7th Heaven: Season 4 - Episode 18: Hoop Dreams

 

Mary (Jessica Biel) dreams of playing pro ball. 

Mary is playing basketball against some guys from the LA Lakers. Lucy wakes her up and asks if she was dreaming about Robbie, and she tells Lucy that she was dreaming about playing basketball in the pros. The phone rings, and Mary answers. It's Coach Clearly (Kurt Rambis), and he tells her to come ready to work out today and says he has something she might like. She hangs up and tells Lucy that she believes her dream is about to come true. 

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

Mary is dribbling the ball in the kitchen. Annie comes into the room, and Mary tells her about her dream and the coach wanting to see her. Annie tells her not all dreams are prophetic and asks Mary about college. Mary says playing professional basketball would be better than going to school. 

Ruthie and Simon are ready to go to school, and Ruthie says she hopes to dream of something great too. She says she wants to be the Queen of England. (I wanted to be a queen too, but not of England). Eric asks Simon what he wants to be, and Simon replies, "not a minister." Eric is hurt. 

Lucy is fixing the dresser in the nursery, and Annie comes up and tells her it's time to go to school. She thanks Lucy for fixing it, and Lucy hugs her as she leaves. 

Matt is upset that he can't reach Shana. Matt tells John (Chaz Lamar Shepherd) that he should have let Shana go to NYU or gone with her and said he needs to move to New York. John tries to help him see reality that he doesn't have money, is not enrolled at school there, and has nowhere to live in New York. 

Mary sees Corey (Alicia Leigh Willis) before school and asks if the coach also wants to see her. Corey says he didn't, but she's not planning to go pro. She is going to Brown University in the fall. 

Eric shows up at Simon's school to pull him out for the afternoon. 

Annie asks her oldest son why he's selling everything. Matt says he will move to New York to be closer to Shana. Annie agrees not to try to stop him from going but won't let him have the anniversary gift Eric gave her their first year of marriage. 

Eric and Simon arrive at the movie theatre at the promenade. Simon says they already saw the movie, and it has begun. Eric tells him if they already saw it, it won't matter. It has begun. 

Annie tells Ruthie she recorded the biography of Queen Elizabeth for her, and Ruthie is excited to go watch it. Lucy talks to her mother about Mary. She says she would like something good to happen for Mary but doesn't think Mary is ready to leave home. Annie tells her she doesn't need to worry about it yet. 

Matt is trying to sell stuff, and someone offers to buy everything for ten dollars, so she can have his spot. He turns her down.

Coach Cleary brings Mary down and introduces her to Molly (Andrea F. Friedman), who has Down Syndrome, and her father, Jack (Drew Snyder). Jack says he thought Mary might be able to help Molly and others prepare for the Special Olympics. Molly hugs Mary. 

Eric tries to talk to Simon after the movie, but Simon wants to go to the flea market and is not interested in listening to his father. Eric agrees. Simon wants to buy a sweatshirt that turns out to be Matt's. Matt offers to sell it for $15, but Eric refuses to pay that much. 

Mary and Lucy are in their room talking about their futures. Mary says she doesn't know what she wants to do after graduating high school. Lucy says she doesn't know either. 

Mary: You don't know, you're mom?

Lucy: I have a lot in common with mom, but I'm not mom, and I don't want to be mom. At least, not just mom.

Annie (overhears): Just mom left her laundry basket. 

Eric tells Simon about how The Colonel wanted him to join the military, but Eric wanted to become a minister. And then, because of the lottery system for the draft during Vietnam, he didn't have to go. Then he starts to question if he really should have become a minister. Simon tells him perhaps it didn't mean anything, and Eric just lucked out.

John asks Matt how he made out, and Matt says he sold everything he had for only twenty dollars. John tries to talk to him about listening to Shana's offer to take a break. He becomes frustrated and starts to leave the apartment.

Matt: Where are you going?

John: I'm gonna go find either one of my parents and apologize to them for not listening to them every time they gave me advice.

Matt calls Shana's apartment but the guy says she is at the library with Brett. Matt doesn't believe they are at the library at midnight, and the guy informs him that the library is open until 2 am. Matt asks him to let Shana know he's coming to the city. 

Annie is upset that she's "just mom," and Eric is upset that Simon doesn't want to be a minister. They tell each other not to let the kids get to them, and they decide to go to bed. 

