7th Heaven: Season 2 - Episode 17: Nothing Endures But Change

 

Lucy talks to her friend Sarah (Kayla Murphy) after school. 

School is out, and Lucy and Sarah are talking about Michael, who was dumped by Maggie. Sarah sees her sister, Jen (Marla Sokoloff), and they walk over to her. Lucy tells Jen she thinks her new car is "so cool." Jen invites Lucy to join her and Sarah for pizza. Lucy learns that Jen lets Sarah drive sometimes in parking lots, not in traffic. (If only she had stuck to that, or even better not let her drive at all). Lucy says she (Lucy) has to talk to her parents, but she should be able to join them for pizza. Lucy tells them she will call them when she gets home, and they leave.

Mary comes over upset that Lucy wasn't at the car. She said she and Matt have been waiting. Lucy tells her older sister about Jen having a new license, and Mary tells her she (Lucy) won't get permission to go. Lucy says she's going anyway. 

Mary: Dream on, little rebel.

Lucy exhales in frustration. The opening credits come up, and the theme song plays.  

Annie is playing finger puppets with Ruthie. There is one for everyone, including Happy. Lucy asks to go with Jen and Sarah. Annie tells her no because she doesn't know either of them. Lucy says she can introduce them. Annie says Lucy could hang out with them but not get in a car.  

Lucy: She's way nicer to Sarah than Mary is to me. She is!

Lucy says they want to include her.

Simon comes down and asks Ruthie what she did to his volcano. He tells his mother that Ruthie threw it on the floor. Annie goes up with Simon and Ruthie to check out the volcano situation.

Mary comes into the kitchen. Lucy tells her she will do whatever Mary wants if she goes out with her Jen and Sarah so that Lucy can go.

Upstairs, Simon is yelling because he's angry about the volcano. Annie decides it's time for Simon to move up to the attic.

Lucy tries to talk their father into letting them go. Annie comes downstairs and informs Lucy that she is not riding with Jen, who just got her license, even with Mary. She says someone can drive her to have pizza with the girls, but she cannot ride in a car with Jen driving. Lucy gives up and says, "it's better than nothing." 

The phone rings, and Eric answers. It's Wilson (Andrew Keegan). Eric asks him how he and Billy are doing. He tells Mary Wilson wants to know if she's home and asks her if she is. Mary says she will take it in her room. 

Upstairs in her room, Mary talks to Wilson while Lucy listens. He asks Mary to babysit Billy so he can go out with his date. She hangs up the phone, and Lucy is angry that Mary canceled on her. Mary apologizes and says they can do it another night. Lucy replies, "No, thank you." and storms out of their room. Matt sees Lucy.

Matt: Whoa, hey. What's the big emergency?

Lucy: Mary is a jerk! A total jerk!

She tells Matt about her plans and Mary canceling. Matt tells her she can take her, and he will also talk to their parents. 

In the kitchen, Annie and Eric discuss Wilson and how much they like him. Matt informs them that Mary is not getting back with Wilson, only babysitting. He talks to them about Lucy. Eric says they have to start letting Lucy become more independent, and Matt says he will take responsibility since he knows how it was to be fourteen. 

Simon is packing up his belongings to move into the attic. He is angry with Ruthie still now because not only was his science project ruined, but he now has to move the same weekend he has to redo it. 

Matt goes up to the girls' room and tells Lucy she can go. Lucy hugs her brother, and he says he will drop her off at 7:15 and pick her up at 9. 

Lucy calls Sarah to tell Sarah she can meet them at the pizza place but not ride with them. Sarah says they changed plans and are going to a hamburger place 30 miles away. Jen gets on the phone and tells Lucy to act like she's going for pizza; they will go out and return, and no one will know anything. Lucy agrees.

Mary arrives at Wilson's. She tells him she isn't babysitting for Wilson but for Billy (Casey and Dylan Boersma). As soon as Wilson leaves, Billy is screaming and crying. 

Sarah and Jen leave the pizza place to "go get gas." Matt drops Lucy off and orders her to wait inside, so she's not outside alone. After he drives off, she sits outside alone and waits for the other two to return.

Simon is looking at his new room in the attic and isn't thrilled about moving there. 

Mary calls to ask how to stop Billy from crying. Annie says he's probably teething and to look for popsicles in the freezer. While Mary is on the phone and unwatched, Billy gets into some chocolate syrup. Mary quickly gets off the phone and takes the chocolate syrup away; Billy's lip quivers, and then he screams.

