For some reason, my TiVo didn't tape, like, the first five seconds of the show, so it saddens me to have to inform you that there will be no recap of that. No, don't. Please stop crying. Anyway, the first thing I see is Treat walking into his living room, where Delia's birthday party is just getting good. Treat ruins it all by asking Brittany, who is wielding a stopwatch, where Delia is. Brittany screams at the closet door, "Abort! Abort!" Treat opens the door to find Delia and another kid in the cutest pre-teen liplock ever. Treat: "Abort! Abort!" Hee. Treat wants to know what the hell is going on. Delia's boy toy tells Treat that it's just "Seven Minutes in Heaven." Delia adds, "The party was lame!" Treat orders them out of the closet, rips the kid -- whose name is "Charlie," and who is a cutie -- a new one, and kicks him out of the party, saying they're going to go talk to his mom. Treat leaves Nina in charge, telling her to make sure the party is little less "Pre-teens Gone Wild." Nina's all, "Okay, kids. Sugar it is!" And, credits.
Treat knocks on the door of a beautiful house. I thought he walked the kid home. Why is he knocking? The door opens, and...hey, it's Anne Heche! You look very pretty with long hair, Miss Anne. I'm sorry you're Krazy. I'm sorry you talked about the herpes on your "tiny baby pussy" in your book. I'm sorry you think you are a special alien princess. I will try to not think about these things, and maybe someday we'll be friends. IN SPACE. Anne greets Treat, and asks if everything's okay. Treat says there's something they need to discuss, but he doesn't know quite how to handle it. Anne, who introduces herself as "Amanda," tells Treat to just spit it out, as she's a big fan of blurting. Treat follows Amanda into her kitchen, and tries to tell her about the party, but can only get out, "I found our kids...standing...there's a closet?" before Amanda's all, "Oh, right. Seven Minutes in Heaven." Treat can't believe Amanda already knows about this. Amanda informs Treat that it's happening at all the cool kids' parties these days, and really doesn't see it as a big deal. Treat tells Amanda that the party was awesome until her son ruined it with his sex games. Amanda's like, "Really? Huh." Awesome. Treat is totally overreacting. Also, I can't believe I just sided with Anne Heche about ANYTHING. Treat says he has a much better perspective on this since he's a doctor, and knows what kind of trouble these kids can get into. Amanda asks Treat if he even understands the rules of Seven Minutes in Heaven, adding, "They're not actually allowed to shoot up in there." Heh. Treat starts to lecture Amanda about the dangers of letting kids grow up too fast, while she smiles and nods and goes blithely about fixing dinner. Man, I'm really liking her style. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? Tiny baby pussy. Tiny baby pussy. Ah, there. That's better. Treat tells Amanda that the wayward path is just around the corner. Amanda: "Is it around the corner or down the block? I've been looking for that wayward path everywhere." Treat continues to babble. Please shut up, Treat. Amanda asks Treat to please lower his voice a smidge, because her husband is resting. Treat gives up, finally. He tells Amanda that he's sorry for disturbing them, and time he's concerned about the kids in Everwood, he'll remember that Amanda and her husband don't care. He storms out, remembering to slam the door real hard.
Diner. Nina serves Patch his breakfast, and he asks her if she would please add a little arsenic to it time -- not enough to kill him, just enough to send him to the hospital so he doesn't have to go back to his office. He explains that he keeps wavering between gratitude and disgust because of Treat's constant generosity. Nina: "The man is a monster." Patch says every time Treat reaches for his wallet, it reminds him how tightly he clings to his own. Nina says it's easy for Treat to be generous, because of the clamp he invented that has him set up for life. Patch is like, "Clamp? What clamp?" Nina says that Treat invented some kind of clamp for brain surgery, and now he's totally rich. Well, now we know how Treat can afford to provide free medical services. Patch can't believe it. And then, to add insult to injury, Scooter is right there to tell Patch about something he invented -- an epidermal laser. Patch: "Oh, when was this? On your journey down the birth canal?" Hee. Scooter giggles, and tells "Hal" that he's too much. Patch leaves in a hurry. Scooter tells Nina how much he loves Patch. Nina remarks that Patch is definitely a "cuddlebug," and asks Scooter what she can get him. It takes him about ten years to say it, but what Scooter wants is a date with Nina. Nina is obviously flattered, but declines. She tells Scooter he's not her type. Scooter asks what her type is. Nina says the last time anyone asked her out, she was fifteen, and her type then was anyone who could light a match with their teeth, and then she married a gay man. Hee! We've all been there, Nina. Some of us more recently than others. Scooter asks Nina if she's sure. Nina is. Scooter is disappointed, but still musters up a little dimple for Nina on his way out the door.
