Season 6, Episode 8: Fate, Hope and Charity

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Teleplay by: Amy Lippman & Christopher Keyser and Melissa Rosenberg
Story by: Melissa Rosenberg & Mimi Schmir
Directed by: Daniel Attias

Co-starring Alice Carter as Dr. Yang, D.J. Berg as Franklin, Debi Derryberry as Mrs. Pinchon, Loridawn Messuri as Tribeca, Andy Brewster as Barry, Colette Mann as nurse

Transcribed by Rachel

Bailey is at the restaurant listening to his date laugh uncontrollably. He is clearly not enjoying himself. She explains that she tried to tell it to her girlfriend, but she couldn't get it right. Bay points out that it wasn't even a joke. Bailey excuses himself to talk to Joe.

He walks over to the bar and asks Joe to talk to him and to please not laugh at anything he says. Joe teases him about being a funny guy. As they are talking Bay sees Tracey come in. She was bored and thought she could lure him away. He wishes, but it's a busy night. The other date notices them talking. Tracey wonders if there might be a couple of minutes to go "check out the wine cellar." Bay promises her another night. She tells him it's his loss. Bay goes back to the other woman. She's cool to him and asks who the other woman is. Is she somebody else he's dating? Bailey sees his out and admits that he is dating her. The date acts mad, but then starts laughing again. Nah, but she had him going there.

Credits

Kirsten and Charlie's apartment
Charlie is tells Kirsten that it's no big deal, it's just a number. She agrees, just a number. He's still the same old him. Thirty is just another birthday, so no big party, just dinner with the family or something. She thinks that's good, to surround him with his loved ones. If he feels like it's no big deal and he wants to ignore it, then that's fine. Charlie isn't sure they should ignore it. Again, Kirsten downplays the birthday. Charlie responds that it isn't nothing. It is a pretty big milestone. If he wants his brothers and sisters to come by, they can make a big pot of pasta. Charlie thinks they need more than pasta. Kirsten doesn't know what to tell him, but she's ready to take her medicine. Is he ready for his? She hands him the hypodermic for her hormone shot and Charlie smiles.

Grant High School
Claudia and her friends are meeting to discuss the plans for Homecoming. It's going to be a tropical island theme. Claudia is in charge of the refreshments. As she goes through her ideas, Derek shows up. Alexa greets him by teasing him about being 20 minutes late. He's on the music committee with Cameron. Claudia grows upset as first Cameron and Derek, and then Alexa tease and wrestle. She gets up, unnoticed, and leaves.

College of Fine Arts
Julia is leaving school as Brian calls out for her. She's surprised to see him. She thought he went back to Santa Cruz. He did, but he wanted to apologize for the kiss thing. She asks what the deal was. He admits it was inappropriate. She agrees and asks him to forget about it. He wonders if they can. He hopes so because he doesn't want to wreck what Julia and Evan have going on.

Basement
Charlie and Bailey go down into the basement. Bailey wants to get it cleaned up before Will gets back from him trip. Charlie asks for more clarification about the scene in the restaurant. One at the table and one in the wine cellar? Bay reminds him that they never actually got to the wine cellar. He pulls out Charlie's drafting projects. He didn't want them to get lost in the clean-up. Charlie returns to the earlier topic. He thought he was a dog, but Bay puts him to shame. Bay says it isn't anything to brag about. Two women begging for him? Bay says that's just it. They were begging. Where is the thrill of the pursuit in that? Charlie thinks that's way overrated. Bay should take it from an old man who has had it both ways. The doorbell rings and Bailey goes upstairs to answer it as Charlie calls for more details.

Bailey opens the door and a woman walks in stating that she is Holly. She has an accent (I'm not sure yet if it is English or Australian) and asks if John is ready yet. Bay informs her that she has the wrong house. She's very embarrassed, but Bailey is charmed. They look at her note and she meant to get the house across the street. She's going to be very late now for the third and probably final date. She excuses herself, but asks if she looks okay. Bay tells her that she's "very presentable."

