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Janet and Tommy continue to hide their goofball use from each other, resulting in Tommy's running out of pills and returning to his normal horrible self. Pete returns to Boston, leaving Chief alone to deal with an increasingly out-of-it Jeannie. Chief looks for a nurse to help him, and finds support from a neighbor lady whose husband also suffered from Alzheimer's. Laura pressures Franco to deliver another poem, which is difficult, since Tommy is off the goofballs and not exactly writing love poetry. He finally writes another one, and Laura realizes that Franco isn't the poet, and gets Lou to tell her that Tommy is. So now Laura thinks that Tommy is into her. Lou agrees to try to "buy out" Dani from her pimp, and after she kisses him, he offers her money, which she refuses. Mariel tells Tommy that she's not his sister, and that he should keep her in mind if things go south with him and Janet. Sheila's girlfriend punches her in the eye, and Sheila calls Tommy for support. Tommy ends up bonding with the girlfriend over Sheila's attributes. Tommy and Johnny meet Ricky's older brother, Kevin, who claims that Father Murphy molested him and is probably molesting Ricky as well. Johnny, Tommy, and Mick confront Father Murphy about the allegations. Father Murphy denies it at first, but then sort of admits it and even admits that he himself was abused by a priest. Kevin shows up and blows his brains out, so Tommy beats the crap out of Father Murphy, and Johnny takes Father Murphy into custody. Janet finally refills her goofball prescription, and Tommy takes some, which immediately take effect unlike any antidepressant known to man. And the director was really fond of weird effects and focus pulls, which aren't really what this show is about, and it was distracting. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Chief comes downstairs in his home, calling for Pete. He hears a ruckus outside and goes to investigate, where he finds Jeannie screaming at a stranger in a car in the street. A neighbor watches in horror as Chief drags Jeannie back into the house. Jeannie starts yelling obscenities at the neighbor until Chief can get her safely into the house.
Tommy's dream sequence starts with the Terri Schiavo joke from last week, and then Tommy falls through the floor. He stops in midair and looks over to see Sheila, in lingerie, backlit. She makes some sexual suggestions about her girlfriend and her tits, and then Tommy falls another floor. This time, he sees his maybe-sister, also in sexy lingerie, who points out what he's missing. But she turns into Janet and starts yelling at him. Tommy wakes up when he falls off the couch onto the floor. Janet asks kindly if he's okay, and offers to make him breakfast. Tommy looks around, unsure what in the hell is going on in his head.
Janet opens her prescription bottle and is surprised to find it nearly empty, but she doesn't seem all that concerned about it. She pops the last pill as Tommy sneaks in and tries to snatch the pill bottle out of her purse. Janet interrupts him to tell him that breakfast is ready. I guess they are in their new apartment now, because Janet says that she needs to pick up some pots and pans. Tommy slyly tries to ask if she'll be going by a pharmacy later, and Janet says that actually, believe it or not, she does need to go to a pharmacy. Tommy tries to pretend he was just concerned about Janet's health, and says that he also has a prescription that needs to be refilled. He faux-casually asks what her prescription is for, and Janet lies that it's for allergies. Yeah, this relationship is right back on track. I don't get why Janet wouldn't tell Tommy; it's not like he's against pharmaceuticals in any form.
Pete walks into the kitchen, and Chief fills him in on the morning's activities. Pete says he's been packing, and Chief is shocked that Pete is leaving. Pete claims that he's told his father that he needs to get back to Boston. Chief isn't happy to hear it, and begs Pete to find another way. Pete has clearly had it, and says that his whole life is in Boston and that he can't stay with his mother anymore. Which I totally get, because it's not like she has a temporary illness, or that (on the other hand), she'll probably die any time soon if she's otherwise healthy. She'll just get worse and worse mentally until something goes wrong with her body, which could take decades. Wow, I just depressed myself. Anyway, I get why Pete can't stay indefinitely, but if he has in fact discussed this with his father previously, it would be nice if he had seen or heard about it, because this seems like he just decided to leave one day out of the blue. Chief says desperately that he can't handle the situation alone, because the woman he loved "is rotting away on the inside, and [he] just has to stand by and watch it happen." Pete touches his father's face and assures him that he can handle anything. Pete walks out the door, and Chief wipes tears from his eyes. Jeannie comes down the stairs, her pants wet, and sobs that she had an accident. Chief tenderly tells her that it's okay.
