Crazy
Teaser
The episode opens with a woman named Fran cooking fried chicken in her kitchen. She is suddenly distracted by a bright light that envelopes her accompanied by a whispering noise. She is so mezmorized by the light and the voice that she doesn't notice that a grease fire has started in her kitchen. Her two children are present and finally between their calls for help and the buzzing from the smoke detector, Fran is brought back to reality, puts out the fire and apologizes to her two children, Brianna and JD.
Act I
The next time we see Fran, she is in the hospital being examined and questioned by Peggy. She admits to Peggy that she's been hearing a voice. Both Peggy and Fran's husband, Phil, are obviously greatly concerned by this revelation. Peggy orders tests to evaluate Fran's condition. In the meantime, Declan is out in the hallway looking for Peggy. He doesn't find her, but does find Fran's daughter, Brianna. He gives her some files to give to Peggy for him, as well as a rock in a ziploc bag that supposedly cries tears. Brianna complies but clearly thinks Declan is a bit odd.
When Fran next meets with Peggy she explains that the hospital tests didn't uncover any physical problem with Fran, so Peggy puts her on medication to stop the visions and voices. Fran is hesitent, realizing there may be a lifetime of daily pills ahead of her, but that night when she has another vision, decides to take the medication. The meds stop the visions and voices and she falls asleep peacefully.
Act II
A few days later, Fran's daughter, Brianna, shows up at Declan's office. She asks him if he's still into weird stuff, which of course he is :) She tells him that her mother has stopped hearing the voice, but now Brianna is hearing it. Declan wants to know if Brianna and her mother both hear the same things from the voice, but Brianna doesn't want to discuss it with her parents for fear of being placed on medication as well, so Declan suggests she try using some of the phrases she's hearing from the voice in conversation with her mother to see if her mother reacts to these words. Brianna does so and her mother is familiar with some of the names and phrases that Brianna is hearing. Declan finally convinces Brianna she needs to talk to her parents about the voice and agrees to go with her when she does so. While Brianna's mother is open to the idea that her daughter maybe communicating with an "otherworldy" source, Brianna's father, Phil, is not and confronts Declan, angry for putting crazy ideas into his daughter's head. Phil decides to take Brianna to see Peggy and get her some "professional help". Declan tries to intervience on Brianna's behalf with Peggy and begs Peggy not to put Brianna on any kind of medication since the girl is afraid of the results of the drugs. Peggy is angry that Declan is trying to do her job and that he is interferring with one of her patients. But when Peggy questions Brianna about the voice, Brianna lies to her and tells her that she is no longer hearing it and "it was probably just a bad dream anyway". That night while she is talking to her mother and Declan, Brianna hears the voice again, and this time she is sure who the voice belongs to....God.
Act III
The next time Declan sees Fran, she is a changed woman. She has stopped taking the medication and is instead listening to the voice for direction. She is coaching her son's soccer team , taking a writing class, learning karate and lots of other new activities. The change in Fran is startling and Declan is a bit taken aback, but the woman seems happy. Fran's transformation has affected Brianna as well, and the child seems more confident and out-going as a result of her mother's example. That night they all go out to a Karaoke bar and sing together (Fran, Brianna, JD, Declan and Miranda). Phil, however, does not sing and is clearly not happy about the changes, longing for a sense of normalcy and familiarity in the house and goes to complain to Peggy about his wife's behavior. Peggy confronts Declan and berates him once again for inerferring and makes it clear that she feels it is his influence that has convinced Fran and Brianna that it is the voice of God they're hearing. Declan is defensive and explains that he only investigated and inquired--he didn't influence anyone and reminds Peg that many great people (Joan of Arc, Moses, etc) throughout history have heard voices. Peggy says the voice is simply a sign of mental illness and tells Declan to stay out of it. However, when the woman is put back on the medication she reverts to her old unhappy self and her mother's condition also causes Brianna to become withdrawn.
Act IV
Declan does feel bad apparanly for over-stepping his bounds with one of Peggy's patients and even goes so far as to visit the state mental hospital to get an idea of the type of mental illness that Peggy was referring to. He speaks to a woman named Paloma who also hears voices, but her voices make her miserable and berate her constantly.
Declan goes back to Peggy and apologizes for stepping over the line with Fran (he even brings her flowers). Peg tells him that she appreciates that he was trying to help and admires his open-mindedness. She relates the story of her brother, who's life was ruined when he began to hear voices. She admits that her experience with her brother may have clouded her judgement in the current situation. The voice that Fran hears seems to help her, not hurt her. The next time she talks to Fran's husband Peggy suggests that they try to help Fran without the medication. Phil tells his wife that he will support her no matter what. In the final scene we see a happy and energetic Fran and a confident Brianna, who is singing a solo at the Karaoke bar.