Holly walks over to the right house as Bailey calls for her to wait. She asks what's wrong. He says nothing, it's the opposite, rather. What are the chances of the two of them running into each other. Slightly worse than the chances of her finding her real date. He argues that it was meant to be. She tells him she's not really into fate. He isn't either. He asks her out. She's on a date. Okay, she can go out with him tomorrow. She's sorry, but she doesn't really know him. He introduces himself. He lives in that house, he's 21 years old, he runs a restaurant, he likes sports and music. She tells him to go away. He tells her not to ring the doorbell. She did, three times. He needs to leave. He says that sometimes he just can't take no for an answer. When you feel a connection and fate has spoken so clearly... She tells him that he's out of his mind. He gives her his card. She doesn't take it until he puts it in her hand. The door opens and reveals John's roommate. He asks who Bailey is.

Kitchen
Owen and Claudia are working at the table. Victor is reading a magazine on one side of the counter while Daphne sits on the other side. Griffin comes in and touches her shoulder. Bailey comes in and checks out what Owen is working on. It's Charlie's birthday card. Bay reminds Victor about Charlie's birthday on Saturday. He'll be there. Bay asks Griffin and Daphne if they'll be there. Us guys? Claudia says that Charlie would definitely want them there. Daphne asks why they are referring to them together. She smiles at Victor. What did he say? Why does it have to be him? She's the one stopping by every day to borrow sugar. He just didn't deny it. Bay asks what the big deal is. As long as they are happy...

Coffee House
Evan and Julia are going over the editorial comments on her book. She thinks they are all terrible. One person said that "the author's verbiage would be better suited for the advice column in a teen magazine." Evan knows it's hard, but this is how a book gets good. It's getting the toughest reactions and making the necessary changes. She thinks she should have never asked to look at them. Evan thinks she was smart to ask. It's better to look at them herself than for them to be filtered through him. She's upset. She worked so hard on the book. Evan doesn't say anything. She asks if he can slip his publisher's hat off long enough to slip her some memos, why can't he leave it off long enough to show her some sympathy. Can't he say, "Hey, honey, this sucks" or "I believe in you." He reminds her that she knows that is true, obviously. Yeah, well it would be nice to hear it from the person that she's dating. He says that he can repeat what she says. Yes, he does believe in her. Okay?

Evan's house
Brian comes in to find Julia working in the living room. Evan is asleep. He asks if she's working on a paper or a mid-term tomorrow? No, she got the notes back on her first draft. Brian asks if they are harsh. She nods. He asks to look at them. He picks them up and laughs. Idiot. She asks how he can know. He hasn't even read her book, maybe the guy is right. Brian admits that he doesn't know, it's just that he spelled ineffectual wrong, with an "a." Julia looks at it. Brian picks up the next one, that memo is by "PU." How could you like anything with that for your name? Julia laughs again. How is she supposed to stay depressed when he's cheering her up. Brian points out that they are jealous. To be as young as she is and as smart as she is and ...as smart as she is. There is an uncomfortable silence. She thinks she should stop obsessing and go to bed. They say goodnight.

Carnival
Bailey and Holly are walking through the game part of a carnival. He asks about her first kiss. It was with Teresa Osmond. Bailey is intrigued. She was practicing, for her second kiss with Doug Harrison. He was very dreamy. He let her wear his spider ring for half of her seventh year. Only half? He was very clingy, a bit like Bailey on the street the day before. Bailey buys them cotton candy. Now it's his turn. She asks when was the first time a girl won him a stuffed animal. That would be today. Good. And her charm bracelet is no less meaningful because he had to bribe the man for it. Bailey admits that he likes her. She had a feeling. He doesn't know if she's noticed, but his suave, charming levels are seriously off. She had noticed, but he gets points off for having to point that out. They laugh. She likes him too, only not as much as he likes her, which she senses is what is going to keep him interested. He asks if she knows his type. Premed from freshman year, refused to take any money from her parents so she worked two part-time jobs, she'd rather drive than be a passenger, she thinks ordering in a restaurant should be a competitive sport, tell her she can't be something, do something, she's there. She doesn't just know his type, she is his type. He could have told her that.

