Goodbye (2)

Season 2, Episode 5, Aired

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The family finds Paul's last written article, and reads it just before going to sleep.
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • Wow

    10
    "Perfect"
    By futuramarama, Feb 12, 2010
    These two episodes were the first I had seen of this show, and I just saw them earlier. Maybe that was a mistake, I am not sure. But wow. The emotion was handled very nicely, and emotion in episodes with plots like these is something I pay close attention to. This didn't even feel like a sitcom, there was like no funny moment whatsoever. But with a plot this sad, this dramatic, I could not care less about humor. I still loved the emotion and found it very very sad. My overall grade for this would be an A+, easilymoreless

  • A truly emotional episode, as a close family try to cope with a father's death, and a very moving tribute to actor John Ritter, I cry every time I watch it.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By actingangel9, Jun 17, 2009
    The second part of a two part special starts very much where it left off with the family still grieving for the beloved Paul Hennesy, Cate (Katy Segal) still cannot bring herself to sleep in her bedroom without Paul and even gets changed in the girls bathroom rather than her own.
    Bridget and Kerry have put both beds together to comfort each other while trying to work out what went wrong, Kerry seems to think if he'd checked for batteries he wouldn't have gone to the store and he would have been ok, Bridget is still haunted by her final words to him "I Hate You!" and Rory has a number of injury's to his hand that are explained when he shows Grandpa a hole he has punched into the wall, he is angry at Paul for dying.
    A subplot has the family having to search for Paul's final column for the newspaper and instead finding lots of things Paul kept in his home office because they meant so much to him, including Bridgets report card when she got good grades, and a bunch of photo's of Cate that she made him throw out because she thought she looked bad, one even taped back together after it was torn up.
    Cate's mother is also there to offer support only Cate is not ready to forgive God yet and her constant pushing is driving her mad, there is also the bickering between the two grandparents to add a slight light relief, but it never strays away from what the episode is trying to say, "Goodbye" obviously both to Paul Hennesy and John Ritter and it does it in the nicest way, no daft flashbacks that could take away from the emotion, instead the family talk about his awful pancakes they would eat to keep him happy, then Bridget felt bad because she never ate them, just the simplicity of that moment made it quite emotional, also with the usually arguing siblings hugging eachother and making comments like "A few days ago this would be a choke hold"
    The final moments are when the floodgates opened for me as Cate finally goes back to the room and talks away to Paul when she finds his socks under his pillow, then Grandpa brings in Paul's final column that he found in the recycle bin of the computer, he gives it to Cate and Bridget, Kerry and Rory all gather round to hear Cate read it, Its a very emotional speach as Paul basically says that his family are everything to him, how he was afraid to say what he thought to his own dad, but with his kids they are so comfortable they insult him all the time and that he even knew an "I hate you" was a never far away from an I love you, Bridget feels relieved, Rory thinks they should have insulted him more if he'd known how much he loved it.
    As the kids and Cate settle down into bed, the kids start to bicker and Cate finds herself laughing at the normality, on her bedside table placed in the frame of their wedding photo is the photo Paul had taped back together.
    This episode showed how much John was loved and he will be sadly missed, it was a brave decision to carry on without him, but without that this tribute episode would not have been made, and as John Ritter's death was so shockingly sudden like Paul's, I think it also gave John's fans a chance to grieve a really great actor, and the audience a chance to say goodbye to Paul themselves.
    R.I.P Paul Hennesy and John Ritter greatly missed xmoreless

  • In these episodes Paul had passed away due 2 a collapse in the grocery store. The family tries to be strong and Bridget mourns as she recalls the last thing said 2 him by her was "I hate you" because he wouldn't let her borrow the car. Cate's parents comemoreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By radhikaroxx, Jul 03, 2007
    this episode was so sad. I literally cried, i was so shocked. They did a really good job with their acting but Rip to John Ritter. I felt that 8 simple rules was going to be much much more different now that Paul was out of the show. He was like the main character and now that hes gone...its like there's nothing left. They said he collapsed in aisle 3 at the grocery store. Since he really died before i guess they didn't put him in the episode at the beginning, (Due to him being deceased at the time). All I can say is John Ritter was an awesome person. May he live on.moreless

  • Goodbye John Ritter.