Simon goes into his and Ruthie's room and is upset Ruthie is up on the top bunk. He says when he leaves, their mother will take the bunks apart, and he's taking his top bunk with him. Ruthie informs him that their mother is giving him "some old stuff." 

Annie and Eric sit on the floor in the attic, talking about the kids growing up. Annie doesn't feel ready for it. 

Matt comes in and asks Simon where their parents are. Simon tells him in the attic and asks him to take the attic. Matt says, "fine." (That was nice of Matt, of course, he is also preoccupied with more significant issues than which room he sleeps in). 

He goes up to the attic. He said he was at the library and heard there was a bad accident, and Jen was taken away in an ambulance. The car was wrapped around a telephone pole, but no one saw Sarah. Matt tried to call Lucy at the pizza place, but (since she's sitting outside) the pizza place told him she wasn't there. Annie is scared that Lucy is in the car. 

Eric and Matt head downstairs as the doorbell rings. It's Seargent Michaels (Christopher Michael) who needs Eric's help. He tells him there was an accident and Sarah (Lucy's friend) died. Jen said she was trying to "dodge a kid who walked into the street." He says Jen's not in good shape. He wants Eric to go with him to tell the parents. (That is not something anyone wants to do). Eric tells Matt to tell Annie what the Seargeant told them, and then Eric and Seargent Michaels leave.

Mary tries to convince Billy to go to bed, but Billy tells her no. Wilson comes home because he isn't having a good time. Billy falls asleep while Wilson is holding him talking to Mary, so he puts him to bed.

Annie arrives at the pizza place where Lucy is still outside waiting for her friends. Lucy explains that she was planning to go with Jen and Sarah to get burgers, but they never showed up probably, "because there was some type of accident." (And I am crying at this point). 

Annie: Luce, the accident...

Lucy: It wasn't them. Tell me it wasn't them. Please. 

Annie: I'm sorry. Sarah was killed, Luce. And Jen is in the hospital in serious condition. I'm so sorry. (Annie hugs Lucy, who is sobbing) Oh, I'm just so glad it wasn't you.

Matt goes into Ruthie's room and sees Ruthie has fallen asleep still wearing her finger puppets, so he tucks her in and turns out the light.

Matt then comes down to the stairs where Simon is, and Simon asks him if he's sure he's okay with taking the attic. He keeps asking, and Matt snaps at him. 

Simon: Why are you so mad at me?

Matt: I'm not mad at you; I'm mad at Lucy.

Simon: Why?

Matt: Later. Go to bed.

Matt tells Simon to sleep in Matt's old room, and Matt will take a sleeping bag up to the attic.

Wilson asks Mary if she's dating anyone. She says she dates many guys but only one at a time. She calls home to get a ride.

Eric and Michaels arrive at the Fosters (Kate Randolph and David Q. Combs) to tell them about Sarah and Jen. 

Back at the house, Eric tells Annie he wishes Lucy would have gone to the funeral services. 

Eric: She (Lucy) cries about everything. But not this. 

Annie: She just can't seem to cry. I guess she's afraid that if she starts, she won't be able to stop. 

Annie asks about Jen. Eric says Jen wasn't at the funeral; she's still at the hospital but physically okay. However, "she's got a heavy burden to carry." (Yeah, she's going to have a tough time. I also wondered if, besides the apparent emotional guilt Jen must feel, would she be in legal trouble for letting Sarah drive). 

Upstairs the brothers are listening to loud rock music. Mary comes in and tells them that they are bothering Lucy. Matt doesn't seem to care, so Simon asks if he's still mad at Lucy. Mary asks what Simon is talking about and then tells him to get out. 

Matt is upset because he knew what Lucy was planning, and if she was in the car, she would have died. Lucy overhears them and comes in crying. She blames herself for Sarah being killed since they were coming to get her. 

Matt: Sarah died because she was driving and a kid ran out in front of her. 

Lucy: I know that, and that's my fault too. It's all my fault!

She blames herself because she never told anyone about Sarah driving. Her other siblings and parents come to her as she talks to Matt. Annie tries to console her daughter.

Lucy: No, leave me alone.

Annie: We can't. We can't leave you alone now. This is not your fault. It's not your fault.

Lucy: It is my fault! It's all my fault. Nothing will ever be the same again. Nothing. 

