This episode was deeply emotional and touching, tragically sad, unforgettable, with an amazing acting (especially Matthew, Scott, Jennifer and Paula). The soundtrack was perfect, every piano theme, song, especially the ending, with the nostalgic Shawn Colvin's If I Were Brave. Besides, the entire set for each scene made the episode perfect: the snow, the cold snowstorm, the Christmas decorations in the trees, and filming mostly at night, with some alternate moments during the day.
Charlie arrives the Bennett's home in Chicago and is welcomed by Ellie, who says he shouldn't have come, that Gene is away for a few days, and she doesn't know how to handle this. He said he called 4 times and no one ever told him not to come, so she says that Kirsten went out. Suddenly, his wife arrives in a red car, then she and Charlie happily hug, both happy to see each other. She asks Ellie if she knew about this, but she is dubious to answer. Ellie sends him to the guest room, so Charlie and Kirsten don't sleep in the same bed. Kirsten says she has been doing well the last month thanks to a new medication (surely lithium) and that she didn't tell him how she was, afraid of that it wouldn't be true anymore, but now, happily it is. The next day, they go for a walk in the snowy Chicago, and he says that everyone misses her, especially Owen, who asks about her a lot and likes her bedtime stories better than his (clear evidence Owen misses his adoptive mother). She laughs and he says how much he missed seeing her smile (I feel the same). Surely he'd give her Claudia's pictures of her recital too. She suggests going to the Sears Tower or an architecture tour, but he prefers just to keep walking with her, she accepts and they happily kiss. Then, while he drives, she asks him to take her back to SF, she deeply misses all, the family, the kids, her life, so she convinces him of leaving without any bag and drive all the road in that blue car, because her mother would stop them if they go back to the house. She says "Take me Home", and though surprised, he happily agrees. These last scenes were excellent and full of joy for them, proving that to be happy they just need to be together. Her request was a little crazy (sign of hypomania), but she knows she belongs with him, and together, she can put things back on track. Then, in a phone call, Ellie opposes to this, as the doctor said she is not well enough to leave, though she understands how much Kirsten loves Charlie and that she wants to return to San Francisco. He tells his sisters the good news, Kirsten lies to him saying she could convince her mother (she hang up), and they leave through a snowstorm. The drive continues, and near Omaha, he suggests to stop there to have roasted steak for dinner, but she wants to keep going to the next town. Kirsten asks if he is tired and if he wants her to drive, but he says it's fine. Soon, in a motel in Lincoln, after he buys clothes, and two beautiful Nebraska sweaters, grey for her and black for him, Kirsten has a lousy shower and her manic depression returns. She feels the whole place, towels, sheets is covered with nubs, and is upset, just after looking themselves at the mirror. Still, she calms herself down, assures him that she's just tired but fine and lets him taking a shower (the soundtrack there was perfect). In the night, she can't sleep, and in tears, asks him to take her to Chicago, saying it was too soon to leave. He comforts her nicely, holding her, and saddened, accepts. In the morning, next to a frozen pool, she explains that she believes he is part of the cause (The failed wedding triggered the illness), so she thinks they can't be together, despite their deep love for each other. He says that it was too soon and that they should wait but she tells that when she looks at him, remembers the wedding and doesn't know how to make that memory go away. Seems like the therapist convinced her of that and she tried to avoid it, because she loves him so much, but now feels that they can't be together without being depressed. He's devastated because he changed and it's not fair, but still takes her to Chicago. There, Ellie is relieved to see them back and yells at Charlie for taking her daughter, but Kirsten defends him, knowing that his heart is totally broken. She offers him to come inside before leaving, but he refuses, thinking it might not be good, considering what she said earlier. He asks her to bring his bag and when she turns around, touched, he stares at her for a last time, feeling that he will never see her again, the love of his life. Before she returns with the bag, he tells Ellie that they won't do this again and leaves, in likely the most saddest farewell I've ever seen. Finally, a lonely Charlie enters his empty house and starts crying in the stairs. Surely he, being totally alone without any of his siblings, cried all night and Kirsten did the same in Chicago, with her mother's company. Those last two scenes, with a brilliant soundtrack, deeply touched me, are heartbreaking, especially remembering all the happy moments between them in the past.
