Original air-date: November 13, 1969
Writers: Peggy Elliot and Ed Scharlach
Director: Gary Nelson
Rating: Three point five (3.5) bells
Synopsis:
The Captain is in the alcove completing the delicate task of putting a model ship in a bottle, when he is disturbed by the noise of the children breaking balloons and Carolyn’s hammering. In frustration, he complains to Carolyn that he can’t find a quiet berth in his own home. She agrees he’s entitled to peace and quiet, but warns there will be one storm before they have calm seas - Jonathan’s birthday party, which she teases will have a hundred kids.
Although less than a hundred kids attend, Jonathan’s birthday party is a noisy affair. The Captain tries to find a quiet refuge in the bedroom, but his privacy is interrupted when two children playing hide and seek burst into the room to hide in the closet. They are closely followed by a toddler wearing only shoes and a diaper. The Captain crouches down to greet the small fellow, and then leads the child by the hand across the room, gesturing him to join the others in the closet.
Meanwhile, Carolyn is lighting the birthday cake in the kitchen when all the candles suddenly blow out. The Captain appears, having made a wish for a little peace and quiet. Although not objecting to birthday parties that come once a year, he protests the daily noise and upheaval of the household and recalls his days alone when his life was not cluttered and noisy. He tells Carolyn she is totally lacking in organization, and that he intends to set a course for her and the crew to follow.
The party over, Jonathan and Candy decide that the Captain’s feelings may be hurt because they never celebrate his birthday, and they seek him out in the wheelhouse. The Captain gives Jonathan his present, the ship in the bottle. When the children ask the Captain when his birthday is, he teases them and says he doesn’t remember. They decide to ask Claymore for the date.
To disguise their purpose, the children tell Claymore they want to interview him for a school project, but they first require some background information on his ancestor. Claymore quickly looks at his records, and tells the kids the Captain was born November 13, 1869.
Returning to Gull Cottage, the children notify Carolyn that since they now know the date, they want to give the Captain a surprise birthday party. She says there’s no way to keep it a surprise since they never know when he’s around. Just then, Scruffy warns them of the Captain’s invisible presence, and the Captain appears to tell Carolyn he needs to talk with her about some new household rules.
Later, the Captain presents Carolyn with his proposed schedule for the crew to follow, which requires that the family be in certain rooms of the house only during designated times and days, so that he and they can stay out of one another’s way to assure everyone’s privacy. Carolyn initially rejects the schedule as unbecoming a home, but when it dawns on her the schedule applies to him too so to allow her and the kids to plan his surprise party, she readily accepts. The Captain is pleased but surprised by her cooperative attitude.
Once the schedule is in effect, Carolyn and the kids plan the Captain’s surprise party. They have no trouble keeping to the schedule, but the Captain quickly finds himself one lonely spirit without the family’s company. He repeatedly appears in places when it is not his scheduled time, using lame excuses like he’s looking for the ship’s log (like someone else would have it). Even when he doesn’t materialize, the finking Scruffy detects his presence with a point and growl, and foils the Captain’s attempts to interact with the family, who are deeply involved in planning the party. At one point, he seeks out the children and then Scruffy for company, only to be rebuffed. At the end of his rope, the Captain confers with Carolyn to announce he’s rescinding the schedule, but she shows him no mercy, insisting that he needs his privacy and that the rules are great.
Meanwhile, the children ask Martha to bake a birthday cake for the Captain. Martha says they’re carrying their imaginary Captain too far, but agrees to the request when Carolyn asks her to humor them, and to make it Devil’s Food.
Later, Claymore arrives delivering the party supplies hinting for an invitation. He’s reluctant to attend when hearing the party is for the Captain, but when encouraged by Carolyn, he agrees to come and bring a gift. Martha declines to attend, saying she didn’t go to Peter Pan’s birthday party either.
When it’s time for the party, the family waits anxiously for the Captain to appear. When an hour goes by without any sign of him, Claymore starts a noisy celebration hoping the spirit may be gone for good. The noise drawing him out, the Captain appears. He is nearly speechless, and delightfully touched by the family’s show of affection and attention. The children give him ear warmers, for the man who sees and hears everything, and Claymore tenders a book as a gift. When the children leave them to get the ice cream, the Captain informs Claymore and Carolyn that they are celebrating not the occasion of his birthday, but the day he passed away!
After the party, the Captain and Carolyn are in the kitchen, when he tells her there is one thing left undone. He points and growls toward the pantry door, behind which they find Scruffy eating cookies out of the overturned jar. When Carolyn scolds the dog, the Captain declares "We’re even, you fur-lined informer!"
Favorite Moments:
When the Captain proposes the household schedule to Carolyn, he dictates the rules like he’s still aboard ship commanding his crew. He’s taken by surprise when she suddenly agrees to the schedule, "At last you realize who’s in command of this vessel," he remarks. "Oh, I certainly do sir," she responds, causing him to pause, give her a close look and accuse her of being up to something. Mildly indignant, Carolyn protests his suspicions, telling him he does her a great injustice. "Oh, I do, do I?" he reflects, knowing her well.
Appearing to Carolyn during their scheduled conference time, the Captain tries to rescind the rules, but Carolyn counters his arguments like a skilled debater. "Why does the opposite sex have to be so opposite!" he declares in frustration.
When Carolyn and the kids plan the Captain’s birthday party, they ponder the problem of an appropriate gift. "What do you get a man who has nothing, and doesn’t need anything?" asks Carolyn with a shrug.
The Captain’s reaction to his surprise "birthday" party is amusing and touching. He’s delighted by the attention, especially after spending a lonely few days without the family’s company. He’s pleased by Claymore’s tender of a gift, until he sees the book’s title - How to Win Friends and Influence People. "It’s the thought that counts," reminds Claymore. "Guess what mine are?" retorts the Captain.
The scene with the Captain and the toddler is special. It shows a gentle and tender side of this 19th century clipper ship commander.
Least Favorite:
The major flaw with this episode is that the filmed version completely omits what is probably its best scene and an integral part of the plot - when Carolyn gives her present to the Captain, the torn pieces of his schedule. We can’t blame FX for this omission, as it’s missing from the 16mm version, also. Copy of the script, anyone?
On a minor point, this episode fixes the Captain’s death in 1869 (100 years to the day of its original airing), which doesn’t jive with many of the dates given regarding events in the Captain’s life mentioned in prior episodes, such as the date on the portrait being 1832 (Not So Desperate Hours), obtaining Vanessa’s shawl in 1842 and the scrimshaw (It’s a Gift!) in 1847.
General Comments:
This is a relatively entertaining episode of the second season, that focuses on how the Captain has grown and changed from a confirmed bachelor who needs no one, to a family man dependent on his family’s company.
Contributed by Lynn Murray