Following latest events, the older Salinger brothers want to propose their women. Bailey already made up his mind, but now it's Charlie's turn. At 1-2 am, a sleepless Kirsten ponders taking the research job in Chicago as a fall back position, doubting Charlie's feelings for Daphne, and when he says that he won't leave her for anything, she says "Don't make promises you can't keep". She says that they know very well that time can change anything. This line tells that she forgot that time never changed their deep love for each other. So that's what he has in mind and decides to marry her, because, they should have married years ago, he can't keep waiting. For Charlie, is the third proposal he will have with the love of his life, his long lost beloved wife, recently recovered, that could never be official in the last five years. But for Bailey, 8 years younger, is going to be his first proposal with his woman, despite their on-off relationship of nearly 4 years. That's why the scene showing the two brothers laughing at the restaurant, about their same thoughts of proposing their women, was really great. Finally the older brothers could find a happy moment after so many fights. Charlie isn't able to find the best way or the best time (he planned a simple special dinner in the apartment, I don't understand the lack of creativity, his first proposal was much better). Kirsten comes back from the job offer, she got it but thinks about turning it down because might be a consolation prize, saying she's old to fix her life with band aids. He decides not to propose yet, but after dinner, she starts cleaning and accidentally finds the ring in his coat, while he was in the couch watching and laughing at The Simpsons (that can be a glimpse of their life at 50-60 years old, he watching TV, she cleaning, ordering). Kirsten initially feels happy, but then she thinks that he just wants to cheer her up because Daphne's around, despite that he tells he loves her, so she goes upset to bed, while he stays saddened. She is afraid of what happened in 5x15, when Charlie left her for Daphne, but what she doesn't understand is that he made that mistake only because he thought she didn't love him anymore. But in the same way that Paul opened Charlie's eyes two months ago, now Daphne opens Kirsten's eyes. She goes to spend time with Diana, and trusts that only her daughter will never leave her, as she knows that Charlie never left Kirsten, no matter where she went, and he never will. So finally, in a restaurant, when Charlie apologizes for choosing the wrong moment, reassures his love for her, and says they shouldn't wait, Kirsten accepts the third proposal. She says that sometimes she forgets his feelings, but that she has always known, so she'll marry him whenever he wants. They happily share a kiss, with a serenade behind. The development could have been better, I'd have liked to hear more words from Charlie in the proposal, but the result is the right one. When Kirsten said in the first scene that she wouldn't blame him if he feels something for Daphne, means that she blames herself because she married Paul, which led Charlie to Daphne (4x20). Now they are where they belong, together, but this episode allowed Kirsten to accept that if the past year didn't change Charlie's deep love for her, nothing will. Now Kirsten is sure that Charlie will never leave her, not for Daphne, not for anything. To finish this part, the struggles implied how sensitive Kirsten has become to the fear of losing Charlie again. Her illness, Bipolar II Disorder, is still there, even though she's on medication (lithium). The hurtful recent memory of 5x15-16 now returned with Daphne, so she was having insomnia, low self steem, and temporarily forgot all the love Charlie proved in the past, thinking that he would leave her again, even when that's ilogical (she said it herself). This tells that certain stressful events still can cause a relapse. In her first 3 scenes, Kirsten was really saddened, upset, surely she had no sleep after Charlie's failed proposal. Probably he talked to her because she accepted having dinner, and Daphne cleared her fears, so relapse was avoided. But my point is that in their married life, Charlie has to take care of his wife very well and try to make her life as stable and easiest as possible. He can't commit another mistake with her, it's his responsibility to prevent any possible relapse on depression.
