Still in the sadness streak, this episode shows how Claudia, Owen and Sarah miss their respective "mothers". Sarah has her "real mother" in home but feeling curious and anxious, wants to meet her birth mother to check what she inherited from her and to start a connection. Here she asks Bailey a key question: what he got from his father (this will be answered in season 3). Bailey supports her during the whole process of searching and takes the advantage in the race. He finally finds Robin Merrin, who was filming a commercial in town. He tells her about Sarah, and tries to show her a picture but Robin doesn't want to know anything about it. She explains that 17 years ago she had her career starting so having a child wasn't what she wanted. Robin also says that she did the best she could do, she gave Sarah to better parents than her. Bailey asks what he will tell Sarah so Robin tells him to tell her that he didn't find her, that she died. Later, in the house, Bailey learns that Sarah plans to call Robin, so he lies to her to protect her from the truth. This story was very good and shows the first hints of Sarah's doubts about herself, something that will be key in the beginning of season 6.
Meanwhile, Claudia deeply misses Kirsten, who lived in her house a whole year and have been somehow a mother to her in all that time. She does all the things any child (and me) would do in her situation: spend time with Kirsten asking her help for a homework she had for school ("a proffesional you respect"), going for icecream, try to bring her back to the house to help Charlie and Owen, even telling that is too fast for her to "move on" (she met this guy Michael). The former nanny helps her with homework, and allows her to be present at the class she gives as a teacher, but she tries to avoid going to the house, although she still cares. When Claudia lures her into the house by telling that Owen had an accident, Kirsten cancels a date and rushes to the house, only to learn it was just a poop accident. She thinks Claudia is playing games, and Charlie says he's sorry, that he didn't know. He's surprised that she had a date, and Claudia says "some professor guy". Kirsten says she doesn't want her to meddle in her life. The next day, at her place, she helps Claudia to write the homework essay, and tells her that she can't be in the house. Claudia says "I thought you cared", so Kirsten tells her that she cares too much about them, and wants to care less, surely to feel less hurt. Then, happens the heartbreaking scene: in a park, after showing her an A in the homework and asking to go for an icecream again, Claudia watches how Kirsten meets with Michael and his young daughter, so she runs away from her with the broken heart. Kirsten tries to reach her but seemingly she can't. Later, she visits her at the house and tries to explain, but a saddened Claudia says she won't accept the situation, she won't like any woman Charlie dates/marries that's not Kirsten and not any guy/family Kirsten finds to replace them (Charlie, Owen and her) (I feel exactly the same way than Claudia). She says that the three are irreplaceable, but that they don't belong to her anymore, so she is just trying to move on (Claudia saddened answers that she gets this) and to comfort her, tells her she will be for her anytime she needs, and they hug. Claudia's attitude here was Perfect, Brilliant, Unforgettable and Touching. When you're a child and your parents split up, you feel that way, I know some accept that, but many others as me and Claudia, we don't. For me too is very hard to see Charlie and Kirsten with other people because that year and half that began in the episode Homework is too wonderful to forget. For those first 30 episodes, what happens here is bad and sad, all because a whim of the writers, needless and excessive drama.
As for Charlie, here he acted like a father to Owen, trying to give him potty training so he can enter daycare. He told the daycare teacher that his fiancee was taking care of applications, but at some point they almost miss deadlines. Seems that since this episode, Bill or whoever won't be Owen's nanny anymore, because Charlie said he will stay with Owen in mornings (but considering the future episodes it's unclear if that will happen). After failing to enter daycare, he yells at him for crayoning on furniture and for drawing a house without windows. Then, there is a great scene: he tells Claudia that their parents put many collages and draws in the wall from her, Julia and Bailey but not any draw that he made. Charlie says the once he drew a skyscraper but Nick had insane expectations because the draw wasn't coherent. Charlie says that Owen is "his first son", so he will try not to push him so hard, because Nick did push hard on him. He will post the draw in the wall so when Owen gets older he can see it. Anyway, at last, as the final scene in the parental bed shows, someone is missing in the left side of the bed. And I bet Owen misses that person, because a baby/child needs both of them, the father and the mother. But following last episode, Charlie didn't try today to bring her back, at least for now, because he thinks it's too soon for her. He thought she wouldn't want to help him now with Owen's potty training, despite Claudia's wishes, so likely she didn't. Sadly, this episode marks the last appearance for Paula Devicq in the regular credits until season 5. I read that Fox didn't guarantee a full 2nd season to Amy and Christopher in 1995, so the main cast was offered a 13 episode contract. After being nominated and winning the Golden Globe, ratings were higher so the cast was offered new contracts. But after what the writers did to Kirsten in this season, they didn't offer Paula a regular contract, they would bring her as a guest/recurrent until season 5. I never liked this turn out, was a mistake because in the next seasons, the Salingers will need Kirsten a lot, and the endless dramatic situations caused by the canceled wedding, plus some wasted storylines surrounding Charlie and Claudia, will prove how leaving Devicq out of the main cast for so long, made things worse in many ways for the series. I know that certain level of drama was needed, but this decision made things excessive, the Salingers lives became very depressing after 2x09, surpassing realistic situations.
To finish, the Julia-Alison-Justin story likely has nothing to do with a missing mother, but whatever. Alison visits Julia and Justin in SF and at the same time, wants to check colleges. She and Julia get along well, and they become friends, sharing their knowledge of Justin. But Alison starts to like Julia in a romantic way so she tries to tell without hurting her that she likes her like a friend, besides she loves Justin. In a club, Alison almost leaves with a guy, so Julia is forced to confess the truth to Justin and the guy. Alison cries and tells Julia that she just wants to be loved. It was a sad story because Alison feels really lonely for being lesbian, but Julia helped her at the end by telling her she doesn't have to hide how she feels and try to be happy that way in the UK, where she lives. That way, she doesn't have to look for colleges anywhere else.
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