Franco and Laura walk into the house. Laura says that she can't wait to see her poem. Franco wonders why she needs another one, since the first was so good. Laura says that the first one was, but that the second one sucked, so she has a nagging suspicion that Franco only wrote the second one. Franco makes a few excuses, but Laura reminds him that their relationship has suffered due to lying in the past, and that she wants the truth now. Franco says very seriously, "They started here [points to heart], went through here [points to head], and they came out here [waggles his fingers]." How can Laura not burst out laughing at the cheese? Instead, she is touched, and takes his hand and kisses it. Who stole Laura's brain and replaced it with Sheila's?
Franco begs Tommy to write him another poem, but Tommy says he's not exactly in the mood. See, because he's out of goofballs. I don't know what kind of magic antidepressants Janet was taking that take effect immediately, and stop working immediately, and don't seem to cause any other withdrawal effects, but I'll bet a few of the big drug companies would like the secrets. I can't decide if the writers just don't know how antidepressants work, or decided to make adjustments for plot reasons, because it wouldn't be that interesting to have Tommy take the pills in one scene and then wait two to four weeks for the happiness to kick in. It just seems like lazy storytelling. So, anyway, Tommy is cranky and refuses to write the poem. Franco begs, and Tommy says he'll try. Franco wants it by the end of the shift, and Tommy asks if he thinks "Carl Sandburg came up with that 'fog rolling in under cat's claw' thing under pressure." Franco has no idea what Tommy is talking about, so Tommy slams his locker and walks out. On his way out, Mike stops and asks if Tommy brought any of that good coffee, and Tommy curses him out and tells him to get his own coffee. Oh, yes. Tommy's back.
Chief and Lou discuss how Chief can go about getting a nurse or an aide or something for Jeannie. Maybe talk to her doctor? Just a thought. Garrity comes into this serious discussion about the future of Chief's wife, which means he's going to say something stupid. Wouldn't it be funny if, just once, Garrity said something really insightful? Because the constant stupid, while funny most of the time, gets kind of old. Garrity thinks he could help, and Chief says that's as likely as him growing a vagina. Garrity points out that they're doing that in China. China vaginas? I just registered that domain. Against his better judgment, Chief says that he needs a nurse. Garrity says that he hired a nurse for someone's bachelor party, but then says that the woman is an actual nurse, as well as being a stripper. Chief agrees that Garrity could call her, and expresses disgust that he's actually going to Garrity for help in the situation. Lou points out that at least it can't get any worse. Hey, you know who knows a nurse? Franco. Although you might not want to mention that around Laura. GARRITY.
Johnny calls Tommy, and they make arrangements to meet up at Father Murph's blood drive, which Tommy had totally forgotten about. Johnny checks out a chick who walks by and advises Tommy to get someone else's blood, since his is probably still flammable. Not to mention filled with goofball juice. Tommy curses and hangs up.
Lou and Dani order a meal at a restaurant. Lou fills her in on his day at work, which was slow. Dani says that Lou makes her laugh, and that while she meets a lot of men in her line of work, she rarely sees the complete package. Lou makes a package joke, but Dani's phone rings and she makes a "date" and agrees to bring a friend. She calls another girl and works out the details of their arrangement as Lou sputters and coughs. She hangs up and apologizes for the call. Lou gently asks if there isn't any other way she can make money while she's in school. Dani says that nothing else pays as well, and adds that her pimp wouldn't be too happy about it if she quit. She's actually talked to him about it. Lou asks if her pimp has ever hurt her, and Dani denies it and says that "F-Bomb" is great. Lou thinks for a minute, and asks again if he can try to convince F-Bomb to let Dani out, and if Dani would really quit. Dani says that she would, but that she doesn't want Lou to talk to the guy, because it's not exactly something that you can negotiate, and the guy would seriously kill her. Lou says that maybe he could buy out her contract. Dani's eyeballs roll and come up dollar signs as she "relents" and agrees to let Lou give it a shot. This is such a scam. Poor Lou.
