Season 5, Episode 20: The Wish


The credits: mary ward, julie warner, with tim dekay, and jacob smith as owen, benny grant, bryan buffinton, erik austin, edited by richard freeman a.c.e., production designer bill eigenbrodt, director of photography steven h. smith, co-producer valerie joseph, producer daniel attias, producer paul marks, supervising producer steven robman, consulting producer p.k. simonds, co-executive producer tammy ader, executive producer ken topolsky, executive producer john romano, written by dan peterson, directed by adam nimoy

Co-starring Greg Poland as Cop, Terry Cain as Deforis, Danny Hart as Gregory, Tanya Linette Smith as Joy, Najla Said as Nurse, Chelsea Dodson as Angie
Transcribed by Rachel

Julia carries a box of Owen's toys into the kitchen where Bailey is waiting to take them. She tells him that some of Owen's clothes are still upstairs. Bay will take them later. She asks him to stay for breakfast, but he doesn't think that's a good idea. Julia thinks it would be a good thing if Bay spent some time with him--it's been weeks. Bay thinks he seems . . . Charlie walks in and asks what he seems like. Bay thinks he's angry, which he completely understands. Charlie isn't, he just doesn't want to get into the whole postmortem about it. He asks how Owen is. Bay says he's good and Charlie can come to the loft and see him, it doesn't only have to be at school. Charlie says he will. Claudia comes in and greets them. She asks what's going on today. They all act casual and say they have nothing special. Charlie asks her if she needs a ride to school. She doesn't, she's just going to go. Julia asks her to get her some milk out of the fridge. Claudia sighs and opens the refrigerator door. There's a "Sweet Sixteen" sign and her gift on the shelf. They all laugh and hug her. The party is at Bailey's party that night and they will all be there.

Junior High School
Charlie is walking to his car with Valerie, the assistant principal who also has a baby. She is talking about how tired she is after a faculty meeting. Charlie offers to carry her diaper bag and briefcase. He has gotten so good at carrying Diana and other things that he thinks pretty soon he'll be carrying things on his head. She can do anything with a kid in her arms, take a shower, put on her make-up . . . she tells him just to put the stuff in the back of her station wagon. He throws in her bags and his diaper bag, which was on the same shoulder. She comments that he has two kids. Charlie tells her that it's just him and Diana now, Owen is living with his other brother now. She asks what happened. He said it's a long story and he doesn't have time right now. She thanks him and drives off. As Charlie walks to the truck he realizes he left his diaper bag in her car. He calls after her, but she's gone. Charlie asks Diana to please stay cool and dry for a little while longer. They'll stop at a market on the way to Uncle Bailey's.

Auto Shop
Claudia comes to Griffin's work site to ask him to come to the party. He's not coming, he's sorry. She says that she has special privileges because it's her birthday--like a dying person's last request. He can't refuse her, he's coming to her party. Griffin points out that her family put the party together and nobody bothered to invite him. She should do the math. She asks if she can bring him a piece of cake. Definitely. He wishes her happy birthday and gives her a tight hug. Claudia gives him a little smile as they pull away. He can't believe it's her sweet sixteen. He thought for sure she was older, at least 18 or 19 by now, he teases her.

Salinger's
As Bailey is trying to leave the restaurant one of the servers tries to talk to him about the new rules put in by the new manager. He can't talk to her right now, his sister is having a birthday party and he needs to get to it. She tells him about half hour staff meetings before each shift. He thinks it's a good idea. What about personal phone calls restricted to less than one minute. She has kids at home. Bailey takes the sheet, he thinks that is a little extreme. He'll look into the phone call thing. Lauren is their boss now, they have to talk to her. She's not that bad. Suddenly there is a well-dressed woman at Bailey's shoulder, asking who's not that bad. He tries to cover, it's Lauren, the new manager. She asks what he's still doing there, but since he is she still has six things on her list. She comments that the kitchen is too small and starts walking that way, looking back for Bay to follow her. He just sighs.

Loft
Sarah and Owen are trying to put up the "Happy Birthday" banner, but after much consternation, Sarah just gives up. The timer is ringing and Sarah goes to check on what's in the oven. Claudia is on the phone with her friend Abby. It turns out that the ice hockey team is coming to her party, big jocks who wouldn't notice her if they sat on her. There seems to have been a rumor of free beer. Claudia gets off the phone and tells Sarah. She asks if that's a bad thing, they are just guys who make Claudia think about things she's not trying to think about. There's no trouble with thinking. Claudia's thinking she didn't dress for this. She's wearing a white T-shirt. She would have spent some time in her closet thinking. Sarah tells her to come spend some time in hers.

