7th Heaven: Season 4 - Episode 3: Yak Sada (One Voice)

 

Eric (Stephen Collins) talks with his wife, Annie (Catherine Hicks). 

Eric is excited about returning to work, but Annie thinks it's too soon. It has only been three weeks since his heart attack. He tells her that the counseling sessions make him feel alive but won't work too hard as he wishes to stay alive. (Yes, being alive only works if you stay alive). 

Annie leaves with the children sans Matt. Mary asks her mother when they are going to replace the station wagon. Matt asks his mom to go to Shana's apartment because he suspects something is up. Annie doesn't want to just show up to pry information out of Shana. Matt shows his mother a skirt that he told Shana he would ask Annie to hem the skirt for her by lunchtime. (At least he didn't wait until the VERY last minute or anything). She tells him to get her sewing stuff and throw it in the car.

While she's out, Annie sees some protesters with signs that say "Stop Gender Apartheid." Someone hands her a flyer about the Taliban and Gender Apartheid. She thanks them and looks at it.

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

Annie is at Shana's apartment hemming the skirt. Shana (Maureen Flannigan) thanks her, then mentions going to a wedding, and Annie suddenly remembers the counseling session and calls Eric. She tells him she will be there soon.

Eric apologizes to Ryan (Pepper Sweeney) and Jessica (Kathy Evison) for the inconvenience. They are in the living room; the babies are playing on the floor. Ryan tells Eric that his mother would never have let the kids be left with the father. He says he believes in traditional values and roles - that is - he will earn money, and Jessica will be barefoot and pregnant. (I am all for traditional, but that is insane; women have a right to work; it's the 90s, dude). Eric explains that he and Annie work together and do what is necessary.

Annie finishes the skirt and asks Shana about the interview. Shana says she is staying quiet about that until she sees how it goes. Annie tells her she (Annie) has to go after getting the milk she put in Shana's fridge. Shana gets it for her, and Annie sees the woman she saw earlier who gave her the flyer and looks bothered. Shana asks if she's okay, and Annie tells her she is okay.

Simon is in the hall at the middle school talking with Deena (Nicole Cherié Saletta) about being in the cooking class. He is upset he is in the cooking class because he's the only male in the class. Deena tells him to switch to woodshop because there are more guys. Simon starts rambling about how great wood is. (Big time rambling).

Ryan tells Eric he has more important things to do and needs to leave. Eric tells him that pre-marriage counseling is the most important thing he has to do before getting married. Ryan says they can discuss everything after the wedding. (Ryan is such a jerk). 

Ryan: Now, I don't mean to be insensitive here, but it's not our fault you had a heart attack, which forced us to push these counseling sessions back to just before the wedding. (Let me explain, Reverend Camden, I am a self-centered jerk, and I really don't care you had a heart attack, I have to get married, and it doesn't matter if it will be a good marriage or not). 

Annie comes in as Ryan and Jessica leave. Eric tells his wife that Ryan bugs him, and she tells him to take a deep breath. 

Eric: He still bugs me, but in a philosophical way. 

Matt goes to Shana's apartment and meets her dad (Stanley Kamel).

Mary asks to pick up Ruthie, and Annie reminds her that Ruthie doesn't want anyone near the field before the first game. Mary agrees not to spy on her little sister. 

Annie: Well, spy a little; just don't get caught.

Mary: Okay.

Annie: And of course, report back to me. 

Mary leaves, and Lucy runs downstairs. She asks if Mary left, and Annie says she did and asks why she wants to go with her sister so badly. Lucy doesn't have a reason, but Annie doesn't believe her. (Really, but she's always been so honest). 

Ruthie comes running out in her football gear to show her sister how it looks. Mary is surprised since she thought Ruthie was playing soccer. 

Mary: How did you play?

Ruthie: I don't wanna brag, but I have moves on the field that I've never seen.

Ruthie goes to change, and Mary sees the "Stop Gender Apartheid" flyer that Annie received earlier. 

Annie is in the nursery when Eric comes in and asks how the twin's physicals went. 

Annie: Well, there was a lot less crying than last time.

Eric: Oh, good for you, you're getting braver. (It's funny cause it's true). 

She says they are in the top third for their height and weight.

Annie shows him the flyer, and Eric says he's seen it in the news and in newspapers. He says the Taliban is in power in Afghanistan. She tells him about the atrocities they commit against women.

