Nothing Endures But Change

Nothing Endures But Change
Season 2, Episode 17
Air date	March 2, 1998
Written by	Heather Conkie
Directed by	Stephen Collins
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"Nothing Endures But Change" is the seventeenth episode of the 2nd season of 7th Heaven. On its original airing, this episode scored 7.67 million viewers.

Synopsis

Lucy gets an invitation to have pizza with a classmate and her older sister, then blames herself for the tragic car accident that claims her friend's life and her sister's in the hospital. After Lucy's friend named Sarah (played by Kayla Murphy) is killed, the family rallies around her, worried about her distant behavior. Elsewhere, Mary does a favor for her ex-boyfriend Wilson and babysits his son Billy so he can go to his prom. Also, Simon is unhappy with Ruthie's decoration choices for their bedroom and plans to get his own room while Matt moves into the attic.

Plot

Lucy and a friend, Sarah, are talking in their school. Lucy and her friend approach Sarah's older sister, Jen in the hallway, who has newly gotten her license. Sarah and Jen invite Lucy to go out with them that night for pizza and Jen will drive them in her new car. Jen says that one day maybe she can teach Lucy some driving lessons. Lucy says she would have to ask her parents, in which Jen says that they can invite Mary if it'll help her cause. Lucy smiles in agreement. Mary walks to Lucy while Jen and Sarah walk away and asks her where she's been since Matt and Mary were looking for her. Lucy invites Mary to join them for pizza but she doesn't want to go because she does not know them. She warns Lucy that their parents wouldn't let her go either. Meanwhile back at the Camden's house, Annie is helping Ruthie make little paper puppets of each of the family members. Lucy comes in and talks to Annie about going out that night, especially if she introduces them to Sarah and Jen. But Annie puts her foot down and doesn't want her to go in the car with them. Simon walks down and is mad because Ruthie ruined his volcano, which was a homework project. Annie goes upstairs to see how damaged it is while Ruthie and Simon follow her. While she is walking upstairs and Mary is walking down, Lucy mentions that if Mary goes with her, could she go in a car with them to which Annie replies that she'll think about it. Mary says she already said that she isn't going but Lucy says that she will do whatever she wants for 30 days to which Mary agrees.

Upstairs, Simon shows Annie his broken volcano on the floor while Annie reassures him that they can glue it back together. Simon yells at Ruthie that he now has to rebuild it while Ruthie, in a puppet voice, says that her finger puppets needed a place to live. Annie says she should've asked Simon if he could move his project, to which Ruthie says she did ask him. Simon tells Annie that he didn't have anywhere else to move it. Annie says it's finally time for Simon to move up into the attic which both Ruthie and Simon agreed. In the kitchen, Lucy is reassuring Eric that it'll be like two sisters out with two sisters and maybe they will find two brothers out with two brothers which Eric makes a weird face at. Lucy says that Eric will like these two sisters and Eric interrupts her by asking how old the sister who drives which Mary replies she's 16 and just got her license. Annie comes in and says she doesn't want either of them in a car with the two sisters who just got their license, but if it's all right with Eric, Lucy can meet the girl for pizza, and either Eric, Matt, or Annie will drive them and pick them up. The phone goes off and Eric picks it up, surprised that it's Wilson. Mary says she will take it to her room. Wilson asks Mary if she could babysit Billy while he is at a senior dance at school. Mary agrees to it, which infuriates Lucy. Lucy walks out while yelling at Mary, saying stuff like Jen will never do this to Sarah. She bumps into Matt and he agrees to drop Lucy off at the pizza place and reassures Lucy that he'll talk to Eric and Annie about letting her go alone. Matt goes into the kitchen to talk to Eric and Annie, which successfully works. Meanwhile, Simon is in his room putting his stuff in boxes and complains about moving his stuff and rebuilding his science project at the same time. Matt goes into Lucy's room and tells her the good news and Lucy hugs him. Lucy calls Sarah to tell them that Lucy will have to meet them there and Sarah says that they are going out to a hamburger place a little farther away, so they tell Lucy to have Matt take her to the pizza place where Sarah and Jen will meet her and then from there they will sneak over in Jen's car to get hamburgers and be back at the pizza place in time.

