Party of Five (TV Series)

Change Partners... and Dance (1995)

Matthew Fox: Charlie Salinger

Photos 

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  [the family is in the ice skating rink, Claudia and Charlie are talking about the restaurant] 

  Claudia Salinger : A what night?

  Charlie Salinger : A lounge night. Kind of a '50s thing.

  [he almost slips on ice] 

  Charlie Salinger : Whoa...

  Claudia Salinger : Oh, I got you.

  Charlie Salinger : Okay. Anyway, it'll bring a new crowd into Salinger's. You know, the whole lounge thing is very hip.

  Claudia Salinger : If you say so. Hey, look at her.

  [they see Kirsten doing figure skating on ice] 

  Charlie Salinger : What a woman, huh?

  Claudia Salinger : If I were you, I'd marry her.

  [to Kirsten] 

  Claudia Salinger : Hey, Kirsten, teach me how to do that.

• [after a shower, Kirsten tells Charlie about the reading with the psychic] 

  Charlie Salinger : Rob. You don't even know any Robs.

  Kirsten Bennett : I did once. This guy on my floor, freshman year. Rob Strapplemeyer.

  Charlie Salinger : Sounds like a sausage brand.

  [he starts reading a magazine] 

  Kirsten Bennett : I dated him for a month. Total pig. No neck.

  [she brushes her hair] 

  Charlie Salinger : Nice.

  Kirsten Bennett : Of all the guys I've ever known, he's the last person I'd think of marrying. Weird, huh?

  Charlie Salinger : Trippy.

  Kirsten Bennett : You know, Charlie, I had a thought. About the wedding? Well, I was thinking about the dancing, because, you know, you and I, we don't really dance together. And so my thought was...

  [she sees his look] 

  Kirsten Bennett : Please don't hate me.

  Charlie Salinger : I hate you.

  Kirsten Bennett : Come on. It'll be fun. It'll get us out of the house. I'll pay.

  Charlie Salinger : You're really gonna make me take dancing classes?

  Kirsten Bennett : No, I'm not gonna make you take them. I'm gonna ask you. And you're gonna say yes.

• [Charlie and Kirsten are struggling in the dancing lessons and the teacher comes to check on them] 

  Kirsten Bennett : If your foot was where it was supposed to be...

  Thomas : How are we going?

  Charlie Salinger : [to Kirsten]  Why don't you find somebody else if I'm such a bad partner?

  Thomas : Kirsten? We feeling a little "My way or the highway" here?

  Kirsten Bennett : Do you mind?

  [the teacher leaves] 

  Kirsten Bennett : Charlie, don't be an idiot. I don't want somebody else.

  Charlie Salinger : How about Rob? He was probably a great dancer.

  Kirsten Bennett : Who?

  Charlie Salinger : Rob. The guy you were supposed to marry... Rob... Sausage.

  Kirsten Bennett : Rob Strapplemeyer is a total pig. I haven't seen him in four years.

  Charlie Salinger : Well, maybe he's not such a pig anymore. Maybe now he's got a good job and a fat bank account and friends with taste and

  Kirsten Bennett : Rythm?

  Charlie Salinger : You know, I got a lot of work to do at the restaurant.

  [he leaves the ballroom while she stays upset] 

• [Charlie arrives home and sees Julia looking inside the fridge] 

  Charlie Salinger : Midnight's a good time for that.

  Julia Salinger : Gotta get it done sometime.

  Charlie Salinger : Is Kirsten here?

  Julia Salinger : Yeah. She came home, grabbed a beer and stormed upstairs. You guys sure make being engaged look romantic.

  Charlie Salinger : I wish I knew how this happens.

  Julia Salinger : What?

  Charlie Salinger : Just tiny things... that mean nothing suddenly mean everything.

  Julia Salinger : Like...?

  Charlie Salinger : [sighs]  Like dancing. I can't dance. I mean, we all know this. This is not news. So why is it suddenly such a big deal?

  Julia Salinger : Well, because every girl, even the smart ones, thinks how great it would be to dance with her husband at their wedding. It's dumb, probably, but it's kind of like there's this tiny part of you that believes that as soon as you start to waltz, this nice voice that knows exactly what it's talking about will come out of nowhere and say, "And they lived happily ever after."

  Charlie Salinger : Great.

  [he attempts to leave the dinning room] 

  Julia Salinger : I can show you, if you want.

  [he sighs and they take hands] 

  Julia Salinger : Just watch my feet and mirror what I do.

  Charlie Salinger : Okay.

  [they start dancing] 

  Julia Salinger : One, two, three, one, two, three. One, two, three, one, two, three. You've got it! See? No problem. And if you loosen your grip, I'll get some blood back in my fingers, and that'd be good too.

  [both laugh] 

  Julia Salinger : Dad taught me how to waltz by standing me on his feet.

  Charlie Salinger : Does Griffin know how well you dance? He should, Jule. It should matter to him because it matters to you. You deserve that.

  Julia Salinger : [sighs]  You can twirl me if you want. Just put your arm up, and I'll spin.

  Charlie Salinger : Okay.

  [they do the twirl, keep dancing and laugh] 

• [Julia, Claudia and Kirsten are sitting on a table and while the band keeps playing, Charlie approaches them] 

  Charlie Salinger : This band cost me 500 bucks. Someone's gotta dance to it.

  Claudia Salinger : I'm not in the mood.

  Kirsten Bennett : In the mood, but are you sure?

  [he nods and takes her hand, Julia smiles and watches them dance while the band starts playing Jumping Jack] 

  Kirsten Bennett : I'm feeling a little "Don't you dare try and tell me I can't dance, you so-and-so," aren't I?

  Charlie Salinger : Yeah, well, I decided to make a few changes in my life. Ever since I had my cereal read.

  Kirsten Bennett : Your what?

  Charlie Salinger : My breakfast cereal. It's the new wave in fortunetelling, you know, reading the gooshy gunk at the bottom of your cereal bowl.

  Kirsten Bennett : I hadn't heard.

  Charlie Salinger : Yeah. Very scientific. I got some clear images. One of good ol' Rob sitting there in his athleisure wear with his beer gut pressing the remote control.

  [she laughs] 

  Kirsten Bennett : [chuckles]  Ewww... .

  Charlie Salinger : I know, I'm so sorry.

  [both laugh] 

  Charlie Salinger : And then I saw another image, this one at the wedding. You look beautiful. I look not half-bad too. Everyone around is watching us dance and they're saying "Look at them. They're perfect together. I bet they live happily ever after."

  Kirsten Bennett : I thought you didn't believe in all that mumbo jumbo.

  Charlie Salinger : Gotta believe in something, right?

  Kirsten Bennett : Right.

  Charlie Salinger : Try a spin?

  [he tries but accidentally his arm collide with her head] 

  Charlie Salinger : Jesus! I'm sorry!

  [both laugh] 

  Bailey Salinger : [to Claudia]  You wanna dance?

  Claudia Salinger : I'm not in the mood.

  Bailey Salinger : You know what? Neither am I.

  [he takes her hand and they start dancing, while Charlie and Kirsten keep dancing next to them, laughing and smiling]