Molly calls Mary to thank her for helping the team. She asks if she can come over to Mary's house and tells Mary that Mary is her hero. 

Mary: No, I'm not. Believe me, I'm nobody's hero.

That night, Ruthie dreams she is the Queen of England. Simon wakes her up for breakfast. 

Lucy tries to talk to her mother, but Annie doesn't want to talk about it. Ruthie says she wants to be the queen and not just a mom. Ruthie says she only watched one tape, however.

Annie: You should probably watch the other two tapes. You need to do a lot of research on a person before deciding you want to be them. (to Lucy): Or before you decide you don't want to be them. 

The doorbell rings, and Mary answers it. It's Molly and her father. He says he will be back in a couple hours, but Molly is concerned about what Mary said last night. Molly asks why Mary doesn't want to be her hero, and Mary explains she doesn't deserve to be. 

Simon tells Annie he's taking Happy for a walk. She tells him to find his father first and talk to him. Simon says he did that enough yesterday. She tells him that he's not a little boy anymore and that what he says matters. 

John shows up at the hospital cafeteria and says he woke up, and Matt is gone. Matt says he was afraid that John would lecture him again if he woke him when he left. 

Matt meets Jake, who has worked in the hospital for nearly forty years filling in where he is needed. He says he wanted to be a doctor but got married, had kids, and couldn't finish school. 

Simon goes outside and knocks on the door of Ruthie's giant doll house because Eric is sitting inside. Simon comes in and apologizes. He says he didn't mean to hurt his father's feelings. 

Eric: It's more the way you said it. As if being a minister were ridiculous.

Simon: It is ridiculous for me. 

Simon explains why he doesn't want to be a minister. 

Lucy comes into the kitchen, and Annie says she doesn't have to explain. Ruthie comes in with facts about the queen, but Annie tells her to keep watching. Lucy says no one wants to be their mother.

Annie: When you think about it, who really knows their own mother? You've only known me for sixteen years. I'm not just a mom. I'm a person, a woman, a wife. And like anyone else, I have dreams.

Lucy: Dreams?

Annie tells her mother about her dream of wanting to start a co-op at the church. She tells her it's okay and even good to dream as long as you know that not all dreams become reality.

Molly says that her father taught her how to play basketball. Molly tells her father is a scout for the pros. 

Mary: Aha. So I was right.

Molly: It's good to be right.

Later that night, Mary is excited again as she believes she will be playing pro ball. 

Eric says he's not looking forward to telling Mary the news. Jack says he wants Molly to tell her. 

Ruthie is surprised at how much work the queen does because she thought the people worked for her.

Simon: No. She works for all the people.

Lucy comes into the room and says she hasn't heard anything yet. Simon says Ruthie decided she doesn't want to be the Queen. 

Ruthie: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Lucy: I want to be mom. 

Simon: Want to be? You are mom.

Lucy: No, not yet. But if I turn out to be half the woman my mother is, that'll be fine with me.

Ruthie says she doesn't want Mary to leave, but someday she will. Simon agrees and says they all will.

Matt calls Shana's again and talks to the guy from before. Matt says that he's not going to NY. When he hangs up, John asks him about not going, and Matt says they both always knew he wasn't going. 

John: No. I knew that. You didn't know that. 

Matt tells him about the man he met at work and knows John paid the man to make up the story. He said he figured if John was going through that much trouble to get Matt to listen, maybe Matt should listen. (Yep). 

Mary is planning her future with the WNBA.

Eric comes up with Molly to see Mary. Molly says she made a mistake because her father doesn't want Mary to play in the pros. Molly explains that she saw Mary play in high school and decided Mary was her hero. They go downstairs, and Mary explains Molly didn't say her father wanted her to play pros; Mary just assumed. Jack apologizes to her daughter. 

Molly: Everyone makes mistakes.

Jack tells Mary that she isn't ready for pros yet, but one day she might be ready. 

After Molly and her father leave, Mary tells her parents she's not giving up on her dream yet. 

Annie (to Eric): I want to talk to you about a dream I've had for years.

Eric: Well, I can't wait to hear it.

Annie: Did Simon talk to you?

Eric: Yeah.

Annie: And?

Eric: And the flip side of doubt is faith.

The two head up to stairs as the closing credits come up. 

(This was a good episode. I like how instead of lecturing Ruthie, Annie had her just watch the biography of Queen Elizabeth II. It was also nice to see Lucy understand that her mother is more than "just" a mother).