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Two days after the stabbing, Ed has departed for parts upstate, and Patrick, while having escaped any real internal damage, is not really in position to resume his training in time to be ready for the Reynolds fight, which is two months away. Unfortunately, Barry tells him that if he doesn't keep the date, he'll be replaced on the card unless he puts up some astronomical amount of money. Johnny floats the idea of asking Brennan for it, but Patrick's down on him to start and gets more so when he finds out he's dating Margaret, so instead, Patrick goes to Brennan's sleazy doctor brother and gets shot up with some healing steroids. They don't work, and it's beside the point anyway, as Barry is convinced that Patrick won't make the date and gets Reynolds to go along with fighting someone else. Patrick finds out that Theresa is planning to give up her residency so she can make some real money, and on the heels of that, Mikey Fumbles informs him that Reynolds is going to fight this other dude and then retire, so Patrick chases Reynolds down at his restaurant and enrages him so much by, essentially, calling him a scrub, that they get into a very public brawl. After that, Reynolds tells Barry he's fighting Patrick come hell or high water, and the Learys go to Brennan, who's only too happy to cover the cash they need. I'd complain about how INCREDIBLY LONG it's taking to get to the fight, but at least they gave us a bare-knuckled taste of it.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!In front of the Leary mansion, Mikey Fumbles, or The Only Boxing Reporter In The Tri-State Area, is broadcasting a live (as if) report in which he tells us that police are still searching for the unknown assailant that stabbed Patrick. And seriously, I know the show has a real selective memory, but Patrick, since the show started, has been arrested on suspicion of a brutal assault, rumored to participate in cage fighting with illegal gambling tied in, and now stabbed under shady circumstances. How exactly is he still being promoted as the "good guy" here? Speaking of he whose heart is so pure, he's lying on the couch convalescing, and as Fumbles continues that the attack took place two nights earlier and involved "a homeless man," Patrick tells Stacy Keach via the telephone that it's a minor wound and only required a couple of stitches, so with Patrick's historically epic lying tendencies I'd guess the doctors had to remove an entire chunk of his side and possibly his spleen along with it. I will give credit to the makeup department, as Patrick kind of looks like shit, and I'd doubt Barry K. entering with a bunch of balloons is going to help, even without seeing the "Fan-TASTIC" look on Patrick's face. Katie, however, is a cheap date, so she oohs and ahs over the balloons as even Daniella looks thrilled, like, if you were going to turn your "He could DIEEEEEEE" frowny-faced attitude toward anyone, I'd expect it to be Barry K. Word. Character inconsistencies aside, though, Theresa leads the girls out away from Barry hamming it up for their benefit, but after they're gone, things get real as Patrick tells him he'll be back to training in a month, to which Barry is like, "Your fight is booked for two months from now, moron." He adds that if they postpone now, they're looking at a half a million dollars in penalties, so if Patrick doesn't fight, someone else will. I would imagine it's not quite that simple, as the network surely has to feel that Patrick's replacement is comparable in terms of draw, but I certainly wouldn't expect Barry to step on his own argument here. Indicating the fruit bowl on the table, he grandly tells Patrick that he should eat some grapes. "They've got Vitamin E and flavonoids! Good for healing." You guys, I don't know what I'd do without Barry. And considering that Patrick apparently knows fuck-all about nutrition, the advice is probably not without use. When Barry's gone, Patrick pops a pill in frustration, which is a very dramatic way to go to opening credits.
Sometime later, Patrick lies shirtlessly on the couch as Theresa examines his wound. He tells her that Ed's back upstate and the accident was no one's fault, so they should just let it be. That charitable attitude is somewhat marred by the fact that it was Johnny who stabbed him, not Ed; for him to imply that if anyone were to blame, it would be Ed, is cheap and stupid. But consistent. Theresa opines that the hospital did a good job, prompting Patrick to ask how soon he could get back to training if he pushed himself. Theresa, however, tells him she wouldn't rush, as going back without fully healing would risk internal bleeding, and given Patrick's lack of knowledge about the human body I think she should follow up with a Simpsons-esque "That's bad." Patrick does seem to get that, but uncharacteristically confides in her that if he doesn't make the date, he'll get replaced, and if Reynolds takes a fight against someone else in August, he won't be ready for another one until 2012. Theresa, somehow not getting it, says he'll be fine by then, so Patrick has to point out that they won't, at least not financially. Theresa asks about the money from the El Diablo fight, which is SO ANNOYING THERE'S NO WAY THEY DIDN'T DISCUSS THIS ALREADY SUCH LAZY WRITING, so Patrick tells her that once the IRS got through with it, "we're running on fumes." He asks if she can give him something to speed up the healing, but she tells him there's no such thing...
