One Hundred

One Hundred
Season 5, Episode 12

Air date	January 29, 2001
Written by	Sue Tenney
Directed by	David J. Plenn
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One Hundred is the twelfth episode of the 5th season and the 100th episode overall of 7th Heaven. This episode holds special significance as it celebrates the series reaching its 100th episode milestone. On its original airing, this episode scored 8.78 million viewers, leading the WB and earning 67th place for the week nationally.^[1]

Synopsis[]

As Annie plans a mysterious day of cleaning, Eric finds out that Mary ran away from The Colonel's to come back home because of a devious scheme she had with Robbie and freaks out. Eric is convinced that more trouble is brewing and goes to insane lengths to find answers. In reality, Mary is heading home for a huge surprise birthday party for Eric, attended by all the people whose lives he's changed for the better in the past few years. Chores at home are interrupted, when Ruthie discovers Frankie and Johnny's baby, Mercy at the Camden front doorstep. Meanwhile, Lucy stays with her friend Mike's near-catatonic mother for the day and Mike drops a proverbial bomb on Lucy. Also, Matt and Simon try to figure out why they delivered Mrs. Bink to the hospital.

Plot[]

Warning: Significant plot details follow.

Eric is typing his sermon on his computer and Annie tries to get Eric out of the house by suggesting that he can go to the church to finish it. When he doesn't budge, Annie comes up with another excuse, claiming that she needs to clean the entire house and he should go. Eric, instead of immediately leaving, offers to work on his sermon later and help her with the cleaning. Suspecting that Annie has an ulterior motive but unsure of what it might be, he eventually gives in and agrees to leave, mentioning that he has to pick up Mrs. Bink and drop her off somewhere. However, before leaving the house, he decides to call Mary. To his surprise, it's George who answers the call and informs Eric that Mary has boarded a plane and returned home to Glenoak. Eric hangs up in disbelief, lost for words. Grandma Ruth approaches George and scolds him, saying he shouldn't have told Eric about Mary's return. Eric then informs Annie that Mary has run away and returned home.

Eric is in the kitchen, persistently calling The Colonel's house trying to reach George. However, Grandma Ruth and George are just sitting there, intentionally ignoring his calls. Annie approaches Eric and suggests that if The Colonel or Ruth were home, they would answer the phone. Eric continues to try to call, while Ruth informs George that they cannot answer the call because Eric will inquire about Mary and she refuses to be the one to tell him why she left. Annie tries to persuade Eric to stop calling by pointing out that Mary doesn't have the money for an airline ticket. Eric begins to suspect that Robbie purchased the tickets and believes that they had planned this situation from the beginning. Annie struggles to help Eric see things from a logical perspective. Eric asks where Robbie has gone and Ruthie, who just entered the room, informs him that Robbie left earlier that morning. Eric questions Ruthie if she knew Mary was coming home but she pretends to be clueless. Eric makes another call while Ruthie and Annie go upstairs. Matt, Lucy and Simon come out and Annie tells them that they all need to talk. Annie informs them that Eric believes Mary ran away from The Colonel and Ruth. She reminds them that they still have their assignments and Matt offers to take care of Mrs. Bink with Simon along with their assignments. Annie asks Ruthie to clean and tidy up the living room. Downstairs, the phone rings and Eric falsely believes it's Mary but it turns out to be Mike. Eric questions Mike about Mary and calls Lucy to hurry up and keep the line open. Robbie returns home and Eric continues to question him. Robbie explains that he meant to meet a friend for coffee and asks if Eric is alright. Eric tells him he knows about Mary and warns him to drop the act of pretending he doesn't know what he's talking about. Robbie denies any knowledge or involvement but Eric warns him that if he discovers Robbie knew about Mary or helped her run away, he will be permanently out of the house. Annie tries to calm Eric down by suggesting they go to church, allowing him to work on his sermon while she informs him if Mary calls. At Glenoak Hospital, Matt and Simon are there with Mrs. Bink, who tries to push them out but they refuse to leave until she reveals why she's there. Eventually, Mrs. Bink gives in and discloses that she has a date. Matt and Simon find this reasoning absurd and decide to stay until they learn the real reason for her wanting to be at the hospital. At the church, Eric is still persistently making calls, much to George and Ruth's annoyance. Lucy approaches him and Eric asks if Robbie knew about Mary but Lucy just says she has no idea. Lucy reveals that Mike needs someone to look after his catatonic mother as he has to work and she wants to help but is unsure how to act around someone in that condition, who doesn't talk and stares into space. Eric advises her to treat the person like any other human being, as they will appreciate being treated with dignity. Lucy thanks him for the advice and leaves. Back at the house, Ruthie is watching cartoons in the living room and lies to Annie about completing her assignment. After Annie yells at her, Ruthie reluctantly starts picking up clothes off the floor but then opens the front door upon hearing a noise, only to find a baby lying there. Upstairs, Annie enters Robbie's room and reassures him that Eric will eventually calm down. After she leaves, Robbie dials the phone to ask about a flight from Buffalo, where The Colonel and Mary reside. They tell him it was delayed and Robbie reveals he just came from the airport.