Eric: The Taliban claim that their practices and policies are fundamentalist Islamic, uh, most of their policies are nowhere to be found in Islamic texts. 

Annie (reading from the flyer): Women are dying because very few women are allowed to practice medicine, and women can't receive care from a physician. 

She goes on to read about how if they aren't wearing a "traditional burka," they can be beaten. But not all women can afford it. 

Eric (reading from the flyer): If their feet aren't covered, or their shoes make noise, they can be beaten. They can't leave the house without a close male relative. In fact, they can be beaten for laughing in public, and girls are banned from school. 

After putting the boys in the cribs for the night, they go out on the porch, so Annie can paint the railing she fixed. 

Shana is telling Matt about her father. She hopes that her father will help her get into med school. 

Matt says he doesn't want to give her false hope.

Shana: What is false hope?

Matt: It's when you hope something works out, but there's not much of a chance that it will. 

Shana: That makes no sense. Hope is hope, and the hope wasn't false. It was the real thing. A person has the right to hope for whatever they wanna hope for. It doesn't make sense to say a person has the right to hope in some cases and not a right to hope in other cases, especially since those are probably the cases where they need to hope the most. (Yes! Exactly! Shana hit the nail on the head). 

Matt: Okay, false hope is a misnomer.

Shana: Thank you.

Shana believes her father might have changed since she last saw him twenty years ago.

Eric tells Annie that in the past, he's refused to marry couples without pre-marital counseling, but Jessica is his parishioner, and the wedding is next week, so he feels he needs to at least talk to her. 

Annie tries to change the subject by telling him she has an extra paint brush and that painting is relaxing. (It's not gonna happen, Annie). 

Eric continues talking about Ryan and Jessica, and Annie tries to change the subject. Eric decides he needs to leave it alone but doesn't nor does he want to help Annie paint. 

Simon tells Lucy that because he took the cooking class to be with Deena, he's "one of the girls." 

Lucy: I spend almost every weekend wearing overalls, carrying a hammer, and building houses. That doesn't make me a guy. 

Simon: That's because you're good at it. And.... you're beautiful! (I hate this line. The way he says it sounds like a boy who suddenly realizes that the girl he grew up with next door is a baby, and he has the hots for her). 

Lucy: What?

Simon: Well, I mean, you've always been beautiful. I just never told you because you're my sister.

Simon tells Lucy she isn't making his job as a brother easy. The phone rings, and Simon answers. After he hangs up, Lucy is confused since he said "cinnamon" on the phone. He explains one of his classmates was making snickerdoodles and didn't know what they were missing. Lucy wants to know how he knew what was missing.

Simon: I just know these things. I don't know how. Aren't you listening?

Eric enters the room.

Eric: I'll listen. I'm a good listener.

Simon: It's nothing.

Simon leaves.

Eric tells Lucy she is beautiful. He tells her he heard that Habitat for Humanity bought someplace on River Drive. She asks her dad how he's doing. 

Eric: It's been great having some time off.

Lucy: You haven't been on vacation; you had a heart attack. 

Eric: Ah, why split hairs?

Mary comes into the room, and Lucy asks her about Ruthie. Mary wants to know why Lucy is suddenly trying something new.

Lucy: I started seeing how a house is a reflection of the people in it, and I feel really good about myself right now, and I want my outside to reflect my inside.

Mary is like, whatev and tells Lucy that Ruthie's playing football, not soccer, and Ruthie's nickname is "The Hammer." She thinks Annie will pull Ruthie out, which wouldn't be cool because Ruthie loves it. She tells Lucy they must keep their parents from finding out before the first game and not tell Ruthie since Mary wasn't supposed to blab to anyone. 

Eric is on the phone with Jessica (it might be the answering machine or voice mail). He hangs up as Matt enters the house looking for food to eat. Matt goes to the fridge, and Eric warns him to smell before he eats what he finds because someone has a science project in the refrigerator. 

Matt: Um, hey, are you back in the snooping business?

Eric: I was never in the snooping business.

Matt: Okay, are you back to checking out things for God yet?

Matt tells his father about Shana's father. He is concerned and wants to know if it's good or bad he has returned. Matt tells his dad he trusts the network that Eric has. 

Matt: Please, I mean, the guy abandoned her and left her with a crazy brother and even crazier mother. 

Eric: Yeah, they have their problems, but Shana's brother is doing great in treatment. 

Matt: How do you know that?

