Losers

Plot
When Annie plans an innocent dinner with a former professor, Eric is desperate to keep his mind off the matter but none of his friends seem to be available for a night out. Mary starts a new job at a local pizza parlor and has the great misfortune of befriending co-workers Frankie and Johnny, a young pair of delinquents who have a little too much fun with the Friday night shift. Simon pursues a date with an older girl, while Matt is distracted by a beautiful woman who catches his eye. Lucy and a classmate team up for the classic "take care of an egg" assignment for a humanity class and Ruthie eagerly plans a late-night pizza party for her and Mary.

Full Summary
Annie meets Eric in the kitchen and suggests that he take a night off and it surprises Eric that she knows that he needs a night off to spend time with guys and do guy things. Eric asks what Annie is going to do when he is gone and she tells him that she is going to work on her term paper for college. Annie tells him that she needs to get the idea for the paper approved by her professor before she begins work on it and the only time that she can talk to the professor is tonight, a Friday night. Eric is concerned but Annie tells him that Simon and Lucy can babysit but Simon walks down and says that he has a date with the hottest girl in the sophomore class. Annie asks where they are going and how they are going to get there and Simon says that he will figure it out and double date with another guy. Ruthie arrives home and asks why Mary's car is in the driveway but they run out of the house when they apparently hit a sore subject. Mary comes downstairs and Eric and Annie ask her if she got fired from the pool hall and Mary explains that she doesn't work there anymore, not because she got fired but because she wanted to be able to party. This really concerns Eric and Annie and Ruthie comments on it. Eric and Annie decide to take the night off and regroup and figure out what to do with Mary. Mary is listening to music and dancing around in her room when Ruthie walks in and sees her. Mary turns off the radio and talks to Ruthie. Ruthie explains that there is a group of girls that will be picking her up for school and she wants to hang out with Mary but Mary tells her that she has to work tonight. Ruthie suggests that they do something when Mary gets home at midnight. Ruthie's ride arrives and she rushes off to go to school. Eric calls Lou and asks if he wants to go out and play pool with him but Lou is skeptical and is confused why Eric is asking him to do something. When he gets off of the phone, Lou tells his wife that he is not comfortable with Eric on a social level and Lou's wife tells him that she doesn't approve of them doing things together outside of the church. Eric is going through his Roladex trying to find someone to do something with and can't find anyone. Eric then calls the hospital and asks to speak to Matt. Matt answers the phone and is confused when it turns out to be Eric asking him to go shoot pool. Matt instantly thinks that there is an ulterior motive but Eric explains that he is available to go out. Matt is interrupted by a phone call from Simon who asks Matt to bring him to his date. Matt agrees if Simon pays him $30 but then is interrupted by Lucy calling from school. Matt gets very mad at her and Lucy asks if he can babysit the twins to go out on a date with her lab partner from her family Matt is frustrated by his family calling and gets off of the phone to change a bed pan. Lucy meets up with her lab partner and they decide to babysit the egg at her house. Simon's date is not excited about the fact that Simon's brother is bringing them to their date. Mary delivers a pizza to a table and the guys at the table are sexually harassing her when they ask her for her phone number. Mary approaches one of her coworkers, Johnny, who explains that he and his wife, Frankie, both work at the pizza parlor and they have a baby together. He tells her that it is hard but they are making it, then they are interrupted by the rowdy table when one of the guys asks for her to sit with them. Frankie approaches the table and tells them that Mary is a minister's daughter and tells them to shut up. The guys all apologize in unison that they are sorry. Frankie and Johnny invite Mary to stay after work to drink a beer with them. Mary smiles. Annie asks Simon what he is doing during his date and Eric is upset that Matt couldn't pay pool with him but he can drive Simon around. Simon explains that he is paying Matt and leaves Eric and Annie to talk. Eric tells Annie that he hasn't found anyone to do something with and Annie suggests other religious leaders in the community that he could do something with. Eric doesn't like any of her suggestions and he tells her that he wants to go by himself but they decide that after Annie's meeting, she will join him at the pool hall. Lucy walks down the stairs and tells Eric and Annie that her lab partner will be coming over to help her babysit and so that they can babysit their egg from Lucy explains the project and Eric is concerned about her ability to watch Ruthie and the twins. Ruthie explains her plans with Mary at midnight and that will be taking a nap before midnight. Eric offers to set an alarm for her and tells him that he is the best dad ever. At work, Mary is really busy. Mary asks if they need to get home to be with