Episode Guide
Summary:
The foundation upon which the WB’s 7th Heaven is built consists of Eric Camden (Stephen Collins), pastor of Glen Oak Community Church, and Eric’s loving and supportive wife, Annie (Catherine Hicks). That said, an entertainingly inordinate amount of time is spent on the Camdens’ five children (ranging in age from 5 to 16) during the series’ first season. Oldest son Matt (Barry Watson) has, like most of his fellow high schoolers, developed a healthy interest in girls and a mile-wide streak of independence; oldest daughter Mary (Jessica Biel) is a loose-limbed “jock”; second daughter Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) is the inquisitive intellectual of the bunch; second son Simon (David Gallagher) has the happy, carefree spirit common to most ten-year-olds; and youngest girl, Ruthie (Mackenzie Rosman), is sweet but precocious. Over the course of season one’s 22 episodes, Matt develops a relationship with a deaf girl named Heather (Andrea Ferrell); Mary cultivates a friendship with Wilson West (Andrew Keegan), a nerdy teen who has had the misfortune of fathering a children out of wedlock; and Lucy suffers the first pangs of puppy love as she moons over classmate Jimmy Moon (Matthew Linville). Among the more serious and consequential complications facing the Camden brood are the impending death of Annie’s mother, Eric’s counseling of a youthful drug addict, a hidden drinking problem in the family, the decision by Eric’s elderly parents to adopt a ten-year-old boy, and, at the tail end of season one, a traffic accident that endangers the life of Mary Camden. All Movie Guide
7th Heaven Season 1 Episode Guide:
Season 1, Episode 23 – Aired: 5/19/1997
As Mary narrowly survives a hit-and-run accident, she and her family must face the reality that her basketball career may be over. In the wake of this family crisis, Annie is forced to come to terms with her father’s recent choices. While struggling to connect with Heather, Matt has an angry confrontation with the young man who nearly took Mary’s life. Lucy gradually recognizes the truth about Jimmy’s feelings for her, and Wilson – who wants very much to date Mary – approaches Eric with the details of his questionable past.
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Season 1, Episode 22 – Aired: 5/12/1997
Annie is delighted that her father Charles is visiting for the first time since her mom’s death, but she is left reeling when he arrives on their doorstep with a certain guest. Elsewhere, Lucy is eager to increase her physical appeal with a new hair-do; Mary meets a handsome young man who is harboring a few secrets; and Matt becomes romentically involved with a girl who is deaf. As Annie’s newfound resentment toward her father affects everyone in the family, it clashes with near-tragedy that may tear everyone apart.
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Season 1, Episode 21 – Aired: 5/5/1997
Matt is uneasy when Annie’s oldest friend Rachel, a boy-crazy divorcee makes a pass at him during a night out in the town with Mary. Meanwhile, Mary makes a public singing debut at a coffee house. Also, Ruthie decides to say goodbye to her imaginary friend Hoowie. Lastly, Lucy is inconsolable when her best friend, Suzanne moves away from her.
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Season 1, Episode 20 – Aired: 4/28/1997
When Eric’s parents return for a visit with their newly adopted ten-year-old son George in tow, they are shocked to meet the boy’s real father, who desperately wants to be a part of his life again. Annie tries to get the family excited as she is building a row boat in the backyard. Meanwhile, Eric’s sister Julie gets out of rehab and is having hard time with reconnecting with her parents and family at the Camden home. Also, with a little help from Matt and Mary, Lucy tries to prepare her boyfriend Jimmy for meeting her formidable grandparents, “The Colonel” and Grandma Ruth.
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Season 1, Episode 19 – Aired: 4/21/1997
Faith, Hope and the Bottom Line
Eric wants to hire an ex-convict to be the new organist as the church vestry’s the opposition. Acting church treasurer, Annie must determine whether there is enough money in the church’s budget to hire a new organist. Meanwhile, Lucy becomes jealous after she makes Mary tutor her boyfriend Jimmy Moon. Simon does his best at trying to get Matt into letting him get a tetanus shot at the doctor’s office. Lastly, Ruthie feels empowered by her new class phone list and decides to test the emergency phone numbers.
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Season 1, Episode 18 – Aired: 4/14/1997
Mary meets a wild girl, Camille (guest-star Keri Russell, “Felicity”) in detention who convinces her to sneak out of her house to attend a fraternity party with her. Although, the party turns out to be an intimate double date with a driver who’s been drinking all night. Lucy, now at age thirteen, must officially choose her religion and faith—to the pressure of Eric on her back. Meanwhile, Eric and Annie counsel a former associate pastor of Eric’s who is burdened with a secret of his own. Also, Simon and Ruthie secretly buy ferrets and sneak them into the house.
