Don't Speak Ill of the Dead or the Living

Season 8, Episode 15, Aired

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Annie's half-sister Lily (guest-star Michelle Phillips) returns as she shows up on the Camden's doorstep to discuss an important family matter regarding their father, Charles. Eric tries to figure out why Annie doesn't want to talk to Lily when she shows up. Meanwhile, Cecilia sets Martin's friend Mac (guest-star Kyle Searles) up with a girl from school, but later rejects the offer when he remembers a horrifying moment that happened in school back when they were in the 1st grade. Ruthie and Peter's school project lands them in trouble when they create a newspaper featuring false and derogatory stories about two former U.S. presidents. Lastly, Roxanne turns to Chandler when she finds herself faced with a moral dilemma as she is keeping a secret from Kevin regarding Det. Michaels.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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  • I loved it!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By VGFreak8, Jun 07, 2007
    Roxanne knows something about Detective Michaels. Kevin and Lucy want to find out. Annie's half-sister, Lily, shows up and apologizes to Annie. Annie admits that she was a little jealous of Lily spending time with Grandpa. Ruthie and Peter work on a President's Day project. They make a newspaper stating all the mistakes that they've done. They get in trouble, but also get a second chance to do it over. Mac wants Cecilia to find a date for him. She finds a nice girl, Pam. Mac doesn't want to go out with her because she wet her pants in the first grade and people are still teasing her even though they're in 10th grade now. Cecilia and Martin think it's stupid so Mac decides to go out with her. Det. Michaels becomes a Captain and the secret is that Roxanne met his brother, an inmate, and he wanted everyone to know that his brother went to jail after an armed theft.

    This was a great episode! I liked it a lot! I liked the Mac/Pam plot the best! Cecilia's father is great and a good man. This episode gets a 10!moreless

  • Pointless plot points, that make no sense. Dry trivial discussions about nothing at all. Senseless unkindness and derision following you through the years.

    0.2
    "None"
    By JakobB, Oct 21, 2005
    This episode is about not speaking ill of people, or thinking ill of people whether they are alive or dead.
    Now Graham Jarvis had already died over the summer but the show never acknowledged his death, making him linger on as Annie's Alzhiemer's stricken father in the never land of Arizona. Kind of like Mary who lingers on in the subtext of this soap opera, although Jessica Biel moved on years ago. But they still speak ill of her.

    Ruthie and Peter put together a tabloid for President's day making up fake news about some Presidents. Although cautioned by Eric and Annie they persist in their sin, thinking they are being original.

    Eric out of the blue wonders how Lily is doing (Annie's half sister of sin) and Annie does her usual hormonal crazy woman act on him.

    Detective Michaels has a secret, that Roxanne knows about. But she won't tell Kevin. Lucy and Kevin speculate, gossiping widely, until Lucy lands on the most logical conclusion that Roxanne and Detective Michaels are dating. They immediately move from gossiping to stalking in the best Camden tradition. Kevin surmises that somehow Chandler is involved, and indeed he is, but only because Roxanne asked to discuss a personal dilemma with him. Hijinks and misunderstandings ensue.

    Martin's friend Mac wants to find a date, and Cecilia hooks him up with Pam. However, Pam wet her pants at school in first grade, and she has been a social outcast ever since (as if this were a realistic plot point). Mac doesn't want to date her, even though she is cute and smart and funny, and has been continent for the last 10 years. Cecilia is horrified at this, and asks her dad to go beat up Mac for her. He agrees to go lecture the luckless lad, and off he goes.

    And now hubris rejoins all these ill-thinkers. Peter and Ruthie are yelled at by their teacher for not honoring two great American presidents. Lily of all people shows up on Annie's doorstep, and Annie accuses her of stealing a box of pictures. Lily hadn't stolen them, she had borrowed them after asking politely if she could, but evidently she asked the wrong person. Annie feels like an idiot. Detective Michaels reveals to everyone at the police station that his brother has been in jail for 30 years for an armed robbery, and that Roxanne had found out. He didn't want (or trust) her to have to keep his secret so he told everybody instead. Kevin then apologizes to Roxanne for jumping to conclusions. Mac asks Pam out, and she says yes. Peter and Ruthie redo their President's day assignment by reading maudlin biographies of the aforementioned presidents, and having their relatives stand around in period costumes and feeding the class cherry pie.

    Boring, insipid, ridiculous pap. Staring slack-jawed in disbelief at the television, one wonders what the point was. Is it wrong to question the actions of the current president? Are 6 year olds who wet their pants condemned to a lifetime of shame and derision? Is Annie crazy - well you know the answer to that...

    moreless

  • Well, the feeling I got from this episode was okay, a little boring at times, but okay. Let's break it down (at least what I can remember)...

    10
    "Perfect"
    By TM56, Jun 04, 2005
    Another episode of 7th Heaven has come. Sorry for the late review, I accidently lost the tape that I recorded this episode on---so I sorta have to go by memory on this review. Well, the feeling I got from this episode was okay, a little boring at times, but okay. Let's break it down (at least what I can remember)...