...but hey, why not try a nasty meal in your sister's greasy spoon? After he pops another pill (painkiller, surely), Johnny joins him and heavily tells him he's a wreck over what happened, but then brightens to make an ill-advised, given his addict status we heard about once, joke about hitting Patrick up for extra Vicodin. Patrick asks about Barry, as Johnny apparently just met with him, and Johnny tells him that Barry wants them to put up half a million dollars by Sunday. For... what, exactly? Just as bond that Patrick will participate? Regardless, you'd think whatever contract they signed would have provisions in it for this scenario, which is not only imaginable but also, you know, IMPORTANT. Patrick wonders how Barry can play this game, as this is the biggest fight he's had in years, but Johnny speculates that he figures it'll be even bigger in eight or nine months. Not if Reynolds loses his fight, as Barry himself once pointed out, but hey, I don't expect the show to remember that. Patrick doesn't know what to say to that, but Johnny suggests that there is someone they could go to. Patrick realizes he's talking about Brennan, and says they just paid him off for the ED fight, like what that has to do with anything I have no idea. I mean, that's better than not having settled his interest, right? Patrick then makes the more salient point that Brennan kills people, and they don't want him in their lives, but Johnny for once is the one in the position to ask if Patrick has a better idea, and Patrick's silence and bummed look suggest that no, he does not...
...but he does at least have an idea, although it seems unlikely it could be considered "better." He rings the buzzer at some nice-looking loft (Reynolds probably owns the whole building, actually), and as he waits, he sees some promotional posters up of Reynolds and... some guy who is not Patrick, which again seems like someone's violating contract, but at this point who really cares. You'd think Reynolds at least would have noticed, though, with them being across the street from his place. Oh, yes, that's where we are, and Reynolds's wife tells Patrick he's in the middle of a workout, but Patrick replies that he just needs a few minutes. The wife tells the newly-appearing, shirtless Reynolds that he can say no, but Reynolds's face looks like he's giving in...
...so we cut to Patrick coming up the stairs and greeting "Jennifer." She neutrally greets him and directs him upstairs to the roof garden...
...where he finds Reynolds, who by the way is RIPPED, doing some dead lifts. Reynolds, without turning to face him, snits that Patrick found a new way to duck him, and when Patrick tells him he wants the fight, Reynolds says he'll see him in Vegas on August 14th. Patrick, however, says he needs a little more time due to a training injury, and once again he's shooting himself in the foot by not being honest with a person from whom he needs something, not to mention there were NEWS REPORTS ABOUT THE STABBING, like how dumb and inconsistent is he? Reynolds calls him out, saying that what he has is a trainer injury, but Patrick continues to lie that it had nothing to do with Ed, and when Reynolds explicitly tells him that lying to him when he wants a favor isn't smart, he tells Reynolds he didn't come to beg, like, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Of COURSE you did! Not that I believe Reynolds's sudden stance that he doesn't care about fighting Patrick, considering that's all he's been on about, popping up at his house and the diner and the like, but he does point out that he has a contract, and Patrick's unavailability doesn't relieve him of his obligations. I mean, I don't like how the show only brings up contracts when it suits the plot, but he has a point. Patrick suggests he stand strong with Barry and tell him he doesn't want to fight anyone else, but Reynolds opines that he doesn't owe Patrick anything, and leaves. That's going to be one awkward walk out for Patrick, but maybe he can climb down the fire escape.
