Following the call from Dr Rabin, Charlie goes downstairs and tells the good news to the family. Sadly for me, it wasn't showed the exact moment when he shares it with Claudia, Kirsten and Owen, who were the only persons in the house at the ending of last episode. Instead, this episode begins with Julia already in the house, and Bailey arriving. Charlie shares a happy moment and a family hug with the four of them (where was Owen, sleeping?). He wants to celebrate a party with all of them and Joe, but soon everyone get back to their normal lives and turn their back on him. He wants to return to his life just before he got the cancer news (beginning of this season), but soon he starts to feel that he is alone now just as he was then. He explains this to Joe, saying like he was hoping and praying for months to get well, but now that he is, he doesn't feel pleased, it's like he wanted something that he lost before and never got it back. Anyway, he returns to manage the restaurant, telling Bailey he has a lot to catch up. In the night of the canceled party, while spending time with Owen and drawing a "Congratulations Charlie", Kevin sends a stripper to the house, named Daphne. He tells her there's no party, that she should go home, refusing any strip or tarot cards but she insists to stay because Kevin already paid for her job. She helps Owen to paint and convinces Charlie to do new things instead of going back to his old life. His first natural instinct is to talk to Kirsten, and while walking by the crowded street next day, she says she had the same feelings after getting over her depression (another thing they have in common added to the list), so he wants to do something nice and new with her, another happy road trip, maybe to the desertic south, the rocky east or the mountains of north, just like they did in S'Wunnerful Life. But sadly, she says she can't now because obviously Paul wouldn't allow it, she can't justify it to him, Charlie is not sick anymore or near death. This has a meaning: Charlie still loves her deeply and wanted to share this happy and special moment with her, just like if they were married. Sadly, they are not and she is with someone else. So this is why I say that he still has that deep wound in his heart, that cannot make him really happy, not even with what happens next. In the mall, Charlie casually finds Daphne and he tells her that there was no celebration, so she proposes him a plan: burn his old stuff and clothes that remind him of cancer in a night bonfire at the woods. At first, he's reluctant, saying he feels stupid, knowing that he still has a little more time of treatments until it's sure cancer is totally gone, but ultimately gives in. This coincidental meeting implies that Charlie didn't plan to call back Daphne, it was not love at first sight, it just happened because the writers wanted it to happen. Besides, considering his words in his first meeting with Daphne, he said that when he was sick, he thought that the common things he does everyday, he couldn't do them anymore if he died, so now he is glad that he will do those common things a million more times. This proves who the true Charlie Salinger really is, a family man, who would be glad to be waking up with the same woman everyday of his life, glad to be always doing the same job and glad to have kids, raise them and see them growing everyday of his life. Now, he will take a little vacation of his true self, but then he'll be back the same old Charlie. To finish this part, I think this was a turning point for both Charlie and Kirsten. Considering that he almost died of pneumonia and fought cancer, this could have been a wake up call for her, to realize that she couldn't face a life without Charlie, so she should finish her wrong marriage which doesn't allow her to have even adopted children. When he asked her to travel with him, it's clear he had some hope of finding the road back together because in 4x11 they both realized that being together won't cause a depressive relapse on her. But with her denial, Charlie's hopes returned to the same place of 4x06, and since now he'll think Kirsten will never want to get back together. The future will prove that she doesn't feel that way, deep down she'd want to, but she still feels that Paul gives her safety for her illness. The year in Chicago still makes her keep locked and repressed her true feelings. It's like she can't end her marriage with Paul if he doesn't want to. She can't do it by herself because her chronic illness keeps her next to the doctor. Anyway, the writers could have done something here, because Paul already realized in 4x16-17-19, that Kirsten's love for Charlie and his family is something that will never change. This could or should have been a perfect moment to get back together, but sadly, it didn't happened.
Anyway, as the sadness streak continues, Griffin quits his job at the bike shop (for Rosalie) to Julia's surprise, who still thinks that nothing really bad happened. She sees Charlie's remission as a positive for their relationship and wants to return to their previous state, but Griffin, with too much guilt inside, feels too bad to kiss her. Not being able to live with the lie, he confess his sins in the church, telling he knows this is the worst thing he ever did because he hurt a woman who already suffered much in life (a great scene by the way). Later, in tears at the backyard, he tells Julia the truth. He says that for her words he thought they were done, but still acknowledges that is only his fault and says he's really sorry. Later, he tries to leave it behind, to start over like she said before, but she's obviously upset and serious. She says she might forgive him one day, but she doesn't want to live with him, she's scared of the idea, so she just wants to stay in the house with her family, where she feels safe. All these were great scenes, and a sad story overall. Griffin proved that he really regrets what he did and tries to start over, but Julia feels deeply hurt to do that. And this was the turning point for their "marriage" (which seriously never was), because this is one of the reasons that will lead to their separation. On the other hand, during the Elliott thing Sarah managed to hide her feelings for Bailey, but now, while taking care of Natalie together, telling bedtime stories, going to a rollercoaster, she starts suffering again. Annie calls just in the happy moments for Sarah, but Bailey is oblivious to Sarah's feelings and tells Annie that he loves her by the phone. Although it was a good story, it's really bad that Sarah has to suffer this after all what happened to her in season 3.
Anyway, as the sadness streak continues, Griffin quits his job at the bike shop (for Rosalie) to Julia's surprise, who still thinks that nothing really bad happened. She sees Charlie's remission as a positive for their relationship and wants to return to their previous state, but Griffin, with too much guilt inside, feels too bad to kiss her. Not being able to live with the lie, he confess his sins in the church, telling he knows this is the worst thing he ever did because he hurt a woman who already suffered much in life (a great scene by the way). Later, in tears at the backyard, he tells Julia the truth. He says that for her words he thought they were done, but still acknowledges that is only his fault and says he's really sorry. Later, he tries to leave it behind, to start over like she said before, but she's obviously upset and serious. She says she might forgive him one day, but she doesn't want to live with him, she's scared of the idea, so she just wants to stay in the house with her family, where she feels safe. All these were great scenes, and a sad story overall. Griffin proved that he really regrets what he did and tries to start over, but Julia feels deeply hurt to do that. And this was the turning point for their "marriage" (which seriously never was), because this is one of the reasons that will lead to their separation. On the other hand, during the Elliott thing Sarah managed to hide her feelings for Bailey, but now, while taking care of Natalie together, telling bedtime stories, going to a rollercoaster, she starts suffering again. Annie calls just in the happy moments for Sarah, but Bailey is oblivious to Sarah's feelings and tells Annie that he loves her by the phone. Although it was a good story, it's really bad that Sarah has to suffer this after all what happened to her in season 3.