This episode is mainly focused on Charlie, who, with Kirsten's support, tries to act like the Father for Bailey, Julia and Claudia. On the other hand, Kate and Jill return, so Bailey has to choose. And everything was great, the script (especially Claudia's lines), the performances, the soundtrack, the set, directing, all of it.
Begins with Bailey and Will talking about girls, how Will is trying to date a girl seemingly out of his reach and how Bailey has been living a lonely life the last month after Jill's disappearance. Suddenly, Kate appears, so she and Bailey rekindle their relationship, but soon, on a date, she notes he's different and that he kissed someone else. She says it would be ok, 3 months is a long time to be apart, besides, a guy named Kyle already is interested in her, and she admits they kissed once, after seeing Pulp Fiction. Also, she sees his eyes and notices that he is sad about something but he denies it and tries to convince her that they are ok. Later, Bailey tells Will that in the last 3 months, he wrote Kate like he has been spending time with him, instead of with Jill. He also says that maybe now he appreciates her more. They make some plans, about college, visiting the East Coast and in one moment, Kate leaves the house to see her dad, Kirsten crosses her in the stairs and they kindly greet each other (seems that they know each other since 1x5-6-7, although they never shared scenes on screen). Then, in the coffee shop, Bailey alone is ordering and this time, Jill appears. He is still mad, worried the last month that she could have been dead somewhere. She explains that she spent a week, having rides with truckers on the coast, passing Monterey, Santa Barbara, and the last time, a trucker implied to have sex with her for money. She almost accepted, only to buy drugs in LA, but scared of losing herself and Bailey forever, managed to escape in the next stop and return to San Francisco, and has been the last 3 weeks in a rehab program in the hospital where her mother works (imagine Mrs Holbrook's joy to have her daughter back). So now Jill is clean of drugs and hopes to be with him. Bailey almost says something, but when he sees Kate approaching, he dismisses Jill, glad that she is ok and leaves. Here I wonder how Jill managed to resist drug temptation because it was a critical moment for her. Later, while they walk eating ice cream, Kate asks about Jill, and he says she's just a girl from his class, but she notes he is very distracted. Then, in the house, Jill visits and accuses Bailey of not mourning her, so he tells her "that was Kate". He blasts her for making him suffer and worry and tells that he can't give her more chances, he doesn't want it. Jill leaves, saddened and hurt, so Bailey soon regrets mistreating her. Finally, he and Kate "break up" in peaceful terms when she suggests stopping writing to each other, unless something important, and tells that she'll date Kyle. He accepts and says goodbye to his first girlfriend in the airport (first time). Then, he visits Jill in the coffee shop and tells her that he still loves her, despite all their troubles, he can't help it. He doesn't want to love her so much, but he does. They hug and kiss, having their reconciliation. This last scene was touching and the whole story here was excellent, enjoyable and emotional. Bailey and Kate had a good relationship overall, but when she left, all the drama in Bailey's relationship with Jill, the drug problems, proved to be much stronger. Overcoming really dramatic situations in a relationship, form practically an unbreakable bond, a deep love for the couple.