Having just given blood, Tommy is pounding cookies like they're being eliminated from the world's menu tomorrow. Johnny rips on Tommy for almost fainting after giving blood. They invite Father Murph for coffee, but Father Murph says that he has to go check on Ricky. Tommy thinks Ricky is a good kid. After Father Murph goes back into the church, Johnny comments that the priest is starting to creep him out with the whole Ricky situation. Tommy, his mouth still full of cookie, thinks that Johnny and Mick don't trust anyone. Did Tommy just say that? Tommy? Tommy Gavin? Does he trust anyone? Johnny says that if you gave Father Murph "a bad nose job, a ranch with some rides on it, and Liz Taylor's home number, he's Michael Jackson." Tommy says that if Father Murph is Michael Jackson, that makes him Tito and Johnny Jermaine. Johnny wonders why he has to be Jermaine. Yeah, he could be Jackie. Or Marlon. Or Randy. Not the American Idol one. The youngest Jackson brother. What? I was a big Michael Jackson fan back in the day. But Tito and Jermaine are the best comedically-named Jacksons.
Tommy continues to stuff cookies in his mouth as Johnny spots the kid Tommy kept seeing last week hiding behind a tree. The kid takes off, and Johnny chases him as Tommy stands there and watches. Johnny catches the kid and subdues him, and then marches him back over to Tommy, who explains that he couldn't help out because he was feeling light-headed again. Tommy stuffs another cookie in his mouth and says something to the kid that's incomprehensible. Johnny translates that Tommy is threatening to take the kid to see Father Murph. The kid explains, "I'm Ricky's older brother, and I'm watching that shit-faced asshole because I know he's...he's molesting Ricky the same way he molested me. It started when I was thirteen and lasted almost three years." The kid says that he blames himself for not putting a stop to it earlier. The kid walks off, leaving Tommy and Johnny stunned.
Colleen walks into the apartment and finds Tommy going through Janet's purse. Tommy is also wearing what appear to be maroon velvet cargo pants. The hell? Tommy says he was looking for pills in Janet's purse, and then lies and says that he was looking for bills, like money. Tommy notices one of Colleen's school books and asks if she's reading poetry. He flips through the book and asks Colleen to find a poem about women's hair, or a few lines about women's hair. She wants to know why he needs it, and Tommy lies that it's a surprise for Janet, who walks into the room and ends the conversation. Colleen seems grossed out that her parents are getting along, and rolls her eyes and rats Tommy out. Janet thinks it's nice that Tommy is taking an interest in his children's school work, and Colleen rolls her eyes again and walks out. Remember when Colleen was a lesbian? What happened to that storyline? Now all she does is roll her eyes and plot against her parents. Which is typical teen behavior, but not that interesting to watch. Tommy asks Janet if she picked up his nonexistent prescription, and Janet says that he forgot to give it to her. Tommy realizes that means Janet didn't get her goofballs, and says that he'll have his doctor call in his prescription and she can get it when she gets hers refilled. Janet asks what his prescription is for, and Tommy says it's "like Advil only stronger." Janet asks why he can't just take a lot of Advil, and Tommy says it's actually nothing like that, and practically runs out of the apartment. Are Janet's goofballs actually stupid pills? Because how dumb is she, now?
Tommy meets with Mick to discuss the Father Murph situation. Mick says there's not much they can do about it, since they have no proof, and Father Murph will deny everything. Tommy wonders if he's supposed to have Polaroids or home movies: "Here's me in the Grand Canyon, here's me down in the Bahamas, and here's me banging a thirteen-year-old." Mick wonders if the kid has anything, and Tommy promises to ask him. Mick says that they need physical proof of the relationship or they need to catch the pervert in the act. The thought of that causes both men to lose their appetites.
Since Tommy hasn't come through, Franco begs Lou to help him out on the poetry front. Lou doesn't want to get burned twice. Franco calls Lou a "real poet," and Lou is flattered and agrees to help. Before they can get down to business, Tommy walks in and hands Franco a poem, and Franco immediately forgets that Lou exists.
The crew exits a fire. Hey, that has rarely happened in the last few episodes, unless someone gets injured. The guys are incredulous that someone had a space heater on in July, and Lou goes off on yet another misogynistic rant about how women are always cold because they're constantly talking and it lets all the air out of their bodies. Tommy's phone rings. It's his maybe-sister Mariel. She reports that she had DNA tests done, and they're not the same. She invites Tommy out to dinner. Tommy reluctantly says that he's back with his wife, and that he's trying ot make it work. Who is this man? Mariel understands, and tells him that if things don't work out, he should give her a call.
