7th Heaven: Season 3 - Episode 11: Nobody Knows...

 

Mary (Jessica Biel) with the driving test instructor (Rod Loomis).

Mary is taking her driving test to get her license; however, she doesn't know how to parallel park. (Parallel parking is a biggie in driving tests). Lucy tells Mary to cry if the instructor asks him to parallel park. Annie is at the payphone talking to Eric and explains if she told Mary she wasn't ready, Mary would be mad at her and Eric, but if the instructor told her, Mary would be mad at him. (Way to pass the buck, Annie). Annie tries to get alone to be romantic with her husband, but Eric is busy. The instructor tells Mary she's an excellent driver and asks her to parallel park. Mary hits the poles in front and behind the car. (Perhaps that "excellent driver" remark was a little premature). When the instructor tells her she can't parallel park, she cries. (In a fake sort of way). 

Matt is at a light, and a man cleans his window while he's stopped. Matt tells him he doesn't have money, so the man leaves. Then Matt sees his father's sister, Julie (Deborah Raffin), but she runs when he yells her name. (And that won't raise any suspicion). 

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

Eric is at the poolhall with Deena (Nicole Cherié Saletta). She tells Eric she gets scared yearly, and because she's worried, she was mean to Simon. Eric suggests she tells Simon, but she doesn't think he can handle it. Deena says she doesn't know who she should tell and who she shouldn't. 

Matt is in the kitchen when Mary, Lucy, and their mother come into the house. Matt asks Mary how she did.

Mary: I got it.

Matt: You got your license?

Mary: Yeah. Why are you so surprised?

Matt: I'm not surprised. congratulations! (You are surprised, you liar).

Mary: Yeah, thanks. 

Mary and Lucy leave the kitchen.

Annie: I'm a lot surprised.

Annie asks Matt if he wants to talk about something, and he tells her "no." 

Mary and Lucy are in their bedroom. Mary is upset that she cried to get her license. Lucy tells her she's a good driver; she just can't parallel park, but then tells her she is a disgrace to women everywhere. (Make up your mind, Luce). 

Simon and Ruthie are watching TV in the living room. There is a commercial on for a psychic. Simon is upset that Deena didn't talk to her all during lunch. 

Ruthie: Maybe we should call a sidekick. They can tell you anything.

Simon: Psychic, not sidekick. Psychic.

Ruthie: What's a psychic?

Simon: Someone who tells you what's going to happen in the future.

Ruthie: Hello, that's the same thing as a sidekick.

Simon says they are not calling, but Ruthie runs off. Annie comes in and asks who they are talking about calling. Simon tells her, "no one." He tells his mother about Denna and gets angry when she asks if they will break up. Matt comes into the living room and asks Annie if she needs something, making Annie suspicious. 

Ruthie is in her bedroom calling the psychic. The woman, Mabel (Phyllis Diller), answers. Ruthie doesn't realize she has the wrong number. She tells Ruthie that she doesn't want to put any ideas in anyone's head. Ruthie says her brother needs an idea. Mabel plays along and tells Ruthie that Simon and Deena will be together for "the next fifty years." (Or until season four). 

Ruthie tells Simon what Mabel said. Simon tells her that she shouldn't have called because it costs money. Ruthie tells her brother he should pay since she called the psychic for him. Simon says he'll pay, but Ruthie has to tell their parents he made the call.

Ruthie: Why? There are five kids in this house, and I am way down o the suspect list.

Simon: Maybe, but you're the one who's guilty.

Ruthie: And you're the one who's happy.

Eric comes home, sees Annie putting a log in the fire, and helps her. They are kissing, and he asks his wife about Mary's test. He is surprised she passed since she can't parallel park. Annie calls the four youngest kids down to have Mary take them out for pizza. She tells them to bring them back a pizza. (Mary must not need to parallel park to get pizza). Annie rushes the kids out so she can be alone with her husband.

Matt visits his aunt. She quickly hides a bottle of alcohol and tidies up when he sees her outside his window. Matt knocks on the door, and Julie answers. They hug. 

The kids return home, and Mary gives her parents the keys, the change, and their pizza. They question her about why she's not more excited to have her license. After she leaves, they notice she was fake crying. Eric opens the pizza, and Happy wants some.