In Buffalo, the phone starts ringing just as Ruth is about to sit down. By force of habit, George accidentally answers the call instead of ignoring it. Realizing his mistake, he speaks to Eric in Spanish, saying a few words before hanging up. Eric repeats the words to himself to try to understand their meaning and realizes that George said Mary isn't there, along with some gibberish. Meanwhile, Lucy assures Mike that everything will be fine and promises to call him if anything happens. Mrs. Pierce remains unresponsive, staring at the TV while Lucy tries to engage her in conversation. Following Eric's advice, Lucy continues talking to her, not expecting a response. At the house, Annie tries to open Ruthie's bedroom door but Ruthie comes up with an excuse, claiming she was naked and had come upstairs to put on some clothes before starting to clean. Ruthie goes back to the baby and whispers that it was a close call, implying that she has been keeping the baby a secret from Annie. At the hospital, Simon informs Matt that he just spoke to Annie and agrees that they need to find Mrs. Bink. Simon asks if Matt has found her yet but he replies that he hasn't. Simon suggests calling Eric but Matt declines, stating that if Eric were in their position, he wouldn't ask for help either. They encounter John, who informs them that he saw Mrs. Bink in radiology. They rush past him and John mentions that he will see them at the house later that night. Eric is on the phone with Sergeant Michaels, asking him to stake out the airport but Sergeant Michaels explains that they lack the manpower and don't know which airline she is flying with, making it a futile effort. In the kitchen, Ruthie prepares baby cereal and bananas but lies to Annie, claiming she is making it for herself. Annie grows tired and tells Ruthie that on any other day, she would have time to figure out what she is up to, but not that day. Ruthie brings up the baby to the attic and Annie questions her about it. Ruthie asks if she can keep the baby and Robbie enters the scene. He notices the baby and recognizes them as the ones he saw at Pete's Pizza. With the added information from Robbie, Annie eventually realizes that Frankie and Johnny are behind this and that the baby is Mercy. Annie reassures them that she won't involve Eric and that she can handle the situation herself. She asks Robbie for some help and he mentions that he has something to tell her about Mary first. Meanwhile, Lucy prepares a variety of sandwiches with different fillings like turkey, ham and cheese. Mrs. Pierce selects the turkey sandwich and Lucy compliments her choice. They both sit down and Mrs. Pierce expresses her desire for her son, Mike, to place her in a hospital. She clears her throat and explains to Lucy that she wants Mike to sell the house, get himself an apartment and put her in an institution so he can move on with his life. She praises Mike as a good son to even think of putting her in an institution as an option and states that he trusts Lucy and will listen to her. Mrs. Pierce emphasizes that if she were strong enough, she would leave herself but she isn't. Lucy starts feeling overwhelmed and Mrs. Pierce reiterates her request for Lucy to ask Mike to put her in a hospital.

Eric is still in his office, in a persistently trying to reach George on the phone. Feeling disappointed, he puts the phone down. Within seconds, the phone rings again and Eric eagerly picks it up, assuming it's Mary. However, it's Robbie on the other end, confessing that he lied and Mary is actually on her way to Glenoak. Eric urgently asks about the flight's arrival time and Robbie informs him that Annie left and he volunteered to watch Sam and David. Eric decides to go pick up Mary and abruptly ends the call. Robbie turns to Ruthie, who commends him, implying that Robbie wanted Eric to go pick up Mary for him. At the hospital, Matt walks into Mrs. Bink's room and she confesses she is getting an annual mammogram. She is worried because she has been waiting for the results for hours and it never took this long. Matt tries to reassure her but does horribly at it. Annie arrives at Pete's Pizza and asks about Frankie and Johnny's whereabouts since they're not at their trailer. Pete, Johnny's uncle, mentions that Frankie has been home at the trailer sick with the flu for a week, while Johnny is expected to start work soon. When Annie mentions the baby at their home, Pete immediately asks everyone to leave and closes the pizza place. Back at the hospital, the doctor enters the room and simply states that everything is fine. Matt points out to the doctor that it's unprofessional to make a patient wait for three hours without apologizing, only to deliver a brief reassurance that lasted mere seconds. Meanwhile, the secretary outside the room explains to Simon what a mammogram is. Back at the house, the phone rings and Robbie answers it. It's Annie on the line and Robbie assures her that he took care of the assignments, cleaning, laundry and other tasks for Annie, Matt, Simon and Lucy. He also mentions that the table is set. After ending the call, Ruthie, Sam and David proudly present a cake that reads "Happy Birthday Dad!" Eric is at the airport and inquires about the expected arrival time of the plane. He's informed that the flight has been delayed and won't arrive for another hour. At the Colonel's house, Ruth tells George that Eric will definitely call and get angry when Mary's flight gets off. Meanwhile, Mike returns home and Lucy tells him that his mother wants him to put her in an institution. Lucy believes that his mother's silence is a result of thinking that not speaking would make Mike place her away. She explains that his mother blames herself for Mike's suicide attempt and his father's death and shares her own experience of feeling guilty when a friend of hers died in a car accident while on the way to pick her up three years ago. She expresses that if her friend were still alive, the one thing she would want to hear from her is forgiveness and that it wasn't her fault. Back at the house, Ruthie asks Robbie about his relationship with Mary but he dismisses her, stating they're just friends and refusing to answer any further questions, as it's none of her business. However, Ruthie asserts that since he's new there, everything that happens is her business. Johnny returns to Pete's Pizza and Annie reprimands him and asks about Frankie's whereabouts and if he hit her. Johnny storms out in anger and Annie asks Pete if his parents are aware of the situation involving their son. Pete tells her that they know about it but refuse to see them due to the baby. Meanwhile, Mike plans to have a heartfelt conversation with his mother, assuring her that she bears no responsibility for his father's suicide or his own suicide attempt. He expresses his desire to remain by her side and explains that he doesn't want to place her in a hospital. Embracing his mother tightly, Mike expresses his love for her and emphasizes that she carries no guilt for any of the events that transpired with his mother also hugging him.

