Virgin | |
Season 5, Episode 19 | |
Air date | April 30th, 2001 |
Written by | Brenda Hampton |
Directed by | Chip Chalmers |
Episode Guide | |
previous Apologize |
next Regrets |
Virgin is the nineteenth episode of the 5th season and the 107th episode overall of 7th Heaven. On its original airing, this episode scored 6.13 million viewers, leading the WB and earning 77th place for the week nationally.[1]
Synopsis[]
Annie discovers that the particularly flirtatious mother of one of Lucy's friends, Serena is seeing Eric for therapy sessions. Annie strongly requests that he refers her to someone else. Annie then has to deal with the guilt over her jealousy-induced interference between the two. Also, Simon is mortified when word gets around school over the fact that he's a virgin. Annie had shared the details of Simon's sexual inexperience with his ex-girlfriend's (Sasha) mother, Rita. Meanwhile, Matt struggles about telling Robbie he's interested with his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl. Lastly, Robbie is also hiding a secret from Matt that involves his ex-girlfriend Heather.
Plot[]
Annie is cooking dinner in the kitchen when Lucy enters, asking about Eric's whereabouts. Eric isn't around, prompting Annie to offer her assistance. Lucy mentions that her friend needs Eric's help. At the church, just as Eric is about to leave, Serena walks into his office. She reintroduces herself as Lucy's friend's mother. They sit down, and Serena explains her commitment to helping her daughter turn her life around, prompting Eric to offer his assistance. Meanwhile, John is questioning Matt at the hospital about his romantic partner. Matt tries to persuade John to keep it a secret, but John doesn't budge, as he doesn't keep secrets from his girlfriend, Priscilla. Matt decides not to divulge the information and leaves because he has to help Robbie with his car. However, Robbie suddenly appears as Matt gets up from the table, and tells Matt that someone else offered to help him with his car and he didn't get the chance to call Matt and tell him. Matt is acting all nice and says that isn't a problem and would've been happy to take him. Back at home, Ruthie asks Annie when dinner is going to be ready and Annie tells her to ask Eric himself. Annie dials the church's number for her, and when Eric answers, Ruthie overhears Eric laughing alongside Serena. When Ruthie asks Eric about dinner, he explains that he got held up at the church and tells them to eat without him. Ruthie relays this information to Annie, adding that Eric will be there in half an hour and is currently laughing with some women.
Nightfall comes, and Annie is washing dishes when Eric returns home, apologizing for his lateness. Eric tells her Serena came by to see him as she promised her daughter she would get help and he's helping her. Annie disagrees with Eric helping her knowing Serena's backstory, although no objection to getting someone else to help her. She explains she's not comfortable with Serena being with him twice a week for a session. Eric tries to reason with her but Annie says she met her before and Eric never sees it when a woman is blatantly flirting with him. Eric eventually agrees to find someone else to help her. Simon enters and tells Eric that they ate all the leftovers for dinner because Annie said that he would be getting a burger. Disappointed, Eric leaves for a burger, unaware of this plan beforehand. Moments later, Matt enters the kitchen and asks Simon if he made up with Sasha, to which Simon clarifies that they're just friends. Matt questions if Simon is content with just friendship, hinting that Sasha doesn't seem the platonic type. Matt also mentions Annie's effort to befriend Sasha's mother because she thinks her mother needs more friends that can help her become a better parent. Ruthie enters and comments on Eric's delay due to the woman who made him late for dinner. The realization hits that Annie was upset at Eric for being with a woman who was probably flirting with him, and that's why she told them they didn't have to save him anything for dinner. Matt tries to hurry them out for a call, but Simon just tells him that he can just go to any corner of the house if he wants to make a private phone call, prompting Matt to leave. Ruthie remarks that Simon never used to have an issue making phone calls in front of them, but Simon warns her not to delve into topics that might tempt her to snoop for information. Lucy then enters and asks for Eric, and Ruthie informs her that he's gone to get a burger. Lucy mentions needing Eric's help with a friend, prompting Ruthie to express longing for friends herself. She explains that her former school friend has moved on, and her new school acquaintance was only pretending to be friends to gather information for others and then belittled Ruthie's family. Ruthie mentions knowing a potential friend and plans to talk to her the next day before going upstairs. Robbie enters from another direction and mentions that Ruthie came down to get juice for him but must've gotten distracted. Robbie then asks Lucy if she has any idea why Matt is suddenly being kind to him. In another room, the phone rings, and Annie answers—it's Serena looking for Eric. As Eric walks in with his burger, Annie hands him the phone and, visibly upset, disposes of his burger and fries in the garbage disposal out of frustration before walking away. Eric then tells Serena they need to have a conversation about him helping her.