Julie tells her nephew that The Colonel could have helped her get back on her feet, but she wanted to do it alone. Matt asks her why she didn't get a job in New York, and she explains everyone there would have known she got fired, so she came to Glen Oak for a fresh start. (Plus, it will help with her plot line on the show to have her closer to her brother). Julie tells her nephew to give her time because she has to be the one to decide when she wants visitors. 

Lucy and Mary are in their bedroom. Lucy tells her sister to learn how to parallel park and retake the test. She tells Mary she shouldn't fake cry because it's as bad as lying  - that crying and fake crying are not the same things. Annie comes into their room and asks them what's going on. Mary fake cries again, saying she's just not herself. Annie tells the girls to go to bed. 

Lucy: It's 8:30.

Annie: I know, but sleep heals. 

Annie leaves. Lucy looks angry. (Something about being in high school and sent to bed, perhaps). 

Mary: Don't say a word.  

Eric sees Annie in the hallway and tells her he is going down to the church. Annie wants him to come into their bedroom with her instead. He reluctantly goes. 

Julie comes out of a hotel with a man. Matt is sitting in his car. She compliments the car and then says "goodnight" to her nephew. (You have no clue, Matt). 

Deena comes over to see Simon at night. They are both in their pajamas, talking in the yard. Deena tells him that when she was about five, she had to have a physical to go to dance camp.

Deena: And that's when I found out.

Simon: Found out what?

Deena: That I had leukemia.

She tells him the doctor introduced her and her family to Rev. Camden. She says she has to go to the doctor every year and feels scared it could come back. Simon is clearly freaked out by the news. 

Deena leaves, and he goes inside and sees his father.

Simon: Deena came over to tell me something.

Eric: Are you okay?

Simon:  No, I'm not okay. And you knew all along, and you didn't even warn me!

Simon runs out of the room.

Eric: Simon! I - 

The next day, Eric enters the kitchen and attempts to kiss his wife. 

Annie: Oh, get away from me. No offense. 

She asks her husband to talk to Simon.

Eric goes outside, where Simon is sitting at the picnic table. He explains that part of his job as a minister is not telling things, even to his family. (And I am guessing it's not always easy). 

Matt tells Annie that he had a dream that Julie was back in town. (Haha, nice way to not tell anyone Julie is back). Eric comes back into the house. Matt says in his dream Julie was teaching again locally. He asks his parents how long it takes to cure alcoholism. Eric tells him "a lifetime." Matt leaves.

Eric: Our kids are bad liars.

Mary comes down, and Annie tells her she can't drive alone to school. Mary is okay with that. 

Ruthie calls Mable to find out if Deena will be okay. Mabel doesn't want to answer the question, but Ruthie is insistent, so Mabel tells her everything will be fine. After she gets off the phone, Simon comes into her room to get the phone. He asks his sister if she called Mabel again, and Ruthie tells her that Mabel said Deena would be fine. She also reminds her brother that Mabel was right about him and Deena not breaking up. 

Matt goes to the hotel again, sees Julie come out, and offers to give her a ride. She tells Matt to leave her alone. Matt gets out of the car and tells his aunt he's worried about her. She tells him she doesn't want people to think she can't do anything without getting drunk. She tells him it's a burden to have people always worry about her. 

Annie tells Mary to parallel park. Mary can't do it and tells her mother that she got her license because she cried. Lucy figures out the instructor talked to their father. 

Lucy: You  (Mary) and Dad are both bad liars.

Simon goes to the gym at his school to talk to Deena. He explains he got a bathroom pass to get out of class. He apologizes for freaking out last night. She explains that she's scared of dying.

Deena: Your dad helped me say that out loud.

Simon: And that's a good thing?

Deena: Yeah, because once I could talk about being afraid to die, I wasn't so afraid to live. (Some adults don't get this concept yet). 

Simon tells Deena about Mabel, and Deena hits him with the ball in her hand. She is angry about the psychic since psychics don't know the future. The gym coach (Bill Ferrell) tells Simon to return to class. He lets him know he overheard the conversation. He tells Simon that he's been in remission for twenty years. Simon asks him to find a way to talk to Deena, and the coach agrees.

