7th Heaven

Lucy confesses that this situation is too big for her to handle alone. She meets with Sandy's dad, who is a functioning alcoholic. Ruthie admits that she wants to date Martin in the future after lying to her dad. Martin tells Meredith that he loves her. That worries George and he goes to see Eric. Eric finds out about the wedding ring from him and George finds out about Martin and Sandy from Meredith. Sandy tells Simon that she wished that she was marrying him, not Rose. Rose gets a wedding dress.



This was a great episode! I really would rather have Simon marrying Sandy instead of Rose. I really like Meredith! She is so great! Sandy's dad seemed kind of creepy. This episode gets a 10!

Kevin asks Lucy if he can help out with her problems with Sandy and Martin. She is getting a little overwhelmed in her work because now everyone is coming to her. She finally releases some of the power over to her father because she can't handle it all.



Ruthie wants to date Brian (a kid on Martin's baseball team.) She lies to Eric and says that he is 16 so she can go out with him. The truth eventually comes out when Eric asks Martin the truth.



George (Meredith's Dad) is worried that since Martin and Meredith have said I love you that that is one more step closer for them to have sex.



Eventually word gets out that Sandy is in fact pregnant with Martins baby that George puts the pieces together. Now who will break the news to Ruthie and Merdith?



For me this episode was pretty good. It was a revealing episode. It finally gets out that Sandy is pregnant with Martin's baby. Sandy tells Simon that she did want to be with him before Rose was in the picture and she sometimes wishes that she didn't introduce them. Also that Simon gave Rose an engagement ring.



I was pretty shocked when i heard that Sandy liked Simon. Honestly in my opinion i would rather him be with Sandy than Rose anyday. I hate Rose. She is too controlling and i wish he would just give up and say to her that its over between them.

it was pretty good, but i would have changed a couple of lines to make them sound a bit more mature or at least better. Overall, it was better than last weeks(mommas gonna buy you a diamond ring) and nothing really happened in "HOme Run" so this was really good. simon, poor simon. he is always in trouble. He is now in trouble with daddy for buying the ring,and martin will be in deep water in the next eppy(soups on) because he didnt tell meredith about sandy, as he didnt tell his dad. ruthie is bound to find out soon. i think after everyone on blogs and message boards fighting "who will tell ruthie?!?!? will it be martin, simon, rose, or sandy" i pick none of the above!!! i pick meredith. Since her dad knows, he is bound to tell her at some point and ruthie is friends with her, and meredith knows ruthie is close with martin, so either be mad ruthie didnt tell her assuming she knew, aor bring it up in a conversation,like "i still cant believe martin kept this from me, everyone, for so long" and ruthie will be like "what are you talking about" and , well you get it. I noticed in past eppys this season, simon always seemed like he liked sandy in a "more than friends" way, and we found out they dated not too long ago, and now when he nearly cryed when he found out she still loved him, we would be stupid not to think he loved her too. what is everyones theory on how this is gonna work?? i think after, or close to the birth , both simon and martin will go after her and she will have to decide between the man she loves and the man she had/is having a baby with.

email me with your opinions at alissa793@yahoo.com

thanks

bye bye

alissa = : - )

Season 10 of 7th, billed as the "anniversary season" by the network, has been a pretty disappointing affair so far. "Home Run" was good, and there was goofy fun to be had with "The Rat's Out Of The Bag", but that's about it. Usually, the show starts getting bogged down into nothing episodes later in the season. But season 10 was wheezing right out of the gate, and it hasn't caught it's breath yet. To me, this season has so far been one looooong episode. Each episode is not very different from the other. This one is no exception. I'm not going to go as far as saying that this episode was really bad, because it was pretty watchable, but it was just not substantial enough to seperate it from the pack. It was just...vanilla. Plain and ordinary. The show has a story arc or two going on this season, but other shows who do season long arcs break it up. They never lose sight of what the main story is, but they break it up so as it's not one long episode. 7th is not taking the same route as others. It is focusing on nothing but what it's been doing and it's becoming pretty monotonous. It basically seems to be the same thing over and over and over again. You could miss an episode, as I did, and not be lost. Why?. Because nothing ever happens. It's moving along at a snail's pace and nothing ever seems to get done. Who's sleeping with who, who is having sex, who is pregnant, who do I like and so on and so on. Do Brenda and the rest of the writers have nothing else to say so they just stick with the two main stories(Simon/Rose - Martin/Sandy/Ruthie/Meredith)and try to agonizingly stretch it out for 22 whole episodes?. Season 10, with it's milestones, should be a real celebratory Camden-y season. Instead, we get a season with shades of seasons 7 and 8, with unwanted new characters no one likes taking up too much episode time. Even thru it's ups and downs the last few seasons, there was still a little something there. Some spark. This season, that spark has pretty much been distinguished. Anyways, this episode. Like I said, it's watchable, but nothing special. I guess you could say that for season 10 as well. It's watchable, but there's really nothing there.



