7th Heaven: Season 5 - Episose 7: Bye

 

Eric (Stephen Collins) has a conversation with himself. 

Eric is at the church trying to figure out what to do with Mary by counseling himself as if he were one of his parishioners. He decides it's time to go home and have dinner. 

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

Eric returns home. Annie is making chicken for dinner. She asks him if he's still depressed about Mary. He says he is. 

Annie: I'm tired of worrying; I'm tired of being nuts.

Eric: I'm tired of being depressed.

They decide to invite the Hamiltons over for coffee and dessert because talking to them "always helps." 

Eric asks if Mary is home, and Annie says she's out. 

Mary is at the movie theater. (Because she is probably working on getting a job by watching movies to study the art of film to get into the business). 

Lucy returns from the library and tells her Mom she wants to finish her midterm. She explains she wants to do her best since it's her senior year. Annie says a "thank you" to God. She then asks Lucy again if she knows how Mary got the money to pay her bills. Lucy denies knowing anything again.

Eric asks Simon if he knows where Mary got the money. Simon says Mary did ask to borrow from the "Bank of Simon," but Simon wouldn't give her money. Eric jokingly asks the twins if she borrowed the money from them. (Not exactly with their say-so). Simon looks a little nervous. He sees Ruthie in the hallway and motions with his eyes for her to go. Eric sees this and asks if Ruthie loaned Mary any money.

Simon: Dad, you'd have to ask Ruthie.

Eric (yelling): I'm asking you! (The twins cry, and Eric returns to his normal voice): I'm sorry. I, uh, I'm just worried about Mary.

Simon: We're all worried about Mary.

Annie calls Matt to see if he loaned Mary any money. Matt informs his mother that while he does work, he has to pay his own bills, which he pays. (Lucy figured out she should do her best work at school her senior year, and Matt figured out that he needs to pay his bills with money he makes from working. Alright. so far that's 2 out of 3 who have figured something out correctly). 

 Eric returns to the kitchen. They continue to wonder where she could have gotten the money. Eric says he talked to her former bosses, and no one owed her any money. 

Annie calls her father (Graham Jarvis) to see if he loaned Mary the money. He tells his daughter that Ginger controls the finances now that he has Alzheimer's, so he did not loan her money. Annie thanks him and hangs up the phone.

Annie: It wasn't him.

Eric: You do realize you hung up on him.

Annie: Oh no, I told you, I'm nuts.

She calls her dad back to apologize. Her father acts like he doesn't remember who she is. (I love her dad; he's awesome). 

Charles: If you're gonna have a diagnosis, you might as well use it for something.

Eric tells her that he called The Colonel and found out Mary wanted him to give her money, but he didn't.

Ruthie comes downstairs and confesses that she gave Mary $20, which she paid back. This makes them realize she obviously hit up the other children since they are older, so she would have asked them before Ruthie. Eric starts to wonder if something is missing from the house, which upsets Annie to think that Mary would steal from them.

As Eric and Annie search for where Mary got the money, the other children are getting more and more stressed and anxious that their parents will learn they stole the money from Sam and David's piggy banks. 

Eric suggests they try asking Hank and Julie. Annie calls. Julie (Deborah Raffin) answers the phone. She says they haven't loaned Mary money. Hank (Ed Begley Jr.) confirms. Annie hangs up on Julie. Eric points it out, and she calls back and asks Julie if they are missing anything valuable. Julie says they aren't, and Annie hangs up on her again.

Hank: She hung up again?

Julie: Are we missing anything valuable?

Hank: The only thing we have of value is our daughter, and I can hear her breathing.

Annie and Eric become more and more stressed. Annie suggests that Robbie gave her the money. Eric informs her that he went to see Robbie and is back with his old girlfriend and that Robbie has informed him his girlfriend would kill him if he was helping Mary.

Eric says that he believes Matt, Lucy, Simon, and Ruthie are all helping  Mary because they want to help and protect her. Simon and Ruthie are listening in the stairwell. They run back to report to Lucy that their parents know. Ruthie tells them their mother always puts money in the twin's banks on the same day each month.