    Ruthie, Peter and Teacher: Ok this storyline can be interpreted in many ways. It was obvious after this episode aired that it would create a lot of contraversy on the politics of the teacher and her project to the kids on the presidents and government---this kind of storyline Brenda Hampton has been doing a lot lately---and the fan reaction hasn't been too good. If only she explained the outline of what she's saying on a non-bias level I don't think many be too upset. I can tell she's trying not to be bias, but by the way she writes it's not hard to see why viewers interpret or what she's trying to say, but comes out the wrong way and accidently leads that she seems to be pro-Bush and is a Republican (from what I see). First off, let me say for doing a project last minute Ruthie and Peter came up with a good idea on a President's Day project---a newspaper on the negative things being said of the oresidents and the bad politics and ethics they had while in office. I think some viewers got confused by this storyline as to what the teacher was upset about. She specifically said she wanted them to do a project honoring the presidents and they did the exact opposite. Even more the articles they made were completely made up, do to their last minute rush. That is why I was with the teacher on this. Although I think the writers could've done a better job so viewers wouldn't think they were being bias on saying ONLY nice things about presidents and the goverenment. Brenda, you already gave us so much of that in your last episode Healing Old Wounds. Although, how in the world did Eric, Annie, Ruthie and Kevin get those costumes on such short notice and take off from their jobs and plans? I thought this storyline was going to be boring, but it turned out to be a lot more interesting that I thought. I mean this isn't the first project Peter and Ruthie have done this season---but this one was actually interesting.

    Annie and Lily: Out of all the storylines in this episode this was the one I was most excited over---and was so disappointed on how much time that was spent on it---especially when the time that was spent it on it, it was great. It's about time we find out on what happened to Annie's sister Lily! Thank God! For a while there I thought the writers forgot the storyline entirely about Annie having a sister. Although I can sorta believe that Annie and Lily would lose touch, especially since they're so far away and the family situation that their in is unique after meeting only on one occasion. Plus, you have you're own lives. It was obvious that Annie still resented Lily for now being in her fathers life, which is sorta understandable in a child/sibling/parent relationship. Apparently Annie was upset that Lily took pictures and personal items from her family that she requested and got it from Ginger. SInce Ginger isn't Annie's mom she thought it was a violation on both their parts. It was nice to see Lily confess to Annie her side of the story of her having no other family anymore---although that was basically the same case when we first saw Lily. But finally, it looks like Annie and Lily had a sister/sibling breakthrough. But the best part I loved out of this storyline is the fact that we might be seeing more of Lily in upcoming episodes. Her and Catherine have good chemistry on screen and I loved their scenes together. I know soon the writers are gonna kill off their father Charles---they kind of sorta have too with Graham Jarvis' passing. But at least the silver lining is hopefully bringing Annie and Lily closer together.

    Roxanne and Capt. Michaels: I'll be honest, this storyline really wasn't that good. There was really nothing to go with there in the first place with the mystery of Roxanne helping out Det.--- wait Capt. Michaels brother who's in prison. Once again the 7th Heaven's writers and producers keep the most interesting part of the storyline off screen. It would've made the storyline more plausible and interesting if we actually saw Capt. Michaels brother and Roxanne at the prison talking and volunteering and seeing first hand the many problems this guy has and see Roxanne doing her best to be there for him. If any good came out of this storyline was the fact we saw Capt. Michaels promoted to Captain. The pool hall scene was nice and seeing Det. Michaels tear up over the fact so many people were there for him over his promotion. Although how do you go from Det. to Capt. Isn't there a Leutenant before Captain?

    Martin, Cecilia, Pam and Mac: With Simon gone, Martin and Cecilia are now in to fill in the teen quotient part of 7th Heaven and have their relationship storylines going. This time it involved both thier freinds hooking up under ackward situations as she gets teased for no reason over her accidently peeing in class when she was six. I didn't really get the teasing part though on Pam. I mean big deal---she wet herself in the first grade and 10 years later she's getting teased about it!? Paalleessee! I've been in school all my life and I've seen worse from older people. In fact----in my junior high school this kid in my 8th grade class who was 13 (he was a nerd) accidently moved his bowels in class because he didn't want to go to the bathroom and to finish his test. Honest to God that is the truth!!!!!!! This kid was nasty! Anyway, getting back to the storyline, in 7th Heaven style we knew Mac and Pam would get together in the end with the help of Cecilia and Martin (and the imaginary beating and hurting help of Brad Maule). Maybe it's the 18 year-old in me, but that 18 year old Pam was Hot! For me she was---I don't got a girlfriend right now.

    Overall, this episode was okay, not great, but ok. Next week looks better with Barry Watson returning---always a welcome. God, I wish he'd come back full time! The show can function well with two Camden kids gone, but three is really pushing it, especially when they only appear on occasion. The show is still trying to find it's groove without the interesting characters of Mary, Simon and Matt on a regular basis as before.

    Grade: **8 out of 10**

    Rants and Bits:
    *I'm gonna keep complaining about this till I see results---Catherine Hicks please fix your hair. The frizzy curls ain't working. You're better with the straight curls like you were in the first two episodes of the season.

    *I'm not a big fan of recasting, but if the producers are smart, they really should recast the role of the twins to kids that are more up to the acting chops. I mean seriously, the twins are now at an age where they need to talk and I don't think Lorenzo and Nikolas are up to that take. It pains me when I see them on screen when they talk. They're almost the same age as Ruthie was when the show first started and she was nothing like that!moreless
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