Episode #417 "The Perfect Valentine"

It's Valentine's Day and James, Griffin's father who he hasn't seen in 15 years, has suddenly shown up at the Lucas house. He's out of prison, has a job at a limousine company, is clean and sober and wants to talk to his son. Griffin comes in with Rebecca, takes one look at his father and heads straight for the kitchen. The couple then sneaks out the back door, but James catches them on the way to the subway. He tells Griffin he only wants a couple of minutes of his time, but Griffin is openly hostile. His dad perseveres; he tells him about his new life and shows Griffin a photo of his new wife and kids. He hopes that even if they can't be father and son, they can at least be friends. Rebecca goes back to the Lucas house to call the restaurant and change their reservation. She observes that she knows nothing about Griffin's history with his father, even though it clearly has affected him deeply. Ruth points out that men have huge problems with sharing their feelings, and Hilton responds that the worst thing is being pressured to talk when he'd rather not. Griffin comes back to get Rebecca and she suggests that they talk rather than go to dinner. Reluctantly, Griffin tells her what it was like to grow up with two junkies for parents. Later, Griffin calls his dad and agrees to meet him so they can talk.