Backyard
Julia comes out to find Griffin working. He's been there a lot lately. Business is good. She comments on the fact that Daphne has been around a lot lately, too. She should have put that together. She thinks it's cool. Actually, her first reaction is to be a little jealous at the thought of him being with anyone. He tells her there isn't anything to be jealous of. He and Daphne aren't together like that. She's fun and everything, but he doesn't see them together. Julia asks if he saw them together before they were. That's just it. He and Julia were a terrible match. That's kind of what made it for him, it was a big surprise. He and Daphne are so much alike. Julia asks if he's told her how he feels. He doesn't answer. He should probably let her know.

Basement
Owen and Charlie are going through his stuff. Owen asks what all the rolled up papers are. They are from his furniture business. Owen also finds a bunch of pencils and erasers. Charlie needs those too. Charlie finds a box with a model house he built. Owen asks if it's a doll house. Charlie explains that it's the model of a real house you could build. Owen asks where he got it. Charlie tells him that he made it for school, a long, long time ago.

Grant High School
Claudia tells Alexa that she's quitting the Homecoming committee. Alexa tells her that they need her. Claudia asks if they need Derek. She doesn't get how Alexa can sit and joke around with him after what he did to Claudia. Alexa agrees that he was a total jerk, but it was a while ago... A jerk? He was worse than a jerk. Alexa asks if that is her position now. She was the one who decided not to report him and if suddenly she regrets that, it's not fair for Claudia to ask all of them to punish Derek for her.

Evan's house
Julia comes in calling out that she brought food. Brian comes out of the kitchen. She asks if Evan is back yet. Brian doesn't know, he was just back to pack up. He's going back to Santa Cruz. Julia asks why he's going so suddenly. It turns out that he sort of talked himself into believing that the kiss was a weird combination of her helping him work things out with his dad and how she looked as well coupled with his girlfriendlessness. She tells him he doesn't have to feel bad about it. They're okay, they're friends. Actually, she's okay, but deep down he's a guy who's waiting for an opportunity and that isn't right because she's with his dad, so before something happens and he makes an even bigger idiot of himself, he's going to go. He leaves. Julia looks up to see Evan standing on the stairs. She asks him how much he...enough. He turns and walks away.

Salinger's
Holly and Bailey are having dinner. She says that sooner or later their date is going to have to end. Bailey votes for later. He asks if she would like an espresso, cappuccino, tea. She'll take whatever he recommends. He recommends that she go out with him again. She thinks there are lot of advantages of having one really nice date and then never going out together again. Such as? Well, you're left with a really perfect, intact memory and you never get around to disappointing one another. He asks if that always have to happen. She thinks that most people have skeletons in their closet that eventually have to come out. Well, Bay's are the standard issue skeletons: problems that he's overcome, a long-term relationship that ended in the fall. She asks if there are scars from that. Some. Joe comes over with a man. He's sorry to interrupt. Bailey asks if he would send over an assortment of desserts. Joe will, but there is a gentleman to see Bailey. The guy asks if he's Salinger. It's Franklin, Tracey's husband. She told him what Bailey's been doing, not that he couldn't figure it out. There are matchbooks from the restaurant all over their place. Holly watches, concerned as the argument continues. Joe tries to move them out of the dining room. Franklin wanted to see what kind of scum would pursue a married woman. He asks if Holly is married, too. She looks disgusted. As Joe tries to remove him, Franklin turns and punches Bailey.

