Synopsis of The Reunion
Written by TK
A gorgeous man opens the door to a limo and Syd gets out, dressed to the nines. She takes the man's arm and begins to walk up the stairs of the building. Her mother asks her what she's doing. She says she's going to her high school reunion and she's the guest of honor. Lynda scoffs and points out that Syd isn't even married. Syd says she is still proud of her accomplishments. As Syd walks into the school gym full of her old high school classmates, a woman announces to everyone that Syd, class valedictorian, winner of the science fair, and runner up to the person voted most likely to succeed, is here! Lynda tells Syd she's living in the land of denial, because her old best friend Kerry King will always be the guest of honor. A helicopter begins to land outside, and everyone runs outside to greet Kerry King. Even Syd's mother ditches her in the gym, telling her that as long as Kerry is around, Syd will only ever be runner up.
Joanie, Jim and Syd are in the kitchen in the morning. Joanie is desperately trying to find a baby-sitter for Friday night because she's going to a zoo benefit with Jim (hoping to find eligible men there). She asks Syd if she can do it, but Syd says she's going to her high school reunion. She wasn't originally planning on going, but her old best friend Kerry called and convinced her. Joanie and Jim can't believe that Kerry King is actually coming back to Providence since she's basically the next Martha Stuart. Syd tries to downplay Kerry's fame, but Jim and Joanie rave about her. Syd says she's going to meet Kerry at her hotel later, and Joanie warns her to bring ID because no one's going to believe that Syd is Kerry's best friend from high school. Syd scoffs at the idea.
A grumpy man from down the block named Lester Moody comes into Jim's office with a box. Jim comes in and asks Lester what's up. Lester says he caught this varmint destroying the garbage cans around his house, and he was going to shoot it, but then all the bleeding hearts would get up in arms so he figured he'd bring it to Jim to get rid of humanely. Jim pulls a ferret out of the box Lester brought in and assures Lester that he'll deal with it in the most humane fashion... lethal injection. Heather is horrified, but after Lester leaves Jim assures her that he'll just check the ferret out to make sure it's healthy and then they'll find it a home. They name the ferret Happy... as in Happy to get away from Lester Moody.
Syd asks Izzy if she can clear up the appointments from her afternoon so that she can go meet her old friend Kerry King. Izzy is amazed that Syd was friends with Kerry King, and immediately has to go tell all the other clinic employees. Syd shakes her head in amazement at everyone's reaction to her old friend's name.
At the bar, Robbie asks Charlie why he's working the lunch shift when he wasn't on the schedule. It turns out Charlie is picking up as many extra shifts as he can, not only because he's grateful that Robbie gave him his job back, but also because he's saving up money to buy Heather an engagement ring. Robbie is horrified, but tries to cover.
Robbie immediately goes to see Joanie and asks her what he should do about Charlie proposing to Heather. He's not ready to give up on getting Heather himself. Joanie takes the opportunity and manipulates Robbie into watching Hannah Friday night, telling him that women will always fall for a guy that's good with babies.
Syd goes to Kerry's hotel, and as Joanie predicted, the folks at the front desk scoff at her when she says she's Kerry's best friend from high school and she's expected. Luckily, Kerry is walking through the lobby at just that moment, but she's surrounded by a hoard of fans and photographers. Women keep asking her questions about dinner parties, gardening and weddings, and she keeps referring them to various chapters of the various books she's written. She sees Syd and yells out a greeting to her. Syd yells back, but can't get anywhere near her old friend. Kerry yells that she'll call Syd at the clinic later and disappears. Syd is left a bit miffed.
When Syd gets home in the evening, she finds Joanie and Jim in the back yard grilling shishkebabs... one of Kerry King's recipes, in honor of her return to Providence. Syd is disappointed that Kerry never called her that afternoon at the clinic, and feels like her old best friend has turned into some cold-hearted celebrity that doesn't have time for personal relationships and doesn't care about people's feelings. The doorbell rings and Syd answers it. It's Kerry, apologizing about not getting in touch with a long list of excuses about why she couldn't call. Syd assures her she assumed that that was what had happened. Kerry asks if she can stay with Syd for the weekend to get away from the press and just relive old times. Syd says Kerry is welcome to the guest room over the garage. Kerry goes to the back yard to see Joanie and Jim while Syd deals with the guy who brings in Kerry's large amount of luggage.
