This episode is different than the last ones because is slightly focused on Kirsten, her parents and besides, Griffin. Overall is not bad (for me the current 7,4 is underrated), simply has good moments and a few strange moments, and honestly, the good moments weigh more. Besides, is pretty light and familiar, and after watching the whole series, moments like this will be missed a lot. Begins with the "parents of the house" talking in bed, in the early morning. They talk about how busy and stressed they have been, which made sex adequate, after 11 days of abstinence. She says it's fine and doesn't mind but Charlie wants to fix the issue. Anyway, Bailey calls Kirsten two times because her parents, Gene and Ellie Bennett, arrived in a surprise visit, two weeks before the wedding. Initially was a little hard to buy them as a family but as the episode passed I got used to it (and I guess was the same for Paula, Nicholas, Kathleen). Ellie says that they wanted to spend some family time to make amends after the wedding dress stuff (from Dearly Beloved). The first day, Charlie and Kirsten divide and take each one of her parents and, in the night, they let them sleep in the parental bedroom, while they take Julia's room, and Julia the sofa. Seemingly her parents sleep in separate beds (surely played for laughs) but they make no fuss in the house. Charlie tries to avoid the issue but Kirsten is stunned by the fact and inadvertently gets the idea while asking him space in the bed. The next day, Ellie starts making plans for the weekend, about going to a Chinese food restaurant and Sausalito. Charlie gets friendly with Gene and they play golf, while the women talk behind in the golf cart. The two men tell plans and travels: Gene says that in march 1996 the insurance company will let him retire, so he wants to visit all the baseball stadiums, while Charlie thinks about going to Europe when Owen gets older (he says they want to, besides they mentioned it in 1x20). Charlie happily approves his plan and Gene tells they are similar men. Later, at lunch, Ellie has stomach problems so Kirsten is upset thinking she did it on purpose because Gene chose the restaurant. He goes to check on her in the bathroom while Kirsten reschedules all the day plans, telling Charlie about how they planned to go to De Young museum, pass through Ghirardelli and have dinner in Chez Panisse at Berkeley. Because of this plan making, he tells her that she sounds like her mother. This surprises her, so later, before sleeping, she convinces him in a lovingly anxious way that she's different. She mentions that once they made love in the laundry room (he says last year, 1994) and that deciding to get married wasn't something they debated, they agreed without doubt. She says that she always listens to him, touches him, unlike her mother with her father, that she looks at him like she really wants him and starts kissing him to prove her point. The next day, Charlie shows Gene a picture of Nick and his father (Charlie's grandpa) in Ebbets field. While cooking, Ellie hears Gene's plan of visiting the major league parks and "embarrass" him even when he wanted to change the subject. Kirsten is upset so Ellie explains to her that she usually pulls Gene back to Earth, and how Kirsten and Meg treated him better even though she is the one who made her, them responsible. Her daughter apologizes so Ellie tells that Gene doesn't need travels to be happy, he's fine just for having her, watching TV, and having food on the table every day. She also thinks Kirsten and Charlie have a similar relationship (nice scene). In some ways, the relationships are similar (check how Kirsten helped Charlie to see the reality in 1x21, 2x04), but for now they are not as solid as Gene and Ellie are. Give them time, in one season they will. Also, I think Kirsten wasn't really aware of Ellie's love for Gene because she left Chicago 7 years ago, so she didn't spend much time to notice their travel fights. Anyway, later, at night, Gene express Charlie how his marriage works. He says that he wants to make one room in his house for grandchildren (I guess he thinks in Owen, Meg's future kids) and that Ellie's right, he can't do the travel. He tells that he's fine with that but Charlie doesn't think he should give up on every idea for travel, some are possible. He wonders why he cares so much and Charlie answers he just does. The next day, he tells his daughter about the room and bathroom he plans to make at home and how they have to avoid bearing walls. Ellie confronts Charlie in the shed about his distance towards her, as he thinks she is taking dreams away from Gene. She tells him that their relationships are similar, that Kirsten loves him because he's a little lost and restless (actually, I know she loves him for other reasons), she knows about Salinger's and the Seattle thing, but he answers that he