7th Heaven: Season 2 - Episode 21: Boyfriends

 

Annie (Catherine Hicks), Ruthie (Mackenzie Rosman), Matt (Barry Watson), and Simon (David Gallagher) at church. Ruthie doesn't want to sit next to Matt. 

The Camden children and their mother come into the church and sit. Matt tells Simon to switch with him so he can sit by Ruthie. Ruthie gets up and moves to the other side of Annie because she's mad at Matt and doesn't want to sit next to him.

Simon: She's just expressing what everyone else is feeling.

Matt: And that would be?

Simon: She's angry because you're abandoning us.

Matt offers to help train Happy to do tricks because Simon wants to get her to do something special for a commercial audition. Matt says he can help if Simon helps with Ruthie. Lucy comes in, and Annie asks where Wilson and Mary are. 

Lucy: They're just finishing up some pre-church tonsil hockey.

Mary and Wilson (Andrew Keekan) come in and sit with the others. Billy (Casey Boersma and Dylan Boersma) sits on Annie's lap. Lucy, who is now sitting next to Matt, asks him when he will tell their parents about the job he has for the summer. 

Eric stands at the pulpit and welcomes everyone. Rod (Toran Caudell) and Jimmy (Matthew Linville) enter, and the Camdens turn and look. Lucy slouches down in her seat.

Lucy: Oh, here we go again. 

The opening credits come up, and the theme song plays.

Annie puts a casserole in the oven and another dish that is covered. She chops vegetables. Mary and Wilson are debating if Billy should eat or sleep. (This really shouldn't be a debate). Lucy comes in with Billy. She wants to know if her father is home and is upset because she thinks Rod and Jimmy are stalking her. Annie says, "maybe Rod and Jimmy just wanna talk to your father like they said." Lucy believes her mother is naive. (Or maybe you're a little stuck on yourself, Luce). 

Rod and Jimmy are in Eric's office with Eric at the church. They want to use him for a class project. They think that Eric only works one hour a week, so they wouldn't have to do much. (Sadly, a lot of people believe this about ministers). 

Eric: I hate to disappoint you, but my job is really more like a 24-hour-a day, 7-days-a week, always on call kind of a job. 

The guys are shocked. They decide they need to stay at the Camden's since it's a 24/7 job. Eric tells them they can't stay at the house. He says he will call them if something comes up and they agree. They give him their pager numbers. He gives them Bibles.

Eric: Um, maybe you'd like to get started by doing a little research into the book that my work is based on.

Rod: I don't suppose you have some CliffsNotes to go with these babies? (Haha, he's such a bonehead). 

They leave Eric's office. 

Ruthie is outside reading while Mat and Simon work on teaching Happy a trick for the commercial audition. Simon tells Matt to ignore Ruthie completely, and eventually, she will crack.

Eric comes into the kitchen and asks Annie what's for lunch. She asks him why Jimmy and Rod wanted to see him. Eric tells her he's been tired and doesn't know why.

Annie: Because we're raising five kids, and with Billy, it's more like six. And then there's Wilson, and that makes seven. (It'll be good practice). 

They both don't like how Mary and Wilson act like a married couple with a child. Annie wants to send the kids away to an educational camp. They kiss. 

Matt comes in, looks at them, and leaves. Lucy comes into the kitchen, and Annie asks her if something going on with Matt. She tells them it's not her place to tell them that. Eric tells Lucy that Jimmy and Rod want to study him. Annie tells Lucy to just be friends with the two guys and stop worrying about dating. Lucy compares them to Martin and Lewis and then realizes she meant to say, Lewis and Clark. (Comedy duo - explorers...yeah, I see the confusion).

Matt passes Ruthie on the stairs and ignores her. 

Ruthie: It won't work.

Matt smiles as he heads upstairs.

Billy is in the hall playing with a giant stuffed giraffe. Matt picks him up and tells him, "no falling down the stairs when you're at other people's houses. 

He brings him to Mary's room and sees Mary and Wilson sleeping together in the same bed. He goes back into the hall and hands Billy to Lucy and tells her, "stay out of this."  He reenters the room and yells at Mary and Wilson. Then Mary gets angry at Matt and slaps him. Wilson leaves with Billy. Mary and Matt sta each other down in anger while Lucy looks horrified. 

Annie tells Mary they believe nothing happened, but they are concerned about how much time she spends with Wilson. Mary's parents tell her she can go to basketball camp this summer but needs to get the form right away and get a physical. Mary is totally psyched. (I am surprised she didn't catch on that they want to send her to camp to get her away from Wilson for a bit). She wants to call Wilson, but they tell her to take a one evening break from Wilson. Mary is so happy about camp that she says, "fine." 

