Ep 6. Analogies

Charlie and Kirsten are surprised by the unannounced arrival of her parents, Ellie and Gene. Although Ellie offers to stay in a hotel, she and Gene end up moving in with the Salingers for their stay, and it isn't long before Charlie discovers that Kirsten is unsettlingly similar to her overbearing mom. With his less-than-stellar college entrance exam scores, Bailey decides to give up his idea of going away to school. But when his teacher Maggie offers to personally tutor him for another test, Bailey isn't at all sure what it is she's really after...an improvement in his scores or him. Julia takes on Claudia over her dislike of Griffin. To make amends, Claudia then asks for his help with a school science project. However, Julia soon takes offense when Griffin seems to care more for her younger sister than he does for her. Meanwhile, after Gene tells Charlie of his plan to retire and tour the nation's baseball parks, Ellie dismisses it as an idle dream. But while Kirsten objects and Ellie makes clear how her own common sense has helped their marriage of many years survive, Charlie isn't about to take Gene's passivity lying down. After another test doesn't improve his score, Maggie suggests that Bailey isn't getting any support and encouragement at home. But a reminder from Charlie about their late mother's never-ending faith in them inspires Bailey not to give up on his college dreams just yet. Listening to Griffin talk about how much Claudia reminds him of his dead sister, Julia encourages her sister and boyfriend to spend time more time together. Finally, as Ellie does her best to explain her marriage, the disbelieving Charlie is still unsettled by his own bride-to-be's eerie similarity to her mom.