Johnny finds himself sitting alone on a bench when Annie approaches him, asserting that he cannot simply run away from his own life. Johnny opens up and admits that Frankie didn't dump Mercy off at their house but he did since Frankie left him for another man and wants a divorce. Johnny explains that he's always angry and got angry at Frankie. Though he's never hit Mercy or Frankie except for the one time he almost did, he became afraid of his temper and left her at the Camden's house until he could regain control and trust himself again. Johnny says if he left Mercy at his parent's house, he would have to explain his violent anger and the hitting. Annie emphasizes the importance of seeking support from family, urging Johnny to set aside his pride and confide in his parents. Johnny believes his parents would never understand but Annie reveals that she has already spoken to them and they are willing to offer assistance. Taking Johnny to Pete's Pizza, Annie encourages him to call his parents. At the airport, Mary's plane finally arrives and she and Eric share a long-awaited embrace after months of not seeing each other and only speaking once in two months. Mary assumes that Eric knows the reason for her visit but he remains confused, still thinking that she ran away to find Robbie. When Mary reveals that she came to see him and that it's actually his birthday, Eric feels foolish for forgetting his own special day. They sit down together and Mary expresses her love for him, explaining that she needs to catch another plane in about an hour to make it to her classes the following morning. Since her flight arrived late, Eric decides to spend the remaining time with her. Upon returning home, Eric gazes at the sky one last time before entering the house, where he hears the distant sound of an airplane passing by. He walks into a dimly lit kitchen, warmly greeted by his family and Robbie, who all exclaim, "Surprise!" Eric apologizes to Robbie for his previous behavior and shares the news that Mary had to go back home but promises to return when she has time off. Everyone proceeds to the living room, except for Lucy and Eric. Lucy reveals her decision to study theology at university and pursue a career as a minister, following in Eric's footsteps. Emotionally, Eric hugs Lucy and asks about her motivation for choosing this path. Lucy responds by asking him to close his eyes, leading him to the living room where a multitude of people, individuals he had helped during various crises throughout the years, have gathered to celebrate his birthday. Eric's old band performs a rendition of "Happy Birthday" and then sings a certain iconic theme song of "7th Heaven" as Eric goes around the room, exchanging handshakes and heartfelt hugs with the guests.

Notes[]

As noted above, this episode marks the first big milestone on the show with them reaching their 100th episode. There was an after-set party that was held for the cast and crew. Total Access 24/7 aired an episode featuring some behind-the-scenes footage from this episode. Entertainment Tonight, Extra!, and E!'s News Daily also show coverage of the 100th episode.
There are various cameo appearances from those who Eric has helped over the years and who previously guest-starred in an episode of 7th Heaven in the past. (see cast)
This episode marks the conclusion of the Frankie and Johnny storyline, as well as the last episode featuring any of those characters.

Trivia[]

It was mentioned in this episode about Lucy having guilt over losing a friend in a car crash. This was actually based on real-life events of Beverley Mitchell (Lucy) and made into an episode in season 2 called Nothing Endures But Change.
This episode is the very last television appearance EVER of Ray Walston, who played Sergeant Millard in the season 3 episode "And the Home of the Brave". He died on January 1, 2001.
Eric's former rock band performs the series theme song at the end of the episode. This marks the first instance that the credits music was played within an episode.
Stephen Collins (Eric) said in various interviews that this was his favorite episode, at least until when he filmed The Known Soldier.
David Gallagher (Simon) real life sister returns for a cameo as Katie Cunningham (Michelle Casey).
During the original airing of this episode, Andrew Keegan, who portrayed recurring character Wilson West, celebrated his 22nd birthday. He has a cameo appearance at the end of the episode.
This episode was first aired on December 27, 2001 in Germany, 10 months after it aired in the US.

Goofs & Errors[]

Take a closer look at the scene where Eric arrives at his party. As the band starts singing "Happy Birthday," Beverley Mitchell extends her hands, probably expecting Stephen Collins to join her for a dance. However, he fails to respond, leading where she awkwardly withdraws her hands.
When Johnny enters Pete's Pizza, Mercy turns her head in his direction. However, when the camera angle changes, her head is suddenly turned in the opposite direction with her facing the other way.