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Season 1, Episode 17 – Aired: 2/17/1997
Lucy asks Eric to investigate her new best friend’s white lies as to where she and her family really live and their financial situation. Meanwhile, Matt intervenes when a bully harasses Mary at school. Also, Simon is jealous of Ruthie’s new friend from her pre-kindergarten class as she’s more fascinated with him now than Simon. Lastly, Ruthie’s first day at school brings melancholy feelings for Annie.
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Season 1, Episode 16 – Aired: 2/10/1997
While both couples, Annie and Eric—Patricia and Morgan Hamilton spend a romantic Valentine’s Day camping, Matt is left in charge of the rest of the family and allows chaos to reign in the Camden household. His preoccupation with his date and Mary’s party allows the dog Happy to slip out of the house in search of her puppies. When a car hits Happy the family holds a vigil, aided by a caring veterinarian. Simon blames Matt for the whole entire accident. Meanwhile, Lucy is enjoying her first Valentine’s Day with her boyfriend Jimmy Moon.
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Season 1, Episode 15 – Aired: 2/3/1997
All three Camden generations dread the annual visit of Eric’s parents, “The Colonel” and Grandma Ruth Camden. Tension mounts between father and son when the Colonel harshly criticizes Eric’s children, then scoffs at Eric and Annie’s desire to adopt a troubled 9-year-old boy who has been hiding out at Eric’s office. Meanwhile, Annie makes a shocking discovery at a local store and struggles to deal with Lucy, who can’t seem to connect with her grandparents.
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Season 1, Episode 14 – Aired: 1/27/1997
As part of a basketball team ritual at her school, Mary is elected to steal a drinking glass from the local teen hangout, but in an unfortunate twist of events, Matt is faced with theft charges and potential jail time. Lucy is ridden with guilt after cheating on a school assignment, and Ruthie asks Simon for help in pleasing their recently irritable father.
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Season 1, Episode 13 – Aired: 1/13/1997
With a Little Help from My Friends
To help preserve a woman’s pride, Matt lies to his family and secretly helps an old Mrs. Bink (guest-star Eileen Brennan) around her house. Eric becomes very concerned when Matt begins to miss church and is skipping school with Mary to help Mrs. Bink when he won’t tell Eric and Annie about his secret. Although, Annie is calm about everything and knows that there is nothing bad happening and that there is a good reason behind all of this. Meanwhile, Eric tries to help a homeless family by breaking things in his church so that they can work to make the money and keep them off the streets. Also, Lucy is a little depressed over the lack of enthusiasm over her 13th birthday and that her father won’t let her have a boy/girl party. Although, Lucy gets her wish by the end, and a little surprise when she finds out that her boyfriend’s friend likes her. Lastly, Happy finally delivers her puppies as the Camdens begin to sell them.
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Season 1, Episode 12 – Aired: 12/16/1996
The Camdens become suspicious when Matt’s new girlfriend, Tia, wants to spend more time with the family than being alone with Matt. Meanwhile, Lucy enlists the help of Matt to overcome her clumsiness in order to try out for the cheerleading squad. Also, Annie yearns for more romance in her marriage with Eric as she has become bored with the every day routines. Lastly, Simon tries to make himself invisible and tries to convince the whole family that he can be invisible.
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Season 1, Episode 11 – Aired: 11/25/1996
Matt, Mary and Lucy make are eager to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their friends, but plans change as Eric’s sister Julie arrives for an extended visit. Her longtime reputation as Eric’s docile, ultra-responsible baby sister is suddenly destroyed when the Camdens learn a secret about her that physically threatens Simon and throws the entire family into turmoil.
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Season 1, Episode 10 – Aired: 11/18/1996
See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
After Annie and Matt are car-jacked, Matt is afraid to leave the house, while Annie resumes her normal activities with no apparent emotional damage. Meanwhile, Lucy fears that running against Jimmy Moon for class president will harm their relationship, and Mary contemplates getting a tattoo against her parents’ wishes.
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Season 1, Episode 9 – Aired: 11/11/1996
Rumors sweep around town when several members of the Camdens’ parish suspect that Eric is having an extramarital affair, but it actually turns out to be something quite different. Matt tries to keep things moving slowly between Mary and her new boyfriend, and a mishap at school leaves Simon refusing to go.
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Season 1, Episode 8 – Aired: 11/4/1996
Mary un-invites her family to an important basketball game of hers, rationalizing that it will only make her more nervous. Unsure of what to do with themselves at that point, Annie and Eric turn a visit to the grocery store into a romantic date, and while there, Eric runs into a troubled young man whom he once counseled. Back at home, Lucy is stuck baby-sitting Simon and Ruthie, but as she struggles to gain the approval of a snobby classmate, the younger kids sneak out and get lost.