Evan's house
Julia and Evan are eating dinner. She asks if they can talk about it. Evan says yesterday was okay. It wasn't. She should have told him and that makes it look like it was more than it was. It really didn't mean anything to her. Evan tells her to forget it. She didn't want to upset him and he understands. He's not angry. She tells him that he doesn't have say that. It's pretty horrible. He says it isn't hard to explain. She and Brian are close in age. It only makes sense that he would be interested in her. He's sure that Brian is angry at him for the things with his mom and for Evan being with Julia. He'll clear the dishes, she should relax.

Grant High School
Alexa and Cameron are the Homecoming king and queen. They are having their picture taken at the dance. Alexa thinks they should get one with the whole court. All of their friends except Claudia go up. Myra comes over to talk to Claudia. This crap is going to drive her to drink. She pulls out a bottle and takes a swig. She knows that Claudia probably hates her, but she talked to Charlie and he's cool. Claudia says that he told her. Alexa calls for her to come up and have her picture taken. Myra tells her to go. Claudia asks if Myra has enough to go around. They leave.

Street
Holly comes out to her car to find a bouquet of flowers on it. Bailey walks up. She asks how he found her car. He walked up and down the block until he found the car with the med center parking sticker. He wanted to explain. She tells him that she's not storming out in some indignant huff. She hasn't earned the right yet, she barely knows him. All she's trying to say is that this...he isn't right for her. Can't they just leave it at that and walk away? No, he doesn't want to. He was in a relationship for four years that meant pretty much everything to him. It just ended and he felt like he needed to do the complete opposite, to have a relationship that meant nothing. The fact that she was married, was unavailable made it pointless, an exercise to get Sarah out of her head. Holly thinks that Bailey is probably a good guy and the he doesn't make a habit of having illicit affairs with married women, but he's still a kid. She wants to be with somebody who knows that having an affair with a married woman is a stupid idea before it begins. She doesn't want to be with someone who is still learning all of his life lessons on her time. It's that simple, so thank you for a lovely date and have a nice life. She hands the flowers back to him and gets her in car.

Evan's house
Evan comes home to find Julia packing up her backpack. She apologizes. She knows that he just rented movies for them, but she has a lot of work. He says that he understands and kisses her on the forehead. He understands? Yeah, no problem, they'll rent them another time. She asks why it is never a problem, why he always understands. How is that possible? No one is that understanding. He asks if it is still about Brian. No, it's about everything. Every step of the way it's been this. She has to force him to feel every emotion. He is not unfeeling. Okay, then, to express it. He can't actually tell her that knowing that his son kissed his girlfriend made him feel nothing. Okay, so it bothers him. What does she want him to do? Start yelling and screaming? Maybe. Does she want him to draw a graph with every single emotion? He's not that kind of person. Not every emotion, just some. She wants more of him, she wants him to give more to her than he would give to an editor he just hired or to a bank teller. Otherwise, what does it matter that they are together? She gets to see him naked, great, but anything deeper is off limits. That isn't going to work for her.

Grant High School
Alexa calls Claudia over. She's clearly drunk. Rhiannon hopes she saved some for them. Claudia is sorry, but it's all gone. Derek thinks he should go get the bottle he stashed in his locker. Claudia tells the girls to be careful. Derek is one dangerous guy when he drinks. They should all know that. Alexa tries to stop her. Claudia points out that Alexa should know about Derek and so should Cam. She's sure that Derek told him about it. Derek wonders what she's talking about. She says that she's been drinking and you never know what she'll say. Cameron tries to get her to walk off. She wonders if he's afraid of what she'll say about him. He tells her to not do it. She wonders what he doesn't want her to do; say what she thinks or what she feels, because if she does, things might not stay the same. That's what it's all about, right? When you on the top and looking down it's a nice view. She's so tired of what she's seeing. She turns and leaves.