their child and Johnny explains that they get an extra hour to unwind. Mary agrees to get a pizza after work but she is not sure about the beer. At the apartment, Matt runs out of milk and has to leave the apartment to get some more. Annie arrives at the professor's office and a note that is left on the door explains that she needs to meet him at the Gypsy bar. Annie tries to call the house but doesn't get an answer. Simon gets off the phone, trying to get in touch with Matt to see where he is for the date but can't get in touch with him. Eric offers to drive them but Simon repeats that she is a sophomore and hot. Eric tells him that he will be at the pool hall if he needs anything. Simon tries to call Matt again but can't reach him. At work, Mary gets Frankie from her smoke break and Frankie offers her a cigarette. Frankie talks about Mercy, their baby and how she quit smoking when she had her but afterward she started smoking again. Frankie hands the cigarette to Mary and Mary thinks about smoking the rest of it but eventually puts it out. Annie arrives at the bar and her professor immediately asks her what she wants to drink and when she says nothing, he orders a drink for himself. He wants her to order a meal and is surprised when Annie explains that she has 7 children. At the pool hall, a group of girls call out for Eric and it turns out to be a group of women that go to the church. The ladies ask if he can join them for a game of pool. The bartender looks on as Eric joins the women. Eric walks by a bar and sees a pretty girl dancing in the window and she motions for him to join her. Simon continues to call Matt with no luck. The twins got into a bag of flour and her lab partner and her bring the kids upstairs to get cleaned up. Annie is eating with her professor and he invites himself over to her house but he doesn't like children, which confuses Annie since he teaches early childhood education. He explains that he likes adults but not children. Annie suddenly remembers that she was supposed to meet Eric at the pool hall and she calls him at the pool hall. Eric comes to the phone and Annie apologizes for her tardiness. Lucy's lab partner walks into the kitchen to find Simon still there. Simon wonders what Matt could have had to do that was more important than him. Matt is at the club dancing with the girl. Lucy and her lab partner put the twins to bed. Annie calls and Lucy explains that everyone is okay and Simon never got to go on his date. Lucy tells Annie not to worry about how Simon is doing. When Annie asks how the egg is doing, Lucy and her lab partner realize that they have lost the egg and run around trying to find it. They both enter in Ruthie's room and ask her about the baby and when she produce it, Ruthie doesn't want to give the egg back. They beg and plead but Ruthie doesn't want to give up the egg since they couldn't take care of the egg. Ruthie tries to tell them that the reason for the project is to teach the students that teenagers are not responsible enough to have children. Annie joins up with Eric at the pool hall and they each tell each other that they both discuss their nights and how each of them are a little jealous of what the other one did. When Annie tells Eric that she wants a cup of coffee and is ready to go to bed, Eric finally gets what she is talking about and hurries up and orders the coffee. At the club, Matt is still dancing with the girl and suddenly remembers that he was supposed to drive Simon on his date and runs out of the club. The girl runs after him and asks him for his number but he starts kissing her in the street and Eric and Annie catch him and he stops kissing her and writes his number down. Eric and Annie walk up to Matt as the girl leaves and they give Matt instructions to make sure that all of the kids are doing what they are supposed to be doing at the house. When Matt asks where they will be, he realizes and jumps in his car and takes off. Eric asks if they want to get a room at a hotel. Mary is counting her money and orders her pizza and orders up a beer after work. At home, Simon is watching TV when Matt shows up and apologizes but explains that he never fully agreed to take him on the date. Simon starts yelling at him and decides that someone else was more important than he is. Matt picks up the egg and starts throwing it around and when Matt loses his concentration when Lucy walks in, he drops the egg. Mary is talking about her life plans with Johnny and Frankie. Mary offers to babysit for them. Mary realizes the time and when she stands up, she feels lightheaded but tells them that she will be okay. Matt tucks Ruthie in bed and when Ruthie wakes up, she is startled to find Matt and is ready to have her party. In the hotel room, Annie updates Eric on what Matt told them about the kids. Matt is to call them at the hotel when Mary arrives home. Mary gets stopped by a police officer for not stopping fully at a stop sign. The police officer knew Eric and let her off with a warning. When Mary left, he looked concerned. When Mary walks in the kitchen, Eric and Annie are there waiting for her to return and tell her that the penalty for coming in late is two slices of pizza. They realize that she smells like cigarette smoke and the pizza is cold. They realize that they need to keep an eye on her. Mary wakes Ruthie up and Ruthie gripes at her for not being home at the right time.