and Kirsten are looking yet what they want together, that he's not lost. He thinks he shouldn't get involved in their lives, he shouldn't push Gene to make travels (I disagree here, they are/will be his parents-in-law, so he will be involved). In the airport, Charlie jokingly asks Gene if the hotel reservations for the wedding are confirmed for them, so both laugh (see, Charlie has no doubts about his wedding). Kirsten and her parents share a teary farewell and they leave, to return in 2 weeks. She tells Charlie that her parents are happy just with each other, and she feels the same for him, yet he doesn't seem to agree. Probably the writers had other intentions, but I think that Charlie was overall happy today. He wasn't doubting about spending a lifetime together with Kirsten, he was thinking about how they could do different things besides living in the same house every day. He hoped they could go to Europe or someplace else. To be ok without living those dreams, he just needs time to cherish her in the same way she cherishes him. I think that Charlie, like Bailey, needs someone to remind him how his parents were. I mean, he doesn't see his future self in Gene, but as was shown in season 1 and last episodes, he sees his future self as a man similar to his father. Joe could have done that for him. And Kirsten, is happy with her parents as they are, the same way Charlie is happy with his parents as they were. A little bad detail is that here Kirsten tells that the wedding will be in the backyard (!?!). There were so many places better than the backyard! (but what a coincidence that Amy and Christopher wrote this episode, they didn't choose a better place on purpose). To finish this part, Gene and Ellie don't appear after Charlie and Kirsten's wedding, so to imagine the next times they spend family time together, here there are hints of their future conversations: Gene's dreams, playing golf, Charlie's desire to go to Europe, Ellie and Kirsten's plans for museums and dinners, Gene's remodeling their house for grandkids, etc. Also, after seeing the final seasons, I can say that Charlie will behave in some ways like Gene, so the idea for this episode was well thought overall.
Bailey is disappointed by the results of his SAT scores so he tries again with a young teacher's help. Although is kind of weird, this is the second time Bailey connects with an older woman and won't be the last. But unlike in 1x09, this time the woman is much younger, and don't forget Scott Wolf's age, who is actually 10 years older than his character Bailey. Fortunately, innocence wins, and nothing rare happens as Bailey repeats the same bad results in the test after one lesson in Maggie's place. Anyway, the positive things are that the teacher, Maggie, tells Bailey that his parents would support him in this stuff if they were alive. Also, Charlie comforts him (he had the same results at the SAT) and tells him how Diana understood him when he dropped out of college and supported him until he decided to return. He said that she knew he was just scared and she had full faith that he would put things back on track. Finally, Bailey thinks about this, trying to remember his mother's advice, and writes an essay about it. Those parts were the best of this story because Bailey remembered his mother and Charlie too, both aware of how good she was and how much she can teach them even though she's gone. As for Griffin, for the first time in this season, I saw him as a good guy. Julia acted the same way Justin did in Loco Parentis and damaged Claudia's feelings and Griffin. Insensitive and mean, she forgot he lost his younger sister forever and didn't realize until he remembered her. Also, she said sorry and made amends with Claudia and Griffin. The two end up playing Heart and Soul on Diana's piano. This was a good story, also because Claudia initially disliked him considering he and Julia hurt Justin, the childhood friend of the family. Still, she managed to get the best of him. Claudia was perfect, she just behaved like a child, being funny and sweet like in season 1. Griffin missed Jill, and while playing with Claudia in the park next to a lagoon, he could remember how feels having a little sister following him around. This was also a good point for the episode, had many scenes during the day and in outside locations, like the lagoon, the golf field, a restaurant. All that gave a lightful tone to the episode, added to some happy scenes between Charlie and Kirsten, Griffin and Claudia. As for Owen, he was briefly shown crying close to Gene and Ellie in one scene. This should have been memorable (I wonder why they didn't give him more screen time) because they are going to be Owen's "grandparents". I hope in the future they form a bond, so Owen doesn't feel alone, considering they'll be his only grandparents.
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