Matt and Lucy are chatting upstairs. Matt tells Lucy he may have overreacted; however, he thinks no one in the family is doing anything about Mary and Wilson. (And by no one, Matt means their parents). He says he's nervous about leaving his siblings. Lucy asks him if he told their parents he's leaving "a few months earlier than expected." Matt has not done so because he isn't sure how to tell them. Mary comes in and kicks Matt out without saying a word to him. She tells Lucy not to say anything, and Lucy says she's upset that Mary and Matt are fighting. Mary wants Lucy to call Wilson since she can't and wants to tell him about camp. Lucy calls, and Wilson answers. Wilson says he feels terrible about what happened. He tells Lucy that he may have found a guy for her. 

Simon is working with Happy and asks her, "Would you rather have your Pow Chow taken away from you or be a dead dog?" Happy plays dead, and Simon cheers. He then shows Ruthie and Matt, who come in when they hear him cheering,  but Happy just sits there. Matt tells his brother to keep working with the dog. Ruthie returns to her room, stops in the doorway, and looks at Matt. She goes all the way inside her room. 

Simon: It's working. Keep it up.

Matt leaves, and Simon tries the trick again. Happy does it.

Annie and Eric are in the living room. Eric's beeper goes off. When she picks up the phone, Lucy is still on the phone with Wilson. The beeper goes off again, and he yells up that he needs the phone. He dials the number on his beeper.

Rod: It's Rod and Jimmy, your MITs.

Eric: MITs?

Rod: Ministers in training.

Rod asks why the phone line was busy, and Eric says someone was on it. Then specifies it was Lucy talking "to some guy." 

After he gets off the phone, he sits on the couch next to Annie, and they start making out. Matt comes into the living room, sees them, and leaves. 

At school, Lucy sees Rod and Jimmy. They tell her they heard she has a boyfriend from Rev. Camden. They ask her about him, and she gets angry.

Lucy: Why do you wanna know?

Jimmy: We both wanna know. We're all friends, aren't we?

Lucy: No, the two of you are friends, but neither one of you has spoken to me in months.

Jimmy: I apologize for that oversight. (Have I mentioned I cannot stand Jimmy Moon)?

Rod: Sorry. 

Lucy tells them to keep their project confined to the church because she doesn't want them around the house. After she leaves, the guys see Matt and ask him for a ride to the house later, and Matt says no.

Matt goes into the counselor's office. 

Matt: Are you sure?

The counselor (Michael Shelle) nods his head.

Matt: I can't believe this.

The counselor: Do you wanna make the call, or should I give your parents the news?

Matt: No, no, I'll tell them.

The counselor: Have you told them about the job yet?

Matt: No.

The counselor: Get on it, Matt; this is not something you can hide. By tomorrow night, it will be in the local paper.

Matt looks stressed as he gets up and leaves the office.

He runs into Mary, and they have a mini struggle over who will get out of whose way.

Lucy sees Mary in the hall.

Lucy: Ugh. The counselor's office. I wonder what that's about?

Mary: If I'd have to bet, I'd say our big brother is in trouble again.

Mary and Lucy come into the house after school, and Mary says hi to her mother. They grab a snack, and Annie tells Mary she has a doctor's appointment in half an hour. Lucy is upset that Mary is going to camp and she's (Lucy) not. Annie tells Lucy she can go camping too. Annie shows her a brochure from Camp CatchaPride, but Lucy thinks it's a camp for girls with self-esteem problems. (Well, if the shoe fits...) She tells Lucy to think it over as Simon and Ruthie come inside. 

Simon asks what Lucy's giving some thought to, and Annie tells him that this sister is thinking about camp. She asks Simon if he wants to go to space camp. 

Simon: Well, I'd only say it's the best camp in the whole world if I had any interest in space. (to Happy) Dead dog! 

Happy runs away, and Simon sighs.

Ruthie asks if everyone gets to go to camp, and Annie says yes. She then tells Ruthie she could go to Phoenix for a few days to spend time with Grandpa. 

Matt comes in and asks his mother when his dad is coming home. Before she finishes answering, he leaves the room.

Simon sees Ruthie as she heads to her room and calls her. He tries to get Happy to do the trick again, but she won't do it. Ruthie says Happy has stage fright. 

Simon: How do you know that?

Ruthie: Because I get it every year when we have to do that Christmas pageant at church. I can play the shepherd's boy like nobody's business in my room, but once I get out in front of the whole church, my stomach gets dinosaurs in it.

Simon: Butterflies.

Simon is worried because the commercial for Pow Chow is tomorrow. 

