There are two main plots in this episode. One concerns Charlie-Kirsten-Daphne and the other one concerns Griffin's fight with Julia's relationship. The lights up stories are from Bailey and Claudia.
Charlie finally reveals what the lawyer found out: in Texas, when she was 3 years old, Daphne was locked alone in the basement by her mother without food for four days. Turns out that the neighbours were aware of her mother's activities and how she often left Daphne for boyfriends or whatever, so they broke a window and saved her. She spent the next year and a half with cousins, grandmother, family until the court gave back custody to her mother, with therapy and parenting classes as conditions. He tells all this to a therapist who agrees that Daphne developed an attachment disorder, attachment primary aversion. It's clear Daphne will need some kind of psycotherapy, to talk to a psychiatrist, so for all this, Charlie wants to go with Diana to LA to find her. It's curious how the writers made him get involved with another woman who turned out to have a psychiatric condition. Anyway, though Daphne obviously needs help, Kirsten's illness is much more serious. In the house after the meeting, Charlie feels bad for pushing Daphne when she actually couldn't be a mother for other reasons, and confides in Kirsten about it. She doubts it, thinking it won't change anything and doesn't understand what he means. He says that if Daphne saw the file she could understand that her problem with Diana wasn't her fault, so she could change and they could be a family again. That line was one of the most terrible things I heard in this series. Kirsten surely felt it like a stab in her heart. Just then, he and Bailey go to talk to Julia, leaving Owen in charge of Kirsten. Surely not even his former "first son" could cheer her up, because that terrible line would mean for her losing all the Salingers forever. The next day, Kirsten is shown talking by the phone with lawyer Levitton: this lawyer wanted to take Paul's money without realizing that Kirsten is not that kind of person, values all the things Paul did for her, so she doesn't want his money. She said she'll get a job, now that she is on her own, but needs time. She reaches Charlie for advice or help, but he's still blind only thinking in going to LA. She remains quiet and only says "if that's what you think". Later, she finally loses the patience and tries to stop him. She asks him what he expects to happen, for Daphne to be a mother for Diana or to be the three together. She says that the file could shake Daphne up and cause more damage to her, so this time, she won't support him, tells him to think well his actions, and leaves the room. He's stunned and doesn't understand why she is mad. Anyway, the idiot leaves and finds Daphne in a similar way than Bailey found Jill in 1x18: in a second and leaving an apartment. She is mad to see him and Diana because was really hard for her to leave in 5x11. He gives her the file and she leaves with friends in a car. Later, she visits him at the hotel and blasts him saying he thinks she's like her mother. He corrects her telling that all her problems are not her fault and that she still has the chance to be with Diana but she's not sure. In the night, a sequence is shown with Charlie calling to ask for flights back to SF, Daphne trying to call him but then retreating, and a sleepless lonely sad Kirsten drinking tea or coffee in the dinning room. In the last scene, she says that her nightmares with a little blue soldier, "blocking" every door to commitment were true, as she couldn't trust anyone in her life. I hated what happened here, I can't believe how the writers again managed to damage the best relationship of the series. The way Charlie treated Kirsten was horrible. He broke her heart three times (the first and early cheat on, the failed wedding and when he told her he was having a baby with Daphne). Kirsten broke his heart three times (almost marrying Michael, her words in Desperate Measures and her news of her marriage with Paul). They are even now and still love each other enough to remain good friends, trying to not lose each other again. But here Charlie committed another big mistake breaking her heart one more time. She needed him, just to be there for her, she is unemployed and alone, still on medication and divorcing from the doctor who helped to cure her depression. And she loves deeply Charlie and finally is able to be with him after the depression but he coldly said that he'll go to get Daphne to be a a family. This was cruel. Because Kirsten didn't suffer enough thanks to him, now he has to hurt her one more time. She didn't tell him that she wanted to get back together now, probably because is too soon, but she wanted his help to get a job, his comfort, his protection. And how much she needed it, she has Bipolar II Disorder!!! When she got mad at Charlie she already started to lose control even being on medication. At night, she had insomnia but for her chronic illness, it was a symptom, a warning sign that could mean a relapse on depression. And the only one there to help her would have been Claudia. Paul accepted to end their marriage but he thought she would be safe with Charlie. It's really bad what happened here, persons with BD have higher chances to committ suicide, and considering all the times Kirsten suffered for Charlie, now she could have done something. The writers did a terrible job. In real life, things are not so easy. That's why Charlie's actions today were one of the worst mistakes he did in life. Last episode, when he asked her to move back into the house, it's like he promised he'd take care of her, but today he broke that promise and left her alone. If a case like this ever happen in reality, suicide might be on the table. Since she got depressed the 2nd time, Kirsten never was alone, always was taken care of, first Charlie, then her parents and lately Paul. Now was Charlie's turn again and he coldly abandoned his lost wife with a chronic mental illness in the aftermath of a divorce. I'm not sure if Matthew liked this turn out, I bet not given that seemingly he dislikes soft stories and the immature-irresponsible Charlie he had to portray sometimes. Here he looked oblivious, blind, distracted, like if he had nothing else on his mind, not Kirsten or Claudia, not Owen, not even his job. The Charlie of season 4 was much better than this one. He should have promised Kirsten that he just wanted to help Daphne, but without being together. She needed the help, but not this way. Even Daphne knows that she and Charlie doesn't stick together. It was a wrong move to hurt Kirsten one more time. She didn't deserve it.