Mary goes to Wilson's and they talk for a bit before Wilson leaves for his prom date, and once he leaves, Billy starts causing trouble by screaming his head off. Then we flash to the pizza place where Sarah and Jen are waiting for Lucy. They need gas, so they drive off saying to each other that they will just be right back for Lucy, and as they drive away we hear Sarah asking to let her drive on the way back. Matt drops Lucy off and they don't see Lucy's friends. Matt wants to go in with Lucy until they get there, but Lucy convinces him to leave. Matt leaves, and Lucy walks toward the pizza place but when Matt is out of sight Lucy goes back outside and waits for the girls. Annie shows Simon around the attic which Simon thinks it's very quiet. Then Mary calls to get some advice for handling Billy in which Annie says he probably needs a popsicle. He gets himself covered in chocolate syrup and then starts screaming again. Simon walks into his old room and sees Ruthie on the top bunk of his bunk bed. Simon says that's still his bed and Ruthie says that when he does go, it's hers. Simon says when he moves he's taking the bed with him but Ruthie isn't worried and says that Annie is getting him old stuff. Annie and Eric have a little heart-to-heart reminisce in the attic and discuss how much the kids are growing. Matt walks upstairs asking where mom and dad are while Simon says that they're in the attic. Simon asks if he can take Matt's room while Matt takes the attic and Matt shrugs it off and distractedly agrees to it. Matt comes in all frantic saying that he heard there was an accident and that someone saw Jen being put into the ambulance but he doesn't know if Lucy was in the car or not. He tried to drive over to the pizza place but couldn't because the streets were so packed and that he called the pizza place but they told him no one saw her and she didn't answer when they paged her. Annie and Eric are frantic, and Eric and Matt head downstairs to go try to get to the pizza place to see if Lucy is there when Sgt. Michaels come to their door and said that there was an accident. He informs them that Lucy was not in the car but it was her two friends: Sarah and Jen. Sarah was killed instantly, and Jen is in very severe conditions in the hospital. Apparently, Sarah was driving the car and now died at just 14 years old when dodging a kid who was walking into the street. Sgt. Michaels wants Eric's help to inform the parents so they head out while Matt goes up to tell Annie.

Wilson comes back early from the dance and Mary says she was about to put Billy to bed. Wilson says that he left early because he wasn't having a good time and that he didn't feel comfortable with a girl that he couldn't be honest with about Billy. Annie finds Lucy outside the pizza place and has to break the horrible news to her about Sarah. They hug and cry. Meanwhile, Matt sits down next to Simon on the stairwell. Simon asks if he's sure about him having Matt's room and Matt says it's fine since he'll probably go off to college soon. Matt says he's mad at Lucy and Simon asks why he would be mad at Lucy. Matt says he will answer him later and tells him to go to bed. At Wilson's house, he asks Mary if she's dating anyone and she says she dates one at a time. Mary reaches over to the phone to call someone to pick her up which is on the other side of Wilson. Their faces almost connect while an awkward second of silence plays. Eric and Sgt. Michaels goes to break the news to Sarah and Jen's parents. The following morning, Eric and Annie talk about the accident. They are both worried about Lucy and know that they have never seen her like this-- she cries about everything, but she's seemingly not crying about this. Meanwhile, Matt is helping Simon move his stuff into Matt's old room with loud music playing. Mary comes it and tells them to turn it down while Matt mentions he's mad at Lucy because he thinks that Lucy was trying to trick him about going to pizza (which he was right about.) Mary doesn't believe him but Matt keeps thinking that she could have been in the car too. Lucy comes out screaming, crying and blaming herself for Sarah's accident. She blames herself because she didn't tell anyone that Sarah would sometimes drive the car and because she thinks that if Sarah and Jen weren't going to pick her up then Sarah wouldn't have died. Annie and Eric come in as Lucy has an emotional breakdown and cries in Eric's arms while everyone watches.

