bothered you."
Sam tries to get into his loft but the door is locked. Julia lets him in and he runs to the TV to catch the game. But Owen's there watching Sesame Street. She tells Owen that it's Sam's turn to watch TV but he won't share. So Sam goes to watch it on the little TV in the bedroom.
Grace and Charlie go over to the building. It's still pretty unstable but the fireman tells her she can take whatever she can carry. There's not much left. She wanted to get their family pictures, she was going to make copies for her parents anniversary. The fireman brings in a box that the landlord was holding for her. It's a bedspread she ordered.
Will and Bai meet so they can talk. Bai says they should go grab a beer and talk but Will doesn't want to. He tells him that it seems all Bai wants to do anymore is drink. Bai tells him that it's just what college is about and does he have a problem with that. "More to the point Bai, do you?" He can't believe it. Will says that he's like a completely different person. Bai tells him that he's way out of line and tries to make it all about him. Bai tells him to go to hell.
Sam is watching the hockey game on TV and gets real excited about some play. Charlie comes over. Owen's excited to see him. Charlie says that she cannot leave him notes that Owen is staying over there. They're yelling at each other when Owen starts yelling for them to stop. Then Claudia comes in and sees that Owen is upset. She pleads with them to stop. Charlie tells Julia that he can make one phone call and make her come home. "Go ahead, call social services and let them see what a bang-up job you're doing," she tells him. She tells him to leave. He picks up Owen and turns to leave. "I'm not done with this," he says.
Julia gets out of the shower the next morning. Sam is making breakfast, burned the pancakes. She says it's sweet that he cooked for her. He says he thought he should do something nice to counteract something not so nice. Then he tells her that he likes her and that the thought of living with her is tempting. But it should be because she wants to be there, not because of her problems with Charlie. Plus, he kind of likes his quiet little life. "So what you're trying to tell me in the nicest way possible is 'Get the hell out,'" she says. "Like you wouldn't believe," he says.
Bai is working out and Will comes over. He asks him, friend to friend, if he's okay with the drinking. Will says OK, then he's sorry. Bai admits that sometime he overdoes it with the partying but it's not a problem - he's doing okay with school and he's the best wrestler in the state and drinking doesn't get in the way of that.
Will asks if he still wants to do something that night but Bai says he has a test.
Julia comes home. She tells Claudia that she thought about it and it just didn't seem right. "Besides, Sam kicked me out," she says. Claudia is less than enthusiastic. Her and Owen are working on a family tree in macaroni.
Grace comes back from apartment hunting. Charlie is glad. "You know those signs that say 'You could be home now?' Well, you could be home now," he says and takes her into his bedroom where he's put her new comforter. She knows there's a million reasons why it doesn't make sense but he says it's time to shake things up. "We're both making a fresh start, but who says it has to be hard," he says.
Bai comes home. Callie is in the new bar making martinis. She tells him to tell her if they're any good. He's never had them so he's not the best judge but of course he's willing to give it a try. Bai asks if she's going to get down his bed every night. But Callie has a better idea - her bed is a queen, lots of wasted mattress. Bai doesn't think it's a bad idea. "Have I ever told you how great you are?" he asks her as he downs the rest of the martini.
Back to
Season 3 Episode Guide.