Tommy groans and calls Dr. Feinberg, Sheila's obstetrician, and claims again that he's Jimmy Keefe. Tommy launches into an explanation of why he needs a prescription for Selectra. Feinburg says that he knows that Jimmy Keefe is dead, and that Tommy needs way more than Selectra to cure his problems. Feinburg slams the phone down, and Tommy groans some more.
Garrity is telling Chief about the nurse situation. He found an agency that will send over a bunch of nurses, and Chief can choose the one he likes best. Garrity compares it to American Idol, except with nurses instead of singers, and you don't get to phone in your vote, and there's no Paula Abdul. Garrity realizes that it's nothing like American Idol. Chief thanks Garrity for his help.
Laura reads Franco's poem and says that it's even better than the first one, and that she can't believe he wrote it. Franco is flattered until Laura says that she really can't believe it, and that she's suspicious of him now. Franco tries the whole heart/head/hands thing again, but Laura is pissed. Franco tries to hug and kiss the problem away, but it's not working, and Laura stomps off.
Laura seeks Lou out and says that she knows he wrote the poem for Franco. Lou admits nothing. Laura says that Franco isn't a poet, and reveals that he wrote a shopping list the other day, and it took a half-hour and he spelled peanut butter with four t's, and spelled Coke with a K. Lou pretends that he doesn't know anything about the situation, but when Laura guesses that it was Tommy, he doesn’t deny it.
Tommy calls Janet on a pay phone to "check in," which really means he's wondering if she's gone to the drugstore yet. She hasn't, and he says that he'll call in his prescription right now. Tommy's cell phone rings. It's Sheila, and she's hysterical, which kind of goes without saying. Sheila wants Tommy to come over because Debbie gave her a black eye. Tommy tells her to call the cops, unless she's on fire, in which case it's his jurisdiction.
Tommy's call waiting beeps, and he flips over to talk to Ricky's older brother, Kevin, who says that he has proof of his relationship with Father Murph. He has a letter that Father Murph sent him saying that they couldn't see each other anymore. Tommy tells Kevin to call Johnny, who's a cop, and that they can take Father Murph down. Kevin isn't sure, and says he needs to think about it.
Tommy answers his call waiting yet again, and it's Sheila, still sobbing. Tommy picks up the ringing pay phone and it's Janet. He says that he just called the prescription in, so she can head over there immediately, because he likes "fresh medicine." Here's what's dumb about Tommy's lie about his prescription: it's unnecessary. If Janet is on the goofballs, and enjoys the effect, she'll be in a hurry to get the prescription refilled for herself, and Tommy can just continue stealing them. With the lie, now she'll find out that Tommy's prescription doesn't exist, which is just going to raise more questions in her head. Unless those goofballs really are stupid pills. Tommy hangs up with Janet and returns to Sheila, who begs him to come over because she's scared to be alone when Debbie returns. Against his better judgment, Tommy agrees to come over. He hangs up with Sheila, completely forgetting about Kevin.
Laura walks in and asks Tommy if he wrote the poem. Tommy takes a look at it and scoffs. Laura says that Lou told her everything, and Tommy accuses her of bluffing. Lou starts to enter the room, sees who's inside, and tries to turn and walk out before they see him. It's too late, and Tommy stops Lou and asks him if he talked to Laura about Franco's poem. Lou says that Laura asked some questions, but that he only gave her "subtext." Ah, Lou's revenge. Tommy admits that he wrote the first and third poems, and that Lou wrote the second. Tommy says he was just doing a favor for a friend. Laura asks if he was trying to do himself a favor, and accuses Tommy of making a move on her. Tommy scoffs again. Laura says you don't write beautiful poetry for a pal. Tommy claims that he's back in love with his wife. Laura asks if he writes poetry for Janet, and Tommy doesn't know how to answer that, but tries to explain that he's taking pills that made it easier for him to write poetry. Laura asks if they're poetry pills. Flustered, Tommy says that he did write the stuff, but that he doesn't have feelings for Laura like that. He does admit that Laura is hot. Laura leans over and puts her fingers to Tommy's lips to shush him. Franco walks in and asks what's going on. Laura says seductively, "Ask your pal." Tommy says that he had ice cream stuck to his lips and Laura was helping him out, then beats feet out of there as Franco watches him suspiciously. Seriously? Are they going there, to the Tommy and Laura thing? Because it's fucking lame and last-minute and doesn't seem in character for Laura. But maybe it's the stupid pills. Maybe the writers are taking them as well.