Okay, where to start?. This episode's stories were all intertwining and seemed to involve the same group of characters. How to review this episode then when it all seems to go together like one big muddled soap opera?. Well, let's begin with the younger minister...



Lucy. Even though she is not being entirely successful and her actions toward the end of her discussion with Sandy's father were in poor judgement, I do have to give her some credit. She is in over her head handling all of the stuff with Martin and Sandy, but she scoffs at it and continues on her mission. She realizes after her meeting with Sandy's dad, that she has taken on more than she can chew and knows that she needs help in this matter. But I do have to commend Lucy for going at it and refusing to accept help even though it was obvious she is going to need it. She has to learn on her own, and can't always be going to daddy for help. But she is still new at this, and help she does need. And how cute was she in pigtails and her pink hat?. Anywho, Lucy is somewhat peeved that everyone knows about Martin. Something she was determined to keep a secret. She insists she can handle everything. She gets a call from Sandy's dad(played by Michael McDonald), and her meeting is not that great. The guy is a "functioning alcoholic", who knows about Sandy's current situation, but can't really help. He says he has no money to give her. McDonald's casting was interesting. He has been brilliant on MadTv for 8 seasons now, and is a fantastic comedian. With characters like Stuart, Rusty, and Marvin Tickvah, he is very talented. But his performance here was a little odd. It was almost as if he was about ready to burst into one of his comical routines. The whole scenario and his performance just felt funny. I am a big fan, and he also played Eric in a number of sketches mocking the show on MadTv.



Speaking of Sandy, she had a bit of drama here. I don't care much for Sandy. Haylie Duff isn't that bad in the role. Granted, she's no Meryl Streep, but she's a lot better than a number of the show's past guest stars. Here, she has a false scare when stomach pains turn out to be gas pains. Must of been a fun ride in the car, eh Simon?. She gets Simon to take her to the hospital. Afterwards, Sandy tells Simon that he is a good person and will make a good father. She lets her feelings known that she is jealous of Rose and that she doesn't deserve him. When will this maudlin triangle end?!. The show has had many relationships and love triangles, but this is the most boring and uninteresting one. It's just neverending, and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight. What also doesn't seem to have an end in sight is...



The Ruthie dating and liking Martin thing. Seriously, if they are going to hook up, then do it already. This has been going on for way too long, and the writers have no talent in keeping the story alive. Many TV relationships have had long courtships, but they were good because the characters were and they had creative ways of keeping the thing going. Not so here. Ruthie and Martin have no chemistry in the romance department, and the "are they or aren't they?" thing has all the interesting build up of a backed up septic tank. Ruthie likes a new guy named Brian, who she tells Eric is 16, but he plays baseball with Martin and he tells Eric that he is 18. Another older guy. And yes, we get more talk between father and daughter about dating and older guys. Where have I seen this before?. Oh yeah, in 300 other episodes. Eric tells Ruthie that she needs to find some kind of activity, so that her entire existence isn't all about dating and boys. If she does this, then Eric and Annie will be more open to her dating. Ruthie agrees. Whatever.



There was a part about George and Meredith where he thinks that she and Martin may be, or will be, sleeping together. Martin told Meredith he loves her, and George takes that as a sign that Martin is trying to sleep with her. Which of course, he is not. The scene where George and Meredith talk was pretty nice, but as I said earlier, there is too much time spent on new characters that is just not interesting or needed. I don't mind George or Brad Maule. I don't even mind Meredith, but I just don't see her being there as needed. That being said, Megan Henning is sweet, and there is something very lovely about her. And, oh yeah, George finds out about Martin and Snady. At this rate, I'm sure the mailman and the box boy at the local grocery store know too.



In the end, "Helpful" was another episode in a never ending circle of mediocrity. I was able to get through it easily, but this season has been a major downer. Maybe it's time Casa Camden closed it doors and the family sailed into reruns for eternity.