The next morning, Kerry makes breakfast for the whole family and spruces up the kitchen at the same time. Jim and Joanie are incredibly psyched. Kerry says she justs wants to do something for her old home away from home. When asked, she says that her husband couldn't make it back for the reunion, plus she really wanted to join Syd since she's flying solo. She realizes she sort of made a dig at Syd and apologizes for her insensitivity. Kerry give Syd a schedule for their next few days. She's very organized.
Jim checks out the animals in his office the next morning. Happy the ferret has escaped. Jim and Heather worry that he might go back to Lester Moody's house.
When Syd gets to the clinic, Izzy excitedly asks if she saw Kerry King. Syd says she not only saw her, but Kerry is staying at her house. Izzy asks of Syd could get her to autograph her book. Syd says Izzy can ask Kerry herself when she comes to pick her up for dinner at 5pm. She asks Izzy to keep that tidbit under her hat, and Izzy promises to do so but then immediately starts telling people.
At work, Charlie shows Robbie the ring he got for Heather. He says he's going to propose tomorrow night. Robbie says he was going to ask Charlie to cover work for him tomorrow night 'cause he has this thing he has to do. Charlie says he'd be happy to. Robbie protests, but Charlie says his proposal can wait just one more night, and he still owes Robbie big time for giving him his job back and taking care of Heather while he was away. Robbie thanks Charlie.
Kerry shows up at the clinic promptly at 5, and not only happily signs Izzy's book, but gives away some free copies for other clinic employees.
Jim and Heather set a ferret trap in the back yard. Robbie comes out and asks Heather if she'll help him baby-sit Hannah tomorrow night. She says she thinks she has plans with Charlie. Robbie says Charlie has to work tomorrow night. Heather says in that case, she'd be happy to help Robbie.
Syd and Kerry are at dinner. They get a free bottle of wine, and the waiter who pours it says that the whole staff are Kerry's fans. Kerry pulls out her own silverware and puts it at her plate. She explains that it's a marketing ploy, since she's trying to sell her own silverware, she leaves it at restaurants and hopes that they'll order it. They start to chat. Kerry asks Syd what happened to her plans to travel the world, find a cure for cancer and marry an astronaut. Syd says she doesn't need the astronaut and she's still working on the other two. Kerry says she's glad that Syd hasn't given up on her master plan. Syd says actually, she likes it when life deviates from the master plan. Kerry looks a little uncomfortable at the idea.
At the end of dinner, Syd is drinking coffee while Kerry is carefully washing her hands with that waterless antibacterial hand-wash stuff. Kerry says she loves her fame and personal fulfillment and money, but she misses her old best friend desperately. Her husband and her millions of adoring fans don't make up for not talking to Syd anymore. The two women reminisce about high school and how they used to break into this old hotel pool and go skinny-dipping. They gigglingly decide to visit their old haunt.
Jim and Joanie are checking the ferret trap. The ferret has taken the bait and gotten away from the trap. Syd and Kerry come into the back yard laughing. They bid each other good night, and Kerry asks what time breakfast is. Syd says anytime is fine.
It's past 3am when Syd wakes up to the sound of plates rattling. She goes downstairs and sees the ferret scavenging on the kitchen table. The ferret runs out the back door at Syd's arrival, and Syd goes out the door to follow it. Then Syd spots Kerry in the guest room pacing around with the light on. She goes to the window and sees Kerry making a flower arrangement. She makes a beautiful arrangement, obviously isn't happy with it, takes all the flowers out and starts again. Syd is amazed.
Syd comes into the guest room in the morning and finds Kerry passed out at the table, surrounded by flowers and spilled bottle of pills. She wakes her up, and Kerry is a bit groggy and disoriented. Syd says Peter is on the phone, and Kerry says that she'll call him back in five minutes.
Syd comes downstairs and Kerry is back to her old self, teaching Jim how to make the perfect fritatta. Kerry mentions that she was up late making notes for her new book and fell asleep at the table. Syd asks if they're still on for the tour of the school at 4pm and Kerry says they are. Kerry says she'll come pick Syd up, but Syd says she'll just meet her there 'cause she doesn't think the clinic can take another appearance of Kerry King. As the perfect fritatta comes out perfectly, Syd mentions that she saw the ferret in the kitchen last night. Kerry says she might have a home remedy that would help catch the ferret. Jim asks if they can keep Kerry forever.