Eric says they love Mary that is why they want to help her. Annie says she loves her as well. Eric says he does too but Mary is in trouble, and they need to do something soon.

Morgan (Dorian Harewood)  and Patricia (Olivia Brown) Hamilton come over for coffee and dessert. They discuss the kids, and everyone is doing well. Then Patricia asks about Mary, and the conversation gets tense.

Lucy calls Matt. Matt answers in a high-pitched voice. Lucy teases him about his girly voice and explains then she explains she thinks her parents are on to them. Matt says he doesn't have the money to replace it nor does he have the time to deal with it. Lucy says she doesn't either. Matt says they shouldn't be yelling at each other but at Mary. Lucy says they can't scream at Mary because they can't find her. (Pssst check the movie theater). 

Mary is still at the movie theater. She buys a ticket to see the same movie she just saw, only now it costs more money because it's nighttime. 

Annie and Patricia go to the kitchen. Patricia tells Annie she's sorry about the trouble she is having with Mary and they hug. Annie tells her it helps to talk about it. (It really does). 

Morgan is in the living room with Eric. He tells Eric that he needs to do something now and not wait. Eric agrees but says it's hard because it's hard to see his daughter who, was a Champion basketball player falling apart. 

Annie and Patricia go up to the twin's room so Patricia can see the boys. When Annie turns on the light, she discovers Ruthie is filling the piggy banks with white rice. Annie calls Eric upstairs. He and Morgan rush up.

Annie: We just found out where Mary got the money.

Patricia: You know what, we're gonna let ourselves out.

Ruthie tries to convince her parents that she stole the money to buy a horse and will pay them back. She is willing to take any punishment.

Matt comes in and asks what's going on. 

Eric:  What does it look like? Your ten-year-old sister is lying about stealing money so the four of you can cover up for Mary.

Ruthie shakes her head no.

Annie: Is that it? (yells): Is that the truth?

Matt tells his parents the truth that they felt sorry for Mary and just wanted to help her. Eric tells the four of them to go downstairs to the living room and wait. Annie asks him what they are going to do. Eric says first they will talk to the four downstairs to find out what they know and how they feel. Then, when Mary returns home, they are going to confront her.

Annie: And then?

Eric: I don't know. But I have an idea.

Everyone is sitting in the living room when Mary walks in nonchalantly. She asks why they are all there. Eric tells her they are all waiting for her, and she needs to sit down and listen to them. Mary does not want to sit, and Eric tells her to sit down. 

Eric starts by telling her he has talked to her previous bosses and knows why she was fired. She also knows that the officer was concerned that when he pulled her over and thought she was drinking he didn't do her any favors by letting her go.

Annie tells her daughter how much they all love her. She reminds Mary that she is still on probation and is not making good choices. So they want to help before she gets in much deeper trouble.

Mary looks like she could not care less what they are saying. (And I want to slap that girl silly). 

Matt apologizes for not being around much. He tells her that he sees a lot of "losers" come into the hospital, and she is not a "loser," and he doesn't want her to become one. (Maybe it's cause I can't stand the character of Mary Camden, and I do think Jessica Biel is a great actress I just can't stand the character, so I have to say, Matt, you're too late, she already is a loser). 

Matt: You act like you don't care.

Mary clearly looks like she does not care. (I recommend boot camp). 

Matt tells her that he and the others want to help her, but she has to be the one who wants to do better in life. Matt says he loves her.

Lucy is crying. (Cause it's what she does). She tells Mary she loves her too, and that it's hard. She tells Mary that she used to look up to Mary and that it is hard to tell her this.

Lucy: I don't want to be like you anymore. And I only say that because I know you don't wanna be like you. 

She tells Mary that when the basketball team went down, Mary went down, but Mary is not just a former high school basketball player. She's an athlete and "has what it takes to be a winner." 