Cut to Ephram's studio. He's doing some recording on his super-awesome equipment that his clamp-inventing daddy bought him, when Bright busts in all, "This place rocks, man! I should give you the $250 I've been giving my parents and stay here!" Ephram says no way, and tells him that the key he gave him was for emergencies, like if he got in a fight with his dad, not just so he could barge in whenever he wanted. Bright says he didn't know Ephram was there, since he didn't answer the knock, and he thought they were supposed to hang out. Ephram says that was three hours ago, and now he has to go meet with Will. Bright says he kind of met a girl the night before, and got sidetracked. Like, with the having sex with her and staying up all night with her at her dorm, and then having to crash for a little while. Bright tells Ephram he should jump on the college girl party train. Ephram: "Yeah. Sort of dating your sister." Bright remembers, and then changes his attitude all, "Yeah. YEAH. No dating college girls, then." He invites Ephram to a work party the night, so they can hang out then. Ephram unenthusiastically agrees. Bright says his work friend Marty's wife is out of town, and it'll be an open bar, so if Ephram gets too plowed he can stay over. Ephram is way not interested in the fun restaurant party scene, but tells Bright he'll be there.
Meanwhile, back at the Brown/Abbott Office, Treat prepares to stick his foot in his mouth for the six frillionth time. He spots Amanda in the waiting room, and asks her if she's come to apologize. Amanda, who if you recall is really Anne Heche, who is crazier than a shithouse rat, but who is also doing a really great job in this role and it is KILLING ME BUT I CAN'T HELP IT I LIKE HER, tells Treat hello. Treat launches into a diatribe about how parents should be responsible for their children, blah blah blah, and turns to ask Louise, "Don't you think it's important for all of us to take the time out from our busy schedules to discipline our children?" Louise, clearly uncomfortable, tells Treat that she doesn't have any children. Treat says if Louise did, she would, and he can't believe that the Hayes family doesn't put that at the top of her list. Amanda tells Treat that she's actually there with her husband -- he's in with Patch. Treat says he'd just LOVE to talk to him. Amanda gives Louise a knowing look. Louise, mortified, stands up and says, "I'm sorry, this is very bad." Treat's all, "What is?" Just then, Patch's door opens, and Amanda tells Treat that she'd like him to meet her husband, John. Treat turns to meet John. John is a vegetable in a wheelchair. Nice one, Treat. Commercials.
When we come back, Patch is telling Treat about the Hayes family. He says they moved to Everwood fifteen years before, and John had a stroke a little over five years ago. He had a hole in his heart which should have closed, but didn't, and a blood clot got to his brain, causing a massive stroke. Now John is completely non-responsive, and suffered the majority of damage in the left hemisphere of his brain. ["John is, I believe, also played by the same guy who played Gay Matt's HIV-positive Navy boyfriend on Melrose." -- Sars] While they talk, Patch is mixing something up from a bunch of bottles and tubes and whatnot. He asks Treat to take a whiff. Treat says he doesn't smell a thing. Patch nods, and goes on talking about the Hayeses. He says Amanda is like the patron saint of Everwood: aside from taking care of her husband, she volunteers at the hospital, has a wonderful son with a perfect GPA, and probably bakes cookies for amputees. Patch says Amanda makes Florence Nightingale look negligent. Treat says he's going to find a cliff to hurl himself over. As Treat leaves, Patch calls after him, "What do you think of my new invention? It's scentless mentholated ointment!" Hee. Treat doesn't answer, and Patch gets his first taste of unscented failure.
Cut to Amy and Ephram. Amy is freaking out about her SAT scores. Ephram says he's sure she did fine, and goes to cuddle with her on the couch. Amy says all she wants to do that weekend is rent movies and order Chinese food with him. Ephram says he'd love to, but he told Bright he'd go to a party with him. He says he doesn't know when hanging out with Bright became such a chore. "It used to be so easy. You feed him, you water him, he's good to go." Amy says it's just less convenient now that Bright isn't in school with them anymore, and the common ground has shifted. Ephram asks Amy to go to the party with him. Amy respectfully declines, saying she's not in the mood to be "on." Or, you know, get really drunk and take lots of drugs and watch your boyfriend overdose. Damn, I miss making fun of Eyebrows.
