Strangers In The House
Directed By: Ron Lagomarsino
Written By: Jill Gordon
Sharon's father, Andy Cherski, suffers a heart attack, and Patty and Graham decide to let Sharon stay with them, forcing Sharon and Angela to confront their estrangement. It also makes Graham have a Heroic BSoD because he's afraid that will happen to him stuck in a job he doesn't like. Patty agrees with that possibility, so she fires him.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Graham is in a bad mood when he comes back from a meeting with Allegheny Systems, Patty thinks it's because he didn't land the job. Graham tells her later he did land the job, but it made him realize he's stuck doing this job that he doesn't really want to do.
- Big "WHAT?!":
- Sharon has this reaction when Patty volunteers to Camille to have Sharon stay with them.
- Rayanne also has this reaction when she finds out Sharon is going to be staying with Angela.
- Blatant Lies: When Jordan asks why Angela was crying, she says in voiceover, "Because I'm lonely. Because I have no friends. Because I'm a terrible, terrible person." What she says to Jordan is, "Because my friend's father is in the hospital, and he could die."
- Cry into Chest: Three times:
- When Sharon realizes Brian is in the band room, she doesn't berate him for being there during her argument with Kyle, she just goes straight to him, hugs him, and starts weeping. What makes this funny as well as poignant is Brian is the person least emotionally equipped to help her (Lampshaded by Rayanne when she says to Sharon, "So, girl in distress hurls herself on guy with no life, huh?").
- Later, after Angela tells Jordan about Sharon's dad, he hugs her and she starts crying into his chest, until he breaks it off.
- Finally, when Camille learns Andy (her husband and Sharon's dad) is going to be okay, she starts crying into Graham's chest.
Camille: [muffled] I think it finally hit me. - Delayed Reaction: Lampshaded by Camille, who doesn't cry most of the time in the hospital (with one exception - see Heroic BSoD below) and claims it hasn't hit her yet, until the end, when she hears Andy's okay and she starts to cry (see Cry into Chest above).
- Double Entendre: When Rayanne passes by the band room and sees Brian holding Sharon (see Cry into Chest above), she says, "Comparing instruments?"
- Firing Day: Patty fires Graham from the printing company even after he managed to land an account because she realizes how miserable he's been working there.
- Gallows Humor: While in the hospital waiting room, Camille tells Patty the nurse is convinced Andy had a heart attack because of Camille's sexual demands (or commands), which sends them both into hysterical laughter.
- Her Boyfriend's Jacket: Sharon is wearing Kyle's letterman jacket while she's taking a test in English class and she hears about her father being in the hospital.
- Heroic BSoD:
- Graham has one the entire episode in reaction to Andy's heart attack.
- After she and Patty laugh about the nurse in the hospital (see Gallows Humor above), Camille has a brief one where she panics and wonders what she'll do without Andy if he dies.
- Hypocritical Humor: As Danielle is looking in the refrigerator:Danielle: There's, like, nothing edible in here.
Patty: Don't be ridiculous, sweetie. That thing is full of stuff. Let me look...There's, like, nothing edible in here. - I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: This is the reason Patty gives to Graham for firing him - she knows she's not happy in the job, and she wants him to be happy because she loves him.
- Meaningful Echo: In a Flashback to when Angela and Sharon were younger, Sharon tells her it really hurt to have her tonsils taken out, to which Angela responds, "Squeeze my hand how hard it hurts." Near the end of the episode, when Angela and Sharon finally make up, Sharon tells her their estrangement really hurt, to which Angela responds, "Squeeze my hand how hard it hurts," which makes Sharon laugh in recognition even while she's still crying.
- Mood Whiplash: Patty answers the phone call at work and goes from a happy expression when she recognizes Camille's voice to shock when Camille tells her about Andy's heart attack.
- Pet the Dog: Rayanne tells Sharon she and Tino will arrange to drive Sharon to the hospital so she can be with her dad instead of staying in school.
- Skewed Priorities: After Andy suffers his heart attack, Danielle worries about Graham having a heart attack, though the main reason she gives is she wonders who'd give her away when she gets married. Angela counters, "Who'd want to marry you?", at which point they both start laughing.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Sharon delivers this to Kyle the day after her father had his heart attack, crying that she left four messages with him, and he never called back. Kyle delivers a lame excuse and leaves.
- Sharon and Angela also give this to each other after Sharon decides to go out with Kyle after he calls her at Chase home. Angela accuses Sharon of just using Brian, while Sharon thinks Angela is being a Hypocrite about this, considering how much Angela has used Brian in the past.
- Played for Laughs when Rickie tells Angela and Rayanne off near the end:
Rickie: Look! We all know what's going on around here, okay? (points to Rayanne) Which is you are jealous-
Rayanne: What?!
Rickie: And you (points to Angela), you are totally flipped because Rayanne finally did something nice for once in her life.
Rayanne: Hey!
Rickie: Which she did, by taking Sharon to visit her dad. And now both of you want to make sure you both still are friends, which you are. So shut up!