Tommy arrives at Sheila's house. Sheila is holding a big bag of ice to her eye and sporting a magnificent shiner. Isn't Damien there? Tommy checks out Sheila's eye and swears. Sheila says that things were fine, but then Debbie totally lost it: "She starts talking about how annoying I am, and how needy I am, and how I always make everything about me, and how I'm a drama queen and the list goes on and on and on." Tommy scratches his head, clearly thinking that he needs to get Debbie's number so they can have an old-fashioned bitch session. Sheila asks Tommy to stick around for moral support. Tommy doesn't want to get involved, but agrees to stay for a bit. Sheila offers him a whiskey, and then remembers and changes the offer to soda.
Chief interviews candidates for Jeannie's nurse. The first is a proselytizing Christian. The second has a name that Chief can't even pronounce. The third is a man who likes skiing. The third is a punk-looking chick who emphasizes how much she needs the cash. Chief thanks them all for coming.
Tommy has a soda while he and Sheila sit in silence for a moment. Sheila asks if he's back with Janet, and Tommy says it's going great. Debbie picks that moment to come in, and Tommy quickly asks if she leads with her left or her right. Sheila points to her blackened left eye and says right. Debbie walks in and asks what's going on. Sheila nudges Tommy, and he says that they need to talk outside. Debbie looks like she's trying not to laugh, and Sheila gives her a look like, "We TALKED about this! Go!"
Once they're on the porch, Debbie immediately says that she didn't hit Sheila, and that Sheila banged her head on a closet on purpose to get Tommy there because Sheila still has a thing for him. Tommy says it makes sense, but that it's crazy. Debbie offers Tommy a smoke, and they sit down and discuss how hot Sheila is. Debbie even wants to share a high-five over Sheila's nipples, and Tommy uncomfortably complies. Debbie brings up how they were in bed recently and Sheila told her about a thing he used to do, and now Debbie wants to know how to do it. Tommy mulls it over and advises Debbie to get a pen.
Chief is still doing interviews. A woman walks in – she's Rose Atwell, the new neighbor. She brought over a pie. Literally, although I'm guessing at some future point that will also be symbolic.
Tommy leaves Debbie with a legal pad full of notes and wishes her luck. Sheila walks out on the porch, glances at the notepad, and tosses it into the bushes. Johnny calls Tommy and says that the signature on Kevin's letter is a match with Father Murph. Johnny and Mick are waiting for Kevin outside the church, and Tommy agrees to join them to confront Father Murph.
Tommy, Johnny, and Mick enter the church and walk down the aisle. All three stop to bless themselves from the holy water font, which was a nice touch. Mick doesn't think this should be too complicated, because they'll just convince Father Murph to make another career choice or else. Tommy thinks it's creepy being in church, alone, at night. Johnny says that the last time he was, it was to make out with Patty Jenkins. Tommy and Mick both made out with her in the church too, and Tommy wonders where she is now. Johnny suggests that she's still in the confessional, where he left her with her skirt over her head. Tommy can't believe that Johnny banged her in the confessional, and through gesture, Mick indicates that he did the same.
Father Murph comes in and asks if he can help them. He makes a joke about needing backup for their confessions, if that's why they're there, and Mick says that they're not the ones who need to confess, and that they're there to talk about Ricky. Father Murph says that Ricky's a great kid, and Mick agrees that he was, before Father Murph put his hands on him. Father Murph plays dumb, and Tommy asks flat out if Father Murph touched the boy. Father Murph acts incensed that they even asked. Mick asks if Father Murph is really denying it, and Father Murph says he is. If they really wanted to go for the religious symbolism, they would have had Father Murph deny it three times and then have a cock crow. Although on this show, "cock" has a very different definition. Johnny makes Father Murph says that he's never touched Ricky, and Mick asks about Kevin. Father Murph asks if they can talk somewhere else.