Theresa comes in to see her, I guess, dean, a grey-haired gentleman named "Dr. Wilson," and after confirming that he's coming to dinner on Saturday, he tells her that the faculty has decided to honor her with the "Feener Award," so I suppose Feener was someone who managed to secure residency while working one and a half hours a week. Impressive! Noting her blank look, he laughs that she doesn't know what it is, and when she laughs in turn and confirms that, he tells her it's for the student who demonstrates excellence in patient care, and it comes with a stipend for the year. Theresa's like, that's great, but I'm actually here to tell you that I need to make some real money, so I'm ditching this place to look for a job in the private sector. He opines that she's a healer, and she didn't put herself through med school to become a drug lobbyist or some other god-forsaken thing, but while she agrees, she tells him flat-out that she can't wait three more years to start pulling in the cash. Dr. Wilson astutely asks if this has anything to do with Patrick's injury, but after non-answering that he's fine, she goes on that she doesn't want him to keep taking punches so they can eat. Dr. Wilson is bummed, but can see that pressing her won't go anywhere, so he offers to pray that things change for her family, and also to make some calls on her behalf. She thanks him...
...and then, in the gym's locker room, Patrick apologizes for being short as he pays some unspecified amount of cash for a second opinion from Brennan's sleazy doctor brother. Dr. Brennan has Patrick breathe in a couple times without even removing the bandage to inspect the wound, like, I realize he didn't pay your full rate but that still seems lacking in thoroughness to me. Patrick says he knows he can't speed up the healing process, but Dr. Brennan's like, "Who told you that?" Oh, great. Is it meth again?
Back at the diner, we see Johnny's apparently still allowed to see his son every once in a while. For some reason that I'm sure has nothing whatsoever to do with camera setups and blocking, Margaret is sitting behind Johnny in another booth as she pushes the idea of a backer, and Johnny says he's on it before asking her if she can take Dylan to a movie so he can go hit people up for money. Margaret, however, has unspecified plans, and after she goes to, presumably, do them, Johnny asks Dylan about his mom's new boyfriend. Dylan says he's okay, and promised he'd take him to a comic-book show. Clearly trying to one-up him, Johnny asks Dylan if he'd like to go to a Yankees game that weekend, but Dylan's too preoccupied with looking out the window and asking whom "that man with Aunt Margaret" is. So Dylan, just to review, is more interested in gossip than baseball. Not drawing any conclusions, just logging the evidence. In this case, anyway, the gossip is juicy, as when Johnny turns, he sees Brennan helping Margaret into the passenger side of his car (guess he wanted to keep it real and told his driver to stay home). Once inside, Johnny sees them make out, and the look on his face like he's tempted to spit out his food at the sight is some of the best work Pablo Schreiber has done on this show. Without even having to think about it, he goes for his phone...
...but Patrick is still busy with Dr. Brennan, who tells him they're going to try a "cocktail." One ingredient will be prednisone, which any House viewer will be able to identify as a steroid, to reduce the swelling and ease the pain. Patrick, however, apparently has a different TV lineup on Monday night, as he asks if it's "legit," and when Dr. Brennan assures him it's not a performance enhancer, Patrick asks why Theresa didn't suggest it. Instead of opining it's because Theresa's not actually a doctor yet, he tells her it's probably because it weakens the immune system, which is why he's tossing in a few retinoids and terpenoids to compensate. He assures Patrick that he'll be back in the ring by the 14th, and he'd better be, considering this shots are apparently going to be administered in his ass. Not something you want to endure for no reason, right?
Back at the house, Johnny has apparently told Patrick about Margaret and Brennan, and you will be shocked to learn that Patrick seems most displeased, but they're interrupted when Theresa comes barreling in with a postcard from Ava and tells Johnny he hasn't RSVPed for her commencement yet. Katie asks if Dylan's coming and seems very pleased when the answer is yes, and rather than make comments about barking up the wrong tree, let's move on to where Daniella conspiratorially tells Theresa that Margaret has a boyfriend (Say what? Johnny spilled that news in front of the kids?), and Theresa's like, oh, awesome, glad it's working out! The men exchange WTF looks before Patrick notes that Theresa knew about it, and she confesses that she promised not to say anything. Patrick, a little more thuggishly than is called for in this situation or perhaps ever, asks since when she and Margaret are "hanging out," like, it's called girl talk and also the TELEPHONE, Patrick. Theresa opines that the fellow sounds like a gentleman, and when Patrick tells her he's not a good guy, she breezes that Margaret told her he "had a past but he's turned things around," and it's hard to root for anyone in this situation when everyone is being an idiot. Speaking of which, Johnny tells her she doesn't understand and then, when she asks for an explanation, says it's a family matter, which sends Theresa snit-stomping up the stairs. Lord, these people. Johnny asks Patrick if he wants him to talk to Margaret, but Patrick says he'll do it, because he's had such awesome interpersonal successes so far this episode.