Mama Joy's. Treat is complaining to Nina that when he finally thought he had a handle on Everwood, he goes and insults the patron saint. Lord. How many times are we going to hear the word "saint" in this episode? Let's find out. Patch said it twice, so this makes three. Nina tells Treat that he couldn't have known; it happened before he got here. Treat says this is why he needs Edna, because she used to keep him up on all the news, and now he's like a guy without cable. Heh. Nina keeps looking at the door every time it opens, and Treat asks her if she's expecting someone. Nina tells Treat that Scooter asked her out the day before, and now she's worried about him coming in and everything being uncomfortable. Treat asks incredulously, "Jake asked you out? On a date? That's...ODD." Way to make a girl feel pretty, Treat. Nina says she thought it was weird, too. Treat says Scooter did say something about Nina being attractive the other day. Nina: "He did? Why didn't you tell me?" Treat: "Because I got out of that habit in seventh grade." Hee. Nina says it was sort of sweet of Scooter to ask her out. Treat tells Nina that Scooter is totally not the guy for her -- he's much too shallow, and he couldn't comprehend the life of Nina, a working woman, a solid woman, the salt of the earth. All of these things actually come out of Treat's mouth. He is the dumbest man alive. Nina's like, "Gee, thanks, why don't you just go ahead and call me 'handsome'?" Treat says he didn't mean it that way, but Nina isn't a naïve young thing that giggles every time Scooter flashes his dimples (OH MY GOD THE DIMPLES), because, and I quote, "I mean, you've been around the block." Sigh. I love you so much, Treat, but you have got to SHUT UP. Nina: "So I'm old and trampy?" Treat says that's not what he meant. Sure sounded that way, Genius. Just then, Scooter walks in, and greets Nina, "Hi, beautiful!" Nina looks at Treat, then at Scooter, and tells him to pick her up Saturday night at eight. Scooter gets happy. Treat rolls his eyes. Yay!
Cut to the Abbott House, where Patch is trying out his new invention on Rose. He sticks a tongue depressor in her mouth, and asks her what it tastes like. Rose says it tastes like wood. She adds, "With a hint of berries?" Patch is jubilant. He tells Rose that his new invention of flavored tongue depressors is going to revolutionize medicine and make them rich, rich, rich! He dances her around the kitchen. Rose laughs, and tells her husband, "You exhaust me, dear." Ha! Indeed.
Bright and Ephram are outside the Abbotts', shooting basketball. Bright tells Ephram that he may want to bring his own car, just in case Bright gets lucky and has to leave with a hot chick. Ephram says he thought they were going to ride together. Bright says this one girl the other night was giving him the total vibe, and programmed her number into his cell phone. Ephram: "That's not a vibe, that's sending up a flare." Bright asks if he should give Ephram directions now. Ephram looks miserable. Bright's all, "Do you not want to go?" Ephram insists that he really, really does, no really. Bright tells him to say it one more time and maybe they'll both believe it. Ephram lies that he does want to go, but he told Amy they could hang out, and he thought about inviting her to the party, but that would defeat the purpose of him and Bright hanging out together, which is something they haven't been doing a lot. Bright says he knows, and that's why he didn't invite both of them. He clearly wants to be alone with you, Ephram -- go for the gold, man! Ephram says he and Amy were talking, and Bright interrupts, "What, did you have a 'Bright summit' or something?" Ephram says no. Bright says it sure does sound like they did. Ephram says there's no reason he can't do both. Bright tells him to just forget it. Oh, no! Once upon a time you were falling in love, boys! And now? You're only falling apart. Ephram says he really wants to go. Bright tells him, again, to forget it, and says Ephram probably wouldn't even have a good time, and introducing him to all the new people would have been a big hassle anyway. Damn. Ephram tries to make it less tense. "Maybe time?" Bright just keeps shooting free throws, and ignores Ephram until he walks off. Such sadness, I think my cocktail will be a double. Commercials.
