Episode #405 "Beat on the Brat"

Ryan, Henry's obnoxious, friend is skating in the Finnerty living room and driving Sean crazy. Sean orders him to stop, but Ryan ignores him. Sean tells Claudia that he hates Henry's new best friend. Claudia's relieved, because she felt guilty hating a ten-year-old. Sean tells Claudia about picking up the boys at school. Ryan demands to ride shotgun, but Sean informs him that kids ride in the back. Sister Helen approaches and reminds Sean that she still needs a parent to help with the class field trip the following week. She thought of Sean, because he has such flexible hours at the bar. Sean sees Brad and finds out that Lily is hanging out upstairs with Brad and a bunch of his friends. Sean wonders if Claudia's okay with that, but she assures him it's fine. He hasn't seen these guys. Upstairs, Lily's ready to shoot herself. She's so bored; these guys are serious geeks. In the living room, Ryan's been skating again and trashing the place. Sean asks him nicely to clean everything up. Ryan talks back, and Sean loses it. He's yelling as Tom Sheehan, Ryan's dad, arrives to take him home. Tom wants to know what's going on. When Sean explains, Tom says that his son doesn't respond to bullying. Maybe Sean should count to ten before he explodes. The next day Claudia tells Sean that she ran into Eddie and a woman who must be his new girlfriend. They were holding hands at a sidewalk café. In the dining room, Henry is playing battleship by himself. Ryan won't come over anymore. Henry tells his mom that Sean will explain. Sean says he was at school trying to get the kids into the car. Ryan was being obnoxious again, and Sean gently tried to push him into the car. Ryan resisted, and the kids in the school yard think that it's a kidnapping. And it happened in front of Sister Helen. Claudia observes that now not only Ryan's dad thinks Sean's a bad parent, but also Sister Helen and the entire fifth grade. Lily pretends to be sick and sends Brad and his friends home. She tells his mom that Brad's friends are a disaster. What dorks! Maybe, says Claudia, but they come with the deal. She shouldn't make Brad choose between her and her friends. Eddie comes in and tells them that he met his new girlfriend through a Jewish singles website. It gives him a great exit strategy. When the time's right, he'll confess he's not Jewish, and she'll break up with him. The phone rings, and it's Sister Helen. Sean's off the hook for the field trip. No way! He needs this to proves he's a good parent. He'll show up anyway. Lily and Brad are at Mocha JoJo's. At Lily's urging, Brad's ditched his friends. But now Lily's girlfriends are coming over, and he wants to hang out with them. Eddie and his girlfriend arrive uninvited at the Finnertys for dinner. Rebecca thanks Claudia for the invitation, and Claudia plays along. Then it hits her that Eddie's ready to dump Rebecca. She's right. Rebecca's been talking about having kids, and it's time for Eddie to hit the road. Sean comes in and tells Claudia he got to the school just in time to see Ryan and his dad get on the bus. That's who they got to replace him! Sean tries to force his way onto the bus and then lies down in the street in front of the bus. The bus backs up and goes around him. Brad's hanging out with Lily and her friends, and it's not going well. Lily can't wait for him to leave. Henry comes home from the field trip followed by Sister Helen who comments on the fact that Sean even chased the bus for a while. He's been barred by the faculty from chaperoning any future field trips. But Sister Helen reveals that she can't stand Ryan's dad, who's always in her face, and she thinks that Ryan's a brat. Sean's been vindicated. Eddie uses Sister Helen's presence as an opportunity to confess to Rebecca that he's not Jewish. She's known that since their first date. Eddie realizes that he's not off the hook. He'll have to do the breaking up. And Lily takes Brad aside and says she's being selfish. Brad should have his own friends and she should have hers. And when Ryan and his dad stop by to take Henry out to dinner, Sean counts to ten and tells them Henry won't be going.