This episode is good enough to follow the great streak that began in Thanksgiving, but also, it's not as good as the last ones. Bailey's curse continues: just when he can return to the football team after the last year suspension, in his first training collision, he leaves a teammate temporarily paraplegic. He goes to the hospital and Claudia and Charlie visit. There, the older brother tells him that the doctors don't know yet if Andy will walk again. After this, Bailey returns to practice and lets himself get hurt on purpose. Then, Sarah reaches a lonely Bailey in the football field at night, tries to comfort him and they kiss, but the next day he regrets it for obvious reasons. He avoids her calls and goes to the hospital, where Andy's mom is crying in joy because her son will be fine. He talks to Andy (funny good guy) who knows that is football and that was just an accident. Still, he tells Bailey that for a few inches he is not paraplegic. Later, Sarah confronts him in the house. And since then, Sarah's attitude towards him is selfish and annoying: Bailey is really damaged, she had to be patient and compassive, she can't call him a jerk after all his suffering. In the last scene, despite being still angry, she realizes this and comforts him. However, their love story didn't start well, it was forced somehow by her. She decided to kiss him and to pursue him despite knowing that he wasn't ready, that he still was in a sad mood, for Jill and for the football now too. But it's like he didn't want to start something, he just wanted comfort. That's one of the reasons why I like much more Charlie and Kirsten's love story, it was natural, love at first sight in both ways. They had some misunderstandings before getting together but they both knew they liked/loved each other from the very beginning. That can't be said for basically any other couple in this series (the only exception might be Bailey-Jill). Returning to Bailey's football story, is it possible for someone to have such bad luck in a football highschool team?? And in life??
To stop briefly Charlie's happiness from last episode, the bad luck strikes Salinger's again when Joe has a heart attack. In the first scene for the family, Claudia, Bailey, Owen and Kirsten were in the weekly dinner at Salinger's, waiting for Charlie who was bartending, and for Julia who was with Griffin. Here there were two bad little details to highlight. First, Owen was crying, Bailey was holding him and handed the baby to a waitress to calm him down. But considering all season 1 and Falsies, should have been Kirsten the one to put Owen to sleep or to calm him down, and just then hand him to someone so they can eat. Second, while talking about Julia's absence, Claudia says Griffin is kind of sexy so Bailey questions her like she doesn't know about sexy. In that moment, I have to say Paula, looks at Scott, clearly implying a "moment behind scenes" because there's no way that Kirsten would look at Bailey in a different way than the usual. That single part should have been cut from the episode because is out of the series, was like a behind scenes moment for the actors (make some research and you'll know what I mean). Leaving aside those mistakes, Charlie finally comes to the table (to put things under control I'd say) and Joe gives each one their orders, caesar for Kirsten, romaine salad with radish for Claudia, home no tomato for Charlie, home for Bailey. But soon, feeling tired and feeling chest pain, he suffers a heart attack and collapses. Charlie sends to call 911 and assists him with Kirsten. The next day, the five are having breakfast and Bailey criticizes Julia for missing the family dinner and Joe's incident. While Charlie calls the hospital, Joe arrives, saying he was released from the hospital and that he's fine, he just has to take some pills and watch his diet, dismissing the diagnosis (congestive heart something he said, unbelievable the rest bought it). They seem worried but Joe calms them, saying they are on his will and asks for cheese. Then, while returning home from somewhere, Charlie tells his fiancee about the paint job he made across the street in Pacific Heights, and she praises it. He says he'll pay lunch and she wants to go to the restaurant to check on Joe. She is worried but he thinks that if Joe takes care of himself he'll be ok for Christmas. So Kirsten, wisest than the rest, is realistic and suggests Charlie to take over the restaurant, although he initially refuses. This was a memorable scene, an excellent point, the first time we see the actors walking the long stairs of the house, actually there, in the real San Francisco. For the record, there are 42 steps to the front door, so the only episode where the writers got the right number was in the Finale. Later in the night, another memorable scene happens, the best and most important of the episode. Near the alley at the back from the restaurant, Charlie realizes how serious is Joe's condition while watching him taking a break and sighing. Joe finally reveals that he was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. He explains that in his mind he feels young but not in his body, so he signed himself out from the hospital. Charlie decides to take over but Joe questions this because he said he didn't want it and preferred other things. Charlie says it doesn't matter, he doesn't want to give dad's place to a total stranger, and he'll stop painting houses. He knows he could end way worse than at Salinger's. Joe accepts his choice so Charlie finally becomes the manager, this time for serious. Still, Joe wants to teach him everything he can and calls him in the middle of the night (waking up the happy couple), when Charlie is in the shower (so Kirsten has to hand him the phone) and when he goes to the porch to pick up the newspaper. After he puts Owen to bed, Joe goes to the house (and all the stairs) to double check Charlie's count, having noticed that he was wrong for 15 $. He blasts him for not letting him manage the restaurant saying that he won't leave it because it's his life, so Joe walks out without words, obviously not healthy for an argument (out of line Charlie). In the morning, Charlie tells Bailey the news, and when questioned, he says that it's the right thing and that maybe things will turn out ok. He also turns off the phone ring, and lets Bailey rest, aware of how hard has been for him what happened with Andy, added to the suffering he was carrying since Jill's death. Later, reconciles with Joe at the restaurant, before the only "uncle" of the family leaves. At the end, with a "Hey, you", Kirsten finds Charlie alone at the restaurant, triple checking the count, and while sitting in front of him she says she trusts he knows what he's doing, as he knows the place just as his dad and Joe did. He tells it was different for them because his father made the restaurant his life and would stay late with Joe and friends telling stories about their lives and families (and I guess drinking too). She asks him if he's afraid of becoming his father, but he denies it, saying he's just afraid of not being as good as he was. This last scene was very good, and nice at the same time, he confided in his future wife about how he sees his life: he's not afraid of the future, about being like his dad, he just knows that he's different, and that he won't manage the same way than him, or run the family exactly like him. He knows he can keep leading the family, running the restaurant and being married, he just wonders if he can be as good as he was. This line is very important and the theme will be mentioned 5 episodes later, sadly becoming a contradiction (so I praise Melissa Gould's job in writing, here the truth was told). And well, the restaurant might not be his dream but he has to be patient, one day he can leave it to Bailey or Joe (when he gets better). Also, Charlie said that his dad Nicolas made the restaurant his life, a fact that will be important in the future. Despite the two early mistakes, this storyline is worth the 9 points today. Thanks to Kirsten, Charlie realized that he had to take over the restaurant and help Joe. He's being totally responsible for the family, acting like a man of his age, being a Father for the siblings.
On the other hand, Claudia had not much scenes, she was at the hospital with Bailey, visited Ross and his baby (off-screen) and mentioned that Bill still works as Owen's nanny, a non minor fact for this season. As for Julia-Griffin, their story was annoying for moments. Julia thought, in part given Nina's warnings (who also told her not to feel so bad for dumping Justin), that because Griffin has had sex before, he would push her for it, but at the end was totally the opposite, he's not into big deals. Still, the moment when Charlie realized Griffin "spent the night" in the house, was funny and worth of highlight. Just like he forbade sex for Bailey in 1x16 in the house, now he adamantly forbade sex for Julia too, being 16 is too young. Though Julia was innocent (she knew it herself she wasn't ready), it's great to see Charlie being the true father for the siblings. Right now, his authority is unquestionable.
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