Four stories. Julia has to choose which road she will take now, after finishing her book and publishing online. Her current options are working for a magazine, writing a daily column or helping other woman sharing her experiences, by speaking at a conference for National Organization for Women (this was arranged by Maggie). First, trying to move on from her book and Ned's story and wanting new things, she chooses working for the magazine, and her boss sends her to write columns using examples or citing persons like Madonna or Britney Spears. For this, one night she blows off a dinner with Justin, and the next day, she decides not to have dinner with him and his parents (who actually are like her "second parents", according her words in 5x14). So Justin tells her that helping other woman, speaking at the conference is more important than a pop magazine and that she shouldn't want to forget "old and familiar things", like him. This way, she listens to him and agrees, and tells him "come soon", when he leaves for New Haven to finish his exams in Yale and end his marriage with Laura. This was interesting because once more, Julia has to decide her future, her profession, and that changed too many times during the show. I hope she can stick to this, to finally have a definitive career in writing what is what she always liked. The scene when Griffin surprised them was funny, but he had no more lines in the episode. A trivial fact, in that same scene at the kitchen, Justin says he knows where the plates are for the last 15 years, which tells how long is the friendship between him and the Salingers. In the meantime, Claudia and Todd also decide their future. Claudia ponders going to Stanford or Juilliard, as she has doubts about leaving her family and Todd. Incredibly, Todd only got into SF university, like Bailey, and that's weird considering he is as smart as Claudia. He tells her that she should go to Juilliard, but she is not sure and seemingly prefers Stanford. At the end, they sleep together. Those parts felt really out of line considering Charlie's dramatic story today, it's the bad point of the episode. The story wasn't as good as the others but gave hints to Claudia's future. In the last episodes, she spent time with Julia and Todd, but not with Bailey, Owen, Charlie or Kirsten. Somehow, she is starting to leave and live her own life. And that's why her story today doesn't fit with the rest of the episode, she is living in a world very different than Bailey, Charlie and Kirsten.
Charlie and Bailey talk about a furniture business that is going under, a company similar to theirs. They worry a little, but also see the good side and plan to get the customers of that place, one being a wealthy man, Jason Kimball. Charlie wants to start with this, but Bailey, now aware of Charlie's long hours of work and that Kirsten is pregnant, tells him that he'll handle it, and sends him home, given that this is one of his free nights with her. The next day, Charlie arrives home late with dessert (chocolate chips cookies and rum raisin) for his beloved wife, who gives him a warm hug kiss welcome saying that she had work to do too, and that she already put Diana into bed (a really nice scene for them). He tells her the good news for the business, she is happy to see him and with the desserts, and while kissing, he attempts to ignore a phone call, but this time, she tells him to take it. Turns out that Mitch had a heart attack, he was saved, but is heading to surgery. They are shocked and he rushes to the hospital. He talks to Mitch's wife, who says that her husband has a heart condition, and that he begged him to slow down,14 hours a day, 6 days a week was too much. This talk makes Charlie realize his mistake, so he cancels Kimball's meeting and orders to slow down the work, despite Bailey's protests. He even waited in the hospital to talk to the doctor and saw Mitch's kids there. Surely he called Kirsten to tell her about the news and that he's slowing down the work at the factory. When Mitch wakes up and learns this, he questions Charlie's decision, saying that he pushed himself, only to build a better life for his family. He knows his wife doesn't understand, and probably Kirsten either, but they that's why they work. The next day at the factory, while Charlie answers a call saying they're 2 days behind the schedule, the sub foreman, Tommy, informs him about Mitch's death. He's shocked and then, in the funeral, he gives a strong hug to Kirsten telling how much he loves her, while they sadly watch Mitch's two kids and their widow mother. That scene was short but excellent, with a great soundtrack and a very well done set, showed again how the death of someone they knew had an impact on their lives, and this time made Charlie remember what would mean to lose the person he loves the most forever. He finally decides to keep the company