Following the first part of season 2 finale, everything is going totally bad for the Salingers. For one side, Julia and Justin spend time with other people, "cheating on" each other. Julia still hangs out with Ian, and though after a kiss she confess she has a boyfriend, she tells him that is easier to be with him. Justin still hangs out with Corry, and seemingly they even get to fool around a little (this goes off screen, for some reason, Kate Hudson couldn't appear again). In the meantime, they also have to portray a piece of theater in school, and while they practice, she realizes what he did. Later, she confess what happened with Ian, still, both are aware that these persons don't mean much for them. Julia says again that she wants to feel like before, but she can't, so they finally realize they can't get over the pregnancy and the miscarriage, and they break up. Then, they play the theater piece in class, which is about a couple parting ways, and for obvious reasons, for them felt real. Julia struggles after this, she even reaches him at his room, so to comfort her, he tells her that she will always be the first one he loved. This storyline was well done, somehow emotional and sad. For moments seemed kind of endless because their road to their inevitable break up lasted 3 episodes, but surely they needed that time to process the pain, and end what it was a school sweetheart relationship.
Meanwhile, Bailey dumps Sarah against her wishes, partially because Matt told him she feels sorry for him. He doesn't want their other problems either, how she changed, the band, or that she doesn't like his excessive worries about her. He also admits that with her, and the chance of losing the restaurant, he's not feeling happy. She's really saddened and tries more than once to talk, but he doesn't want to. Then, Will blasts his decision, he knows how good Sarah is, but Bailey is on a selfish mood, and says he'll be better off alone, taking care of himself back East. Julia also tries to convince him that he's doing a big mistake by explaining her break up with Justin. In her case, something big happened, but Bailey is looking for any reasons to split. So he has to make a decision, not only about the relationship, also about leaving Sarah or not. Then, Jody starts hangin out with her boyfriend, leaving Claudia behind. In one moment, they go to a coffee house, and Claudia mentions she met a waitress who worked there. He asks her if she can give them free food, so Claudia says "she died". After a strange moment, Jody and her boyfriend get back to the kissing, so Claudia leaves them alone. Later, she tries to talk to Jody about the restaurant problems but she doesn't listen. She tells her that she's not ready for boyfriends yet, she feels small and for that thinks guys won't be interested. Jody implies she won't wait for her, so they "break up" their friendship. So Claudia, feeling lonely and sad, confides in Ross about all the problems (the restaurant, thinking that Bailey was leaving, Jody, etc) and returns to play the violin, saying she doesn't want pressure. He supports her decision and starts teaching her again while she plays in the backyard (Bravo!!). These stories were good enough to enjoy the episode, but the other two are more significative and connect the whole family.
After the sad news, Charlie goes to see Kirsten at the school, but when he sees her with a friend, showing her the ring, he hides behind a column. So later, he sends 7 dozens of roses to Kirsten, so she returns to the house for the first time since Poor Substitutes. She thinks he's crazy and is trying to ruin everything, so he tells the truth: she is making a big mistake by marrying a divorced guy with a child that she met only two months ago (for me, she lost her mind in the last 9 episodes as much as Charlie lost his mind in this mid season). Besides, as was shown in the last episode, seems that she didn't even lived with the guy Michael (surely because his daughter). When asked, Charlie tells that he doesn't want to lose her, that loves her, and that he's ready to commit forever to her, but then she thinks he only wants her back because his life is a mess. Needing a time to think, he then looks for her outside the rehearsal dinner (he is not stalking, he just wants to stop her from making a huge mistake, and is running out of time), he convinces her that he always loved her and always will, no matter the time or if things are great or bad for him. But probably feeling he has to suffer more, just in the moment that she say yes to get back he suggests her that she marry Michael if she really loves him because he lost the chance, so she slaps him (I kind of hope this wasn't easy for Paula). Anyway, minutes before the wedding (which surely Gene and Ellie didn't know), she feels panicked, and asks a lady for air, so she leaves the church. She drops out the bouquet, and "wakes up", Charlie is waiting for her there and they leave together in the truck. This