Party of Five: Misery Loves Company (1997)
Season 3, Episode 17
5/10
Falling Apart
22 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Will visits SF and soon starts noticing Bailey's severe drinking problems. He inmediatly realizes this just as he realized Jill's problem in season 1. He is having a bad time after his last relationship ended (some girl Patsy cheated on him) but he knows that he's ok compared to Bailey. First, he confides in Bailey about his break up, and Bailey tells him the news about his own separation with Sarah, but doesn't tell the reason and Callie's part. In the night, Will goes drinking with his friend and Callie, but after a time, he passes out. In the morning, he is even more disgusted to learn that Bailey's remedy to hangover is more drinking, and more at lunch and at the afternoon. He reaches Sarah after he and Bailey crossed her in a coffee bar (with Bailey being really drunk and out of control), and she reveals the reason of the break up, also telling she is having a hard time trying to forget Bailey, only now she is getting rid of their pictures. Will is really worried about his drinking and asks her help but Sarah feels, for now, that she can't do anything to help Bailey after what he did to her (anyway, she knows that Bailey has a problem). Finally, after confronting him twice with no results ("get lost" "I don't have a problem"), Will leaves, realizing he can't help Bailey because he won't let him. To make things worse, at the end Callie brings more alcohol to the dorm, with the intention to sleep with him. It's clear she doesn't care about his well state. This story was sad but very good, and shows that Will is still a good friend, he was missed in this season. At the same time, is too bad that he and Sarah were the first two persons who recognized his addiction, unlike his siblings.

Meanwhile, in the house, everything is also falling apart and Claudia is the only one who cares about the family. First, she tries to stop Julia from leaving the house, following the fight with Charlie about college. Then, Grace finds her building in fire (really?? What a terrible idea to write), Charlie's stupid and immature side decides to move her into the house. Once again he is way out of line being totally selfish, without thinking about Claudia, Julia and Owen. Claudia is the most shocked mainly because she respects Kirsten's memory as a member of the family. Kirsten lived 1 year and a half in the Salinger house (in the parental bedroom) and spent almost two years taking care of Owen and Claudia including the time she worked as a nanny. So the idea that Charlie would let a stranger live in that same place, with his siblings, and in Kirsten's place is really hard to believe. He's not living alone (even in that case would be unbelievable, check Sam's case), so, how it's possible that he doesn't think that Owen was Kirsten's adoptive son and somehow Claudia too? Besides, Julia reacted bad in 1x14 so now it's much worse her reaction. Even Grace knows that living there is a terrible idea. Today, Charlie respected Kirsten's memory just one night, when he slept in the sofa, unable to share a bed with someone who is not his lost wife. But the second night, he totally forgot, and took the wrong step, to Claudia's shock and dismay (Claudia, I totally agree with you). This is another big mistake of the writers in Charlie's story, is unbelievable and annoying (I'd skip each one of those scenes). So when Julia goes to Sam's place I don't think she's totally wrong because Charlie lost all the respect he deserved in the first episodes of the season (he has no authority now to force her into college). Anyway, Claudia is the only hero as she pleads to Julia to not leave her alone and to still take care of Owen. Also, she goes to the dorm, pleading Bailey to help her save the family, forcing Charlie and Julia to react, but he, with hangover, refuses and decides to take care of himself, while Claudia saddened says "sorry to bother you". Then, Sam is gently, kind by letting Julia stay for a time and receiving Owen and Claudia. About this, there were funny scenes in the middle of the drama: Owen watching the sesame street while Sam wanted to see hockey. The problem comes when Charlie arrives and blasts him (!!!??!, Sam is proving to be a much better man than him in this episodes). At the same time, he yells at Julia for taking Owen with her and she fights back, telling him that he has no life and how social services would like to know the disastrous job he is doing now as a guardian. But like I said, Claudia is the only hero, who rescues Owen from the yelling, and they leave with Charlie. Then, Sam recognizes that Julia can't live with him, for many different reasons (he is a gentleman and doesn't want to sleep with her, for example), so he sends her home, like it has to be. When Julia arrives home, Claudia is helping Owen with daycare homework, and refuses for now Julia's help, still mad about leaving her alone. In conclusion, this episode was, annoying over one side but great over the other, that shows how things keep falling apart with Bailey's alcoholism and Charlie's selfish behavior.
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