Trivia

 * Chyler Leigh (Frankie) and Nathan West (Johnny) were dating in real life when this episode aired and they married two years later. Like their characters, they battled with drug addictions as teenagers (right around the time this episode aired, actually) but they recovered from it.
 * In this episode, Annie tells her teacher that she has seven kids from 2 to 21 but the twins were only one when this episode aired so she has kids from 1 to 21.
 * Jeff Yagher is the brother of Catherine Hicks' husband, Kevin Yagher.
 * John Hamilton (Chaz Lamar Shepherd) does not appear in this episode.

Music

 * "Dizzy" by The Goo Goo Dolls
 * "Love Shack" by the B-52's

Quotes

 * Ruthie: Why is Mary's car in the driveway? Isn't she supposed to be at work, or did she get fired again?!
 * Lucy: Time for school!
 * Mary: What's up?
 * Eric: You tell us. Is this your day off?
 * Annie: Did you get fired?
 * Eric: Building burned down? Business close for an epidemic?
 * Mary: Uh-uh.
 * Ruthie: Quit?
 * Mary: I just got another job that's all. I'm working at Pete's pizza. I just didn't like the pool hall. I kept getting the day shift, and, well I like the night life, I like to boogie.
 * Ruthie: Is it me or is she starting to spin?


 * Ruthie: I'm in a carpool. It's like a welcome wagon. A bunch of girls come and pick me up, so they can have time to get to know me. It's supposed to help me feel not so new.
 * Mary: Well, that's really nice.
 * Ruthie: Yeah, they're all nice girls...but they're not my big sister. Can we please do something together this weekend?
 * Mary: They want me to work the double shift today: 12 to 12.
 * Ruthie: Well, maybe we can do something then.
 * Mary: Yeah, maybe we could. Hey, I could bring a pizza home with me and I could wake you up, and we could have a midnight snack.
 * Ruthie: Yeah! Then you could sleep over in my room!
 * Mary: Okay. It's a date!


 * Eric [to Ruthie]: Hey. You going to bed already?
 * Ruthie: Soon. I have to get up at midnight. Mary's bringing home pizza, and we're having a sleepover! It's gonna be great!
 * Eric: Would you like me to set the clock alarm so you get up on time?
 * Ruthie: You're the best dad ever!
 * Eric: Gosh. You know...it seems like just yesterday Mary was your age.


 * Ruthie: (about her and Mary) We're having a slumber party.
 * Matt: Well, maybe you can have it another night.
 * Ruthie: No, Mary said tonight. She said she'd be here. She'll be here.


 * Guy: (to Mary, who is their waitress at the pizza place) Hey, you want to sit down and have a piece with us?
 * Mary: Um...no, I don't. Can I get you anything else?
 * Guy: Yeah. I'll have your phone number written on your underwear!


 * Guy: (in a taunting voice) Hey, Mary, we're saving a piece for ya!
 * Frankie: (walks over to the table) Do you know who you're talking to? Minister's daughter. Give her a break. Behave yourself.
 * Guy: And if we don't?
 * Frankie: Then you're all going to hell.
 * Everyone: (humored) Ooooooh!
 * Frankie: I mean it.


 * Johnny: (to Mary about the customers harrassing her) Let my wife handle them. She's good with those types.
 * Mary: Frances is your wife?
 * Johnny: Not Frances. No one calls her Frances. It's Frankie. We've been married for a year.
 * Mary: But you look so young!
 * Johnny: We are young. Frankie's your age, and I'm 21.
 * Mary: Yeah, I thought about getting married once, too.
 * Johnny: What changed your mind?
 * Mary: I don't know...I guess I just wasn't ready.
 * Johnny: Yeah, well, neither were we, but the baby changed all that.


 * Lucy's Lab Partner: You know, Ruthie, Lucy and I are supposed to write down everything we do with that egg. I'd hate to have to write that for a while, we were begging you to give us our daughter back.
 * Ruthie: Ruthie Camden, and "dumb" is not my middle name!


 * Ruthie: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But like all parents, we're supposed to watch over our kids. You two just got a little over committed and needed help. No problem, no harm done, as long as you realize teenagers are not meant to be parents. That's all you really have to put into the report. That's the purpose of the whole thing, isn't it?
 * Lucy: She goes to private school.
 * Lucy's Lab Partner: Oh.


 * Annie: Poor Simon.
 * Lucy: Um, yeah. Poor, popular, charismatic Simon, who could have any girl in his freshman class, but insists on going out with sophomores. I don't think I'd worry too much about him.


 * Frankie [to Mary]: I'm just gonna have a cigarette. You want one?
 * Mary: Oh, no thanks, I don't smoke.
 * Frankie: Neither did I. Well, I stopped when I found out I was pregnant, but as soon as I popped Mercy out, I lit up again.
 * Mary: Mercy. What a great name.
 * Frankie: She's a great baby. She's real good, she never cries. Probably because my mother watches her most of the time. She's good with babies. It's teenagers she can't handle.


 * [After Mary has been pulled over for being suspected of drinking and driving]
 * Officer: Look, don't ever be in such a hurry that you aren't careful. I want you to be able to have pizza with your sister for the rest of your life.
 * Mary: Yeah. So do I.


 * Mary: I love you, Ruthie.
 * Ruthie: If you loved me, you would have been home at midnight. (turns over and closes her eyes.)