Family Ties (TV Series) A, My Name Is Alex (1987) User Reviews

Fox's Finest Hour

[Montesaurus · 10/10 · 1 November 2006]

This was like watching "Our Town" By Thornton Wilder, but better ~ with the established characters of "Family Ties". Michael J. Fox was never so brilliant in bringing all of Alex's character traits into the light for examination.

We are taken through never-seen-before memories of Alex's young life, as he reflects on the meaning of life, while facing a personal tragedy. We are given several glimpses into Alex's growing up years, which explains some of the reasons he has grown up as he has.

I was charmed to see how impressionable & vulnerable Alex could be. In a regular episode, we might see a second of the Alex-deep-down; but here, and the concluding next episode; we become part of Alex' psyche as we wrestle with him through a pivotal moment in his life.

As an actor, I have never seen Mr. Fox be so compelling & likable as he was in these episodes. I rooted for his character while I applauded the skill of the young man on stage.

It's not easy being Alex

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 14 February 2020]

The fundamental problem with most characters in sitcoms or even certain TV shows back then are most of them we never truly know, not to say they don't contain an amount of depth but never a great amount which is why at times it's hard to believe one character or another even can exist at all.

Alex Keaton however is a character that is three dimensional, throughout the show we really got to know more about him which made us believe he could almost exist as he's a step in reality, here we truly see Alex as he is a human being.

This is my favorite episode/s in the show and in general. This episode truly was something else, it's something that most to all sitcoms/comedies even TV shows in general at the time never do a full character study. This is also the kind of episode that really isn't all laughs but is a drama, one that will really make you think but also tug at your heart strings.

We see the loss of Alex's friend Greg has deeply affected Alex. He's not just suffering from survivor's guilt but also a spiritual and identity crisis. When he goes straight to therapy that's when things really get interesting and the episodes suddenly turn into a stage play on TV.

This I felt really worked because it really gave everything a dream like quality with the use of darkness and the moments when Alex stepped into certain scenes, I feel this is true to the human psyche as we remember the past like scenes acted and reenacted in a play.

Alex, we see throughout the theory has not always been the happiest camper, in fact we see it can be downright sad at time being in his shoes. In a way I can't help but feel this episode isn't just about Alex's character but it's sort of about ourselves, how we've gone though the motions from our childhood to even the present, how deeply the past has affected us then and even now.

It also causes us to question both psychologically and philosophically, if any of what happened in the past went a different direction could our lives have been better? Are we really being the people we want to be? But also what do we want to be and how to we want to live life?

Alex has questioned his own soul, just as we question our own.

Rating: 4 stars

Emotional and moving

[safenoe · 9/10 · 17 August 2021]

I remember this episode of Family Ties. It was quite a serious one, dealing with early mortality, and seeing Alex grow into a more thoughtful guy rather than just going for the big bucks at no cost. This episode won several awards, and rightly so.

One of the Most Powerful Hours of Television in History!

[spasek · 10/10 · 21 June 2023]

I have been watching television for over 45 years, and this is still one of the most powerful and greatest hours of television I have ever seen, and for me, this is the best episode of the series.

It's not often that a comedy series delves into spiritual, philosophical, and metaphysical matters, which made this episode all the more profound, especially given the time when it first aired. The goal of this episode is not to convince or persuade, but simply to make you think, and perhaps even ask questions of your own, much like Alex does. And Alex has the kind of experience that would pretty much force anyone to ask such questions. I know I did when my father passed away in an accident when I was 19.

Alex has lost his childhood friend, Greg, in a car accident. Alex was supposed to have gone with him to help Greg and his brother move something, and Alex simply couldn't be bothered with it. This leaves Alex with a tremendous sense of guilt, even though he tries his best to cover it up with jokes and putting on a face that he's okay, when he is far from it. This leads to an incredible scene when Alex can no longer hide behind the walls he's put up, and it leads to a breakdown, leaving him in tears and questioning his very existence.

The final 40 minutes or so of the episode has Alex meeting with a psychologist. The entire sequence is handled like a stage play, which makes it all the more effective as Alex takes us on a journey through his childhood and how Alex came to be the man he is now. We delve into his psyche, his emotional makeup, and the tremendous pressure that was put on him to be the best in school, and how we learn-what the audience has always known-that Alex has a heart of gold. We find out why Alex has such a hard time tapping into his feelings and allowing them to be expressed. He's always seen them as a weakness, and yet he confesses that his father-also an emotional man-is strong because of them. We also find that there is much more to Alex than even he realizes, which is true of every human being on this planet. Sometimes, we just need help to see it and acknowledge it.

The character of Alex P. Keaton is still one of the most profound in television history, thanks to Michael J. Fox's incredible acting skills. Who else could make such an arrogant character so incredibly relatable as well as appealing at the same time? And Michael J. Fox earned a well-deserved Emmy Award for his performance in this episode.

This episode should be required viewing for people of nearly all ages. I was fifteen when it aired, and I still remember being curled up on my couch and watching it with profound interest. And I know I'm not the only one. This episode has resonated with so many people who have watched it and perhaps even used to ask the same questions about life that Alex asks. Maybe you have found some answers. Maybe not. Maybe it's enough to simply ask the questions and realize that feelings are not the enemy nor are they a weakness. Feelings are the language of the soul, and when those feelings become powerful and poignant, it's then that we have to realize that they are trying to tell us something about ourselves. We don't have to wait until we have a breakdown to begin that journey; to begin asking those questions. We just have to be listening.