All in all, it wasn't that bad for "7th Heaven"'s standards. Lucy is becoming the biggest idiot in terms of her job, and I feel awful for Meredith and Ruthie- oh my, poor Ruthie! Ruthie's liked Martin for 2 seasons, and is the last family member to find out the Martin is the father of Sandy's baby. She always the first and in some cases (like Matt's marriage) the ONLY one to know! I feel for ruthie- kind of. But this older guy thing is just plain stupid- she's losing I.Q. day by day, or so it seems. In addition, I have a newfound respect for Sandy after what she said to Simon, especially the "you should try [telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth] sometime", and from what her father said to Lucy. She's had a tough life.

The one very good thing about this episode is that the possiblity that Simon will drop Rose. It hasn't been braodly broached but I truly hope it happens. The downside is that Sandy might not be who we think she is. Sandy's dad caused Lucy to lose her cool and Martins secret is slowly becoming less of a secret.

Reactions to Sandy's pregnancy and Lucy's role as a minister take center stage in this episode. More interestingly, the producers of this show have some wicked tongue in cheek sense of humor, casting the funny kid from Mad TV as Sandy's dad! So this very special episode made me crack up to no end. As for Ruthie the fast burgeoning hoochielette, she's starting to scare me. The big hero in all this though is Meredith's dad George. His reactions were great, very sympathetic but concerned, and still somehow amused and alarmed. This episode had me at hello.

Maybe slapstick this week.

The guy who played Sandy's father, the functional alcoholic, was funny. But was he supposed to be? When Lucy, wearing pigtails, tried to hit him, threw a coffee cup at him, and told him that he stunk, was that funny? The man was basically saying he wasn't going to support his single pregnant daugther, because he was a functional alcoholic, and that she was addicted to sex after detoxing from drugs. Now remember this is a show that is marketed as a families value show, and directed to an audience of children and young people. Lucy who we are made to believe is a minister, acts like an immature child. How is that entertaining? How is that useful?



The woman Martin got pregnant actually wanted to make Simon jealous and is addicted to sex. So really, it's not Martin's fault, he was entrapped.



Rose is again weird. Eric threatens Simon, after saying he doesn't anyone in his family threatened.



Ruthie lies in order to date an older boy, basically because she wants to convince Martin she is worthy of him. But she would never have sex with a guy to prove she is worthy of him, or so she says...



In sharp contrast with the Ruthie/Eric conflict and dialog, Meredith and George came across likable and believable. I vote they take over all the plot points.

I decided to do something different for my review this time around. I thought I’d review the episode as I watched the episode. Therefore things aren’t grouped according to the character(s) they’re about.



“My mom will keep Savannah if I have to go out.”

-Lucy



Nice one Lucy! Way to go dumping babysitting duties off on your mom without so much as even asking if it would be ok with her!



I hope this doesn’t turn into Trading Spaces. I hope we don’t have to see the remodeling every step of the way.



Kevin wanted to help Lucy lay down tiles? I’m surprised Kevin didn’t suggest hiring someone to do it for them!



“The right thing.”

-Kevin



What if there is no right or wrong thing to do Kevin? What if a decision isn’t right or wrong, but just a decision?



“Having been in the same situation,”

-Kevin



Excuse my bluntness, but Kevin’s situation is NOT the same as Martin’s situation! That could be because I don’t know…the girl Kevin married was NOT pregnant! So, marrying a woman you don’t love just because you believe you got her pregnant is the “right thing” to do? In what world?!



Lucy’s right. Martin didn’t come to Kevin for help, so Kevin should just mind his own business.



Does anyone else find it strange and…disturbing that Kevin keeps wanting to talk to Simon, Ruthie, and Martin about sex? I find that very strange and very disturbing.



How could Matt have noticed Sandy is pregnant when Sandy doesn’t even look pregnant?!



“Put two and two together,”

-Kevin



Oh, so I’m supposed to believe that Kevin, who in the Rat’s Out of the Bag couldn’t put two and two together to realize that Lucy wasn’t visiting Simon for the reasons she said she was, now all of a sudden CAN put two and two together?!



