This episode, for me, is the best of the whole series. It's the one that most reached me inside. It wasn't entirely perfect but still has some of the most Heartbreaking moments of the show. And after watching the first two seasons and this first five episodes of season 3, it has a big impact. The acting was excellent, especially Lacey, Matthew and Paula. The three broke me here, and I want to believe their emotions, feelings were somehow real despite being just a series. Very tearful, seems that the cast really felt this episode, in 2 years they acted like a family, they were a family. If someone doesn't feel touched by this, that person must be cold and heartless. For one side, Julia and Sarah leave temporarily looking for college in the East Coast (to light up the saddest side here). Sarah is homesick since the flight but Julia is excited about the trip. When they arrive, Sarah is worried when she learns that her mother broke her hip while working, and Julia doesn't feel the need of calling home, thinking everything is ok. But in home, nothing is ok, Charlie's world is falling apart. Following Claudia's slip up, Gene and Ellie Bennett arrive to the house while Charlie was buying food, groceries. He is surprised to see them and can't believe that Claudia called them. He really knows that this is not a good situation but Claudia remains sure about the call, thinking will help Kirsten. Charlie is mad at her because she has no idea the mess she made, and tells her to lock herself in her room. Bailey visits and blasts him, defending Claudia's decision, but Charlie answers with the truth: his brother is never around, only comes for laundry and toilet paper, so he has no idea what is the situation and how Charlie's dealing with it, he has no idea of Kirsten's mind state and the consequences caused by Claudia's phone call. Charlie tells him to butt out so Bailey returns to the dorm, where he bonds with Callie over their paternal figures. Callie's dad is turning 60, but is not proud of his daughter. Bailey and Callie spend the next days drinking, going to a movie, for coffee, etc. In other words, his drinking is escalating and he slowly starts to lose himself, talking about moving on and turn his back on the family.
At the house, Gene and Ellie question their daughter and give her breakfast, without understanding why she didn't call them and surprised that she has a doctor but she's not on medication. Charlie explains the situation to Gene and Ellie, that there were problems with the dosage, still, Gene blames him for Kirsten's state. Charlie has talked to Dr Leto and he already realized that the illness is beyond the mistakes he made, it's a medical condition, so Ellie reveals that her husband has a family history of depression, with his mother and his aunt. By the way, in 2x05, Kirsten said that one of her aunts got out of rehab, so one more family member is in the list. Gene is reluctant to believe, so this implies that he and Ellie didn't make a great job in december 1995, Charlie realized the genetic factor earlier than them. Ellie stops their fight saying it's not helping Kirsten. In the morning, somehow, Gene and Ellie manage to take her away from the bed and Charlie's sight (surely he slept real hard), and the three go to meet another psychiatrist near Mt Zion hospital, without giving him a chance (hard moment, Ellie said just family, when it's obvious that Charlie and his siblings are Kirsten's family since 2 years ago, besides, he'd have been crucial to inform the new shrink aabout Kirsten's condition lately). When they return, Charlie hugs his wife, and Ellie is willing to inform Charlie what happened but Gene forbids this, telling him that he wasn't present the first time Kirsten got depressed, the month following the failed wedding (her parents were there that time, before she returned SF in 2x11). Then, Charlie can't get answers from Kirsten, who now seems in a much worsened state, caused because she went off the medication entirely and abruptly. She cries and asks him to stop pulling on her, that everyone is pulling on her. He comforts her and promises that he will take care of her, like he has been doing all the last episodes (another very sad moment). Aware that Gene's secret and selfish behavior is also damaging Kirsten, causing fights and pulling, he decides to kick her parents out of the house. But this makes Gene decide to take his daughter to their home in Chicago and start legal procedures in a hotel. Charlie answers "like hell you will" but Gene says that he's not married so he has no right to keep her in SF. He looks at Ellie for help, but she leaves to start packing. Considering 3x01, Ellie understands Charlie and Kirsten's relationship, how much they love each other and that Kirsten would want to stay, if she could choose. But later when she visits while Gene is with a lawyer, she tells Charlie that her marriage was barely saved and now she has to support her husband. He says that "she is willing to sell out her daughter to hold on to her marriage" and although is a terrible and tough thing to say, considering the future, was the truth. Still, Charlie tries to avoid it, reaches Emmett to take measures, but the lawyer tells him that as he is not even engaged, the only case would be go to court, with a process that Kirsten can't handle. And since that part, each scene is emotional, touching, tearful: Claudia, full of regret, tells Gene (who went to leave a letter from a lawyer), that she was wrong about calling and that Kirsten belongs there with Charlie and them, that he really loves her and takes care of her. She hopes he can change his mind, but he won't. In the night, Charlie, after reading the letter (court order) from Gene, spends the last night with his wife next to him, kisses her hand, cries and when she open her eyes, he tells