was a great scene, she finally remembered where she belongs, with the love of her life, and "their children". The moment when she looked at him, almost in tears, just meant true love. Some people may wonder why she forgave him. Well, it's pretty simple. They lived a happy year together with a family formed. And after the disaster, she has been depressed, and then with other man in the last 2 months, thinking she could get over Charlie and "his kids". But when he reached her now, promising love forever again, in a renewed way, he made her realize the opposite. She can't move on from him and the family. She was with Michael and even spent time with his daughter, but now she realized it was an option B, something that would never belong to her. She would never be happy if she ignored Charlie today. Michael's daughter already has a mother and he already had something significant with that woman. And though Kirsten can't have kids, she already had them (Claudia and Owen), she entered the Salinger family to fill the perfect spot for her, that's where she belongs. I don't feel sorry for Michael, he gotta be nuts to ask marrying a recently depressed woman with a heart already taken. As for Charlie, in the last months he realized that his doubts in 2x09 were meaningless. The failed bachelor party made him feel wrong about living with the same woman, in the same house, forever. But the last events with Kathleen and Emily made him remember that any other woman would be pointless, he can't love anyone else. The only woman who fulfilled his life is Kirsten, the love of his life. For him, she's the one. Now he definitely feels what she felt at the end of 2x06, to be truly happy he only needs to be with her. Until the failed wedding he lived one of the happiest year of his life, or simply the happiest. So with all that, I think that in 2x09 Charlie was ready to marry Kirsten, they both were. He just didn't know it, not like now (he said this outside the restaurant). Anyway, millions of couples get married without really knowing if they're ready. That's why I still don't justify the disaster. Then, there's a detail in the script: Kirsten asked Charlie if he was ready for the things he wasn't 6 months ago, but 2x09 was in late november and now is late march, so between that episode and this one passed 4 months, not 6. To finish, the development of their story in the episode wasn't perfect, I would have liked to see at least a reconciliation kiss, or a some scene after the church where they talked about plans, but whatever, the mistake was corrected, Charlie and Kirsten are back together.
Then, there's the restaurant. Charlie, Claudia, Bailey and Joe are visited by Kathleen and contractors, who already want to make plans for the place. Out of ideas, and still being blasted by a annoying and selfish Bailey, Charlie calls Grandpa Jake to meet him at Salinger's. With his business experience, he thinks he can come up with a solution. So then, Jake reaches Bailey, and makes a proposal, to use the money for his college or to pay a bribe to the owner of the building to avoid selling the restaurant. Bailey has a hard time with the decision, and tells Charlie that he hates him for causing this. Charlie had no idea about his college plans, so he assumes his mistake and orders him to go, and not to save the restaurant. But after listening Will and Julia's thoughts about Sarah, Bailey decides to stay, and allows Jake to save Salinger's. He chooses her, and tells that leaving his family would be pointless considering the last 2 years. Although Bailey behaved pretty bad in the first part of the episode, mainly fighting (I couldn't stand his lies), he finally did the right thing, one day he'll leave SF, but now wasn't the right time. The best without doubt was the ending scene: on Friday night (march 29 surely), first Julia, Claudia, Owen, and Joe learn that the restaurant won't be sold, just when Bailey comes and also tells he's fine with Sarah. Then Charlie enters, realizes Bailey's decision, and tells him that he meant what he said, but Bailey implies the family comes first. And finally, Kirsten enters still wearing the wedding dress, after counting to 50. She and Charlie agreed that he'd tell the family, but he didn't. Claudia is seen with a face of shock and deep happiness, and they all learn about the reconciliation. After Joe tells her the good news, Kirsten tells them that she changed her mind about getting married so they all chuckle by "Always a bride, never a bride". The six and Joe start preparing dinner at the restaurant. Claudia and Owen's joy when they saw Kirsten together with Charlie was a wonderful moment and means much more considering all the bad things that happened in the second part of the season. Owen running to her arms, and she holding "her son" was priceless. So a happy ending, the family reunited in the saved restaurant, all is back on track, at least for now.
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