Ok, how did Matt, Kevin, Annie, and Eric come to the conclusion that Martin was the father to Sandy’s child? Even if Sandy looks pregnant (which she doesn’t to me), why do they assume that the only person Sandy’s slept with is Martin? How do they even know Sandy slept with Martin? Why don’t they consider the possibility that maybe Sandy’s slept with other guys besides Martin?



“You didn’t tell us about Sandy! Your father saw her when he was spying on you!”

-Annie



Wait a second. Weren’t you mad at Eric for spying in the first place? Whatever happened to that? Did I miss something?



“I’ve kept more secrets over the years than you’ll probably ever hear.”

-Annie



So what Annie’s saying is that people can count on her to keep secrets, but Annie doesn’t want people to count on Lucy to keep secrets because she thinks Lucy shouldn’t keep secrets in the first place?! Can you say hypocrite?



Why IS Eric assuming the worst is going to happen? Isn’t he supposed to be the eternal optimist?



The twins told Eric that Ruthie’s boyfriend isn’t someone he knows. Right, and I’m supposed to believe that two six and a half year olds know how many people Eric really knows much less who they are?!



Eric doesn’t like anyone to get threatened? Excuse me, but what was that thing you did to Simon in this very episode in fact? Oh yeah! You threatened him! You said if he doesn’t call you by midnight, you were going to show up at his door! Now if that’s not a threat, then I don’t know what is! Again, can you say hypocrite?



As I seem to recall, Martin was the shortstop on the baseball team. Gosh! 7th Heaven writers, I’d like to introduce you to something called continuity since it’s apparent the two of you have never met!



When I record 7th Heaven, I like to record over the commercials. So when it goes to commercial break, I push stop. When it’s back from commercial break, I push record. Anyways, I didn’t realize they were back from commercial break and I didn’t record part of the scene where Annie was reading the twins the story out of the book. I have a hunch that I didn’t miss much of anything.



The twins sure are mean little six and a half year olds. Earlier and season, they said bad things about Mary. In this episode, they said that Annie should read Ruthie the book not them. Why do Eric and Annie let them get away with this? Why don’t they tell them not to talk about their siblings like that?



Before George found out that Martin had sex with Sandy, why would he have any reason to not trust Martin? It’s not like George hasn’t met Martin before. Martin did used to date Cecilia. Back in the 2nd part of the 8th season finale, George and Martin even had a talk about this sort of thing.



I thought it was funny how George spilled the beans about the engagement ring Simon got Rose when he was talking to Eric at his church office.



Humdinger? Add that to the list of eccentric words and phrases that 7th Heaven has used in its episodes. On that same list is also hoochi mama and goober.



Gas pains? You’ve got to be kidding me! Ok, well if you ask me, I think Sandy knew that they were gas pains all along. She just wanted to concoct some excuse to get Simon to take her to the hospital. I certainly wouldn’t put it past her.



Now Sandy thinks her sleeping with Martin was stupid?! What about all those other guys that Sandy’s slept with? Was sleeping with them stupid too? Or is only sleeping with Martin stupid because Sandy got pregnant as a result of it? I think it’s the last one. I bet if she hadn’t gotten pregnant, that she wouldn’t think sleeping with a guy is stupid.



“I don’t think you always have to tell everyone the truth.”

-Simon



Ha! I knew it! This show DOES promote lying!



“Why would I lie? I don’t lie.”

-Martin



Yeah, except for when you do lie.



I agree with Lucy. Eric is probably jealous that all these people are coming to Lucy and asking her for help instead of Eric. To quote Martin from last season’s episode of “Wayne’s World”, Eric “wants to help. He needs to help.” It’s probably killing Eric knowing that so many people are going to Lucy for help when she’s just the associate pastor who doesn’t yet have a year of experience.



I liked the part where Ruthie and Meredith said they’ll call each other back in unison. I found that amusing.



I agree with Eric. Ruthie’s interest in dating seniors is probably just an attempt to show Martin that she’s old enough to date guys his age. I believe I was shouting “Yep. Exactly,” at my television screen once Eric said that.



I hate how Martin’s having slept with Sandy has ruined Martin’s character. Last season, provided that Martin wasn’t living with the Camdens, Eric and Annie probably would’ve allowed Ruthie and Martin to date one another, but now they’d “have to think about that”?



Eric has some nerve talking to Ruthie about lying when he’s done his fair share of lying himself. How hypocritical!



