This episode shows the fourth Christmas of the series and for the family. And turned out to be one of the most wonderful episodes of the whole series. For me it's without doubt the best of the season along Go Away. It has a special happiness in the middle of a dark season, it's like a glowing star in the night. Claudia has only three scenes but the episode is still amazing.
Following Truth be Told, where seemed at the end that Kirsten abandoned Charlie, now was the opposite. Dr Rabin sees that his white cells count is low, so she advices Charlie to have the free weekend before Christmas, to "recharge" (and up his white cells count to keep radiation in schedule) for Monday treatments. Kirsten visits to borrow the truck so she can go in a road trip to get an armoire of her great aunt, so when he learns she'll go alone, he pleads to go with her. She and Claudia have doubts about his health, but finally accepts. And so the magical trip begins. They spot Christmas decorations and he tells how his parents used to play a game with him and his siblings saying "Christmas Time" everytime they see the decorations, so they start playing that game. Then, they stop to find a closed road in the 16 state route, and he suggests taking another one longer through back roads, going through the 49 to Plymouth. She's worried about Owen and Claudia but he says are phones up there (they are somewhere in northeast California) and he'll call. She doubts and asks if he's ok so he says he is and wants to forget about that for a while. Kirsten says "I don't know, you, me and road trips" and he answers he'll take the chance if she will. He wants to go to a food place opened by one of his dad's friends, Tony Reitano, but they find that it's closed for the holidays. Kirsten suggests to return because he's hungry and shivering but he wants to keep going as he can handle it, those things are meaningless compared to cancer. She accepts to keep going with the heat on until they find a place to buy a coat. There are some parallels with the road trip of Desperate Measures (you want me to drive, we gotta keep going, are you ok), surely because Mark B. Perry wrote both episodes, but in this case, she takes care of him and there's a happy ending. Finally they find a Holiday Inn, The Briarcliff Inn, hosted by a good man Glenn, who tells that the closest restaurant is in the interstate 2 hours away. Charlie gets a great coat for 5 bucks and agrees to give advice to Glenn about managing the food part, considering the B and B isn't going well. He offers them lamb steak for dinner if they help him to move the "junk" (furniture, chairs, etc) inside the Inn. Kirsten still says that they should return but Charlie again convinces her of stay, saying that they were lost, cold and hungry and the answer fell in their lap. When she goes inside to ask for a phone, he goes to the truck for his wallet and hides her keys in his pocket to delay even more the trip. Seemingly then she looked for the keys everywhere but obviously she didn't find them, so he just tells her to forget it for now and enjoy. They have a nice dinner together, with a tasteful smell of the place (probably a mix of the sea, the woods and the mountains), so they happily toast being just for them. Glenn offers them to spend the night (20 rooms empty), and Charlie tells that they came this far, that Claudia said in the phone she's happy taking care of Owen, so he agrees. Kirsten doubts, not for fidelity issues, so when Charlie joyfully asks "what?", she says "it's... nothing". They ask two bedrooms and Glenn can't believe it since they're perfectly happy together. They obviously laugh about it saying they're just friends without mentioning all their history together (still, Glenn surely thought they were kidding). Then happens the best and most emotional/touching scene today, with a very nice soundtrack: at her room, Charlie's standing, thinking about the day. Kirsten thinks everything went wrong but he tells her that it was the opposite: they had setbacks but everything went right and they ended up in an incredible place. He says this is the best day he had since the cancer news and that he is glad of sharing it with her, that means a lot to him. Although initially surprised, happiness is in her face too, he kisses her in the forehead, and they wish each other a good night and sweet dreams to sleep. She seemed really touched during this and while seeing him leave the room. In the morning (after he returned her the keys to the purse without her knowledge), they find the armoire and share a nice moment laughing about her cousins antics with it. He says he'll fix it for her. With Joni Mitchell's theme River, they return happily on the road by the sunset, and she asks him if she wants to stop in Tiburon to eat. He answers that his treatments are early in monday, so she says she will accompany him. He wishes of traffic, and she happily smiles, he being truly happy in delaying this wonderful trip with the love of his life. This time, Kirsten was exactly what Charlie needed, she acted like if she was really his wife, taking care of him, worrying, being with him all the time, sharing all the nice moments that he can't share with anyone else in the world, in sickness and in health. And still with cancer, Charlie recovered the true happiness because he recovered his wife, just for a perfect weekend before the happiest time of the year, Christmas. I think that in the beginning, she doubted not only because his health, also for her own health. She mentioned their last road trip, and after all the things her family and therapist told her about Charlie in Chicago, she still thought she couldn't be happy with him, that would be risky for her illness. And probably because the trip delayed, she didn't have her medication (unless she had some in her purse). So today, Charlie, totally peaceful and fearless for his cancer and for being together, showed her that they can be happy. They can laugh, they can share, enjoy, even spend a night in the same place. He spent the happier moments since their walk in the snowy Chicago, exactly 1 year ago. So right there at the Inn, she had the first hint that they still can be happy together and that the bad memories are gone for good (unlike a year ago). And there was no need of a kiss or sleeping together, despite that they can't, because once more, they showed why they are perfect for each other, that they belong together. Their chemistry always has been perfect, I don't know why, even though today Charlie and Kirsten were just friends. May seem fantasy or cute, but their love goes beyond all the things that now keep them "apart". Besides, the whole trip was magical, it took me and the viewer out of the crowded city, showing natural spaces, a lot of trees, forest, birds singing, all the things you see when you travel by land. They ended up in those natural beautiful green spaces of Northeast California, between Tahoe and Plymouth. This can be an example of many more trips that they will share in the future, it's not news that they will end up together, so if I want to imagine how their lives and holidays are going to be as a family, I just have to watch this episode. And the ending scene illustrated that, being one of the greatest of the whole series, top 5 sure. Driving by the sunset with the love of your life, only wishing the trip could last forever.
As for the rest, Julia-Justin-Griffin story was very good and funny for moments, like the talk between drunks Justin and Griffin. It also showed that somehow Justin and Julia still love each other, and think in the same way, both being disappointed about their current lives. He is having "rough times" in Yale and the cold weather of New Haven while she feels stuck in the shed and her job. Also, they see some pictures of their summer trip to Europe. Anyway, the ending of their story was also perfect, Julia and Griffin, somehow happy together for now, finding Claudia and Owen in a very lightly shed with a Christmas tree. To dramatize a little was Annie's story, and Will as a meddlesome who almost caused a slip up in her. It's curious that Will says that the age difference between Bailey and Annie (7 years) is too much, but in reality Scott Wolf and Paige Turco have only 3 years of difference. Anyway, going back to their story, I liked Bailey's actions here, he acted like a Man, someone who overcome very dramatic situations and tragedy, giving him the necessary experience to bond with Annie. And that's how he convinced her that their relationship is not weird, because he is like an adult. I understand Will and Sarah's behavior of youngsters, their scene pushing Bailey to dance in the morning was funny, but after the party and hangover, Bailey was the only one sober and mature. To finish, in the morning, all turned out well for Bailey, Annie and Natalie, the child decorating the Christmas tree while Bailey promises Annie to help her to get a job as insurance adjuster, considering she was recently fired from her previous job.
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