Charlie, with the money earned (15.000) from leaving the Seattle job, wants to spend a happy weekend with Kirsten, skiing in the mountains, taking horse-drawn carriage rides to town, dancing together at night. He tells her this while she is having a bath, but she's worried about Owen and Claudia and asks if they'll take them (because they are like "their kids"). He prefers the kids to stay home, as Bailey, Bill and Julia can handle them for a weekend. She thinks in the money they'd spend, but he convinces her of going, saying that the money is from the Seattle job, and as the siblings forced him to walk away from there, only the two deserve to have some fun (the happiest scene today). Then, while he makes the reservations, ordering a jacuzzi, Claudia returns from the dentist with six cavities (I wonder who took her there), so he takes away sugar cereals from her diet and orders her to eat more vegetables. At dinner in the house (finally showed!), she refuses to eat broccoli, even when he stays at the table for hours, so he grounds her with no TV. The next day, she disobeys, watches A Song to Remember on TV, and when he orders to turn it off, she challenges him, turning up the volume and saying that she read of civil disobedience in school, like he is a tyrant and she was oppressed (brilliant line, incredibly great). Without choice, Charlie disconnects the TV, takes it away, and sends her to sleep (this two scenes were funny, really common in childhood). At the same time, Julia learns that she won a writing contest for SF magazine (and 1000 $), and is shocked that her story already has been published, as she didn't want that. Turns out that months ago, she wrote the story for the school and invented bad characters based on her siblings (of course, not Owen). Charlie and Kirsten go together to Julia's event from SF magazine, but they don't notice the bad parts of the story yet. Later, Claudia reads the magazine and finds out that she was written as a robotic, heartless musician who plays the viola and tells Bailey that he was written as "sex drive with legs", who only has one thing on his mind. In exchange for not telling Charlie, Julia agrees to do Bailey and Claudia's chores. In the meantime, while Charlie searches the skis, Bill tells that the landlord raised his rent, so he asks for a raise. He tells that the agreement was a raise after 6 months, and passed 3, so for now, is not possible. When Kirsten takes the skis upstairs with Charlie, joking about hitting slopes, Bailey tells that Bill is not asking much, and complains about the money they'll spend in a hotel and skiing. Charlie tells that the 15000 from Seattle is his money, not the family's money, so he chooses how to spend it. In the night, following Claudia's issues, Kirsten gives Charlie massages but Claudia interrupts asking the TV back for homework. He maintains his position, grounding her and forbidding her from leaving the house to Artie's or any place, and when she leaves angered, Kirsten approves his decision (she surely agrees that 6 cavities is a lot and Claudia has to behave). The next day, after learning that Bill's building doesn't have rent control, Bailey gives him the raise. In the restaurant, Charlie tells Kirsten that a weekend is not enough and that they should leave to Europe, Italy for a week, and take a break from Claudia's disobedience. She reads Julia's story and then agrees in going away with him, probably thinking how bad Julia wrote her older brother, comparing to the good Man he is now. He's surprised by her "new irresponsible attitude", they kiss, but he, still intrigued by Julia's story, finally takes the magazine and reads it, despite Kirsten begs him not to. Meanwhile, Claudia organizes a sleepover at the house, challenging Charlie's measures and when he gets home, mad at Julia and now at Claudia, they discuss, she screams at him and when he claims he's the father now, she says she doesn't care so he almost does the wrong move, in front of the other kids. Claudia leaves and he, scared and regretful, looks around. After this, he confronts Julia: turns out that she wrote him as an insensitive womanizer of 23 years old (in this episode he was actually 25), who can't focus on anything and works in a club. She tells that she never meant the story to be published, that she exaggerated some parts. She knows that he gave up the Seattle job for them, and the kind of man he is now, responsible and loyal to one woman, but he isn't comforted and upset, he leaves. The next day, a quiet Claudia is eating an apple, promises to eat more vegetables and apologizes for the sleepover, but he doesn't want to talk. When Bill takes Owen to the park, he thanks Charlie for the raise, so he realizes what Bailey did but doesn't take it back. Without the respect of the siblings and deeply scared about what he almost did to Claudia, Charlie decides to move out (along Kirsten). If I think about the last episode, the "dad" can't leave the house, no matter disobedience, he's still the dad. But Bailey and Claudia (for me Julia was ok today, her thing was a past mistake) behaved badly and acted like if he was the same guy from the Pilot episode. But Charlie changed, he fixed the issues with Kirsten and they are somehow "running the family". I highlight a couple of lines before Charlie's speech when Kirsten friendly asked Claudia to pick up a book to read Owen a bedtime story (Blueberries for Sal or other one). This implies that Kirsten is not mad at Claudia, she understands how children can be so she is forgiving and patient, like a good mother. Also, means that Kirsten still takes care of Owen. Charlie's position is easy to understand, so moving out definitely wasn't the solution, but a change was needed. This is a family, and sometimes things like this can happen, especially in this case, with orphans. Charlie has to be somehow authoritative but also patient, forgiving, compassive, loving. That's what being a Father means. Today he felt frustrated, without respect, and yes, it's bad, but days like this prove if he is strong enough to be the Man of the house, the Father.
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