When we come back, Hannah and Delia are helping Nina get ready for her big date. As Nina applies her makeup, Hannah helpfully informs her that the ancient Egyptians invented false eyelashes, because lush lashes suggest a fertile woman. Nina stares at her. Hannah: "I read a lot." Aw. I love her. Delia, who's been digging around in Nina's closet, asks, "Nina? If you have all these different clothes, how come you look the same every day?" Nina: "Don't make me cry, Delia, I just put on the mascara." Hee. Delia tells Nina that she thinks she should wear "this one," a slinky black cocktail dress. Nina says that dress suggests something that is definitely not going to happen. Hannah says you never know. Nina tells Hannah, "Listen, Nefertiti, I'm not taking any more advice from you." Aw, it's nice to see Hannah in a scene that doesn't involve Amy or Ephram. Nina comes out of the bathroom in a stunning pale blue dress. Delia and Hannah both gasp. Delia tells Nina, "You look so pretty! Can I put glitter glue on your face?" Nina thanks Delia, but says she doesn't want to look like she's trying too hard. We hear footsteps, and Treat calls, "What's going on up here?" He walks in the bedroom and his jaw drops. "Wow. You look...turn around." Nina turns. She really does look very pretty, all curly-haired and glowy. That moisturizer is really doing the trick! Treat tells her, "Whoa. You are...shedding all over the place, you got a lint brush?" Nina's face falls, and she tells Treat it's in the dresser. Oh, Treat. You really do not know your ass from a hole in the ground, do you, sir? He leaves Nina to do her own lint-brushing, and goes back to his home on Planet Stupidhead.
Cut to Ephram's studio. Amy bounces in, holds up a piece of paper, and announces, "1400, baby!" Ephram congratulates her. Amy, who looks super-cute in her little red headband and pinned-up hair, tells Ephram how relieved she is that it's finally over. She sits on the couch, and pulls out a pair of panties. Ephram looks at her, confused, and asks, "Whose are those?" Amy's like, "Uh, yeah. Exactly." Ephram says they're obviously not his. Amy yells that they're obviously not hers, either. She stands up and tells Ephram, who is dumbfounded, "You know what? I'm just going to take a second and wait for you to provide some type of explanation as to why this HOOKER THONG IS IN YOUR COUCH CUSHION!" Hee. "Hooker thong." Brilliant. Amy tells her boyfriend that he has ten seconds. Ephram thinks, then says, "I gave Bright a key." Amy looks like she might throw up. She throws the panties on the floor all, "Ew." Ephram tells her that, for the record, that was a long time to hold a stranger's thong. Amy asks if Bright does this all the time. Ephram says he hopes not, since this is the first he's heard of it. Amy can't believe her brother is bringing random girls into Ephram's studio without even asking. Ephram says Bright doesn't use the same logic as other humans, and to him, any empty room is fair game. Amy tells Ephram that he's got to talk to Bright. Ephram says he doesn't wanna, and they should have just gone to the party. Amy's like, "You think this wouldn't have happened if you'd gone to the party? You don't even know if he's done this more than once." Ephram says he doesn't know what to do. Amy tells him that friendships don't fall apart because you miss a party or two -- they fall apart because you stop talking about stuff; when you let the little things slide because they don't feel worth it. Emily VanCamp knocked this one out of the park, ladies and gentlemen. My love for her grows stronger with each righteous fit of outrage she throws.
Hayes House. Amanda opens the door to find Treat and Delia standing there. Treat tells her that he brought Delia for her son. Amanda: "Sacrificial offering?" Heh. Treat tells her that this is really awkward. Delia interrupts to ask if they need her for this, or if she can go see Charlie. Amanda tells Delia to go ahead; Charlie's in his room playing with "Sophie." Delia's all, "SOPHIE?" Aw. She runs upstairs to get her man back. Treat calls after Delia, "Hey. No closets!" He turns his attention back to Amanda, who says, "So. Word got out that you scolded me, and now you're eating daily portions of crow." Treat says he doesn't even know where to begin. Amanda suggests that they start over with a clean slate, even though those are kind of rare in Everwood, where most people just walk around with little captions over their heads: "Me, patron saint. You, tortured widower, genius doctor." And, that's four. Treat tells Amanda that he's pleased to meet her. They shake hands, and Amanda invites him in for coffee, saying she can't remember the last time she had company. Treat: "I thought you'd never ask." Aw. Tiny baby pussy! Tiny baby pussy!