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By teenage_fanatic, Mar 17, 2007
    This episode is continuing the real life loss of John Ritter. That is what makes it so painful to watch, the thought that John Ritter actually died and the character didn't just die. This show would have continued on so long if it weren't for the unfortunate death of John Ritter.
    Basically, they find Paul's last article, and it sort of "comferts" the family, because it says in short "No matter what my kids tell me, even a "shut up" or "I hate you" tells me that "i love you" is not so far off." It's a very painful to watch episode, and I cry whenever I see it. Rest in Peace John Ritter.moreless

  • Heartbreaking. Moving. Emotionally difficult to watch. This episode is all that and more. Get the tissues at ready if you want to watch this episode.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By lostinhiseyes, Aug 28, 2006
    When I saw this episode, the only time I wasn't crying was during the break. I found this episode heart wrenching in every way. Young Martin Spanjers (Rory) is a brilliant actor, his scenes were realistic and the writers were spot on in writing how a teenage boy would react to losing his father. The entire cast deserves to have a massive pat on the back for their performances. It really moved me...Its weird how you expect programs like this to suck doing a sad episode however its the best after-someone-dies episode ive ever seen. It's a must watch.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (0)

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  • QUOTES (2)

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    • Kerry: Mom, Fred Doyle is planning on having dinner with Dad and Jesus in heaven? Cate: Yeah. Come on, it's a nice thought. Kerry: Yeah, but Dad spent three years avoiding the Doyle family barbecue. How's he gonna get out of that one? I mean Dad's a terrible liar and Jesus is going to be sitting like right there. Cate: And Fred going on about the difference between electric and gas powered weed whackers. Like Jesus isn't gonna want to back out of that dinner.

    • Cate: (she is reading Paul's final article to the kids) "Okay, readers, today we're having a little pop quiz. It's multiple choice, so sharpen your #2 pencils and put on your thinking caps. Ready? Here's a quote. 'Dad, you're an idiot.' Now, contestants, this was said to me because of which of the following transgressions: A. Coming to the breakfast table wearing pajamas and black socks; B. Asking my oldest daughter if that guy I saw her talking to at school yesterday was her boyfriend; C. Referring to rapper 50 Cent as 'Fifty Cents'; Or D. Entering the room? Ok, pencils down. Actually, it was a trick question. The answer is all of the above. Now do you know how many times I called my father an idiot? Zero. Why? Because I feared him. Back then we didn't share our deep personal feelings. Our deepest conversations usually involved the tigers' bull pen. But my kids? I can't get them to shut up. There's not a feeling that my kids are afraid to express, over and over and over. And my wife reassures me this is a good thing, over and over and over. And she's always right. So do I wish that my kids feared me? Well, my house would be quieter and I'd spend a lot less time in the bathroom, but no. Because I know that whenever they insult me, whether it's a "You're an idiot," "What a geek," or an "I hate you," an "I love you" isn't far behind. And it's the knowledge that my wife and kids love me that makes it safe for me to wear pajamas and black socks to the breakfast table."

  • NOTES (6)

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    • James Widdoes was nominated for the 2004 DGA Award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series" for this episode. Bruce L. Finn won the 2004 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series" for this episode.

    • Original taping featured no studio audience. However, the syndicated version features a laugh track in certain spots, which was not on the original airing of the episode.

    • The scene in which the family reads Paul's last article was 2nd biggest moment of TV in the year 2003, as rated by the people at TV Guide in December 2003.

    • This episode had more than 20 million viewers, easily winning its time-slot and helping lead-out According To Jim win its time-slot as well, the two shows catalysts for ABC's win on the first Tuesday of November sweeps.The numbers mark the series' highest ratings to date.

    • Tape Date: Friday, October 24, 2003 (No Studio Audience).

    • Re-aired as one hour episode on Saturday, November 8 at 10 p.m. E/P on ABC.

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