Lucy falls to her knees, sobbing. 

Later that night, Mary and Lucy are in their room. Mary tells her she wishes she could help, and Lucy tells her she is just by being there. Eric asks to come in, and Lucy asks him not to, so he leaves and goes to Simon's room.

Simon is playing with his action figures. (Simon is at that weird age where he still wants to play with toys, yet at the same time is starting to feel too big to play with them). He tells his father he loves his room but doesn't want to be happy when Lucy's friend died. (I can relate - it's hard to be happy when someone you love is so sad). Eric tells him it's okay to be happy. Ruthie pops her head in and tells them she's happy, and asks them to come see "her room." 

Simon: First of all, Happy is not wearing a tutu. Second of all, why did you do this?

Ruthie: This is more me. You always cramped my style. I'm going to be an inferior decorator. (Haha, I love it when she gets words mixed-up or mispronounced). 

A frustrated Simon leaves with Happy. 

Eric tells Ruthie he'll be back and goes after Simon. Simon is upset because Ruthie changed their room, and he lived there for ten years. Eric asks him how Matt will feel since Matt has lived in his room since he was born almost. He tells Simon it's okay to change Matt's room because now it's his room. Simon tells his dad as much as he loves superheroes, he's more interested in girls now. (I am guessing the make-out party helped with that). 

In the attic, Matt tells Annie he won't always be there because he plans to go away to college. 

Annie: You know, I think we could put a small bathroom in over there.

Matt: You can't entice me to stay here with my own bathroom.

Annie: I know, but I can try. 

Annie comes downstairs, where Eric is eating a gingerbread man. He tells her that Lucy won't talk to him, and he's okay with that, but she needs to talk to someone. Annie says she's talking to Mary, but he explains she's not; she's just reading with her. Eric gets an idea and leaves without telling his wife what the idea was. 

Eric tells Lucy that Jen will be out of the hospital soon. Lucy says she doesn't want to see Jen because she wouldn't know what to say. (I am thinking, how do you think Jen feels knowing it was her fault her sister died, and you, who are supposed to be her friend as well as Sarah's, don't want to see her). 

The doorbell rings, and Mary answers. It's Wilson coming to see Lucy. Mary gets Lucy and tells him that Wilson wants to talk to her because Mary's "not a member of the club."

Lucy goes downstairs, and Wilson hugs her. She asks what club, and he tells her the one where you've lost someone. Wilson tells her that he's afraid to get close to Mary because his last girlfriend died, and he doesn't want her to die. (Poor Wilson). And Lucy says she feels like everyone near her will die but believes she must have a purpose since she's still alive. (Yes, you do, Lucy, we all do). Wilson tells her that he realizes being a great father to Billy is a great purpose. (Yes)! She tells him she doesn't have any kids, so she can't do that. (But someday, you just might). He says she can be a great sister, daughter, and friend. He takes her to a grief support meeting for teenagers. After two others talk, Lucy tells them about Sarah. They discuss how there is nothing anyone can say to make it feel better. Then Wilson says maybe the truth like, "This really sucks." And another guy says or "I'm glad to be alive." Lucy starts to cry and says she doesn't think she can live like before. 

That evening, Lucy goes up to the attic to see Matt. She says it's "cool up here" and offers to help him. He says he just needs some blankets, and he'll be good, so Lucy gets them. She passes Mary and tells her to call Wilson because Wilson really likes her as she is leaving.

Matt tells Mary he hopes she's not trying to convince him not to go to school. 

Mary: No, I was just thinking that if you do go away to school, this could all be mine. 

Ruthie and Simon are in their rooms (next to each other, separated by a door), and Simon wonders why Matt always kept the door closed. Ruthie tells him maybe an alien will get him, and Simon says she's not going to scare him into coming back again, but they can keep the door open for a few nights so she can get used to it. 

Annie and Eric see Lucy in the hall looking for a blanket. She says she wanted to get the old army one that The Colonel gave Matt when he was younger. Annie gets it from the top shelf and hands it to Lucy. Lucy starts to leave but then turns back and hugs her parents first.

Eric: It'll take a while.

Annie: I know. I'm just glad she had the while to take. 

The closing credits come up. 

(This was a great episode. Beverly Mitchell excelled in this one for sure. The subplot with Ruthie and Simon was not as exciting, but it got Simon his own room).