At the clinic, Syd starts looking up something in a book, and when Izzy comes in she asks how much Izzy knows about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Izzy says she has one patient once who washed her hands until they bled and had to turn the key in her lock twelve times in a certain order before she left the house. Izzy asks if Syd is asking for someone she knows, and Syd just says a friend was curious.
Lester comes back to Jim's office. He is furious that the ferret was back in his kitchen again last night. Lester asks Jim for some poison, and Jim says he's fresh out, but offers to come over and catch the ferret. Lester says he'll take care of the varmint himself... now it's personal.
Syd parks next to the limo in front of the school and goes up the steps the building. Inside in a classroom, she finds Kerry arranging books on the shelves into alphabetical order. As Kerry carefully wipes her hands with a tissue they talk about how this was the room where the "most likely to succeed" vote happened. They remember that they both agreed to vote for each other, and Syd says that when Kerry won by one vote, she suspected that Kerry had voted for herself. Kerry admits she did. Syd laughingly admits that she voted for herself as well. Syd asks Kerry to confide in her, and asks what's going on. Kerry plays dumb, so Syd brings up OCD, citing the flowers, the Xanax that Kerry takes, and the silverware and anti-bacterial hand-wash in the restaurant. Kerry gets defensive, and lashes out at Syd saying she doesn't have OCD, and if she did she'd see the best specialist in the country, not some plastic surgeon who went back to Providence to work at a clinic. Syd is hurt, and Kerry immediately apologizes, saying that Syd is maybe her only real friend, and she just wants to have a nice weekend together. Syd agrees to put it behind her, but she does it through clenched teeth.
Robbie arrives to pick up Hannah and whisks her away from Joanie who is dressed up and ready to go. She says Hannah has been fed and changed, so hopefully she'll sleep through the night. As Robbie leaves, Kerry comes in with a grocery bag and says she's going to make salsa from these great vegetables she picked up at the farmers' market. Jim comes in a tux, and Jim and Joanie say that they're actually running late and have to get going to the zoo benefit. Syd comes in and tells Kerry that they have to get going to the reunion. Kerry insists that it will only take two minutes to the make the salsa. On her way out the door with her father, Joanie jokes about how she'd almost rather be going out with Syd and Kerry tonight. Syd reminds her that they're doing a girl's night out, and Joanie is on the prowl for men. Kerry advises Joanie to go for the man with the receding hairline because he has more testosterone and he's anxious to please. Jim asks if Kerry ever stops thinking and Syd digs that it must get tiring. Kerry insists that's just the way she is. Jim and Joanie leave and Kerry tells Syd to go check if the car is waiting outside. Kerry starts to chop celery and checks to make sure the pieces she chops are all the same size. Syd comes back and says the car is waiting, and Kerry realizes that she doesn't have time to make salsa and gets her coat. As they're leaving the house, Kerry suddenly remembers that she promised to call her husband. Syd suggests she use a cell phone in the car, but Kerry says she needs privacy for this call and Syd should just go ahead, she'll take a cab and meet her there later. As soon as Syd leaves, Kerry rushes back to the kitchen and starts chopping the celery expertly into little pieces. She cuts her thumb, and is bleeding profusely, but continues to chop the bloody celery.
Robbie and Heather are watching "Three Men and a Baby," and Robbie is desperately talking up Heather about how caring and motherly he can be. He's pretty much got Heather leaning in to kiss him when Hannah starts crying and he has to run into the other room to calm her. Once he's there, Hannah only starts to bawl louder.
Syd is standing around with old classmates who are joking in that back-handed way that women do about her single status. The other women ask Syd where the guest of honor is, because it's not like her to be 45 minutes late. Syd says she's going to call Kerry, and as soon as she walks away the women start gossiping about her thing with Kyle Moran.
Syd can't get Kerry to pick up the phone, but when a classmate walks by and asks what's up, Syd says Kerry told her that she got an emergency phone call.
Syd goes home, and when she walks in the door she starts calling for Kerry. She finally finds her friend passed out on the kitchen floor below a counter-top full of chopped celery, bleeding everywhere.