Street
Griffin is waiting for Daphne after she gets off work at the strip club. She's pleasantly surprised to see him and kisses him. He asks how she's doing. She's great, she got a great tip and only had to serve the guy a beer. Griffin asks if they can go somewhere and talk. She wonders if they can go for a quick ride instead. Griffin wants to go for coffee, but Daphne wants another lesson on the bike. Griffin only has one helmet and they need to talk. She just wants to go for a quick ride. Griffin agrees, but gives the helmet to Daphne. He instructs her on starting the bike. They take off onto the street. He tells her to slow down. She has to swerve to miss a car and they skid out.

Hospital
Charlie, Kirsten, Claudia and Julia are at the hospital after the accident. Julia finally reached Griffin's father in Germany. Charlie comments that they are there for him. When she did talk to him, his only comment was that Griffin was stupid for not wearing a helmet. Victor comes in, asking how they are. Griffin is still in surgery. Daphne just got scraped up a little bit, but they are keeping her in over night. Kirsten thinks she's still sleeping.

The doctor comes in looking for Griffin's family. They ask how he is. He's doing fine. He had some intercranial bleeding, but they evacuated the hematoma and took care of the bleeding. There's no brain damage. Claudia asks if he'll be alright. The doctor says as far as the head injury goes. Julia asks what else is wrong. His right hand was very badly damaged. There were multiple fractures, as well as lacerations of the muscle and tendons. He'll have to undergo reconstructive surgery and there is a chance he won't regain use of his hand. Kirsten asks when they will do the surgery. It's complicated. It's an expensive procedure and he doesn't have insurance. Once he's stable they'll have to transfer him to county. They are adequate, but they don't have the same facilities or staff. Charlie can't believe they would do this. Griffin might lose his hand because he doesn't have insurance. The doctor is sorry. She doesn't make the policy...she doesn't even agree with it. She turns to leave. Julia tells her to wait. They should do the surgery. The Salingers will pay for it. Charlie tells her to hold on. They don't even know how much it will be. Julia disagrees. Working with his hands is Griffin's whole life, they have to do whatever they can. Charlie isn't saying that they shouldn't do it, they just have to figure out who they can. Claudia says to do the surgery, they'll find a way. The doctor says she will have them talk to a hospital administrator while she puts a surgical team together.

Bailey comes into the hospital, stopping at the desk to ask where Griffin is. She directs him to the operating room. Bailey turns to go and runs right into Holly. She can't believe he would follow her to work as well. He tells her he didn't. His friend was in a bad accident. He leaves.

Hospital room
Daphne is in her bed crying when Victor comes in. She asks how Griffin is. Victor tells her she'll be fine. She asks what she has done, getting more upset.

Waiting Room
Evan comes and finds Julia. He asks how Griffin is. She tells him he didn't have to come. He wanted to. He's glad she called him. He wants to be there for her, when things like this happen. Clearly he isn't great at it, but... His timing stinks, but he has been thinking and what she said about him is true. She's not the first one, Brian, his wife, they have all said that he gets so bottled up. He's made so many excuses to other people, that it was their problem but finally he has admitted that there is work to do and he wants to do it. Will she just bear with him? She smiles. The problem is that she just wrote her book about her whole life and now she finds it hard to not notice that she keeps doing this, she keeps getting involved with guys who say "I have a problem, bear with me." Maybe she thought it would be different with him this time, because Ned didn't have control of any of his emotions, or maybe she did think he was the same. The thing is, she cares so much about him. She might even love him, but it's too much work. It's too much and she's sorry, but she can't anymore. She can't.

Hospital roof
It's the next morning and Kirsten comes to find Charlie. She wishes him happy birthday with a muffin and a candle. He was looking at Griffin lying in his bed and thinking that not too long ago it was him. She remembers. He promised himself that if he got out of there he wasn't going to waste his time on things that didn't matter. He's going to quit teaching. The factory pays more and they need the money. But, he loves teaching. It doesn't matter, what matters the most to him now is making their baby. The rest of it, the stuff he dreamed about, the designing, will come in time. She asks if he is sure. Yeah, he is. The funny thing is, he is. There have been so many times...when their parents died, when she left, when he got sick. He just had to trust fate and if he just held on, then things would come back to him and they always did and they will again. If he just holds on, they will again.