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Season 1, Episode 7 – Aired: 10/28/1996
With Halloween just around the corner, Lucy attempts to learn the truth about “The Mutant” Mike — a mysterious recluse who’s been accused of murder. Meanwhile, Simon prepares for the ‘Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest’ at the church and badly wants to be in first place. Also, Mary schemes to have the house all to herself when tricking all of her friends and family as to where she is going to be. While the family prepares for the church’s annual Halloween Carnival, chaired by Annie, Eric has a bad attitude towards the whole holiday and discovers the real reason behind his hatred of Halloween when remembering a dramatic experience he had as an 11-year-old boy.
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Season 1, Episode 6 – Aired: 10/14/1996
When the Camden family learns that their friend, Reverend Morgan Hamilton’s church was burned down by a racist group, they invite the Hamiltons to stay at their home. Meanwhile, Simon has his own problems when defending his friend Nigel after a racist comment is made to him at the playground. Also, Matt, Mary and Lucy have a hard time when trying to develop a good relationship with the older Hamilton children, Keesha and John. Lastly, Eric and Annie do their best to help Morgan and his wife Patricia get through their marital problems, while Ruthie and Lynn are having fun as 5-year-olds.
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Season 1, Episode 5 – Aired: 10/7/1996
Following her mother’s funeral, Annie’s sunny demeanor turns to sadness, particularly after her father abruptly leaves to go back home in Arizona. Eric tries to counsel a young couple whose marital problems escalate during the post-funeral reception at the Camden home. Matt helps with the delivery of Renee’s baby and after Mary breaks up with Jeff, she discovers she was better off with Jeff. Lastly, Simon tries to find the exact location of heaven.
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Season 1, Episode 4 – Aired: 9/30/1996
Annie continues to suffer through her mother’s recent Leukemia diagnosis. Annie then decides to go to Arizona to visit them and see what is going on with them. Meanwhile, Eric volunteers for the church’s “meals on wheels” service, but he’s unable to do it at the last minute. Matt then volunteers to do it, but his dating habits get him into trouble with the organization he is doing charity for. Also, Mary decides to call it a quits with Jeff while Lucy has her first real date with her classmate Jimmy Moon. Lastly, when Annie returns home with her parents, they decide to stay with her and the rest of the family so that they could spend some more time with them—which unfortunately will be the last for Jenny.
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Season 1, Episode 3 – Aired: 9/23/1996
Matt shocks his family when he reveals his secret—that he is very close friends with a teenage pregnant girl, Renee. Right away Matt tells them that he is not the father of her baby, but just trying to help her out. Meanwhile, Mary is keeping her new boyfriend a secret from Matt. Lucy gets a surprise with her secret crush on a classmate Jimmy Moon. Also, Eric gets a surprise of his own when he discovers his shoes keep on disappearing while Matt’s friend Renee finds some help from an unusual ally – Eric. Finally, Annie reveals the shocking truth to Matt about his grandmother having Leukemia.
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Season 1, Episode 2 – Aired: 8/26/1996
In the premiere of this series it introduces Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) who’s a minister, father of five, happily married, and a soon-to-be dog owner. His wife, Annie Camden (Catherine Hicks) is a stay-at-home mom raising their children. Matt Camden (Barry Watson) is the oldest child who has picked up a habit of smoking and not being able to keep a job. Mary Camden (Jessica Biel) is the oldest daughter who likes to play basketball a lot and is having a craving for wanting to kiss a boy. Lucy Camden (Beverley Mitchell) is the middle child and is hoping to become a woman and getting her period very soon. Simon Camden (David Gallagher) is the youngest son and is hoping to get a dog very soon, even though his parents already told him that he’s too young. Ruthie Camden (Mackenzie Rosman) is the youngest child and is a happy and adorable 5 year-old. Also, Annie learns some devastating news when her parents come for a visit as her mother has Leukemia.
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Pilot. Season 1, Episode 1
The original pilot episode of 7th Heaven that never aired was just like the one that did air with a few minor changes. Many scenes in the original pilot episode were cut. You can tell by the pilot episode that did air. In the first half of the episode, the Camdens’ house is very different from usual (especially the kitchen), but in the second half of the episode the Camdens’ house (especially the kitchen) is back to what it usually is in most episodes. Some scenes were cut and re-shot again that would fit the pilot that did air. Unless the Camdens had two different kitchens the show was filmed out of sequence.