Salinger's
Lauren is concerned about kitchen staff swapping shifts without telling anyone. Bay says it's worked fine. So far, she adds. She also is intrigued with the quaint practice of running the phantom tab. Bay asks what she's talking about. She points to an old man sitting at the end of the bar eating. Bay says that Louie has been coming here longer than he has and was one of his dad's best friends. She points out that if they added the per seat revenue and the food that he eats . . . Bailey doesn't want to know. She asks him what he meant when he put the ad in the paper asking for a manager. He tells her that Salingers works in a certain way. And so does she, unless he doesn't want her to. He says of course not, he just wishes she would treat people nicely, in a way that would make them want to stay. She says she will, in her own way, with her own rules. He agrees except for, and he takes the clipboard from her and starts marking on her list. She thought he had to leave. He comments that he didn't remember reading "boot camp" on her resume.

Bailey's building
Julia goes to get on the elevator to Sarah and Bay's loft. Griffin shows up just as the doors are closing. He offers to wait for the next one, but she tells him to get on board. Griffin asks what floor Bailey's place is on. She says it's on six.

Salinger's
Bailey finishes with the list and hands it back to Lauren. He's going home, the place is hers. Sarcastically, she says that it really feels that way. Suddenly the lights go out. Bay wonders what happened. Lauren says she's thinking that he asked that guy Louie to pay the electric bill.

Elevator
Griffin comments that it's a slow elevator. He pushes the button again to see if it will go faster. Suddenly the lights go out and the elevator stops. Julia asks what he did.

Street
Charlie is on his way to Bailey's when the lights go out all over the neighborhood he's in. He can't believe it. He's having a diaper crisis.

Loft
Claudia (who's now wearing a little black dress) and Sarah are finding candles and flashlights. Owen is scared, but Sarah comforts him. There's a knock at the door. Claudia goes and much to her horror admits three members of the hockey team. They ask if she's Claudia Salinger, reading it off a piece of paper. They had to climb up the steps to get there. The last guy comments that the power must be out in their building. As he passes Claudia comments to Sarah how astute he is, he must be the goalie. Owen calls them over to the window. The lights are out all over the city.

Street
Charlie is listening to the radio as Diana gets more upset. It will be several hours before power is restored and the mayor has declared a state of emergency. There will be a 9 p.m. curfew. Charlie pulls into an alley and gets Diana out. He got her into it, he'll get her out of it.

Salinger's
Lauren is figuring the checks out by hand. There are several customers who need to leave, to get home to their children. Bay asks if they can just let them go. The woman asks if they can legally keep them there. Lauren says that skipping a check when the power is out is looting. Bay can't believe she said that. He takes the calculator away from her. There's a black-out going on. They aren't holding people hostage to their checks. He steps aside and announces that anybody who has to get home to their families should go and they will trust them to come back and settle up. Lauren says if they will just wait their turn, they'll have the checks in a moment. The woman's little girl asks why they're fighting. Their server comes out from the kitchen. She has their check and her other tables as well. A customer comments that he's glad someone is doing their job.

Elevator
Griffin and Julia call out for help to no avail. Griffin says if it's a black-out, they'll check the elevator first. Julia can't believe that she is trapped and has all the candles for the cake and Claudia's CDs. Griffin tries to reassure her by telling her how the car clamps to the guardrails and the cables are triple welded. She asks if they can please just talk about it. He wonders what they need to talk about. She comments that they were married--can't they at least say what's on their mind. He tells her to say whatever she wants to say. She has some trouble with the way he handled the whole Ned thing, beating him up and the whole kidnapping thing-- Griffin is glad they're trying to clear some air. She admits that it was a lousy relationship, but he didn't give her any credit--he calls for someone to get them out of there--but he should forget all that. She thanks him, just thank you. She's been wanting to say that for such a long time.

Street
Charlie finds a policeman and asks if there are any markets nearby that are open. The cop says most of them are closing for the curfew, but there is a hospital a few blocks up on Union. Charlie says that he knows that hospital pretty well and takes off that way.