her that she has to sleep. He kisses her, and let her sleep, crying and holding her hand all the time. Soon after, Bailey arrives to support his brother after Claudia calls him, and shows the Hydrangeas to Kirsten, the ones she planted in spring, telling her that she made of Charlie a Man, they never got used to her previous absence (I think that Scott Wolf really meant this when he said it, thinking of her absence in 2nd part of season 2), and that Charlie was never ok the last time she left (and I know he will never be truly ok until he recovers her). The next day, Charlie tells Kirsten that she has to tell what she wants to do. Her parents are present, and when he asks, she says yes to stay with him. But Gene asks too, and she says yes too, meaning she wants the three to take care of her. When asked, she doesn't want her parents to leave, so Charlie tells her that if they take her away, the two won't be together, he tells her she has to choose, but she starts crying, not being able to handle the decision. Charlie comforts her, saying it's ok, but also realizing that is over. Then, Claudia, in tears, apologizes to a devastated Charlie in the backyard, saying he can take anything away from her because she feels she deserves it, and he says ok to stop her crying. Finally, the farewell between Charlie and Kirsten, one of the most saddest and heartbreaking moments of the series. Ellie gives them a minute, and with Gene go to the cab. Kirsten says she's sorry, probably feeling guilty inside for not being able to be healthy, but Charlie says "don't be", saying that probably it's for the best, no one will distract her, not Owen, or the dog, the fights with Bailey. She cries, knowing deep inside what she's losing, so he comforts and hugs her. He tells he won't go anywhere and will wait for her forever, that loves her and asks her to say it, so he knows she really knows. She does, he kisses her and then hugs her again. He surely accompanies her to the cab, and then, she's gone. Finally, his three siblings (Owen not present, surely sleeping), made him company, before he goes upstairs to solitude and depression.
This was so touching because a wife was taken away from her husband by her parents. They are not officially married, but in their hearts, deep inside, they are. They belong to each other, and despite his previous mistakes, Charlie proved lately that he was willing to save her, to stay with her, comfort her and take care of her, as long as it takes. He was already fulfilling the vows of a marriage, any common boyfriend would never compromise himself to the sacrifice of being with a full depressive woman, only a husband would do it and here Charlie did it (Gene, still blind in anger, didn't see this). Because for him, it wasn't a sacrifice, it was a hard challenge, but it was one of the greatest acts of love he could do to save and heal the love of his life. And in the farewell, he promised he will wait for her, as long as it takes, and as the future shows, he will. He'll never leave her, his love for her is forever and beyond death. On the other hand, a "mother" was taken away from Claudia and Owen. They really need her, and will need her especially in this and the next seasons, so the damage caused today by Kirsten's parents was bigger than they thought. And that's why not only Charlie was devastated today, Claudia cried a lot too, because she realized what she lost after making that phone call.
In the end, before returning home to be there for Charlie, Julia explained to Sarah that they don't move on from each other (something that will be repeated in the finale), and that Charlie is more than a brother for her. They share a special, unbreakable bond as siblings. Also, Bailey told Callie that leaving aside his fights with Charlie, he still is his brother, and in devastating moments like this, he will support him, beyond everything. Here, at the end, in the moments when the Salingers are united as a family, proves to be the best of the series, showing the true meaning of Party of Five.
At the house, Gene and Ellie question their daughter and give her breakfast, without understanding why she didn't call them and surprised that she has a doctor but she's not on medication. Charlie explains the situation to Gene and Ellie, that there were problems with the dosage, still, Gene blames him for Kirsten's state. Charlie has talked to Dr Leto and he already realized that the illness is beyond the mistakes he made, it's a medical condition, so Ellie reveals that her husband has a family history of depression, with his mother and his aunt. By the way, in 2x05, Kirsten said that one of her aunts got out of rehab, so one more family member is in the list. Gene is reluctant to believe, so this implies that he and Ellie didn't make a great job in december 1995, Charlie realized the genetic factor earlier than them. Ellie stops their fight saying it's not helping Kirsten. In the morning, somehow, Gene and Ellie manage to take her away from the bed and Charlie's sight (surely he slept real hard), and the three go to meet another psychiatrist near Mt Zion hospital, without giving him a chance (hard moment, Ellie said just family, when it's obvious that Charlie and his siblings are Kirsten's family since 2 years ago, besides, he'd have been crucial to inform the new shrink aabout Kirsten's condition lately). When they return, Charlie hugs his wife, and Ellie is willing to inform Charlie what happened but Gene forbids this, telling him that he wasn't present the first time Kirsten got depressed, the month following the failed wedding (her parents were there that time, before she returned SF in 2x11). Then, Charlie can't get answers from Kirsten, who now seems in a much worsened state, caused because she went off the medication entirely and abruptly. She cries and asks him to stop