Hallway
An orderly brings Bailey a cup of coffee. He thanks him as Holly comes over. She's very sorry about what she said before. She asks how his friend is. They are still waiting to hear, but he's in pretty bad shape. Motorcycles. He asks if they are too out of control for her. Too young. She'll keep her fingers crossed for his friend. She pegged him wrong. He's a lot of things and not all them good, but a kid he isn't. If she only knew what the last six years of his life have been like. He made a mistake and he'll make a lot more before he's old, but she rang his doorbell by mistake and he ran after her like an idiot, like a kid and he got her to say yes, so she shouldn't tell him there is something wrong with taking chances because she said yes. He walks away.

Griffin's hospital room
Griffin starts to wake up. Julia is sitting next to his bed. He's in a lot of pain. She gives him a little water. She asks how he is. He's been better. He asks about Daphne. He asks if she's been there all night. She wanted to be there. Griffin sees his hand. She tells him they did surgery. It hurts like hell. She goes to get the nurse. He stops her. He wants her to tell him if he's going to be okay. She says he'll be great. He asks her again to just tell him. The hand surgeon is very hopeful and the hospital is the best in the city. Griffin asks if they know for sure. Julia doesn't answer, but puts her hand on his shoulder.
Notes:

It used to be rare the week that Party of Five didn't move me to tears. Now it's rare when it does. Well, this week was one of those times. I'm trying to remember if it was everyone rallying around Griffin...no, it was the scene on the roof of the hospital when Charlie talked about all of his dreams and trying to get back to that. This family is always best when they are rallying around something or someone and this show is always best when Amy Lippman and Chris Keyser are lending their voices to the script. It was an all too rare treat.

Rhona Mitra makes her first appearance here as Holly, Bailey's new flavor of the moment. My initial impression is a good one. She is more mature in the vein of Annie, but without the baggage. We haven't heard yet that she has any major tragedy or trauma in her past and that's not all bad either.

I have to admit that I wasn't as bothered by the Griffin/Daphne coupling as some of you that I've heard from, but it's just as well that it's over. As Victor came in to tell Daphne about Griffin's condition I was struck again by what an amazing actor Jennifer Aspen is. When she's done on this show she is going to do amazing things.

I'm very glad that they didn't just drop the assault storyline with Claudia. I wish they had dealt more with her drunkenness at the school dance. While it is not improbable that she would drink at the party, I doubt her behavior would have gone unnoticed by the chaperones at the dance and I really don't think that she would have sobered up enough to be acting as rational as she did at the hospital. If she does it again I expect to see consequences at home. This is a family that is well aware of the dangers of alcohol.

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sorry to see Kyle Secor and his character Evan go. I thought it was an interesting plot and besides...I'm a huge fan of his. Of course they turfed him out in typical Party of Five fashion. Here one day...gone the next. I'm assuming the book is going with him.

Of course, getting rid of Evan brings Julia right back to Griffin. He is a member of this family, accepted all the way around unlike he ever was when he was married to Julia. This is a family that values their relationships and that shows in their willingness to go to the mat for Griffin. It's a little improbable that they would foot the bill for his surgery, but hey, it's television folks and a little dramatic license is allowed every now and again.

Finally...Happy Birthday Charlie! I'm coming up on the big 3-0 myself and I understand his desire to underplay it, to celebrate it, the reassessment of his life, his plans seem very appropriate. Like I mentioned in the beginning of this review, I thought his conversation with Kirsten at the hospital was very moving. Charlie has been putting other people first for quite a while. He isn't going to quit doing that, but at the same time, he should move toward the things that will make him happy.

A fine episode all around. I can't believe the season is already one third over.

Copyright ©1999 by Rachel Vagts. All rights reserved.
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