Patrick's shadowboxing in the ring at the gym when Mikey Fumbles (by the way, last time we saw him he'd just gotten fired, but then again, it's absolutely true that niche reporter jobs are easy to come by), and the story just gets better as Mikey tells Patrick he spent a few weeks in rehab, which as everyone knows is free, luckily enough for Mikey and his money problems. Mikey then confesses that The Box knows that he and Patrick are "tight" (well, sure) and as such they're hoping that he can get the "inside dope" on the crazy man that stabbed him. Of course, it's impossible Mikey believes Patrick was stabbed by a random homeless guy, as there would be no "dope" to discuss, but he wonders if Ed leaving that same day was a coincidence. Patrick takes advantage of the opportunity for a half-truth (half more than he usually manages) when he says that Ed did not stab him, and adds that the training was going great, which leads Mikey to ask if Ed will still be his trainer "if the fight comes back." Patrick wonders what he's talking about, and when Mikey tells him that Barry's been calling managers, Patrick suggests that maybe it's for the undercard, and tells Mikey to quote him in saying that the fight is on, "and Reynolds is going down." Mikey laughs, but then gets serious as he tells Patrick it's not his job to give advice, "but you do know not to trust these people." Well, if he didn't, I'm guessing he does now. He grabs his phone...
...and calls Barry, who tells him anything he's heard is a vicious lie, and Patrick is his client -- his only request is that Patrick talk to one of his doctors for insurance purposes. Again, I don't understand how Barry can dump Patrick from this fight if contracts have been signed, but maybe he's planning to use an unsatisfactory medical report as a way out. Once Barry hangs up, we see that Reynolds is in the office with him, and Barry tells him that Patrick is desperate, so he's making it sound like everything's okay but will pull out after it's too late to book "Mustafa." Again: Contract. Reynolds suggests they give Patrick the extension he wants, even offering to eat the penalties, but Barry tells him they'll come to millions, and besides, if he fights Patrick now, Patrick can claim he was damaged goods, and he'll have "five more years to make excuses." Well, I'm no fan of Patrick having shot his mouth off for five years either, but he didn't exactly "make excuses." He claimed the judges made a bad decision with regard to the points, which is not the same thing. Reynolds, for his part, counters that if he doesn't fight Patrick, people will say he's ducking him, but Barry spouts some bullshit about how both he and Mustafa are warriors, and it will be a huge payday. Reynolds tells him he wanted this to be his last fight, but Barry assures him the public will still want to see him take Patrick on if he'll just stick with him for a little longer. Reynolds looks conflicted...
...while Patrick's back in the gym working the speed bag. Johnny comes in and reports that he's been talking to prospective backers, and compared to them, "[Brennan]'s a goddamned saint." Johnny may be prone to exaggeration, but I can believe that. Patrick tells him that they may not need them, though, as he called Barry and told him he's going to try to make the date. Wait, what? None of this makes sense. When Barry told Johnny he wanted half a million by Sunday, if that price was to delay the fight, how can he be booking someone else before that comes around? Oy, it's not worth following, so I'm just going to assume that everyone's lying all the time and as such none of their words are to be believed or noticed. Patrick goes back to the bag for a moment, but then someone YELLS HIS NAME AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS, like, I know the bag's loud but still: Shut up. Turns out it's that bartender/hood of Brennan's, who asks if Patrick has a minute, as Brennan wants a word...
