7th Heaven: Season 4 - Episode 14: Words

 

Lucy (Beverly Mitchell) and Mary (Jessica Biel) talk during church.

The church choir sings "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." Ruthie tells Lucy she needs her help with something later. Annie overhears and asks what she needs help with, but Ruthie doesn't tell her. Instead, Ruthie asks to go help in the nursery. Annie tells her she can't go.

Ruthie: No fair, you let Simon go.

Annie: Simon's in the nursery helping Mrs. Kramer out because she's short a volunteer today, not because he wanted to miss Daddy's sermon.

Ruthie: Why do you think he volunteered to help out?

Lucy tells Mary that Simon wants to know why she's mad at him. Mary denies being angry, and says she's just never speaking to him again. She says that "some people" hurt people intentionally. 

Lucy: Some people, like Simon?

Mary: Hmm, what do you think?

Lucy: Ah, the old answer a question with a question. He's in big trouble. 

Eric goes to the pulpit and introduces some new people in the church. Bill (Michael Milhoan), Sheila (Jaqueline Hahn), and Bobby (Shawn Pyfrom) Carver. Eric begins preaching on Genesis, but Bobby keeps repeating things. 

Eric: Maybe we should...

Bobby: We should...we should...we should...we should...we should...we should... we should... we should...

Bill: Come on, let's go. Excuse us. 

The Carvers leave as Eric looks helpless.

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

Eric greets the congregation, and Shiela returns to get her purse. She tells them that Bobby has ADHD and probably got nervous with standing hence the outbursts. She tells them that everyone is fine and leaves.

Annie: What?

Eric: I don't think everything's fine. (Me either, Eric). 

Simon tells Mary he knows she's mad at him. And she calls him "Mr. Insensitive." 

Matt and his mom are folding the laundry. She asks him how John is, and he says fine. Annie asks about Shauna, and he sighs in frustration but denies anything is wrong. 

Annie: Was it me or Frederick Neitche who said, "Liar liar pants on fire."

The phone rings, and Annie answers. It's Shana (Maureen Flannigan) looking for Matt. Matt wants her to lie, but she won't lie, so he leaves. 

Lucy is in Ruthie's room. Ruthie is upset that her teacher keeps calling her stupid. (I would be upset too). She tells Lucy not to tell their parents because she thinks it will only worsen things. However, she wants Lucy to help.

Lucy: What am I supposed to do?

Ruthie: Teach me how not to let words hurt me. (This totally broke my heart). 

Simon goes to his father's office at the house, and Eric asks him about Bobby. He tells his father that Bobby's new, and the kids tease him, especially Brian (Ben Hect), the football captain, who calls Bobby "Spazz Man." 

Simon: Well, I don't call him that.

Eric: Do you remember when I told you "that all that's necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing?"

Simon: Yes. Let me guess. I'm the good man, doing nothing.

Eric: Good. And smart too.

Mary is looking at her butt in the mirror. Lucy asks her why and thinks it has to do with Simon. Mary tells her that Simon called her "big butt." Now Mary thinks Robbie hasn't called because of her butt size. (I get words hurt, but seriously Mary's going to some major extremes. She sounds more like Lucy right now than she does Mary). Lucy tells Mary about Ruthie's teacher, and Mary tells her to tell their parents. Lucy says if she has to tell on Ruthie's teacher, Mary has to tell on Simon. Mary says it's not the same, "stupid" is much worse than "big butt," and what a teacher tells a child is worse than what a sibling tells them. 

Matt calls Shana and hangs up. She calls back and says on the machine that she has caller ID and wants to know why he is mad. Matt stands by the phone. 

Shana: Fine, but I'm not guaranteeing that when you're ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen.

Lucy goes into the nursery to talk to her mother about Ruthie's teacher. Ruthie runs into the bathroom and slams the door. 

The doorbell rings, and Eric answers. It's Louis (Tegan West), a member of Eric's church. He tells Eric that Bobby has Tourette's. 

Eric: What makes you so sure?

Louis: Because I have Tourette's. 

Ruthie asks Lucy to go to school for show and tell. Ruthie says they are studying the American Revolution and are starting with the "rats." Then she calls her sister "Benedict Arnold." Ruthie says she wouldn't sell out Sam and David.

Eric tells Annie he's meeting with Bobby's parents at the church. He asks her if she is meeting with Ruthie's teacher. She tells him Mrs. Poole is coming over to watch the twins. 

Laurel (Shonda Farr) and two other girls are talking about other girls that pass and making fun of them. Mary looks at them, and they ask her what's wrong, and she tells them nothing.

Bobby is being picked on at school, and Simon hears his father's voice in his head, walks over to the lockers, and defends Bobby. Principal Howard (Freda Foh Shen) comes over to them, asks if everything is okay, and then tells them to get to class. 

Bobby: No one's ever stood up for me before. Thanks.

Simon: You're welcome. Just sorry I didn't do it sooner.

Matt comes to Eric's office at the church to talk about Shana. He tells him about Shana hurting his feelings last week, and he isn't sure that the relationship won't work out. Although he doesn't say much before he leaves again. (And Eric is somewhat confused). 