Matt goes to his father's office at the church. He tells his dad he had a good reason to cut class, and Eric asks his son where he saw Julie. 

Annie sees Julie at the school where Julie works because Julie called her. Julie tells Annie that Matt thinks she drinking again. Julie says she's not ready to see Eric, and Annie understands that Julie wants to make it on her own. She asks Julie not to take too long to talk to Eric so that the kids can see their aunt again. 

Julie returns to her hotel room to find Eric waiting for her. She is not happy to see her brother and informs him that she is not drinking. He offers to help her find a job and a place to live, and she tells him she has both of those things. He picks up a mostly empty liquor bottle. Julie tells him to leave. Eric tells his sister he will never give up on her.

Julie: You already have given up on me. Please...just go.

He leaves, and she sighs.

Simon is pacing, waiting for the phone to ring. Ruthie offers to call Mabel again. Simon tells her she can never call Mabel again and explains their parents will find out just as Annie walks past Simon's room. Ruthie tells their mother that Simon made her do it, but Simon says Ruthie is lying. 

Annie: Yes, and she's no better at it than the rest of you. (Apparently, bad lying is hereditary). 

Ruthie explains Mabel to her mother. Annie asks for the phone number.

Ruthie: 555-0111

Annie: Are you sure? There's not something else like 1-900 in front of it?

Ruthie: No. Just 555-0111

Annie calls the number and talks to Mabel. Mabel explains why she was telling Ruthie anything. Annie tells Mabel they should keep in touch. Annie hangs up.

Annie: I thought we were finished with your phone problems.

Ruthie: If we were, I didn't know about it. 

Simon apologizes for whatever he may have done but wants to talk later because he's about to lose it waiting for Deena. Annie tells Ruthie they will talk later.

Ruthie: Sure. Call me. 

Annie shoots her daughter an annoyed look.

Ruthie: Just kidding.

Annie suggests that Simon doesn't just sit around waiting. She says she'll teach him how to fry some fish.

Simon: You know, sometimes you and Dad have funny ways of helping people.

Matt, Mary, and Lucy are outside. Mary has been practicing parallel parking repeatedly and can't do it. Lucy gets annoyed, and Mary asks if she wants to try it. Lucy does it perfectly. Mary tries it again and still can't do it. 

Matt: Forget it. You can't cry. You can't lie. You can't parallel park. We're just gonna have to live with it.

Eric comes into the house, and Simon asks if he has heard from Deena. Eric says no but figures she would call Simon first, not him. Eric asks about Matt, and Annie says that Matt is with the older girls. Matt comes into the house, and his father tells Matt he went to see Julie. Annie informs them that Julie has a job, isn't drinking, and is going to meetings. Eric tells her about the bottle of whiskey he found at Julie's. Annie tells her husband and oldest son to talk to Julie about it when Julie is ready to listen to them apologize. Eric asks Annie why she's been less friendly today, and Annie explains that sometimes "it's just what is." She says she was quoting one of his sermons. They both say, "I love you."

Deena comes over and tells Simon to congratulate her. Deena apologizes for putting him through it. He says he didn't handle it well but will "get better." 

The doorbell rings, and Annie answers it. It's Julie. Annie leaves Julie, Matt, and Eric alone to talk. She tells them she can't stay but wants to thank them for caring enough to invade her privacy. She explains that her sponsor back in NY died from natural causes and left her the bottle. It was the last bottle he ever drank from. She says she thought about how her sponsor was sober for thirty years, which seemed so long. Then she couldn't handle everyone worrying about her, so she moved to Glen Oak. She explains she wanted to be around them even though they can be annoying. She asks them to hang on to the bottle for her. 

Julie: I'm still taking it minute-by-minute. Sometimes hour-by-hour. And maybe someday, I'll be able to do it one day at a time. 

She tells them she has to go because the taxi is waiting. Eric offers to give her money but then apologizes. She leaves as Matt and Eric look toward the door.

The closing credits come up. 

(This was a great episode as it was realistic in how people deal with different things that happen in life. Some are as simple as a driving test, and some are as difficult as cancer).