As for Griffin, he did everything right today. He took all the possible measures to help Julia. He went to her brothers, he went to Justin, he went to her, but nothing worked. Charlie and Bailey confronted Julia today (thanks to Griffin and Sarah's story of support group), leaving Owen with Kirsten at home, but Julia lied them calling Griffin jealous. And she filed for divorce but he is good enough to refuse to sign unless she breaks up with Ned. The next scene was amazing, Griffin confronting Ned, beating him up badly (Ned provoked him). Then, Ned's roommates arrive and stop him, obviously calling the police. Julia defended Ned and sent Griffin to prison. Later he calls her to say "don't forgive what he did to you", but she hang up, so that's when she finished totally her relationship with Griffin. All what he did to protect her, to save her from Ned, and she sends him to prison. From now on, he will slowly quit from the Salingers with perfect reasons. Only Claudia was able to bail him out of jail, after breaking up with Cody. She knows the good guy he really is despite his past mistakes. He worries about her, Owen, Diana, Julia. But here, the bond that tied Griffin and Julia was cutted for good.
To finish, Bailey's story with Owen was good and funny. He gets an offer from Sean Sullivan to expand his business but at the same time, he has to take care of Owen (Owen's "father" went to LA) and train him in basketball. Sarah supports the business offer, but she doesn't realize that the kind of life that Sullivan proposes is not good for Bailey or for her. Bailey chooses Owen and tells her that he can be a father to him, instead of waiting years for that. Still, Sarah is not so convinced, she just pretends to understand him. It was good he realized that wealthy men in suits going to strip clubs and doing business was something wrong compared to managing a basketball junior team in school (the game was funny, for Owen's crazy shot and Hughley taking Sean's call). That's what is to be a real father. But, what he doesn't see is that Owen is almost 5, and he can't commit himself to raise him for if Sarah doesn't join him for the long term.
Charlie finally reveals what the lawyer found out: in Texas, when she was 3 years old, Daphne was locked alone in the basement by her mother without food for four days. Turns out that the neighbours were aware of her mother's activities and how she often left Daphne for boyfriends or whatever, so they broke a window and saved her. She spent the next year and a half with cousins, grandmother, family until the court gave back custody to her mother, with therapy and parenting classes as conditions. He tells all this to a therapist who agrees that Daphne developed an attachment disorder, attachment primary aversion. It's clear Daphne will need some kind of psycotherapy, to talk to a psychiatrist, so for all this, Charlie wants to go with Diana to LA to find her. It's curious how the writers made him get involved with another woman who turned out to have a psychiatric condition. Anyway, though Daphne obviously needs help, Kirsten's illness is much more serious. In the house after the meeting, Charlie feels bad for pushing Daphne when she actually couldn't be a mother for other reasons, and confides in Kirsten about it. She doubts it, thinking it won't change anything and doesn't understand what he means. He says that if Daphne saw the file she could understand that her problem with Diana wasn't her fault, so she could change and they could be a family again. That line was one of the most terrible things I heard in this series. Kirsten surely felt it like a stab in her heart. Just then, he and Bailey go to talk to Julia, leaving Owen in charge of Kirsten. Surely not even his former "first son" could cheer her up, because that terrible line would mean for her losing all the Salingers forever. The next day, Kirsten is shown talking by the phone with lawyer Levitton: this lawyer wanted to take Paul's money without realizing that Kirsten is not that kind of person, values all the things Paul did for her, so she doesn't want his money. She said she'll get a job, now that she is on her own, but needs time. She reaches Charlie for advice or help, but he's still blind only thinking in going to LA. She remains quiet and only says "if that's what you think". Later, she finally loses the patience and tries to stop him. She asks him what he expects to happen, for Daphne to be a mother for Diana or to be the three together. She says that the file could shake Daphne up and cause more damage to her, so this time, she won't support him, tells him to think well his actions, and leaves the room. He's stunned and doesn't understand why she is mad. Anyway, the idiot leaves and finds Daphne in a similar way than Bailey found Jill in 1x18: in a second and leaving an apartment. She is mad to see him and Diana because was really hard for her to leave in 5x11. He gives her the file and she leaves with friends in a car. Later, she visits him at the hotel and blasts him saying he thinks she's like her mother. He corrects her telling that all her problems are not her fault and that she still has the chance to be with Diana but she's not sure. In the night, a sequence is shown with Charlie calling to ask for flights back to SF, Daphne trying to call him but then retreating, and a sleepless lonely sad Kirsten drinking tea or coffee in the dinning