Eric: Made a couple of calls. 

Matt smiles and nods. 

Eric: I'll make a couple of calls.

Matt: Thanks. 

Annie goes into the older girls and sees them wearing burkas and looks upset. She asks them if they are aware of what's going on in Afghanistan. Lucy has no idea, and Mary says she read something a year ago but didn't know it was still going on.

Mary: Well, somebody should do something about it.

Lucy: I agree.

Simon stops his mother in the hall because she wants to drop a class.

Annie: Let me let you in on a little secret: life is often harder than you think it's going to be.

The doorbell rings, and Eric answers. It's Ryan and Jessica. Jessica tells Eric that they are getting another minister to marry them because Eric doesn't like how Ryan treats Jessica, but Jessica is totes cool with it. (Jessica, if you are cool with it, you must be dumber than cotton). 

The following morning, Eric asks Annie how he can help his wife after breakfast. The phone rings, and Annie answers and gives the phone to Eric, telling him it's Seargent Michaels. Then the doorbell rings, and Annie answers that. Ryan's mother, Betty (Janet Caroll), would like to speak to Reverend Camden. 

Annie returns to the kitchen after showing Betty Eric's office in the house. Eric says that Shana's dad it totes legit. (Now remember, boys and girls, legit doesn't mean he's not a schmuck). Annie points out that Shana's dad abandoned his wife and kids. Then she tells him that Ryan's mother is waiting in the office for him. 

Betty: You don't really want to see Jessica marry my son, do you?

Eric: Well....no. 

Betty asks to use the phone and calls Jessica. She tells her she's at Reverend Camden's house, and Ryan wants Jessica to come over. She says not to tell Ryan because he doesn't want to be disturbed. Eric is confused why Betty doesn't talk to Jessica.

Betty: Because Ryan and my husband treat me like a mentally challenged housekeeper. And Jessica tends to think like they think, but you're a man and a minister, and because of that, there's a chance she'll listen to you.

She tells him that she has filed for divorce from her husband. (Woohoo! Betty has a clue; stay tuned to see if Jessica will get one too). 

Annie interrupts to bring the twins into their father's office so she can take the other children to school. 

Betty tells him that Jessica's mother is divorced and thinks Jessica is lucky not to have to work, but Betty has been through it and knows what it's like to be forced to say at home and under the rule of her husband. She stayed with her husband for Ryan's sake but feels that in doing so, she set a bad example for Ryan, and she doesn't want the same thing to happen to Jessica.

Annie drops Ruthie off, and Ruthie opens the door of the car.

Annie: Remember, mouth guard in, chin strap tight, tuck the ball close to your body; carrying it around like a loaf of bread is asking to fumble.

Ruthie: Huh?

Annie: You are playing football, not soccer, right?

Ruthie: Who blabbed?

Annie (showing her daughter a piece of paper): You left this in your sweats.

Ruthie: Are you going to make me quit?

Annie: Mmm. (She acts like she's thinking it over and then shakes her head): but I don't want you to tell Mary that I know, okay?

Ruthie: Good one, Mom.

Ruthie shows her mom a football stance, and Annie laughs. (Ruthie is still adorable). 

The doorbell rings at the house, and Eric answers. It's Jessica concerned something is wrong with Ryan's mother. Betty says she's fine, and Jessica says she can't marry Ryan until she and Ryan understand better what a marriage really is. (Yay! Jessica got a clue too)!

Annie arrives at Simon's school and pulls him out of cooking. She tells him she brushed him off last night, stopped to see his guidance counselor, and learned he was a great chef. Simon explains he only wanted to be in the class because of his girlfriend, but because he's so good at cooking, he's treated like "one of the girls." He explains to his mother that he wants to go to woodshop, and she tells him he can transfer but has to make a spice rack as his first project. Annie goes to hug her son, and he stops her.

Simon: Why are you doing this to me?

Annie (stops and touches his hands): I'm sorry. See you later.

She leaves, and he goes back into the kitchen.

Matt is at Shana's house. Shana tells him if she wanted someone to check out her father's credentials, she'd have done it herself by asking Reverend Camden. Matt tells her that's who he talked to, but it was only out of concern for Shana. He tells her that her dad checks out and hopes he does right by her.

Shana: Is that true hope or false hope?

Matt: It's sincere hope. (Aww, I love Matt). 

They kiss.