Annie goes to the school to talk to Ms. Riddle (Elizabeth Ruscio). 

Annie: She told her sister that you asked her to name the first president of the United States, and when she said "Thomas Jefferson," you said she was stupid. 

Riddle: That's not what I said. I told Ruthie that her answer was stupid. There's a difference.

Annie: She's eight. She doesn't know the difference.

Ms. Riddle tells her that everyone has their opinion.

Annie: Yes, but your opinion is wrong. (Yep). 

Ms. Riddle asks Annie to leave, and she refuses to go. Mrs. Riddle threatens to call the principal, and Annie tells her to do it. (Bring it on, Riddle, bring it on). 

Eric meets with Bobby's parents. He tells them about Louis' visit and about Tourette's. Bill gets angry, and he and Sheila leave. 

Simon asks Bobby if he wants to ride home with him. (Why isn't Mary, Lucy, Annie, or Eric picking him up like they usually do)? Bobby warns him that people will pick on him if he hangs out with Bobby, but Simon doesn't care what others think or say. 

Brian approaches them and tells Simon to meet him before school tomorrow so he can beat him up. He also plans to beat up Bobby. 

Mary goes over to Denise (Adrienne Smith), one of the girls the three girls picked on earlier. May tells Denise that she doesn't laugh at her. 

Denise: Knowing something is wrong and doing nothing to stop it is worse than doing the something that's wrong.

Bobby and Simon are riding/walking their bikes home from school. They are talking about Spyro, the video game. Simon tells him his parents "don't believe in video games" (such as the "Ba-Boom" game Ruthie wanted in the season three episode, "Johnny Get Your Gun"); however, he says, "I know all about them from my friends." Bobby starts going into repetitive tics, and Simon looks away. Bobby tells him it's okay because it stops faster when people don't stare at him. Bobby tells Simon he has ADHD, but his father doesn't like talking about it. Bobby doesn't mind talking about it, however. 

Bobby: Look, um, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you being so nice to me?

Simon: I'm not being that nice.

Bobby: Trust me, you're the nicest person I've ever met. 

Eric asks Annie how the meeting with Ruthie's teacher went. She tells him that Ruthie was right; Ms. Riddle called Ruthie stupid and also called her stupid. She asks Eric about his day. The doorbell rings.

Eric: Well, nobody called me stupid. 

Eric answers the door. It's Shiela; she says that she and Bill had a fight, but Sheila wants Eric's help because she can't stand to see Bobby suffering. She said when Bobby was younger, he displayed all the signs of having ADHD and didn't have ticks. He then developed verbal and motor ticks. She explains that ticks don't happen when they go to the doctor, and Eric says that's common and the kid can't call the ticks on demand. She says she's frustrated that no one believes her, and Annie ensures they believe her. 

Shiela: I overheard a woman at a party asking a friend of mine if I did drugs while I was pregnant with Bobby. My parents are no better. All they say is, "Bobby certainly didn't get his problems from our side of the family." All people want to do is blame and judge. (Ain't that the truth)?

She says that her husband is in denial that anything is wrong. He refuses to discuss it. Annie asks what they can do. Sheila says that Bobby has an appointment with a pediatric neurologist and wants Bill there for Bobby and her, but she won't be able to get him to go, so he needs help. 

Shana calls Matt and gets the answering machine. She says, "Hi, it's just me," and he answers the phone. She asks him what's wrong, and he hesitates to say anything at first, but then he tells her they need to take a break from each other. 

Ruthie is in the nursery telling the boys she's not like Lucy and can keep a secret once they learn how to talk. Annie comes in and asks her if she did her homework.

Ruthie: What's the use? Haven't you heard I'm stupid?

Annie sits in the rocking chair with Ruthie and explains that she got mad at Ms. Riddle because not only did Ms. Riddle hurt Ruthie's feelings, but she made Ruthie feel like school was a bad thing and that shouldn't happen to a child. School should be a safe place. Annie asks her daughter to make up with Lucy. She tells her she'll think about it.

Ruthie: Maybe if the other kids' moms get mad at Ms. Riddle like you did, she'll stop calling everyone names?

Annie: Other kids' moms?

Ruthie: I'm not the only one she calls stupid. 

Mary asks Lucy if she knows Denise. Lucy says, "the girl who wears all the flannel?" But Lucy doesn't know anything about her. 

Simon comes over to them and asks Mary to tell him what he did. She walks away, and he asks Lucy. She says she can't say, but she gives him a hint. 

Lucy: Mary's mad at you because of something you said a couple of nights ago when you guys when you were playing basketball.

Simon: Oh, I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you want cash, because I'll pay you? (Because the Bank of Simon always has money). 

Lucy goes upstairs. And Simon lets out a noise of frustration.

Matt is in the kitchen, and Annie comes down. She says that she heard he and Shana are breaking up because Shana called her and is upset. She tells him not to break up with Shana because it's hard to be in a long-distance relationship. He tells him to only break up with her "if you don't love or care for her anymore." 