Chief is still talking to Rose, the neighbor. She heard from the neighbors about Jeannie. Rose went through something similar with her husband, and Chief thanks her for talking to him. Rose says that her husband lasted five years, and he didn't know her and thought she was twenty-five years younger. Jeannie calls for "Bud" from upstairs, and Chief explains that Jeannie thinks he's her brother. They chuckle ruefully, and Rose tells Chief to go attend to his wife and she'll clean up.
The Gavin men have retreated to Father Murph's office. Father Murph says that Kevin was an altar boy who developed a fixation on him. Father Murph was flattered and wanted to be a strong role model, but it got unhealthy and Father Murph cut it off and thought about putting in for a transfer, but Kevin took off. Mick asks if there was anything sexual between them, and Father Murph denies it. Mick produces the letter, and Father Murph says it doesn't mention a sexual relationship. Tommy thinks a jury might see it differently. Father Murph tells the guys to leave, but Johnny says they won't. Father Murph cuts in angrily and says it's not a big deal, because lots of kids are abused by priests. He was abused by a priest. I seriously expected Tommy, Johnny, and Mick to all reveal that they were also abused by priests, and Father Murph needs to get over himself. Now that would have been black humor. Father Murph explains that he thought the abuse was horrible at first, but then he realized that he liked it. Johnny and Mick are disgusted. Father Murph says that it made him feel special, because God's holy messenger on Earth wanted him.
Father Murph tells Mick he has no proof, and hands the letter back. Johnny doesn't think this is over, and calls Kevin into the room. Kevin tells Father Murph to be honest. Father Murph wants to talk to Kevin alone, but Kevin pulls out a gun and aims it at Father Murph, demanding that he admit what he did. The Gavins try to talk Kevin down and get him to lower his gun. Kevin again tearfully orders Father Murph to admit what he did. The camera cuts to Father Murph and executes a Jaws-style smash zoom, then cuts back to Kevin and has the same effect. People. The effect, which is supposed to underscore the vertiginous feeling of the characters (aptly named since it was used by Hitchcock in Vertigo), comes off as amateurish, and like the director just got his first copy of Final Cut Pro. Lame. It also detracts from the biggest moment in the scene, when Kevin puts the gun to his own head and pulls the trigger. Everyone reacts with horror and nausea. The three Gavins kneel over Kevin as Father Murph slowly staggers out of the room. Tommy tells Johnny to call somebody. Shouldn't Tommy be doing CPR? Unless it's obvious that CPR won't help at this point. Instead, Tommy follows Father Murph out and beats the crap out of him underneath a painting of the Last Supper. Tommy forces Father Murph to look at Kevin's body as Father Murph pukes on the floor.
Montage time! Tommy arrives back at his apartment and slowly trudges inside. He finds Janet's purse sitting on the chair and sneaks a hand in to find her bottle of pills. He shakes a few out and quickly downs them, then washes them down with some water. He sits down in a chair.
Lou and Dani arrive at her apartment. She stops him and pulls him closer, and then kisses him. Lou follows her inside.
Some cops take Kevin's body out in a body bag.
Tommy drinks water and watches television alone.
Chief tucks Jeannie in and tenderly kisses her goodnight.
Johnny pulls Father Murph out of the back of a cop car and does that move I love where the cop cradles the perp's head with his hand to prevent it being bumped on the door frame.
Tommy numbly continues flipping through the channels.
Lou and Dani walk down the street. Lou produces a bundle of money in a clip and hands it over. Dani tucks it back into his shirt pocket and kisses him.
Kevin's mother and brother identify his body outside the church.
Chief sits alone at the dining-room table and runs his hands through his hair.
Mick tries to pray in a pew, but struggles to contain his emotions. It occurs to me that it would have been interesting to hear more from Mick, the former priest, on this issue.
Dani and Lou have a post-coital cuddle.
Father Murph looks back at Kevin's body bag before Johnny walks him into the police station.
Tommy continues staring at the television, and his face changes from angry and tired to numb to something approaching a smile. It looks like a weight has been lifted. Now those are some fast-acting goofballs.