...and then Patrick and Brennan sequester themselves in Stacy Keach's office, whereupon Brennan tells Patrick he's waited a long time to see him take Reynolds out, and he hopes that "they" are not going to use his injury to rob him again. Patrick, however, is more interested in asking what the hell Brennan is doing with Margaret, so Brennan tells him he hasn't cared about a woman like this in some time, but Patrick retorts, "Just so we're clear, you may be in bed with her, but that isn't going to help you get in bed with me." Patrick, I'm no fan of Johnny's, but if this is your sales pitch maybe you should leave the fundraising to him. Brennan tells Patrick that Margaret has nothing to do with their business relationship, and when Patrick tells him they don't have one, as he's going to make the date, Brennan tells him he wouldn't risk it -- abdominal wounds are tricky, and if it doesn't heal right he could bleed out in his sleep. He adds that he loves his brother, but he's like Johnny in that he thinks short-term, and Patrick shouldn't risk his body and his name in this manner. Patrick is still like, get out, but Brennan informs him that Barry already has an offer out to "the Ukrainian kid," and points out that Reynolds has never really stood up to Barry, who knows how much Patrick needs this and is getting off on it. He goes on that Patrick needs him to get the postponement, but Patrick merely thanks him for stopping by, so Brennan disgustedly tells him to reconsider quickly if he's going to at all, and leaves. So if Brennan is only going to be involved in this fight because of the pure happenstance of Patrick getting stabbed, what was that big secret meeting with Barry all about?
And now it's time for Patrick to demonstrate his unparalleled people skills once more, as he comes out the diner's side door to find Margaret loading up her van for a delivery. He tells her he's going to need to order a couple of her apple pies, as Theresa's teacher is coming for dinner the night. Margaret suggests they just eat there, but Patrick opines that Dr. Wilson isn't one of them, "and neither is Hal Brennan." Margaret tries to cut off this line of conversation quickly, but Patrick won't be swayed, saying Brennan's just using her to get to him. This being what every woman wants to hear, she tells him off, saying that she's done nothing but take care of the whole family since their mother left, and now that she's found someone who takes care of her, he's telling her she's getting conned. Patrick's voice goes up as he tells her that Brennan is a known criminal, but she replies, "Is that better than being an unknown criminal?" SNAP! Margaret for the win! She tells him she knows about the bag job he pulled for Brennan and how he broke the dentist's arm. Patrick can't believe Brennan would tell her that, but she clarifies that he said he knew Patrick was in a bind and tried to toss him an easy job, and he stood by Patrick after he fucked it up, too. Patrick spits that Brennan is playing all of them, and when he forbids her to see him again, she tells him in no uncertain terms to stay away from her diner. He points out that he bought her the place, but she repeats herself: "Stay the HELL away!" Yeah, I'm thinking Johnny couldn't have done any worse.
Patrick's day just gets better as he's working the heavy bag with extreme prejudice when he groans in pain. Lifting up his shirt, he sees blood seeping through the bandage, but at least it's not, you know, on the inside.
Later, Theresa's checking it out as she asks what he did, and he tells her he twisted the wrong way getting out of the car. If she smells a rat, she keeps it to herself, although I don't see how she could ever think anything he says at this point is true, or even care if it is. She tells him he has a slight rash around the wound and also a fever, which I'm guessing are reactions to the cocktail, and goes on that he's definitely going to have to take it easy for a few days, and she's going to call Dr. Wilson and postpone the dinner. However, this is not the time to discuss postponements of any kind with Patrick, and he tells her he'll be fine to cook. Theresa, after telling him she's going to leave the bandage off to let it breathe, agrees and asks if he'd like her to pick anything up for him, but he tells her no, he'll be fine. When she's gone, he picks up the phone...
...and then Reynolds is telling Jennifer that Patrick called again, and he's desperate. But he's not here to beg! Jennifer thinks that's not Reynolds's problem, but when Reynolds tells her he plans to fight Patrick in the spring, she's like, nuh nuh nuh -- when "RJ" was born, he promised that the fight would be the last, but he corrects her that he said Patrick would be his last fight. Jennifer asks if he told Barry that, and upon hearing an affirmative, points out that the day Barry lets Reynolds fight Patrick is the day he loses his "golden goose." Writing staff: I feel like I've been hearing "golden goose" at least twice an episode. Try mixing it up a bit with "cash cow." Reynolds doesn't think that's what's going on, but Jennifer urgently tells him that he doesn't need Patrick, or Barry, or any of them, as he's undefeated as champion, and that's his legacy. "Make Mustafa your last fight, and then you walk away." Okay, but if Patrick ends up reclaiming the heavyweight crown after Reynolds walks away, there's gonna be some questions. Just saying. Reynolds, as ever, looks conflicted...