For Bailey and Sarah, things go in reverse. First, he plans a romantic dinner to cheer her up after after she failed in the Millenium scholarship and the exam she recently took. Then, he proposes Sarah in the same place his father did to his mother, 32 years ago, in a dock, with a wonderful, well written speech, "Let me make you as happy as he made her", and she accepts saying "how could I not to". The scene is really romantic, Bailey knows about this. But after a talk with Julia about their college situations, Sarah changes her mind, remembering all her doubts in the last episodes. In the parental bedroom, in tears, she tells Bailey that she can't be engaged to be his wife or Owen's mother, she wants to try new things in college and fail, she is 19 and in college. When he promises he'd make it all work, she says she doesn't want to (2nd time that room breaks an engagement). Bailey is left devastated but then, he still decides to keep Charlie and Kirsten's second engagement party on. Later, Sarah tries to make things easier, but he tells that not getting married means she feels there is something else outside for her, better than him. I understand Bailey. He had to grow up faster than the rest of teenagers after losing his parents, and all his alcohol's problems made him an adult too, in charge of the restaurant. And Sarah did so many things for him, she saved his life and after more than 3 years she is still with him. It's not crazy his proposal. I understand Sarah but maybe she got involved too deeply, in taking care of Owen and Claudia for example, and now saying no is kind of hard to accept for Bailey. She inadvertently misled him. To finish this part, in the parental bedroom, a lonely Bailey talks to Charlie saying he did everything wrong and that the bedroom still should be his, implying that he and Kirsten still should be the Parents of the house. I guess this was his apologize for taking Owen away from him. Charlie couldn't say something to comfort him, so instead, probably to keep him busy, asked him to be his best man (again), to organize the perfect wedding, and Bailey accepted.
As for Julia's story, Justin visits her and Maggie, and tries to help her to get the scholarship but she refuses. She even makes a solitude vow and says there are zero chances of getting back together with him for now, to his surprise. At the end, she wins it, despite thinking she did wrong, and celebrates with Justin, who tells her she will be ok even if she stays alone. Meanwhile, Claudia gets drunk in a party and decides to go back to her true self after Cody asks her. Finally, she reconciles with Bailey, considering he is saddened because the broken engagement, and gives him the biper's number to keep in touch when she goes out. Was really good to see Claudia back on track and Julia being comforted by Justin, so their part was better than the last episodes. In the engagement party, a rude Griffin visits and leaves a gift to Julia for the happy couple, but leaves quickly. Kirsten convinces Daphne to stay in the party, although this is hard for her because everything happened so fast (it's clear she's not aware of all the things that Charlie and Kirsten went through in seasons 1-4). Anyway, this implies that now Kirsten wants to be Daphne's friend, she knows what she suffered in life, that she has a detachment disorder, and despite that Charlie and Kirsten are/will be husband and wife, she wants to help her and not leave her alone without family besides Diana. The season ends with Justin taking a happy picture of the family: Charlie with Kirsten and Diana, Owen, Claudia, Julia, Bailey, and Sarah running from behind. As everybody knows, Sarah leaves for the spin off, so that picture shows who are the Salingers, the 7, and Sarah, who wanted to be, but at the end she couldn't. I'd have liked to see Claudia and Julia's reaction to Charlie and Kirsten's engagement, surely they were happy and maybe Charlie had to convince them that this time the wedding will happen.
The second part of the season was much better than the first. Finally, the series returned to the right road. When Charlie and Kirsten got back together, was fixed the big damage around two of the main characters of the series, and now engaged again with an unstoppable wedding, gives them what they always deserved. Also, this part managed very well the end of Ned-Julia story and Julia's troubles in relationships. Owen's custody fight story allowed a change in the leader of the family, with Bailey and Sarah taking the place that Charlie and Kirsten had overall in the past seasons. In some ways this was a mistake because they weren't ready, and will affect the plot of season 6. But also proved to be the perfect reason for Sarah to break up the engagement, and for Bailey to act like a man, given his life experience. It's like the decision of letting Bailey in charge, and Charlie living apart with Kirsten had pros and cons. About Daphne's return, considering her sad farewell in 5x11 and her wish to stay away in 5x16, was surprising and not ideal. For Diana wouldn't have been bad to grow up with Charlie and Kirsten as her only parents, would have been more stable. But Daphne could have thought in returning any time, and this time was the best. This way, Diana won't grow up thinking her birth mother abandoned her, and on the other hand, Kirsten will be sure that Charlie will marry her forever, as he chose her over Daphne and any other woman in the world.
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