Ruthie rushes up to Julia at school and asks if they can hang out on Saturday and be friends. Julia responds defensively, asking Ruthie not to embarrass her by mentioning that her family struggled financially a few weeks ago. Ruthie clarified that she wasn't trying to embarrass her but thought they could be friends since she had helped her with food. Julia, acting bratty, accuses Ruthie of expecting something in return and says they can't be friends because she fears Ruthie might reveal her secrets, especially when she was temporarily poor. At home, Matt approaches Robbie, acting overly nice and offering him money and the use of his car. Robbie, suspicious, asks why Matt is being so kind. Matt lies, saying he feels guilty for not being welcoming when Robbie first moved in. Robbie brushes it off, understanding why Matt might have felt that way and leaves. Matt then calls Cheryl, who asks if he has told Robbie about their relationship. Cheryl insists he must tell Robbie if he wants to continue dating her, but Matt argues that he's working up to it and believes Robbie might already know. Cheryl insists that it still looks suspicious if they don't say anything. Matt agrees to tell Robbie that day and then pick her up later. At school, Lucy meets her friend Ashley, who claims to be avoiding her. Ashley reveals that her mom, Sasha, was referred to someone else for help, and Eric won't be working with her. Lucy tries to convince Ashley that the referral is a good idea, but Ashley is upset because her mother is not comfortable seeing anyone else and personally blames Lucy for this. At his locker, Simon is taunted by a random guy who calls him "Virgin Simon." Simon learns that his ex-girlfriend Sasha's mother had coffee with the guy's mom and mentioned that Annie told her Simon was a virgin. The guy explains that while no one assumed otherwise, Sasha's mother is spreading the news around and having coffee with the other moms. At the hospital, John asks Matt if something is wrong or if he's hiding anything. Matt dodges the question, but John correctly guesses that Matt is dating Cheryl. Matt admits it and asks John to gauge Robbie's feelings about it. John declines without explanation and walks away. At the Camden house, Annie answers the ringing doorbell to find Serena, who tries to clarify any misunderstandings and apologizes. Serena explains that Eric initially offered to see her twice a week for free to help her but later referred her elsewhere, likely due to Annie's influence. Serena asks for another chance, understanding if Annie is jealous and doesn't blame her. Annie neither confirms nor denies involvement and closes the door on her face. In the kitchen, Ruthie returns from school and Annie asks about her day. Ruthie vents about her friend's troubles, calling the girl she tried to befriend a loser and saying she should have expected it. She repeats her father's motto: don't be helpful, be harmless. Annie comments that if she knew who the girl was, she would want to talk to her mother. Simon enters and asks to speak with Annie privately. Lucy comes in, needing to talk to Eric. After Simon insists on a private talk with Annie, Lucy takes Ruthie upstairs. Simon asks Annie if she discussed his personal life with Sasha's mother. Annie admits she mentioned he wasn't sexually active because it came up in conversation. Frustrated, Simon reveals the nickname he's being called at school. Annie doesn't see it as a big deal, leaving Simon exasperated and banging his head on the table.
