7th Heaven: Season 5 - Episode 9: Tunes

 

John (Chaz Lamar Shepherd) and Matt (Barry Watson) discuss Heather.

  John and Matt are discussing Heather. John wants to go somewhere, but Matt is waiting for Heather. They finally take off in John's uncle's car. In the car, they are singing along to "Riding with the King" by B.B. King and Eric Clapton.

While they are stopped at a red light, they see Simon hanging out with some other kids listening to music. Matt is upset with the kids that he sees Simon with, and when he gets out of the car, he is also upset at the music they are listening to. Simon tells him it's rap.

John: No, no. That's not rap. It's some kind of provision of rap. In fact, I think it's an insult to the African-American community for you to call that rap. So, don't look at me, Simon. 

Simon tells his older brother, that he has no say in who Simon hangs out with, or what type of music Simon listens to. Simon puts his hat back on and rejoins his friends.

The opening credits come up and the theme song plays. 

Matt and John return to their apartment, and Matt is very upset about Simon. John agrees Simon should not be around those guys or listening to that music. He tells Matt that he's going to return the car, and says he hopes Matt doesn't just sit around waiting for Heather. Matt says he's gonna study. John leaves.

Eric comes over with a pair of pants he is delivering from Annie. He says that she thought he might want them sometime in case he wants to go out sometime, to go out, and needs something besides jeans to go out. Matt says Heather wants to go out with him again and left him a note, and that's why she left him a note and Annie bought him pants. 

Matt tells his father about seeing Simon while he was driving John around in John's uncle's convertible.

Eric: Why were you driving John around in his uncle's convertible?

Matt: So he could sing a B.B. King song.

Eric: And you're worried about Simon?

Matt asks his dad if he knows about the music Simon is listening to. Eric comments on how all they are doing is asking each other questions back and forth. Matt comments on how mothers always know how to buy pants. He asks him if Mary bought pants for Jesus, then suddenly decides to make his father leave.

Lucy and Ruthie are at the store. Some hoodlums are in the store, one of them calls Lucy something, and Ruthie comments that he called her a bad name. Norton (Johnny Lewis) the kid who called Lucy the name, also slaps Lucy on the rear, is also one of the kids Simon has been hanging out with earlier. 

Lucy tells the manager to do something about the fact she was slapped but he does not think it's a big deal. Annoyed she goes to the next cashier. She is the 100th customer and wins a free CD and tickets to a group called 39 (not a real group, just a made-up one for the TV episode). Lucy sees, Simon outside and asks him who the kid is, and then she becomes aggravated and annoyed when he brother defends Norton. She tries to explain that he needs to define her, just as their mother shows up. Ruthie tells her mother that Norton called Lucy a bad name. Norton and his friends start giving Annie the business.

Annie (to Norton): You want a piece of this? I brought seven kids into this world. I can take one out. (I laughed at this line. Hicks' delivery was perfect). 

Norton and his group all look at her like she is crazy, and then they leave.

Matt looks at himself in the mirror. He is going all Travis Bickle (a la "Taxi Driver") as he asks the reflection, "Are you looking at me?"

Robbie (Adam La Vorgna) and Cheryl (Barret Swatek) arrive at Eric's office at the Glenoak Community Church. They want to get married.

Annie and Simon talk with Eric about the incident with Norton. Simon thinks they are making a big deal out of it. Annie says she is going to talk with Norton's mother. Eric is also concerned about the way Simon is wearing his pants and explains to him the baggy pants half off the tush started in prison. (A lot of people don't know that). 

We learn that the word Norton called Lucy is the b-word that also means a female dog. Simon says that he is not happy that someone called his sister that, but people say it all the time. He justifies that since it's used all the time, it's not a big deal. (So, since this is my blog I am gonna go ahead and put in my feelings on this word and others - and I am a female. Words only have the power that people allow them to have. So in a way, both Simon and his mother are correct. We have become desensitized to the B-word, but in a good way, because if we refuse to let it bother us, it takes away the power from the people trying to hurt us by using it). 

Annie returns upset that Robbie has a finance. She says that he is a "jerk and has no respect for women." 

Ruthie is excited about going to the concert. Annie says she is not sure Ruthie is ready for a concert, and asks Lucy about the music. Lucy says she listened to the music, and none of them is questionable, and the biggest hit is called "Puppy Me, Puppy You." She says it's about literally puppy love - that is an actual "golden retriever."

Annie says they can go as long as they call if there is trouble. Ruthie thanks her mother. Annie asks Lucy if she thinks Mary is still speaking to Robbie. She then asks her daughter how she can move on so fast after what Norton calls her. 

Lucy: I told you, I don't like it, but I've just become immune to it.

Annie: Don't become immune to it, because it's wrong, it's just wrong. (See previous note, I do not fully agree, that explains why). 

John is asked by Dr. Walker (Jason Grant Smith) if he is in charge of "stacking the CDs for the ORs" When John says he is the doctor asks him to put a CD in with the other CDs. John looks at it and refuses, saying it's a CD that promotes women-hating. The two get into a skiff ending with the doctor apologizing and throwing out the CD. A volunteer named Priscilla (Andrea C. Pearson) overhears the conversation and wants to buy John coffee. John, says he wants to buy her the coffee instead. They agree to meet in the cafeteria at four. 