On the other hand, in SF, Bailey is made a good wrestling example by the coach, causing jealousy in teammates. While having dinner with Sarah, and "half done wanna trade", she asks him to try again to sleep together, but he refuses, citing his coach's words of not drinking/partying. But then, following a hangover and missing wrestling practice, Sarah finds him in the dorm and Bailey finally tells her the truth (he cheated on her). Totally in tears, and heartbroken, she leaves (perfect scene and amazing JLH). Then, Bailey visits her home and in a very emotional scene (both crying), they express their love for each other and they don't break up. She says that she hates him and wants to hurt him but her love won't go disappear so easily, she still loves him. He wants to hold her, but she says not yet. Later, Callie, feeling used, is disappointed and mad at Bailey, so he grabs more beers and drinks in the dorm. Anyway, in their last perfect scene, Bailey and Sarah are walking in the park, and despite their sadness, they are fine together and share another "half done ready to trade" with iceream. This story was amazing, really emotional, showed that their relationship is deep enough, they love each other and can't separate yet. The problem is that Bailey keeps drinking, it's changing him, and in some moment Sarah will realize that the good caring guy she fell in love with, is slowly starting to disappear. Meanwhile, Claudia gets sick (she has a surgery for appendicitis) but Julia neglects her because she has a date with Sam. Owen is alone with Julia and Claudia and has shorts but funny parts in the episode (great the Cavarno twins). Fortunately, in the hospital, Julia make ammends with her sister, staying the nights with her and Owen, while Bailey, with hangover, and Sam visits them with flowers. Also, in the hospital, Sarah, taking flowers for Claudia, accidentally crosses paths with Callie and confronts her, but the lover avoids talking and passed the case to Bailey. This story ended well, but proves that Bailey and Julia are too young to be in charge of Claudia and Owen (they don't have the time).
This episode was outstanding, yet there's a question without answer. Kirsten's illness is hereditary and since she got better with medication, why Charlie didn't notice the fact that she had no pills during the whole trip? They spent times together after the failed wedding, in seasons 4, 5, 6, and she was healthy. According to season 6, she still was on medication, which means she can't go off them. Ellie and Charlie were right, it was too soon. So the break-up, Daphne, Paul could have been avoided? Probably yes. But as is written, and as Paula wasn't in the main cast this season, the order was to break them up, so here the Salingers lost a family member. To make Mark Perry's story today coherent, seems that the therapist and Gene convinced Kirsten that Charlie is the cause of her suffering, seeing just the cause of her initial depression. With psychotherapy, they made her relive the failed wedding, surely re triggering the bad memories. Kirsten's decision wasn't thought clearly. In Lincoln, she was still hypomanic, without the daily dosage of lithium. When they returned to Chicago, she asked Charlie to come in because her heart was fighting, she wasn't fine in letting him go forever, even that could cause a relapse. She knows that losing him will hurt her deep inside, she'll never be truly happy without him. But sadly, the damage was done, Gene and the therapists won today. This marked the end of an age for the series, because the family formed in season 1 with Charlie and Kirsten as the parents, Claudia and Owen as their children, is broken. Since now, new persons will enter to Charlie and Kirsten's lives, and that'll change things forever, definitely breaking their love story, their family in two. Leaving aside that, I'll always remember great scenes: Ellie's house (where Charlie will spend many times in the future), the walk by the snowy city, Claudia's dreams, Bailey's confession, Sarah's tears, the whole road trip to Nebraska, all the shots in the car of the driving in the snowy night, Charlie comforting his wife in tears, Bailey and Sarah's walk in the park, the saddest farewell (with a piano theme that breaks me), Charlie's deep loneliness, sadness back home. I can't rate 10/10 this episode because it meant a definitive break up for Charlie and Kirsten, and many bad things for them in the next two seasons. Still, knowing that they end up together, this episode serves as a safeguard for their future. This break up was so painful for them, so devastating and tragic, that when they get back together, they'll never separate again, they can't feel this deep suffering again. They are married in their hearts forever and they'll never move on from each other.
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