Great episode. Thoughtful story. Strong acting. Ward receives a flyer for a $270 accordion; he tosses it into the garbage can. Beaver finds the flyer. Now he wants the accordion. Beaver talks to Eddie Haskell who encourages Beaver to order the accordion; it has a five-day free trail period, so if he doesn't want it he can return it. No problem (so far). So, without asking permission from his parents, Beaver mails the order and shortly after receives a box containing the accordion. Beaver cannot play the accordion and now wants to return it. He goes to the post office to ship the accordion, but can't afford the ten-dollar postage. Beaver asks Wally for help Wally can't help him. Beaver and Wally decide to hide the accordion in a closet. In the meantime, a man from the accordion company visits the home and speaks with Ward. The man demands payment of $270 for accordion and shows ward the paperwork proving that he ordered the product. Ward, of course, is put off by the man and is about to throw him out when June goes upstairs to fetch something from the closet and down the stairs comes the accordion. Ward is now totally confused. However, Beaver admits that he ordered the accordion. Ward is angry but controls his temper. He arrives at an agreement with the accordion company. He will not pay for the accordion but will pay for the cost of repairs, which totals $43.
This episode shows the havoc that can occur when one party makes a purchase and another party is stuck with the bill. In this episode Beaver steals his father's identity to make a purchase. The salesman demands payment from Ward, not Beaver. Being 11 years old, Beaver cannot be held responsible for his actions, and indeed did not act out of malice. Yet, through his irresponsible conduct, he put his father in a bad spot. If this episode was set today, the damage Beaver could have caused could have been exponentially greater.
This episode shows the havoc that can occur when one party makes a purchase and another party is stuck with the bill. In this episode Beaver steals his father's identity to make a purchase. The salesman demands payment from Ward, not Beaver. Being 11 years old, Beaver cannot be held responsible for his actions, and indeed did not act out of malice. Yet, through his irresponsible conduct, he put his father in a bad spot. If this episode was set today, the damage Beaver could have caused could have been exponentially greater.