When Eric told Ruthie that he doesn’t want her to be the kind of girl who would do whatever it takes to get the guy she wants, Ruthie thought that he was referring to Rose. However, I thought he was talking about Sandy. I think that Sandy wouldn’t mind who she ended up with out of Simon and Martin. I think that Sandy is willing to do whatever it takes to get one of those two to love her. In Simon’s case, Sandy said that Rose isn’t right for Simon. Sandy said that she is jealous that Simon’s marrying Rose and not her. In Martin’s case, it was telling him that she suspects he’s the father knowing full well that he’s the kind of guy who more than likely will marry her because he feels it’s the right thing to do since he fathered her child.



We found out that not only does Ruthie want to someday in the future be Martin’s girlfriend, but that Martin is the guy that Ruthie wants to end up marrying. I’m sure all the Martin/Ruthie shippers went ballistic upon hearing this. I imagine a party or two was thrown even.



Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Meredith the one who suggested to Martin that they don’t tell anyone about his having sex with Sandy because if George were to find out, he wouldn’t let Meredith date Martin? So, then why did Meredith let it slip that Martin had sex with Sandy?



We have another alcoholic on 7th Heaven. First, there was Julie. Then, there was Vic. Now, there’s Sandy’s dad. (Am I missing any?) I have to say that I liked Vic better than I like Sandy’s dad. Sandy’s dad is such a jerk! If you need money Sandy’s dad, then why don’t you…I don’t know not waste your money buying booze?!



OMG! If I heard the term “functional alcoholic” one more time, I think my hair would start to fall out, and I’m too young for that to happen! Sandy’s dad didn’t even know how old Sandy is?! That’s pretty pathetic! I mean if he had a bunch of children, I could see how he might forget how old Sandy is, but considering how he only has one child (that I’m aware of), that is really pathetic that he doesn’t know her age.



Sandy was involved with drugs and alcohol?! Then she substituted that for sex?! That would explain how she’s become well…experienced. Sandy needs to stop going after guys who don’t want her. Sandy needs to stop going after guys who don’t love her. Sandy needs to stop substituting sex for booze and pot. She has some serious issues, and she is not the right person for Simon or Martin.



“You stink!”

-Lucy



Oh yeah! That was a real mature thing to say Lucy!



Not that Sandy’s dad didn’t deserve Lucy throwing a cup at him, but Lucy’s throwing a cup at him was not only very immature, but also very unprofessional. It is reminiscent of a little kid throwing something when s/he was throwing a fit.



Pummeled? How is grabbing someone by their collar and throwing a cup at someone classified as pummeling? What is it with this show and that word anyways? I think the only time I’ve heard that word on this show was when it came from Kevin’s mouth.



Ok, am I the only one that finds it strange that Eric would allow Ruthie to date only on the condition that she does community service? I mean I don’t really see too many (if any) parents saying THAT to their children these days. I know my parents never said that to me or any of my siblings.



I like the character of George. Or maybe I like the actor, Brad Maule. He had some funny lines in this episode. There was the “No. Yes. Maybe,” as well as the “committed relationship. Now I prefer marriage, but she said committed relationship.” I don’t know. I liked how he went off on tangents in this episode.



I don’t get how George was able to come to the conclusion that Martin is the father to Sandy’s child just based off the little tidbits of information that he knew. He knew that Martin had sex with Sandy. He knew that Simon got Rose an engagement ring. He knew that Sandy was pregnant. How exactly does that lead to the conclusion that Martin is the father? What about the other variables? Like the possibility that Sandy had sex with other guys. Like the possibility that Martin and Sandy used protection when they had sex. I mean when one forms a conclusion, one can’t just ignore all the variables that don’t support one’s conclusion.



I was glad at how in the end of the episode, Lucy finally admitted that she needed help. It was clear to me that she needed help. She just insisted on doing it by herself. She insisted that she had everything under control.



I can’t believe Simon blamed Eric for Rose moving out of the apartment! He wanted her to move out too!



Rose went out and bought a wedding dress? That’s the designer she went to see in San Francisco? Their wedding date isn’t until a year from this May! What if she doesn’t like that dress in a year? A month? A week? I’m never going to figure out why Rose does what she does.



I think this episode was a contender for worst episode of the season. As you could probably tell from my review, there was a LOT of things that I didn’t like about this episode. I think that the only episode that possibly was worse than this one this season was “Momma’s Gonna Buy You a Diamond Ring”. For me personally, I expected a better episode after a two week wait.