room. In the last scene, she says that her nightmares with a little blue soldier, "blocking" every door to commitment were true, as she couldn't trust anyone in her life. I hated what happened here, I can't believe how the writers again managed to damage the best relationship of the series. The way Charlie treated Kirsten was horrible. He broke her heart three times (the first and early cheat on, the failed wedding and when he told her he was having a baby with Daphne). Kirsten broke his heart three times (almost marrying Michael, her words in Desperate Measures and her news of her marriage with Paul). They are even now and still love each other enough to remain good friends, trying to not lose each other again. But here Charlie committed another big mistake breaking her heart one more time. She needed him, just to be there for her, she is unemployed and alone, still on medication and divorcing from the doctor who helped to cure her depression. And she loves deeply Charlie and finally is able to be with him after the depression but he coldly said that he'll go to get Daphne to be a a family. This was cruel. Because Kirsten didn't suffer enough thanks to him, now he has to hurt her one more time. She didn't tell him that she wanted to get back together now, probably because is too soon, but she wanted his help to get a job, his comfort, his protection. And how much she needed it, she has Bipolar II Disorder!!! When she got mad at Charlie she already started to lose control even being on medication. At night, she had insomnia but for her chronic illness, it was a symptom, a warning sign that could mean a relapse on depression. And the only one there to help her would have been Claudia. Paul accepted to end their marriage but he thought she would be safe with Charlie. It's really bad what happened here, persons with BD have higher chances to committ suicide, and considering all the times Kirsten suffered for Charlie, now she could have done something. The writers did a terrible job. In real life, things are not so easy. That's why Charlie's actions today were one of the worst mistakes he did in life. Last episode, when he asked her to move back into the house, it's like he promised he'd take care of her, but today he broke that promise and left her alone. If a case like this ever happen in reality, suicide might be on the table. Since she got depressed the 2nd time, Kirsten never was alone, always was taken care of, first Charlie, then her parents and lately Paul. Now was Charlie's turn again and he coldly abandoned his lost wife with a chronic mental illness in the aftermath of a divorce. I'm not sure if Matthew liked this turn out, I bet not given that seemingly he dislikes soft stories and the immature-irresponsible Charlie he had to portray sometimes. Here he looked oblivious, blind, distracted, like if he had nothing else on his mind, not Kirsten or Claudia, not Owen, not even his job. The Charlie of season 4 was much better than this one. He should have promised Kirsten that he just wanted to help Daphne, but without being together. She needed the help, but not this way. Even Daphne knows that she and Charlie doesn't stick together. It was a wrong move to hurt Kirsten one more time. She didn't deserve it.
As for Griffin, he did everything right today. He took all the possible measures to help Julia. He went to her brothers, he went to Justin, he went to her, but nothing worked. Charlie and Bailey confronted Julia today (thanks to Griffin and Sarah's story of support group), leaving Owen with Kirsten at home, but Julia lied them calling Griffin jealous. And she filed for divorce but he is good enough to refuse to sign unless she breaks up with Ned. The next scene was amazing, Griffin confronting Ned, beating him up badly (Ned provoked him). Then, Ned's roommates arrive and stop him, obviously calling the police. Julia defended Ned and sent Griffin to prison. Later he calls her to say "don't forgive what he did to you", but she hang up, so that's when she finished totally her relationship with Griffin. All what he did to protect her, to save her from Ned, and she sends him to prison. From now on, he will slowly quit from the Salingers with perfect reasons. Only Claudia was able to bail him out of jail, after breaking up with Cody. She knows the good guy he really is despite his past mistakes. He worries about her, Owen, Diana, Julia. But here, the bond that tied Griffin and Julia was cutted for good.
To finish, Bailey's story with Owen was good and funny. He gets an offer from Sean Sullivan to expand his business but at the same time, he has to take care of Owen (Owen's "father" went to LA) and train him in basketball. Sarah supports the business offer, but she doesn't realize that the kind of life that Sullivan proposes is not good for Bailey or for her. Bailey chooses Owen and tells her that he can be a father to him, instead of waiting years for that. Still, Sarah is not so convinced, she just pretends to understand him. It was good he realized that wealthy men in suits going to strip clubs and doing business was something wrong compared to managing a basketball junior team in school (the game was funny, for Owen's crazy shot and Hughley taking Sean's call). That's what is to be a real father. But, what he doesn't see is that Owen is almost 5, and he can't commit himself to raise him for if Sarah doesn't join him for the long term.