...while Patrick turns up to the diner with flowers for Margaret, who tells him to piss off. He heaves a beleaguered sigh, which speaking of habits is quite common for him...
...and then we see him exiting, having traded the flowers for the pies, so hopefully Margaret at least will smell them after she knows Patrick's not looking. And what wonderful timing Brennan has to come ambling up and ask Patrick if something's wrong! Patrick shoves him against a nearby chain-link fence in response, which is probably not the best thing for an exposed wound, and berates him for telling Margaret about the job he did, but Brennan, with a chillingly calm smile, asks Patrick to think about what he's doing at that moment. Patrick, however, is unfazed, saying he doesn't care who Brennan is, because Margaret's his little sister. "Anything happens to her, God can't help you." They both regard each other, unbowed, and then Patrick picks the pies back up and walks off...
...and then he's popping a painkiller as he's cooking dinner. Meanwhile, Johnny's out with Dylan, who cannot bat for shit I'M JUST SAYING, when Johnny gets distracted by a text...
...and then it's back Chez Leary, where Dr. Wilson is telling a boring story while Patrick, obviously in a foul mood to begin with, seems to be getting irritated with the easy rapport the guy has with Theresa, even though it does not have any kind of vibe Like That as far as I can tell. Dr. Wilson then announces that he made some calls, like why he would bring this up in front of the family I have NO idea, and says that a friend of his at a well-funded pediatric foundation might have a research position for her in neo-natal care. He starts to go on that it's a bit of a commute to Manhattan, but Patrick cuts him off and asks what's going on, and Theresa haltingly says they haven't had a chance to discuss it, like, how are these people caught conversationally flat-footed ALL THE GODDAMN TIME? Anyway, Patrick gets all in a snit about how she's not taking that job, no way, no day, and then the phone rings and it's Johnny with bad news, so Patrick takes off. Anyone for seconds?
At the gym, Mikey Fumbles tells Johnny and Patrick that Barry is having a press conference the day to announce the Mustafa-Reynolds fight. Johnny starts to give Mikey an official response about how Patrick still wants to fight Reynolds, but Mikey spills further that it isn't public knowledge yet, but Reynolds is retiring after this fight. After casting about for words for a bit, Johnny bravely suggests that's just Barry leaking false information, but Mikey tells him he got it straight from Reynolds at his wife's restaurant, and he thinks Barry's going to try to talk him out of it, but his mind is made up. Mikey stands and tells Patrick he's sorry, and was hoping to see Patrick beat Reynolds. "Everyone was." Well, except for that dentist. And his lunch guests. Also that MMA guy. And... well, you get the idea. He leaves, and the Leary brothers look awfully deflated, but Johnny manages to ask if it's too late to call Brennan. Patrick, however, tells him to let it go. "We gave it our shot." Now, you might think for dramatic purposes that the show would give us more than three seconds to chew on the fact that Patrick's apparently walking away...
...but you'd be wrong, as Patrick enters Jennifer's restaurant and informs Reynolds that they need to talk. Reynolds tells him he's with his family, but Patrick assures him it'll only take a minute, and rebuffs Barry's attempt to join them. Outside, in view of the table, Patrick asks if Reynolds is really going to retire before they settle things, and when Reynolds replies that he gave Patrick his chance, Patrick counters that he gave Reynolds his chance. "I was on top of the world. I coulda ducked you, fought a bunch of ham-and-eggers [?] like you've done." Reynolds doesn't want to hear it, but Patrick steps up his button-pushing game, saying that Ed was right about Reynolds -- he said he doesn't have the heart for another war, and that he'd fold once he got in the ring with Patrick. Reynolds asks why he'd care what a crazy man said about him, but Patrick starts talking at Lorelai Gilmore speed about how Ed told him all about finding him on the street, raising him, his crack-addict mother, etc. Reynolds tries to give Patrick some money, saying he didn't know he was this hard up for a payday, but Patrick throws it in his face and says with all he's got, he's still on Barry's leash to the point where he won't even choose the final opponent of his career for himself.