Cut to Nina and Scooter on their date. They're walking along a wooded path near a beautiful lake. I am not making this up. I just report the facts, people. They're talking and walking, and being sweet to each other, and Nina tells Scooter she's having a really good time. Scooter asks Nina to tell him something real about herself -- something she wants. Nina says she wants to feel safe again, to be able to wake up in the middle of the night and know that there's someone there who can take care of her and Sam without having to ask; someone she can laugh with because she knows he's been there, too; to be able to skip the getting-to-know-you part and be comfortable, but still excited. Scooter goes in for the kiss. Nina turns away, and says she's sorry. Scooter says he thought he was getting a signal. Nina says, "I know. It's not you." Scooter: "You mean, 'It's not you, it's me'?" Nina tells him that it's not him, period -- the person she was just talking about isn't Scooter, it's somebody else. Scooter looks devastated. Nina says, as if she's telling herself more than anyone, "I think I'm in love with somebody else." Aw. Poor Dimples. Nina lies that it's someone she went to high school with. Scooter says it's good to know, and he was glad he could be a good catalyst. Nina apologizes. Scooter says he thinks he can let it slide, but only on one condition: she has to tell "him" how she feels. Nina smiles and tells Scooter that he's very sweet. Scooter says, "Not so sweet. Because, if for whatever reason it doesn't work out, I'm definitely coming after you again. I've got lots more boring childhood stories that need to be shared." And, this scene gets this week's "Cheesy but AWESOME" award. Well done, Nina and Scooter. Well done, indeed.
Back at the Hayes house, Amanda and Treat are having a nice cup of coffee together. Amanda is telling Treat about her life before John's stroke. She says they traveled constantly, but now she doesn't travel much past John's side. "Not that he's a burden," she adds. Treat says he understands. Amanda says that's good, because she doesn't understand how any of this happened to her, and sometimes she can't comprehend the life she's living right now. "I keep waiting for something to change; something that will make it better, but it never comes. Sometimes...I look at John and wish he'd disappear, so it'll be over, so I could just go to a movie, or take a cruise...I love the beach, I love getting a tan. And then I'll realize what I was thinking and start to cry. Not because I'm missing all of those things, but because I'm wishing it. I'm wishing he could die so that I could get a tan, I mean, honest to God." Treat actually listens through all this, and tells Amanda that almost anyone in her situation would think those things. Amanda says it makes her ashamed. Treat says nothing. Amanda looks at the clock, and says it's time for John's medication. She asks Treat if he wants to join her, and he does. Amanda goes to give John his pills, and helps him drink his water. Treat notices that John is left-handed. Amanda says they both are, and that's how they met -- they had to seat them together at a wedding, because they kept knocking elbows with the other guests. Treat thinks about this, and wonders how long he has to wait before he suggests invasive surgery.
Ephram pulls up at the Abbott house just as Bright is leaving for his party. Bright tells Ephram that Amy's not there. Ephram says he actually wanted to talk to Bright, and tells him that one of his "girls" left her panties in his couch. Bright's like, "Oops." Ephram tells him it isn't funny, and he can't use his studio for that kind of crap. Bright says he won't do it again. Ephram asks Bright why he's being so defensive. Bright says he's sitting there getting attacked for a little harmless fun. Ephram: "You don't look like you're having much fun. In fact, you look kind of messed up." Ooh. Bright says he's really sorry that everyone can't all be like Ephram and fall in love with the girl of their dreams. Ephram says he doesn't care what he does, or whom he does it with. Bright: "Okay, God, GREAT. Thank you. I've been dying for your approval." Ephram says he's just saying. Bright tells him that he shouldn't be saying anything, since he knows nothing about his life right now. "I'm sure it's pretty easy to sit in that billion-dollar studio your daddy built for you and take shots at me." Ephram: "You think my life is easy? You wouldn't last ten seconds on my schedule. You have no idea what my life is like." Bright says he knows exactly what Ephram's life is like, because he hasn't shut up about it since he got back from New York. Ephram says he has to practice, and he knows he might not be as much fun to be around for a while, but he's got to do it, because if he doesn't...Bright finishes for him, "You'll end up like me?" Ephram: "Exactly." Oh, man. Breaking up is so hard to do. Commercials.
Diner. Treat, as promised, is working on ways to make John all better. Nina comments that she's seen encyclopedias smaller than the stuff he's reading. Treat says he's just doing a little research. Uh huh. He asks Nina how her date went. Nina says it was all right. Treat says he's sorry, but he knows she's going to meet someone terrific one of these days, he just knows it. Nina says wistfully, "Yeah." She stands there until Treat asks her if she wants to say anything else. "No." "You sure?" "Positive." Oh, come on, Neen. Sack up, baby.