Matt calls Cheryl, trying to delay telling Robbie the truth. He attempts to flirt and postpone, but Cheryl sees through him, prompting Matt to promise he will tell Robbie. John comes up to him and encourages Matt to be honest. Annie, playing with the twins, informs Eric that Serena visited. She questions if he mentioned her doubts about Serena since she knew more than she should've, but Eric denies involvement, countering that Annie is the one doubting Serena’s sincerity of actually wanting to improve, and not him. Their argument is overheard by Lucy, who is just outside the door. Later that night, Matt prepares for a date that Robbie doesn't know about. He chats with Robbie, mostly about Mary and Robbie giving her space, drawing parallels to his own situation, emphasizing that what happens between a man and a woman should stay private. Matt manages to get Robbie to agree, without revealing the full context of his own personal situation with Cheryl, who wants Matt to inform Robbie but Matt is reluctant to do so. Upstairs in her bedroom, Ruthie receives a call from Julia, who says her mother scolded her and is forcing her to be friends with Ruthie. Ruthie suggests they pretend to be friends without telling Julia's mother, which Julia appreciates and tells her that's awfully very nice. Ruthie mentions the complexities of helping people, and that helping people can go either way, whether or not they are grateful for that kind of help. Unbeknownst to them, Julia’s mother is behind her and overhears their conversation. Lucy confronts Annie in her room about why she doesn't want Eric to help Serena. Annie is reluctant to discuss it, but Lucy insists, accusing Annie that the only reason she can't tell her is because she's in the wrong. Their argument is interrupted by a call from Julia’s mother explaining the situation between Julia and Ruthie. In the hallway, Simon runs into Robbie and describes the situation with name-calling at school, but Robbie tries to lighten the mood and find the humor in the situation, frustrating Simon. Simon doesn't see this as a comedy skit and walks away still frustrated. Annie calls Ruthie from downstairs and asks about Julia, and Ruthie confesses she asked Julia to lie because Julia doesn't want to be friends. Annie is confused and says she just told Julia to lie, and Ruthie argues that making someone be friends with another makes them live a lie. Annie questions how her self-esteem is so high that she isn't driven to please people. Ruthie explains her confidence comes from Annie, who has shared personal matters with Sasha’s mom and doesn't care about others' opinions, such as Eric's or Serena's, and just does what she thinks is right. In his room, a classmate calls Simon and asks him for a date to the movies. She mentions that she heard the things people at school are saying and much to Simon's confusion, actually likes not being pressured to do things she isn't ready for. Sometime later, Matt brings flowers to Cheryl, who correctly guesses he hasn't told Robbie about their dating. Matt tries to explain that Robbie probably already knows, referring to their earlier conversation about keeping things between a man and a woman. Cheryl agrees to go on the date. Meanwhile, Robbie is at Heather's house, Matt's ex-girlfriend, who is sick. Robbie tells her Matt doesn't know they share a class and was going to ask Heather how she would feel about telling Matt. Heather questions Robbie's reluctant demeanor and tells him to just tell Matt about it, seeing how her current boyfriend is aware and unbothered so there is no reason Matt should care. At the house, Annie walks into Eric's office and talks about her early fears of their marriage about when women tried to take him away, which she overcame, learning to trust him and realizing that not every woman wants a married man, only some do. However, she still believes Serena is testing his commitment. Despite her trust in Eric, she wants to know when Serna makes a move on him and then expects an apology for not trusting her. Annie then goes into the attic and apologizes to Lucy, explaining that helping people is complicated. She tells her that when she is older they can talk about more adult stuff but as of right now she is going to treat her like her child. Lucy hints that Annie somehow made Simon more popular, as he receives multiple phone calls. In his room, Simon picks up the phone to a classmate asking for a date to which Simon tells her that his schedule is full with dates with other classmates. In the kitchen, Ruthie tells Eric she can't sleep until he and Annie reconcile and hates it when they are angry at each other. Eric comforts her by saying they made a compromise that will make everyone happy and takes Ruthie to bed. Meanwhile, Matt and Cheryl enjoy their date when walking her back home, though Cheryl wishes he had told Robbie. They share a kiss. In the bedroom, Annie is in bed and Eric approaches her to tell her that he will help Serena in group sessions, though Annie doubts its effectiveness and calls it naive but she still loves him. At the hospital, Matt finds Robbie, who lies about visiting John. Matt sees John and Heather together walking out, prompting Robbie to admit he lied about helping Heather study until she had to go to the hospital to get her prescription filled, which John was helping with. Matt gets angry about the fact Robbie didn't tell him that he had class with Heather. Robbie reiterates Matt’s earlier point about privacy and what goes on between a man and a woman stays between them, insisting he isn’t an idiot. Matt walks away frustrated.
Notes[]
- Mary Camden (Jessica Biel) does not appear in this episode.
- This is the second and last episode Chip Chalmers directed of 7th Heaven, the other one being the season 5 episode, Gossip.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
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
- Beverley Mitchell as Lucy Camden
- Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie Camden
- Chaz Lamar Shepherd as John Hamilton
- Adam LaVorgna as Robbie Palmer
Guest Stars[]
- Andrea Ferrell as Heather Cain
- Jane A. Rogers as Serena
- Barret Swatek as Cheryl
- Lackey Bevis as Jane Carrington
- Krystee Clark as Ashley
Co-Starring[]
- Michaela Gallo as Julia
- Josh Wolford as Keith