"The Present"
Episode Summary
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Written by: Jana Veverka and Therese Beaupre
Directed by: Nicholas Kendall
Part I aired on Nickelodeon: October 7, 2000 at 9:00 p.m.
Part II aired on Nickelodeon: October 7, 2000 at 9:30 p.m.
My Overall Opinion of the Episode:
A good mixture of humorous lines and dramatic tension combine to make "The Present" an excellent opening episode of the second season of "Caitlin's Way."
The Cast:
Sean Amsing -- Jordan Clarke
Judith Buchan -- Sara Findlay
Cynthia Belliveau -- Dori Lowe
Linsey Eeson -- Melissa
Lindsay Felton -- Caitlin Seeger
Brendan Fletcher -- Eric Anderson
Jeremy Foley -- Griffen Lowe
Jason McSkimming -- Will Findlay
Tania Saulnier -- Taylor Langford
Ken Tremblett -- Jim Lowe
Stephen Warner -- Brett Stevens
The Music:
"Porchlight" -- Neko Case
"Wishing for a Sail" -- Dig Circus
"Kismet" -- Honeysuckle Serontina
"Beach Blanket Blackout" -- The Huevos Rancheros
"Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump" -- The Huevos Rancheros
"Sticka Butta & a Loffa Bread" -- Chris Leavins
"Mystique" -- Mystique
"Nature Boy" -- Pleasure
Episode Summary:
Caitlin is about to have her 15th birthday. She has no idea that it will be a birthday of surprises that she will never forget. Griffen plans a surprise birthday party at the ranch and he invites many of the kids from school. Jim and Dori plan to legally adopt Caitlin to be their daughter and they present adoption papers as a birthday present. A new guy at school named Will begins to spy on Caitlin and follow her around. Will and his mother later claim that Caitlin's horse Bandit may in fact be one of their colts that ran off and joined the same wild herd that Caitlin found Bandit in. Caitlin must face the unthinkable possibility that she may loose Bandit forever. She bluntly declares to Will and his mother, "I will not let you take my horse!" Will's mother attempts to get a blood sample from Bandit. She wants to have it tested to prove that the horse belongs to her. Dori and Jim promise to fight her every step of the way. Caitlin, however, takes matters into her own hands and hides Bandit at an abandoned corral near the river. Bandit gets loose during a thunderstorm and is nowhere to be found when Caitlin returns the next day. Caitlin and Will begin to search for Bandit. They find him trapped on the rocks near the flooded river. Will and Caitlin rescue Bandit but Caitlin is nearly swept away in the attempt. Will eventually decides to let Caitlin keep Bandit. Caitlin decides not to be adopted by the Lowes because she wants to keep the name that she has, Caitlin Seeger.
Episode Highlights:
1. Caitlin's opening prologue: "'Hush little baby, don't say a word; mommy's gonna' buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, mommy's gonna' buy you a diamond ring.' You used to sing me that. I wish you were still here. But, mom, I'm too old for lullabies now. I'm gonna' be 15! I can't believe it! That's seven birthdays without you. I'm so different. I know so much now. And Jim and Dori, well, I guess they're like parents."
2. When Jim and Dori present "Consent by a Child to Adoption" papers to Caitlin as a birthday present, they expect her to be excited. Caitlin, however, is frightened and she excuses herself. Caitlin later asks them why they didn't ask her first. Jim says that they wanted to surprise her. They didn't realize that it could also scare her. Dori tells Caitlin that they just want her to share her new life with them, and that their wanting to adopt her won't change Caitlin's past with her mother. Caitlin asks, "What do you think my mom would want me to do?" Dori responds, "I think your mom would want you to be safe and happy. Are you happy?" Caitlin seems unsure, but says, "I guess. You guys really care about what I do." Jim and Dori tell Caitlin that she doesn't need to decide now. The tension is broken by a moment of humor when Caitlin asks, "Can I still call you 'Jim' and 'Dori?' And Griffen 'Butt-head?'"
3. Several humorous moments break the tension that gradually builds as the episode progresses. When Caitlin asks Griffen to tell her what she is going to get for her birthday, Griffen responds, "Just living with me is a present enough. You should know that now." When Caitlin sees Taylor admiring herself at school as "kissable," Caitlin says, "No one's gonna' kiss you. You never shut up long enough to have your lips closed." When Griffen takes Caitlin out to a movie so that everyone can prepare the surprise party, a large bird dropping lands on Caitlin's jacket as they are walking home from the movie. Caitlin exclaims, "That bird just did it on me! It's my birthday!" Griffen responds, "Well, you know, if you had been walking faster, it would have missed."
4. Will confronts Caitlin at school and shouts, "You stole my horse!" When Caitlin declares that it is her horse, Will responds, "Yeah, well if you don't give him back, I'll have you arrested! I'm sure you'll be all right. I've heard you're used to jails!" Griffen steps in and tells Will to take that statement back. When Will refuses to take the statement back, Griffen and Will begin to fight. Caitlin breaks up the fight shouting, "Knock it off!" She says to Will, "Your fight is with me!" She says to Griffen, "Are you nuts? I don't need you or anyone else to take care of me, alright?" Griffen is confused and doesn't understand why Caitlin doesn't appreciate what he did. Jim later has a talk with Griffen about his fight. Jim says, "I'd be a lousy father if I supported you on this." Griffen responds, "Dad, I was defending her!" Jim says, "Really? Was she in physical danger? Maybe you just lost control."
5. Caitlin and Will have a talk after they rescue Bandit from the flooded river. When Will says that the blood test will prove that the horse is his, Caitlin responds, "It won't prove anything." Will says, "My father gave me that colt before he died. When he left it was like all the light went out in the world. I figured that if I could find him, maybe my dad would come back too, you know? But I never found him. Until now." Caitlin says, "Ever since my mom died, I've had nothing of my own. When I came here it was completely different than anything I've ever known. I saved Bandit's life. And he saved mine. I love him more than anything in the world." Caitlin says that she doesn't know what to do. Will says, "If we take him, I don't think he'd ever be ours. Bandit belongs to you. Here. Take him. Happy birthday, Caitlin."