Annie arrives where the women are protesting the gender apartheid and sees Lucy. Lucy explains that it was her free period, so she asked the principal if she could join the protest, and the principal thought Annie would approve.

Annie: I know. She called me, and not only do I approve, I am very proud of you. 

Lucy: I figure it's the least we can do to try and raise awareness about this problem.

Annie: You're right; it's the least we can do. Come on.

Annie joins her daughter and the other women.

Annie calls her husband and tells her she wants to stay out a little longer because Lucy is out of school with her, and Matt is picking up Simon. Eric says the Camden men will be fine. Eric tells Matt to do the bathroom while Eric folds the towels. He tells Simon he's got kitchen duty.

Simon: Uh, do you want snickerdoodles, brownies, or chocolate chip cookies? I mean, personally, I'd go with the snickerdoodles; they are lighter, and you can eat more.

Eric looks confused.

Simon: Oh, you thought I could cook, like, a dinner?

Eric: Well...

Simon: It's junior high home ec, not Marcella Hazen's Cooking School. (I looked up Marcella Hazen. She was a check, and she's written books; I found another Hazen with a cooking school, but not her). 

Mary picks up Ruthie, who got injured at football practice. She tells her older sister that she will live.

Mary: Yeah, but if Mom and Dad see you, I won't.

Ruthie: Can't help you there; that's your department.

Shana's father comes over to Shana's apartment and says he can't stay long, but he's glad she found him. He tells her he doesn't want to help her with school because she will lose the drive she has but hopes they can be friends.

Shana: Friends? We were never friends, uh, and you were never a father to me. You never paid child support. You never called. You never visited. You, you never even sent me a birthday card. And, in spite of that, I gave you a chance to act like a dad and helped me when I needed it. If you were any kind of dad, you would have known how hard that was for me. If you were any kind of dad, you would have known that I would have never gone to anyone and asked for help if there was any way to avoid it. But you don't know any of that because you aren't any kind of a dad. You never were, and you never will be. (👏Woohoo! Great speech! Great speech)!

She tells her dad she doesn't need him because he was never there before, so she's used to it. 

Shana's Dad: Someday...you'll thank me for this.

Shana: Sure I will. Just one more thing - Mom worked your way through college; you didn't. (In your face, Shana's Dad)!

Mary and Ruthie see their mom and Lucy and get out of the van. They go over to them. Ruthie shows her mother what happened while she was playing "soccer." 

Annie: You can't hide anything from me. I'm the mom. 

Ruthie tells her sister their mother said she doesn't have to quit football. Mary tells their mother she will take Ruthie home and return to join the protest. Ruthie wants to join them and asks what they are doing. Annie says they can take a break to explain it to her. 

Eric, Matt, and Simon are trying to make some sort of chicken dinner. They have no clue.

The doorbell rings and Eric answers it. Ryan is at the door.

Ryan: So, thanks to you, Jessica's not going to marry me.

Eric: Actually, you have your own ideas to thank.

Ryan: I know what a wife is. A wife is a man's servant, just like a man is God's servant. 

Eric asks Ryan if he told Jessica she couldn't call the wedding off. Ryan says yes because they'd look like fools, and he loves her. (Little concerning that he put the looking like fools before the loving her). 

Eric: So, tell everyone your minister had a heart attack and can't perform the services, and you don't want anyone else to marry you. 

He invited Ryan in to talk. 

Ryan tells Reverend Camden that his parents are divorcing. Eric tells him it's not too late for him just because it's too late for his parents. 

That night, Eric asks Annie to deliver the sermon on Sunday. He believes she has some things she needs to share.

Annie tells everyone about the Taliban in Afghanistan and what they are doing to the women there. While she is talking, pictures of Afghan women are shown with the words, "Every minute of every day in Afghanistan." 

She finishes speaking, and the last picture is shown as the closing credits come up. 

(This was an amazing episode, but at the same time, very difficult to watch. It was like the Holocaust episode "I Hate You" from season one. It was so well done that it caused powerful emotions in me and does every time I watch it. I was going to provide a link to the gender apartheid, as it is still happening, but I decided to let people search it out for themselves as there is so much info. In my opinion, this is one of the best-written episodes of the entire series. 

Here is a little trivia per IMDB: The writer of this episode was one of the producers using the pen name "Elizabeth Orange." This was because of fear of terrorists (Taliban specifically) retaliating against the writer for the "blatant political, anti-Taliban content").