John turns around and sees Heather (Andrea Ferrell) and hugs her. She asks him to tell Matt she will be stopping by around seven to tell him something. 

Annie goes into Simon's room and is surprised to see Matt there. Simon says that Matt came to pick him up.

Annie (chuckles): I hadn't really pictured you leaving the house quite yet. I'm not sure I pictured you leaving the house before Christmas.

Matt tells his mother that Heather wants to talk to him. Annie tells Matt that Robbie wants Eric to marry him and his fiance, Cheryl.

Eric is in the office at the house, counseling Robbie and Cheryl. Eric asks why they want him to do the wedding. Robbie says that Eric knows what kind of man he is so Robbie doesn't have to explain it to someone else. Then he confesses that he and Cheryl are expecting a baby. Eric is surprised.

Lucy and Ruthie get ready to go to the concert, and Ruthie looks like a mini-two-bit-slut. Lucy tells her parents she would not let her sister out of the house like that, and plans to take Ruthie upstairs to explain why she couldn't leave the house dressed like that. Ruthie declares she is not changing. 

Annie: You are changing, first your clothes, then your attitude. 

Annie hits her chest like she did earlier with Norton and Ruthie runs upstairs. Eric just looks at his wife. (Another perfect delivery by Hicks, and Collin's reaction was great). 

Norton, and his pimp-squad head to Matt's. Norton says he's gonna tell Simon he needs to talk to his mother about how she treats Simon's friends, and then get Lucy's phone number. 

Matt and Simon argue over the effect the music the guys listen to has on how they treat music. Simon says that even though the music calls women the B-word and talks about beating them and things such as that, the music is really about love. 

Matt: You're kidding yourself, Simon.

Meanwhile, Ruthie still refuses to change. Ruthie says it is fun because it's sexy.  Annie asks her what sexy means and Ruthie shrugs. (If you do not know what sexy is, you probably shouldn't try to be it. ...especially when you are nine). 

Annie: Ruthie, I don't think you're too young to dress like this. I think you're too smart to dress like this.

Ruthie: Oh boy, here it comes, a lecture launched by a compliment.

Annie: See how smart that is; what a great observation.

She had Lucy sit down also and explained to them both that in an ideal world, a woman should be able to dress however they want. However, it's not an ideal world, and women have to therefore dress so they are not attacked. 

John returns home and happily tells Matt and Simon about his date with Priscilla. It's nearly seven, and he just remembers that Heather is on her way. Simon says Norton is also coming at seven. They run outside. Heather had Norton in a hold. Simon grabs him and pins him to the ground. Heather tells Matt that he got in her face and started pulling at her clothes. Simon tells Norton he's gonna apologize to his mom, sister, and Heather. He tells her that Heather is deaf.

Norton: I didn't know she was deaf. Lighten up.

Simon: You knew she was a person, didn't you? (This might be my favorite line in the episode). 

However, before anyone can be apologized to, sirens can be heard, and a police car shows up.  Norton tries to claim he was being attacked, but the officer informs him that a neighbor saw him trying to attack Heather and called it in, and they also got it on video. 

Cheryl returns to the Camden house. She tells Reverend Camden that she's not pregnant, but lied to get Robbie to marry her. She says she knows he loves Mary, but also loves her, so she had to do something so she would marry her, not Mary. 

Heather tells Matt she is okay but glad they came out when they did. Matt says it looks like she had it pretty well under control. She says her mother thought she should learn self-defense. She tells him that she is dating a professor at Crawford.

John and Simon are outside discussing how horrible that music is. John says music or anything that oppresses women should not be supported. 

Annie shows up while they are talking. She asks him what he's gonna do when Norton comes to school on Monday.

Simon: Norton's not my biggest worry. My biggest worry is that you...might never respect me as a man because I acted like such a stupid kid today.

He explains he wants to fit in, and in doing so he has been acting like an idiot, even though he knows better.

Robbie says that Cheryl tricked him into having sex by saying she had a female problem that required sex to be made better. (I heard him say this and thought...oh dear Lord, please tell me there are not men out there that are this stupid). Eric says that he shouldn't be having sex if he is that clueless. (Or get fixed first so you don't pass those genes on to others). He also told him he needs to learn to respect women and not just use them for sex, and wait until he's married before he has sex again. Robbie says he has a lot to think about and thanks Eric.

Ruthie and Lucy return. They tell their father they decided not to go to the concert and just got a burger through the drive-thru and talked so that Ruthie could just wear her PJs. 

Lucy asks Robbie if he has talked to Mary. He says he told Mary he was getting married. Lucy congratulated him, and then she and Ruthie say goodnight and leave. 

Robbie says he needs to leave, and Eric asks him if he will be talking to Mary again. Robbie says he thinks it's better to let her just think he got married. Eric says out of respect to his daughter he had to tell her the truth.

Robbie: I hope she gives you the chance. Look, I know she's not talking to you, but she can't stay mad at a nice guy like you forever. Thanks for saving my life. I mean that.

The closing credits come up. 

(I thought this was one of the best episodes yet. It was great from beginning to end).