Loft
The hockey players are hanging out with Owen while Claudia and Sarah talk in the kitchen. Sarah tells her to just go over and talk to them. Claudia asks what she should say. Sarah hands her the plate of nachos and tells her to say that. Claudia is concerned about a second question like, "what kind of cheese is this?" or "Have you ever been to second base?" Sarah tells her not to worry, they're just high school guys like her. No, they aren't like her. They have all had sex. Sarah knows why that is scary but the truth is, who cares? Claudia says that they barely know her name. Sarah asks why they are checking her out. Claudia gets all uncomfortable. Sarah calls Mikey, the goalie over. He asks what he can do for them. Sarah passes him the drinks and pushes Claudia and the nachos out into the living room.

Hospital
Charlie is changing Diana's diaper in the ER when Paul, Kirsten's ex-husband, shows up. He inquires if Charlie and the baby are okay. Charlie tells him about the diaper bag mishap. Paul's really jammed up, so he has to go. Charlie asks if he can do anything. Paul asks him to give blood. He can go up to Peds and get what Diana needs and he'll send a nurse up to take his blood.

Elevator
Griffin and Julia are now sitting on the floor while Griffin lights the birthday candles for more light. She asks if there is anything he wants to say. No. She asks if he's sure, because now is the right time, they're stuck for who knows how long--he wants to know why she didn't call him. After all the stuff that happened, he didn't even hear from her. She admits that she should have done that. He just wanted to know that she was okay. She was embarrassed. Of him? No, of the way that she was, the way that he saw her. She was so pathetic. He asks when she ever cared what he thought. He can't believe that after she wouldn't listen to anything he said about Ned, that she tried to divorce him to shut her up. She tells him that he's completely wrong. Griffin thinks she thinks he's just a nuisance to her. She can't believe he thinks she's that dense. She was with a guy who claimed to love her who hurt her and a guy who claimed he didn't, did so much to try and help her. Respect him? What she feels for him right now is so much more than that.

Loft
Claudia goes to sit down next to one of the guys. He moves to put his arm on the back of the couch and she jumps up. She gets overly hostile about him putting a move on her. That wasn't what he was doing at all. Sarah comes over and pulls Claudia into her bedroom. Claud is way too tense, she's vibrating. Claudia asks why, they're the enemies, they're the ones that are sitting out there copping free feels, checking her out. Sarah says they're just flirting, trying to have fun. She tells Claudia not to be so afraid. Of what? Of sex. Claudia thinks she should be scared of sex. Careful yes, respectful, definitely, but not scared. Claudia asks if she's heard of STDs or pregnancy. It's not a bad thing to be scared of sex. Sarah says it's only because she doesn't know what sex is, heck, Sarah didn't either. Claudia points out that she knows what sex is, she's turning 16, not 11. Of course, she knows about the physical part, but there is a whole lot more to it. Sarah really wishes one of their mothers was there right now, but if she has to do it, she'll do it. She goes to her closet and pulls out several condoms. She asks if Claudia has ever seen one of them. Claudia can't believe that she's holding Bailey's condoms. Sarah said that they are Bailey and hers. Claudia knows about that, men cannot be trusted to provide for themselves. Sarah pulls her over to the bed, they need to talk.

Salinger's
Bailey and Lauren walk the last customers out to the door. After they leave Lauren says they have to get a few things straight. Bay agrees with her. She pisses off the people they need to keep around. He won't let her run the place the way she wants to. She calls him a control freak. He thinks she is one too. She wants him to go and let her do her job. He points out that it's his name on the glass and his name on the matchbooks, he has a right to have it done the way he wants. She tells him the receipts are in the cashbox. He asks where she's going. Home. He can't believe it. They still have food to pack up in the kitchen. She hands him her keys. She's going home, she quits.

Loft
Sarah tells Claudia that being safe means being with someone you really trust, even if it means waiting years and years. She waited years and years. She asks if this makes any sense. Claudia says it does, but why is she so scared? Sarah says when the time is right she'll feel right and he'll be right and then there won't be anything to be scared of anymore. Those guys out there are nothing to be scared of. They knock at the door, wondering what's going on in the bedroom. Claudia answers it and says they were just having some girltalk. Freddie wants to ask her a question. Sarah tells her to go talk to him. She does. As Sarah walks past the third player, he checks her out.

Salinger's
Bailey is on the phone with Sarah as he wraps up food. He can't come home, without the electricity the alarm won't work. He says he can just blow it off and come home, but Sarah says she is fine. Lauren shows up. Bay asks if she thought of some more names to call him. She did, but that isn't why she came. She came to tell him he was right. Not about everything, not about most of it, but she admits that she has a problem. All her life she has driven off family, employers, boyfriends. She doesn't even know how it happens. She tries to solve all of their problems and somehow she crosses this line and she is the problem. Like with him today. He tries to cut her off, but she has to say it. Her name is Lauren and she's a control freak. Bay comes over and admits that they are the San Francisco chapter of Control Freaks Anonymous. He moves that for their first meeting they eat really fast, otherwise $2,000 worth of haute cuisine is headed for the landfill. That is, unless she doesn't want to, because at CFA, they will never tell you what to do. She'd like that.