small (a family business with a period partner), offering Bailey a partnership and to change the name to Salinger Brothers. He says that they would be able to run the business with plenty of time to do other stuff, including college. He also moreless repeats his words of 6x17, telling that the most important is to spend time with their families, and that Mitch couldn't guarantee if the work was worth it. Bailey again didn't want him to take big decisions now but seemingly understood his reasons. At the end, Kirsten and Mitch's wife were right, you can't put your whole life to a job, family will always be more important. There's no season 7, so the last scene when Charlie and Kirsten sit with Diana reading bedtime stories, is a great picture of their happy future, with their next children to come. Kirsten deserved a couple of more scenes today, and once again showed how much she and Charlie love each other. Surely despite their shared sadness, they were glad to remember that being together and raising their children is the first priority. Then, Holly and Will, aware of the situation they are, decide to end the scheme. Bailey convinces her to hold on if she wants to stay, but when Will decides it's over and he moves back with his parents, Holly agrees and starts packing. After leaving Mitch's funeral, Bailey finds her and she says she'll return to London. He tells that she still can marry him, but she says that life is telling them "is not meant to be", and that she is slowing his life down. She gives him a hug as a farewell. At the same time, Bailey meets with Kimball, who is impressed by his management skills and offers him a chance of a business degree in college at the East Coast, in 2 years. Then, Will decides to return to college back East and shares a farewell with his friend, telling his parents are happy now. Bailey says everybody leaves, and ponders leaving too, so Will hopes they'll be near. I know that sometimes Bailey pushes too much, he puts pressure on people but Will mistreated him in their 2nd scene. For the record, there's no one relationship that ended like Bailey wanted. Kate left, Jill died, Sarah dumped him two times and left the last time, Annie left, Evie got alcohol poisoning and Holly left him twice. Only the affair with Callie ended like he wanted. So is easy to see why is so hard for Bailey to let people go (not to mention his parents). He has his siblings, but that's not enough, and Claudia and Bailey distanced themselves in season 6. Owen was left under Victor's guide and was absent again today. For all this, I still feel like Bailey can't find peace. In the last sequence (brilliant by the way with City Boy playing), he was seeing Kimball's card, considering leaving, but that won't guarantee happiness. He still will find harder to fall for a woman, and will be afraid she might leave him. A season 7 could have helped him to find that definitive peace and joy. So seems that only Julia, Claudia, Charlie and Kirsten had the happier endings so far.
To finish, this episode gives a closure to season 6. Little by little the Salingers divided, Charlie and Kirsten for one side (and Daphne as recurrent friend for them, sharing Diana), Julia and Claudia living their lives but always confiding in each other, while Bailey, despite some support from his sisters, Joe, Will, Victor, Owen and Griffin, was left alone dealing with Sarah's departure and Holly. That was a bad point of this season, the family started to live apart. That's why the best moments of this season were the family moments, Charlie and Kirsten and their search for their baby, Julia and Claudia sisterhood, Bailey's late partnership with Charlie and the family dinners, Joe's return. For the rest, this season gave excessive time to some minor characters: Evan, Adam, Brian, Griffin, Victor, Holly, Todd. They were acceptable but they "stole" family time from the Salingers. In some episodes, Claudia and Kirsten for example, had much less scenes than minor/recurrent characters. Plus, Bailey and Julia were somehow given more protagonism, leaving slightly behind Charlie, Claudia, Kirsten and Owen. Probably the season would have been better with more scenes between Bailey-Owen, Bailey-Claudia, Charlie and Kirsten-Claudia-Julia-Owen, etc. I think Jacob Smith should have been in the main cast of this season instead of Jeremy. Still, overall was a great season, had high points in the beginning and since the middle. In some ways, like Charlie-Kirsten's side, was much better, enjoyable and happier than most of seasons 3 and 5 (and parts of 2 and 4). Also, it's very clear that there was plenty of material for a final season 7: Owen, Charlie and Kirsten's baby, Bailey's search for happiness, Julia's writing and possible stability with Justin, Claudia's music. I only wished ratings could have been higher.
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