Simon tells her that he likes money because numbers tell you about you in facts. And the fact is when you are spending more than you make, that causes problems. He then tells her she needs to stop spending money until she pays off her debts, and the first debt she needs to pay back is the debt to Sam and David. Because that will show that she cares about her family. He says he loves her as well. (Simon is a smart kid). 

Ruthie tells her that she is selfish and she is sick of it. She is tired of having her parents fight over her; she is angry that she had to lie to their parents for her. She is angry that Mary broke her promise to her. 

Ruthie: All you care about is you. 

Ruthie runs out of the living room. (My heart was breaking for Ruthie).

Eric asks Matt, Lucy, and Simon to go after Ruthie.

Mary says she can't take much more. Annie tells her that's how she and Eric feel. Eric says now they are going onto the more difficult stuff. Annie says she searched Mary's room and found a joint. Eric starts firing questions at her.

Eric: Too many questions? Too fast? Can't think of a lie? (I love it!)

Mary becomes indignant that her room was searched. Annie explains to her daughter again the difference between a right and privilege. (She explains this difference a lot to her children I have noticed). Annie tells her that she knew Mary was headed for trouble but not how far down the road she had gone.

Mary denies any trouble.

Eric says it depends on how Mary defines trouble. He tells her Julie and Hank told them about the beer bottle incident when Mary watched Erica. He then brings up the join again and reminds her again she is on probation.

They inform her that they thought it over and decided that they will accept The Colonel's offer to help her that she turned down in the previous episode. She learns she will be staying in Buffalo, NY, with her grandparents. 

Mary: So what is best for everyone is to ship me off to Siberia to live with old people!?

Annie: Yep, that's basically it. (Annie's response here is great. She is like yep if that's what you think then that's what we are doing). 

She tells her daughter she will work at the Community Center for the Homeless, and her first few checks will pay back Sam and David. Then in January she and her grandmother are going to take a college course at the community college.

Eric tells his daughter she is going out on the red-eye tonight.

Mary is concerned about her car, but Eric says it's now in his name, and for now, they will take over the payments. 

Mary: What am I going to drive in Buffalo?

Eric: That is really the least of my worries.

Mary asks her parents what if she refuses. Eric tells her if she can think of something better they will consider it. Annie tells her she put two suitcases in her room. Eric tells her they are leaving at nine.

Lucy goes into her room, and Mary tells her to get out. Lucy asks her not to leave like that. Mary tells her to get out and then tells her to tell the others to stay out as well because she doesn't want to talk to any of them.

Annie starts to doubt that they are doing the right thing by sending their daughter away. Eric tells her that Mary's involved with bad people in the community at Glenoak, and is making bad decisions in Glenoak so she shouldn't stay in Glenoak. He says it's the best thing for Mary and for the whole family. 

Mary says that she will be in the car.

Annie: She wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to her brothers and sisters would she.

Eric: Don't be surprised if she gets on the plane without saying goodbye to us.

The other kids are upset that she didn't say goodbye. Matt tells their parents he will stay at the house until they return from the airport.  Matt, Lucy, and Simon say that it's sad that Mary had to leave. Ruthie smiles and asks, "Who wants cake?"

At the airport, Mary tells her mother didn't know how to get out of trouble. (At least there's some small hint that she sorta knows she has been headed for trouble). She says she even tried praying to get out of trouble. 

Mary: If this is the answer to my prayers, I am never praying about anything again.

Mary looks over at her father who is pacing, and Annie tells her not to blame him because he didn't do it alone. It was also Annie's decision to send Mary to Buffalo. 

Mary: Forget it. I know it was his idea.

Eric comes over to them and says it's time for her to go.

Annie and Mary hug. 

Eric is crying. He hugs Mary, but she refuses to hug him back. She gets on the plane. Annie reminds her husband that it's the right thing to do and they hug as they both cry.

The closing credits come up. 

(I really enjoyed this episode. It was centered on Mary, yet an ensemble episode. Of course, the last several episodes have been leading to this because they've been trying to get Jessica Biel off the show - at least full-time. It was very well done with the right level of seriousness, and comic relief to break the tension as well).