Abbott House of Failure. Patch is enraged because someone already has a patent on flavored tongue depressors. Rose tells her husband that he's only been working on it for two days, and she's sure lightning will strike twice. Heh. Patch sighs, and says he needs a bran muffin. Amy runs in with her awesome SAT scores. Her parents are so excited. Patch tells her that it's remarkable. Amy's like, "I know, and check out the 750 on verbal. That was all you, Dad." Patch asks why, and Amy reminds him of when she was little, and he would replace the normal words in her nursery rhymes with really hard ones. Patch does remember, and together, they sing, "A triumvirate of purblind plagues, a triumvirate of purblind plagues! Spy how they skittle, spy how they skittle!" So cute. Amy says that "triumvirate" was the first word on her test, and it was smooth sailing after that. She says she's got to get to school, and kisses her parents goodbye. Patch 's eyes light up, and he says, "I invented those. Rose, I invented those nursery rhymes! I could write another twenty, and bind them together in some sort of a...a...BOOK!" Rose walks away. Patch keeps talking, saying that children all across the globe will be able to use his rhymes as a study tool. He gets out a pen and paper and begins to write. "Twinkle. What's another word for twinkle? Glitter. No. Scintillate, scintillate, diminutive celestial orb!"
Bright and Ephram. Bright says he was just coming over to return his key. Ephram says that isn't necessary. Bright says he doesn't really need it. Ephram says he knows things got out of hand, and they both said things they didn't mean, but now they can move past it. Bright tells Ephram that he just doesn't know if he can be around him right now. Ephram's like, "What are you talking about?" Bright says it's kind of difficult trying to be Ephram's friend; he's got everything figured out, which is awesome, but it's too hard for him. "I know it's not supposed to be a competition, but it feels like that, and I always wind up the loser." Aw, Bright. You're a total winner. And also, very hot. Bright says he needs to step back for a while, and get his head together. Ephram says if that's he wants, he won't stop him, but he disagrees. Bright says he knows, but that's how it's got to be. He tells Ephram he'll see him later, and gets in his truck to go.
Treat's Office of Busybodies. Amanda walks in and asks him what's up, and if it's about the kids, she already had "the talk" with Charlie that morning. Treat says he's decided they're just going to do what they want, anyway. "Delia hitched off to Vegas this morning. I'm totally cool with it." Amanda says it looks like they've been a good influence on each other, after all. Treat says he wants to show Amanda something, and hands her an article. Treat says it's by an old colleague of his, who had a stroke patient just like John. Advances were made in the field, and with electrostimulation and pharmacotherapy, the patient started to respond -- and talk. Amanda says she appreciates what Treat's trying to do, but she already went down that road five years ago, with the excitement and hopefulness and treatment options. Treat says that was five years ago. Amanda says it's awesome that this left-handed stroke patient regained his speech, and she should really write a letter to his wife, but he could have recovered for any number of reasons. Treat says he understands all that, but he thinks the left-handedness thing had a whole lot to do with this guy's recovery. Hey, you know who else is left-handed? Me. ME AND ANNE HECHE. Amanda says she wants to believe what Treat is telling her, but she's just so scared. Treat says he knows, but just to give him one month. Amanda doesn't say anything, but we all know she'll give Treat as many months as he wants.
Brown House. Treat walks in with a giant stack of books. Ephram is already working at the dining room table, and he asks if he can join him. Ephram says it's fine, since he's had a full day of driving people away. Treat asks if it's Amy. Ephram tells him about the break-up with Bright. Treat tells Ephram to cut himself some slack, since he's been really busy lately. Ephram says he knew he'd have to give up a lot for piano, but didn't realize he'd have to sacrifice friendships. He thought he could have it all. Treat responds, "Well, you can't." Hee. Ephram asks his dad if he wants to think about that a little more before he crushes his spirit entirely. Treat laughs, and tells Ephram that the sacrifices people make define them. He tells him about Amanda, and that she didn't end up with the life she has because she wanted to be a martyr or a saint (there's five!). She didn't choose her life; it chose her. "And now," Treat says, "it's just who she is." Ephram says he's tired of choosing the piano over everything else. Treat says he's not choosing it over everything else -- he's keeping the things in his life that inspire him, like Amy, and family, and schoolwork. Ephram says his schoolwork most certainly does not inspire him. Treat: "Yeah, but if you give that up, I'll kill you." Treat goes on to say that everything will find its place in time, and his friends -- the good ones anyway -- will always find a way back. Ephram asks Treat if he's going to help Amanda. Treat says he's going to try, but it means he'll be bogged down a bit, but that doesn't mean he's not going to be there for the family. Ephram says he knows. Treat asks again if they can work together at the table, because he can move if it's not okay. Ephram tells his dad to stay. They start their respective work, a sweet song plays, and we fade to black.