Hospital
Charlie and Paul are walking down the hallway. They converted the floor right after Christmas, it used to be Charlie's floor. He comments on how this is where it all began. He met Daphne through Kevin and that's how he got Diana. Now it's just the two of them. Paul says it isn't just the two of them. Charlie knows that. He was also thinking that Paul was a friend too. He realizes that they haven't talked since things fell apart with Kirsten, but he hopes Paul is okay. Paul is a little surprised. He starts to say something, but then decides not to. Charlie tries to follow up, but the nurse comes and needs Paul again.

Elevator
Griffin has Julia on his shoulders checking out the elevator shaft. He slips and she falls down on top of him. They look at each other for a moment and despite his admonitions, they start to kiss. She wants him to tell her he doesn't want this, that it doesn't feel wrong. He kisses her more deeply.

Loft
The third hockey player makes another move on Sarah. She laughs him off. Freddie needs some advice about what to get his girlfriend for her birthday. Claudia recommends giving her something that he treasures and then she'll like it because it's important to him. He asks about giving the girlfriend his hockey puck that Wayne Gretzky signed. She asks if he has any other ideas.

Salinger's
As Lauren and Bailey sit down to eat the leftover food she asks if he noticed that she never worked at any place for more than two years. He did, but they were all good places. He just figured that she needed new challenges. She needs a new address, a new place to go where everybody doesn't want to kill her. Bay can relate. She can't believe that's true of him...man of the people, Mr. Billion dollar dimples. He says that she hasn't met his older brother yet. She thought it was just about the kid's dyslexia, it wasn't about control. Or was it? Bay says that everybody says he takes care of everybody. Why is that? Because he's so much better at it or because he just doesn't think anybody else can do it like he can. She tells him he's preaching to the choir. Maybe that's why she can't keep a boyfriend. She asks if he has a girlfriend. He tells her about Sarah. Well, she thinks that means there's hope for the rest of the control freaks.

Elevator
Griffin and Julia continue to make out. He pulls back. They need to think. She asks why. They can't make another mistake. She tells him to stop worrying. They start to pull their clothes off.

Salinger's
Lauren is really, really full. Bay feeds her one last taste and accidentally gets raspberry sauce on her new silk blouse. He tries to treat it with club soda. While he's working on the lapel she looks very intently at him. Their eyes meet and they pause for a moment and then the lights come back on. Bailey gets up. He should go look at the alarm. She'll go look at the computer and make sure they're still on-line, that is as long as she still works there. He tells her that what happens during a blackout doesn't count.

Loft
Julia and Griffin get off the elevator, looking none worse for the wear. He tries to leave, it feels kind of weird. She wants him to stay. Sarah opens the door and asks where they've been. Julia says they were stuck in the elevator. She asks if they are okay, they look a little shaken up. Both Julia and Griffin say they're okay. They go in to the party.

Hospital
Charlie is just getting into a cab when Paul runs out to catch them. Charlie asks him what he was trying to say earlier. Paul tells him that he and Kirsten belong together. Charlie says that's the furthest thing from the truth, when they were together--. Paul says that he knows Kirsten, they were married and he knows things that even Charlie doesn't. All Charlie did was make her unhappy and she's trying to move on. Paul is just doing this for her and Charlie needs to hear him out. He's the biggest idiot, he should have seen it coming from the beginning. When they first got together, all they ever talked about what Charlie, about how because of Paul she could stop obsessing about him. Charlie says he's sorry, but Paul says it was him. He told himself that he was helping her get away from him, but he was always where she was headed. Paul tells Charlie that he keeps saying he's alone now, but he isn't. He should think about what Paul said.

Loft
Bailey arrives home to a house full of guests. He asks why she didn't put up the birthday banner. She points out there was a blackout. He continues and then says just to forget it. Claudia is pleased to see Griffin and Julia. Julia asks who all the boys are. Charlie and Diana come in and Owen runs up to them. Kirsten comes over and gets Diana. Charlie looks at her with new eyes. She asks him what's going on, but he says nothing. She does away playing with the baby. Charlie watches her.