In their room, Mary and Lucy read together as Mary tries to comfort Lucy and help her feel better. Meanwhile, Simon gets frustrated by the way Ruthie has transformed the room that the two used to share with childish feminism. Eric reminisces with Simon about how the room used to be when it was Matt's as a child and tells him he should do something to make it uniquely his like how Ruthie did with their room. And Annie helps Matt move into the attic as they discuss him moving to college in a little tear-jerker moment and Annie tells him that he has the option of staying home. Both Eric and Annie go to the kitchen and Eric complains to her that Lucy needs to talk to someone before coming up with an unsaid idea which makes him rush out of the room making Annie confused. The next morning, Eric asks Lucy if she wants to go visit Jenn in the hospital but she declines saying she would have no idea what to say to her. Wilson stops by the house and Mary answers. He tells her he needs a friend and wants to talk to Lucy because Mary isn't a member of "the club." The club is for people that have lost someone, whether it be a loved one or a close friend. Lucy comes down and he talks with her about Sarah and about his wife that died while giving childbirth. Wilson says that prom night reminded him about how much he misses Mary but he doesn't want to tell her because he's afraid of getting too close. Lucy asks if he means that he's afraid of having sex with her, which was the reason they broke up earlier in the season but Wilson says he finally realizes that he's afraid that she'll die if he gets too close to her. Wilson comforts Lucy and gives her some good advice- he tells her that he became a really good dad because he is trying to make the most of that he is still alive. He advises Lucy to be a good daughter, friend, and sister.

Wilson takes Lucy to a little discussion group where people who lost someone talk about it in a group and the others give some advice and some sympathy. Lucy shares her story and says she's not sure what to say to Jenn. Everybody gives advice and talks about some uncomfortable, unhelpful things that some people had heard from other people. When Lucy comes home she tells Mary to call Wilson because he likes her and he'll feel good. She also goes to help get Matt some blankets for his new attic room and then gives Annie and Eric a hug each- taking Wilson's advice. After Lucy leaves, Eric tells Annie it will take a while-- Annie agrees, but is glad that at least Lucy has a while to take.

Notes

• Andrew Keegan reprises his role as Wilson West since he broke up with Mary in the episode Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.
• Stephen Collins directs this episode.
• This is one of the highest-rated episodes of 7th Heaven.

Trivia

• This heartwarming episode is based on the real-life experience of actress Beverley Mitchell (Lucy Camden) and based on true events.
• Beverley wrote about her full experience dealing with her friends death in "Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul". Here's a excerpt from the book:
  • "Unexpectedly, Brenda Hampton, the creator, writer, and executive producer of 7th Heaven, came to me and asked if I would be willing to do an episode about 'dealing with the death of a young friend.' Up until this point, I had not let myself grieve over the loss of Angela. Simply put, I had been acting. I had put up this perfect façade that I was totally happy. When Brenda asked me if I was willing to do this episode, I suddenly realized that I needed to let out my emotions and fears if I ever wanted to get over my pain. As a result, I agreed to what Brenda proposed, and she developed 'Nothing Endures but Change.'" At first, I wasn't prepared for the emotional tidal wave that would be released. Filming that episode was both emotionally and physically exhausting. Emotions that I had ignored for so long were now being unleashed, and I did not know how I was going to deal with them. Luckily, this time around I felt comfortable enough to turn to my friends and family for the love, advice and security that only they could offer. I came to the realization that it was okay to hurt. Once the tears came, they didn't stop until weeks after. That was when I realized that even though Angela wasn't physically with us any longer, her spirit had never left my side.
• In many interviews, Beverley Mitchell has said this is her favorite episode because how it's personal and based on her true loss of a friend.
• This episode is the directorial debut for Stephen Collins directing his first episode of the series, with him directing two more episodes in season 3 and season 6.
• Marla Sokoloff guest stars in this episode as Jen.

Opening Credits

Featured in the opening credits are:

• Stephen Collins as Eric Camden
• Catherine Hicks as Annie Camden
• Barry Watson as Matt Camden
• David Gallagher as Simon Camden
• Jessica Biel as Mary Camden
• Beverley Mitchell as Lucy Camden
• Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie Camden

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