Matt talks to Wilson on the phone in his room when Lucy comes in and tells him Mary wants him to get off the phone. (Ironically, so she can call Wilson). Matt tells Wilson he didn't mean to overreact. Mary comes into the room, and Lucy tells her that  Matt's talking to Wilson. Martt gives her the phone, and Mary is upset that Wilson is talking to Matt. Wilson explained that Matt called to apologize, but she doesn't want Wilson speaking to Matt when she's not. Annie yells for Mary to come downstairs so they can go to her doctor's appointment. Mary hands the phone to Lucy and leaves. Matt takes the phone back. Wilson tells Matt he has to go along with Mary for now. 

Lucy talks to Wilson and learns about the boy Wilson is setting her up with. His name is Kenny and Lucy can meet him tomorrow after school. 

Eric is with Rod and Jimmy at a retirement center. They were at a hospital and soup kitchen before that. Rod tells Rev. Camden that he and Jimmy ate at the soup kitchen. Jimmy says they saw a man with a coathanger in his eye at the hospital. He and Rod thought it was cool, like a horror movie.

Eric then takes Mrs. Arnold (Marjorie Lovett) out for fresh air, telling the boys to make themselves useful. 

Annie tells Mary she (Mary) needs to start talking to Matt again. Mary informs Annie that Matt is learning for the summer next week. 

Back at the retirement home, music is playing, and everyone is dancing. Eric and Mrs. Arold come in and join the others who are dancing. (I thought this was cool, so many people think if you're old, you're already dead). 

Eric returns home and apologizes for missing dinner. Simon comes into the kitchen wanting to show them Happy's trick, but Annie tells him to give them a minute. Matt comes in and says he knows Matt told them, but he has good news - he is valedictorian. (Great job, Matt)! His parents are thrilled until he says he has to leave before making his graduation speech. Ruthie is eavesdropping and isn't happy Matt is going even earlier than expected.

The next day, Eric comes home, and Annie is upstairs putting up a gate to keep Billy from falling down the stairs. He has to take Simon and Happy to the commercial auditions. He says he will show Rod and Jimmy about balancing mister duties with family duties. (I wonder who will show him). Annie says he shouldn't bring them home because Wilson is bringing Kenny. Eric explains to her that Lucy wants him to call first. 

Eric: If Kenny is good, I'm supposed to come by with Rod and Jimmyso she can show off her boyfriend. If Kenny's a dud, I dispose of them. 

He explains he has to learn to fill in for Matt since Matt's leaving. Plus, if he helps them out, Lucy will consider going to camp. 

Matt and Lucy are sitting in the car. Matt tells Lucy not to put so much pressure on herself. He says blind dates rarely work out because it's hard to pick who someone else would date, and the person can choose that person. 

Lucy: So, basically, what you're saying is you don't think that Wilson thinks as much as me as I think of myself, so he's gonna bring over some guy who's not that great because he doesn't think that I'm that great?

Matt: Knock it off. That's not what I said.

Lucy: Yes, it is.

She accuses Matt of ruining the next few days for everyone. 

Mary comes out with Ruthie. Ruthie is asking her sister many questions about what they will do when Matt leaves. They get to the car, and Lucy is in the back seat. Mary and Ruthie also get into the back seat because nobody wants to sit next to Matt. 

At the commercial tryouts (held at the school), Eric tells Simon that Happy will be anxious if he (Simon) acts nervous. A woman comes out to get Simon and Happy and then instructs Simon on what to do. Happy does the trick the way she is supposed to. The judges love it. 

At the house, Mary tells Lucy that Wilson and Kenny have arrived. 

Simon tells them to turn on the TV, and everyone rushes to the living room. Wilson introduces everyone to Kenny (Hunter Garner), but they are busy waiting to see the commercial. He introduces Kenny and Lucy to each other. They all watch and then clap. 

A little girl (Leslie Lunceford) sees the commercial and screams. Her father (Rick Scarry) asks her what's wrong, and she tells him that Happy is their dog that's been gone for two years. The father tells her they will get the dog back.

The Camden household is celebrating Happy's commercial. Simon asks Matt if he wants to go with him to take Happy for a walk. 

Matt: Well, I'm certainly not welcome here; why not?

Kenny tells Lucy he finds her attractive. Ruthie asks Wilson if she has anyone for her. 

Rod and Jimmy are discussing Lucy and Kenny. 

Rod: I thought they already met. You don't think the reverend would lie, do you?

Jimmy: For his daughter? The man's a minister, not a saint. 

Eric tells Annie she's a great mother. She says she wants to get everyone out of the house, and they won't leave without being fed first, so the party plan works. The phone rings, and Annie answers it. It's the doctor, and Annie looks upset. She hangs up the phone and tells Eric that Mary is pregnant. 

The words "to be continued..." appear, followed by the closing credits. 

(This was a good episode as far as the plot, but the tempo dragged a little for me. Hopefully, it will pick up more in the second half of this season's finale).