pulling on her, that everyone is pulling on her. He comforts her and promises that he will take care of her, like he has been doing all the last episodes (another very sad moment). Aware that Gene's secret and selfish behavior is also damaging Kirsten, causing fights and pulling, he decides to kick her parents out of the house. But this makes Gene decide to take his daughter to their home in Chicago and start legal procedures in a hotel. Charlie answers "like hell you will" but Gene says that he's not married so he has no right to keep her in SF. He looks at Ellie for help, but she leaves to start packing. Considering 3x01, Ellie understands Charlie and Kirsten's relationship, how much they love each other and that Kirsten would want to stay, if she could choose. But later when she visits while Gene is with a lawyer, she tells Charlie that her marriage was barely saved and now she has to support her husband. He says that "she is willing to sell out her daughter to hold on to her marriage" and although is a terrible and tough thing to say, considering the future, was the truth. Still, Charlie tries to avoid it, reaches Emmett to take measures, but the lawyer tells him that as he is not even engaged, the only case would be go to court, with a process that Kirsten can't handle. And since that part, each scene is emotional, touching, tearful: Claudia, full of regret, tells Gene (who went to leave a letter from a lawyer), that she was wrong about calling and that Kirsten belongs there with Charlie and them, that he really loves her and takes care of her. She hopes he can change his mind, but he won't. In the night, Charlie, after reading the letter (court order) from Gene, spends the last night with his wife next to him, kisses her hand, cries and when she open her eyes, he tells her that she has to sleep. He kisses her, and let her sleep, crying and holding her hand all the time. Soon after, Bailey arrives to support his brother after Claudia calls him, and shows the Hydrangeas to Kirsten, the ones she planted in spring, telling her that she made of Charlie a Man, they never got used to her previous absence (I think that Scott Wolf really meant this when he said it, thinking of her absence in 2nd part of season 2), and that Charlie was never ok the last time she left (and I know he will never be truly ok until he recovers her). The next day, Charlie tells Kirsten that she has to tell what she wants to do. Her parents are present, and when he asks, she says yes to stay with him. But Gene asks too, and she says yes too, meaning she wants the three to take care of her. When asked, she doesn't want her parents to leave, so Charlie tells her that if they take her away, the two won't be together, he tells her she has to choose, but she starts crying, not being able to handle the decision. Charlie comforts her, saying it's ok, but also realizing that is over. Then, Claudia, in tears, apologizes to a devastated Charlie in the backyard, saying he can take anything away from her because she feels she deserves it, and he says ok to stop her crying. Finally, the farewell between Charlie and Kirsten, one of the most saddest and heartbreaking moments of the series. Ellie gives them a minute, and with Gene go to the cab. Kirsten says she's sorry, probably feeling guilty inside for not being able to be healthy, but Charlie says "don't be", saying that probably it's for the best, no one will distract her, not Owen, or the dog, the fights with Bailey. She cries, knowing deep inside what she's losing, so he comforts and hugs her. He tells he won't go anywhere and will wait for her forever, that loves her and asks her to say it, so he knows she really knows. She does, he kisses her and then hugs her again. He surely accompanies her to the cab, and then, she's gone. Finally, his three siblings (Owen not present, surely sleeping), made him company, before he goes upstairs to solitude and depression.
This was so touching because a wife was taken away from her husband by her parents. They are not officially married, but in their hearts, deep inside, they are. They belong to each other, and despite his previous mistakes, Charlie proved lately that he was willing to save her, to stay with her, comfort her and take care of her, as long as it takes. He was already fulfilling the vows of a marriage, any common boyfriend would never compromise himself to the sacrifice of being with a full depressive woman, only a husband would do it and here Charlie did it (Gene, still blind in anger, didn't see this). Because for him, it wasn't a sacrifice, it was a hard challenge, but it was one of the greatest acts of love he could do to save and heal the love of his life. And in the farewell, he promised he will wait for her, as long as it takes, and as the future shows, he will. He'll never leave her, his love for her is forever and beyond death. On the other hand, a "mother" was taken away from Claudia and Owen. They really need her, and will need her especially in this and the next seasons, so the damage caused today by Kirsten's parents was bigger than they thought. And that's why not only Charlie was devastated today, Claudia cried a lot too, because she realized what she lost after making that phone call.
In the end, before returning home to be there for Charlie, Julia explained to Sarah that they don't move on from each other (something that will be repeated in the finale), and that Charlie is more than a brother for her. They share a special, unbreakable bond as siblings. Also, Bailey told Callie that leaving aside his fights with Charlie, he still is his brother, and in devastating moments like this, he will support him, beyond everything. Here, at the end, in the moments when the Salingers are united as a family, proves to be the best of the series, showing the true meaning of Party of Five.