Matt: All I came over for was a sandwich.

Annie: Every sandwich served in my kitchen comes with a free lecture on the side.

Eric brings Bill and Sheila to a support group for parents of children with Tourettes. Bill denies Bobby has Tourettes again, but Sheila asks him to stop running from the problem. Louis introduces himself and explains he has Tourettes. He tells him the severity and frequency of the ticks decrease with age. Louis says he studied Neuropsychology to help other kids with Tourettes and their families. He explains that since Sheila didn't think he'd go to a support group, they brought the support group to him.

Bill: Well, I'm sorry you went to all the trouble, but I don't want your support. 

He goes outside of the church, and Eric follows him. Bill tells him that no one understands, and Eric says he wants to, but Bill needs to open up. Bill tells him about his cousin when he was a kid who always gets picked on. 

Bill: I teased him all the time. I was really just...mean. I tortured him relentlessly. 

He explains he can't stand the idea that someone else is doing that to Bobby. (Uh, Dude, wake up. They are already doing that to him). Plus, he blames himself for Bobby because the condition is hereditary. He says he can deal with ADHD, but Tourette's is too much. Eric tells him he needs to forgive himself for the past and help Bobby.

Bill: I just... I don't think I can. I really don't. 

Simon apologizes to Mary, and she asks him why he's apologizing. He says it doesn't matter, and she figures out he has no idea what he did. 

Simon: Exactly. 

Mary: You called me 'big butt." The other night we were playing basketball, and I fell on you, and you called me big butt. 

Simon: But I was just kidding. I mean, I say stuff like that all the time. 

She explains that now that he's not a kid anymore, his words mean more. He is happy that he's not a kid and tells her brother will watch what he says.

Mary: Well, you better, because words can really hurt a person. (All true, Mary. But at the same time, you have to learn to tell someone when it hurts you because, like Simon, sometimes people just don't know the harm they are doing). 

Lucy is in the kitchen. Ruthie comes in and tells Lucy she forgives her. She says that someday she might have to squeal on Sam and David and will want their forgiveness, so Lucy is off the hook. She tells Lucy their Mom has been on the phone "all morning." 

Lucy: Doing what?

Ruthie: Calling other parents.

Lucy: Your teacher's in big trouble, isn't she?

Ruthie: Oh, yeah!

Matt is about to leave his apartment when the phone rings. He answers, and it's Shana. She says she was going to fly to Glen Oak but decided not to because she can't get there currently. (Plus, it would be dumb; after all,, you will eventually ditch him anyway). He asks her why, and she says she wants to apologize to him in person for taking their apology for granted. He says he accepts her apology, but then someone knocks on the door, and Matt sees Heather (Andrea Ferrell) at the door (although at this point, we don't know what he sees). 

Matt: Uh, I have to go.

Shana: Call me later?

Matt: Sure.

Shana: I love you.

Matt: I'll talk to you later.

He hangs up and says hi to Heather. She asks him if he told Shana hello and thanks for letting him hang out with her. Matt says he'll do it next time. 

Simon and Bobby arrive at school, and Brian is waiting for him. Simon gets ready to fight but then says there's a better way to deal with it. He suggests a video game duel. If Bobby wins, Brian has to leave Bobby alone and quit calling him Spazz Man. If Brian wins, then he can beat Simon up. Brian looks shocked as Bobby continues to play, and the points can be heard racking up.

Ms. Riddle hands out papers and tells the class they have a quiz tomorrow. Annie arrives with a bunch of other parents who aren't happy to have their children called "stupid." 

Ruthie (to another girl): That's my mom.

She winks at her mom, and Annie winks back.

Mary apologizes to Denise for allowing her friends to be mean. Denise thanks her, and Mary invites her to the Miller's party. 

Denise: Why should I trust you that this isn't a trick?

Mary: Because I would never do anything like that. I'm not Laurel.

Denise: No, you're not. 

Laurel and the other girls come over, and Mary tells her Denise doesn't have to leave. 

Laurel: You know, Denise isn't a farmer. And you are...well, you know what you are.

Mary leaves with Denise and then turns back to the other girls.

Mary (to the other girls): Oh, and what makes you think she doesn't bad mouth you when you're not around.

The girls ask Laurel what Mary's talking about, and then they walk away. Laurel looks at Mary, who smiles at her. Laurel leaves. 

Bill comes to Bobby's appointment, and Sheila is surprised to see him. He is surprised he came himself. Bobby tells him he had a great day at school, and Bill says after they see the doctor, they can go out to dinner, and he can tell him about it. Bill pulls Sheila said and apologizes for not having been there for her.

Bill: Later, I'd like to tell you why.

Sheila: Okay. Let's make today a fresh start for all of us. I think we all deserve that.

Bill: All right.

Sheila: Did you drive here?

Bill: Uh, no. A friend gave me a lift.

Sheila: A friend?

Eric looks in, and Sheila waves. The family hug each other, as Eric leaves.

The closing credits come up. 

(This episode was not the greatest but it was not bad. I felt bad for Ruthie, and loved it when the parents led by Annie showed up at her school).