Julia comes over to Griffin and asks if he ever wishes he was 16 again. She does, so the whole grown-up world could go away. He points out that it isn't going to. It doesn't work that way. She asks if they could let it, please, for tonight? He hands her a cup of punch and caresses her face.

Charlie comes into the kitchen and asks Bailey for some juice for Diana. He pulls it out of the refrigerator. Bay pulls out the cake. Charlie comments that Owen looks good, he's happy. Bay thanks him. Charlie comments on Claud's new friends.

Mikey offers to get Claudia another drink. Sarah comes over and asks if she feels any older. She says that Mikey asked her if she wanted to go out to the Overlook, to park. Sarah is surprised. Claud says that she told him to call her in year or two, when she was a little bit older. Besides, she isn't sure he's her type. The lights go out again, but it's Bailey with the birthday cake. Everybody sings and cheers. Kirsten tells her to make a wish. Sarah tells her to not tell anyone, or it won't come true. Claudia looks around at Charlie holding Owen, Bailey and Julia smiling and says she isn't worried. She blows the candles out.
Notes:

Claudia got her wish and so did I! When we last saw this family they were in some pretty major turmoil, but for what ever reason they were able to suck up and deal with it and have moved on with their lives. That is a good thing and made for a very strong episode. As I have often stated, the new writer makes me nervous. Dan Peterson has made a strong first showing here and Adam "Son of Leonard" Nimoy was a fine presence behind the camera. From the opening scene I had a feeling that it was going to be a good one. We had the family almost totally together and we had some continuity. That's right...Claudia's birthday is in April and she is supposed to turn 16 this year. Teasing her was especially funny because it isn't like they haven't ever forgotten her birthday before!

So, a black-out. That's something that can either work or really suck. I think as a concept it flew here. It wasn't completely implausible and it set up the plot for each story. The scenes flowed sensibly and even though it was highly improbable I liked that everyone was there for the party after they each had their separate journey to get there. On a technical note, the trouble lights were a good mechanism to provide light in a natural fashion rather than that weirdly light stage darkness.

Interesting choice to take Charlie back to the hospital. I was thinking that was where it all began and it was amazing to hear him say it as well. I have felt that Charlie isn't interested in Kirsten, but clearly it is something he has just had to shut off for himself, the only way he can deal with having her in his life is to not think about her romantically. Now that Paul has given him the wake-up slap maybe he will act on those old feelings. I don't think I'll be disappointed. I'm not sure yet, but deep down I think I still love Charlie and Kirsten together. I just talked to my little brother (who I first watched the show with) and he told me he had seen the previews and that he couldn't believe that what I had predicted might be coming true. It seems like it could be heading that way...we'll just have to wait and see!

Now, what I'm trying to figure out is why Bailey needs a manager. Isn't that part of running a family business? Charlie probably would have loved to have a manager, but he always did it himself. Why is Bailey, who is supposed to really have an aptitude for this, turning it over to someone else? Having complained about that, I like Lauren and I think she adds a dynamic that we have needed. There should always be someone on the scene that sets things a little on edge (think Callie or Grace). It keeps everything interesting and I thought her presence brought out an aspect of Bailey's need to have Owen that everyone was missing.

Julia and Griffin have really been through the wringer. I liked that she wanted to talk about what had happened, to bring some closure to the situation with Ned. She was even a little humble and apologetic about the whole thing which is not the usual routine for her. But in the end, they are still young and impulsive. Not terribly surprising that they ended up doing whatever it was that they did.

I also liked the scenes with Claudia and Griffin. Without completely hitting us over the head, I think we're being given some clues of things to come.

Claudia is sixteen. You knew and I knew it. It must have just been Bailey who was confused last fall about when her birthday was or how old she was. This is the guy who was 20 one month and 19 a few months later. Then again...okay, I'm not going to complain about age inconsistency anymore, it really doesn't matter.

The sex talk. My first thought was that I hate how they are making Sarah everybody's mother, but she realizes it and wishes it was different, but it isn't. I wish we had seen a little more of her discussing what she considers safe, responsible sex, but I think it was good that she demonstrated how she and Bailey had waited and waited until it was the right time. We know all about the ups and downs of their relationship, but Claudia didn't. The party looked like fun and for an old Guiding Light watcher it was fun to see Little Billy (Bryan Buffinton) show up here as Mikey, the goaltender. As a native Minnesotan, I won't even question the fantasy of high school ice hockey in San Francisco.

I think Party of Five has really hit its stride again. We're five episodes away from the season finale and indications are for a very strong finish.

Copyright ©1999 by Rachel Vagts. All rights reserved.
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