Bridget, Redefined

When news breaks of an explosion overseas, Carla Perkins spends a frantic morning on the phone trying to learn whether her husband, Marine Captain Ronald Perkins, is safe. To her relief, the blast happened fifty miles from his platoon, and no one was hurt. Meanwhile, at Whit's End, young reporter Zoe Grant is stuck for a story idea until she hears about the Perkins family's scare. Since so many people don't know what it's like to have a parent in the military, she decides to write an article for the Odyssey Owl about how military families cope, and Whit suggests she interview the Perkinses.

At the Perkins house, Zoe finds a warm welcome from Carla and from Wyatt, who hopes to be described as a "sensitive athletic type." A church friend stops by with yet another casserole, one of many the family has received, and while Wyatt happily hints that cheeseburgers would also be accepted, his older sister Bridget insists, "We're a need-free zone." When Zoe walks Bridget to her job at Burger World for an interview, Bridget keeps dodging questions about her dad, instead teasing Zoe about her trendy Greek-letter bracelet, which Bridget calls a "sheeple" bracelet for people who follow the crowd without thinking.

Bridget soon notices something troubling: everyone treats her differently because her dad is deployed. Her teacher admits she gave Bridget's rushed, sloppy paper an A-minus out of sympathy. At Whit's End, a stranger has secretly paid for anything her family orders, as thanks for their sacrifice, and Whit can't let her pay for her own milkshake. At Burger World, a customer won't even let Bridget fix a botched order because she doesn't want to add to Bridget's stress. Fed up, Bridget tests her theory by boldly scolding customers, and sure enough, everyone meekly takes it. Declaring herself untouchable, she calls Zoe and agrees to the one thing she'd refused: an on-stage interview at Whit's End's Armed Forces Day event, because now she has something to say.

At the event, Carla speaks thoughtfully about twelve years of military life, and Wyatt jokes about famous "sons of military leaders." But when Zoe asks Bridget what's hardest about being a military kid, Bridget sarcastically raves about the perks instead: shoe discounts, the "Military Kids Sympathy Grade Bump," special parking, and endless casseroles, recommending that everyone get themselves a military dad. Whit hastily moves to the next segment, a surprise satellite visit from seven thousand miles away: Captain Ronald Perkins himself. Stunned, Bridget asks if her father just heard everything, and he quietly answers, "Yes, honey, I did."

Ashamed, Bridget calls her dad to apologize and finally pours out the truth: she's tired of constantly being reminded that he's gone, because even the casseroles taste like his absence. Her father gently explains that where he's stationed, many people don't want him around at all, so a neighbor's kindness is something never to take for granted. People bring casseroles because they don't know what else to do, he tells her, adding, "Don't take their kindness away from them."

Talking it over with Zoe, Whit realizes Bridget isn't mad that people are nice; she's tired of being pitied and defined only as a military kid. Maybe what she really needs is a friend who will talk with her about something else. So Zoe visits Bridget and, instead of rehashing what happened, asks for help with a new article about teens who follow fashion trends without thinking, the ones some people call sheeple. Bridget brightens, because on that subject, she definitely has an opinion.