As you might imagine, they've attracted a crowd by this point, so Reynolds tries one more time to walk away, but Patrick grabs him and spits that he's just "Barry's little houseboy." Whether Reynolds has some particular sensitivity to being labeled a houseboy or he just is at the point where enough is enough, he hauls off and punches Patrick, prompting a hilarious "Oh, SHIT" look from Barry, who starts moving. Outside, the two of them start a real bare-knuckled knock-down drag-out, and I hope that Patrick's protecting his side, especially given that the two of them lock together and come crashing through the restaurant's window like they're in Fighting. Of course, the difference is that they're wearing shirts.
The day, Daniella is watching video of the fight on YouTube while trying not to vomit, and then there's a bit with Katie I will happily skip to tell you that Theresa informs us that Johnny is working on getting Patrick out of jail. And while he did instigate it, Reynolds threw the first punch, so I'm thinking he must be in there as well...
...and given that it's morning, Reynolds probably spent the night at the station, as only now is he at home getting some facial cuts administered to by Jennifer as he complains that... someone wanted to charge him because he threw the first punch. Well, yeah. That is how it works. Jennifer tries to calm him down, but Reynolds won't have it, saying Patrick's going to pay for this. Jennifer tells him he's going to wake the baby, but Reynolds knocks some shit off the counter and asks so what. "Wake the baby up! He's gonna pay!" Well, Jennifer, you're the one who kept calling him a king and all that shit. Don't be surprised that he's acting like one now. Off-screen, the baby has indeed woken up...
...but let's return Chez Leary, where Theresa is brushing Katie's hair when Patrick, his left eye a mess, walks in with Johnny in tow. He starts to apologize and say they didn't file charges, but Theresa snaps that he has ten minutes. At first I thought she was kicking him out again, but her fancy dress reminded me that it's her graduation...
...and we see Johnny hurrying Dylan to the place as inside, the graduating class members are taking their oaths, prompted by Dr. Wilson. Patrick's wearing dark glasses to hide his black eye, and we see Brennan is there with Margaret. Dr. Wilson then starts calling the graduates up to the podium one by one, but Johnny's cell rings, and he takes it. After whoever's on the other end says his piece, Johnny rushes over to Patrick and tells him that Mikey just called, and Reynolds announced that he's only going to fight Patrick. This chat, however, precludes them from noticing that Theresa is getting her medal, and she can be very annoying, but it's got to suck for her that her husband isn't even looking during her big moment. Can't believe none of the family is nudging them, though. Patrick asks if they're on, and Johnny says almost. "Barry's still holding out on us." Johnny heads back to Dylan, but by the time Patrick looks forward again, the ceremony is over...
...and later on, Patrick finds Theresa with the girls and tells her he's so proud of her. She looks upset, but doesn't say anything, and then Dr. Wilson joins them, and I have to give props to the actor, because he does a hilarious double-take on seeing Patrick's freshly-bruised face. Dr. Wilson then says there's a colleague he'd like Theresa to meet, and, once again hilariously, warily asks Patrick if he minds, but Patrick's like, fine, so they head off. Patrick also leaves Daniella and Katie to go over to Margaret and thank her for coming, and she graciously tells him of course. He then asks if she minds if he and Johnny talk to Brennan, so Margaret takes Dylan away so the men can confer. Brennan, either knowing or deducing what's up, asks when the date is and how much Barry wants, and Patrick answers the second question with "More than we can afford." Brennan thinks Barry will come down, and he'll front the final number to cover Patrick until the fight. Johnny warily asks how much, but Brennan tells him not to worry about it, taking the opportunity to add, "We're almost family now." Patrick looks to his brother, who gives a conciliatory expression, and then over at his wife, before he turns back to Brennan: "Just get me to the fight." Brennan looks pleased as punch and holds out his hand, and Patrick shakes... and we're out. See you week... when we won't fight, again.
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