Syd sits down on a swing in a playground. Her mother sits down in the swing next to her. Syd is incredibly worried about Kerry, and as her mother says, she looks like she just lost her best friend. Her mother reminds her of when Syd and Kerry used to play in the playground as kids. Syd watches as a young Syd and a young Kerry compare projects sitting across from each other at a picnic table. Kerry is upset because her's isn't as good as Syd's, and Syd crosses over to the other side of the table to help Kerry with her project. A younger Lynda runs over and snaps a picture of the adorable duo, and then Lynda brings it over to older Syd to remind her of the good times she shared with Kerry. Syd wakes up in the waiting room of the hospital.
When Syd comes into Kerry's hospital room, Kerry is signing a copy of her book for one of the nurses. Kerry makes up some excuse to Syd about cutting herself and looking for a bandage and passing out. Syd calls her right out, saying she just couldn't leave the salsa, and had to keep cutting the celery until she passed out from blood loss. Kerry still protests, asking if the hospital was really necessary. Syd is outraged, telling Kerry that she needed a transfusion. Syd assures Kerry that she'll make up a good story so that no one will need to know what really happened. Kerry says that's good, because she does have a responsibility to her fans, and she wouldn't want them to think something was wrong with her. Syd says she's going back to the house to pick up some clothes and stuff for Kerry. Kerry asks Syd to bring her make up kit as well.
Robbie comes into Jim's office and apologizes for last night. Heather says it's okay, but next time he asks her to help babysit he should admit that he doesn't know the first thing about taking care of babies. Lester calls and quickly asks if anyone knows of a good ferret cemetary. Jim, Heather and Robbie go running over to Lester's house.
Syd comes back to the hospital and Kerry is gone. No one knows where she went.
Jim and his entourage arrive at Lester's and see him chasing the ferret around his house with a shovel. Lester is far beyond listening to reason, and Robbie realizes that the only way to save the ferret is to catch it first. As the ferret runs into another room, Robbie quickly picks it up. Lester comes running in, grabs a shot gun off the wall and warns Robbie that if he doesn't put the ferret down he can't guarantee his safety. Robbie tells Lester that he won't shoot a defenseless animal because it would be cowardly. Heather is impressed with Robbie's bravery, and Lester lowers his shot gun, defeated.
Syd, back at the house, finds an old photo album and finds the picture of herself and Kerry at the picnic table at the playground. She pulls it out of the album and tucks it away.
Heather comes into the bar where Robbie's working. Robbie tells her that Charlie won't be in until six. Heather says she's not here to see Charlie, she's here to see Robbie. Robbie is surprised. Heather says she was amazed by how brave Robbie was with the ferret and Lester. Robbie says it was nothing. Heather says it didn't seem like nothing to her. She wants to tell Robbie that they found a good hoome for Happy, and she also asks if she can cook him dinner tonight as a thank you for saving the ferret. Robbie says that would be great.
Syd finds Kerry sitting on the swings at the playground. Kerry is devastated, and asks Syd what she is supposed to do. Syd tells her she's supposed to go get dressed because they're reunion is in three hours. Kerry tells Syd that she didn't come back to Providence for the reunion, she really came back because she needed to tell Syd house sick she was. She hasn't told anyone. Syd asks if Peter, Kerry's husband, has been helpful. Kerry says he put up with it as long as he could, but he left her six months ago when she still refused to get treatment. Syd assures her that she'll find her the best specialist in the country. Kerry says she doesn't want the best specialist, she wants Syd.
Robbie comes home with a bottle of wine and some flowers, all psyched for dinner with Heather. When he opens the door, he is surprised by Heather showing him her ring and announcing her engagement to Charlie. Charlie asks Robbie to be his best man and Robbie agrees, trying to hold back his shock and disappointment and instead be happy for his two friends.
At the reunion, Patti is at the podium, saying that their class has had the best turn out of any class in the the school's reunion history. She thanks Tobi Hunter, who arranged the whole event, and then gives Kerry King the prize of most successful graduate. Kerry gives an eloquent speech, hearkening back to the original "most successful" contest that she says she won fair and square and deserved. However, she claims, she doesn't deserve this one, and passes the award on to Syd, without whom Kerry wouldn't be here. Syd is moved to tears, and has to be urged up on the stage with Kerry. As they stand there, arm in arm with the award, someone takes their picture.
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