A big milestone in Taylor family history is about to come to pass, for Brad is becoming a licensed driver. But before we get into that, there's three special guests on Tool Time, and ironically, they're all named Al. Three generations of Al Unsers. Al Borland is tickled to meet them and launches into his schtick of putting emphasis on 'al' in words like 'casuAL' and 'formAL', etc., and well, the project doesn't get very far, as Tim can't tell his Al's apart. Anyway, back to Brad and his driver's test. He was plenty nervous about it, and Tim was no help by reminding him of the family tradition: all Taylor men, except Marty, passed their driver's test the first time around. Thankfully, the tradition continues because Brad passed. Tim even took his test again for good measure. The proud parents wanted to take their son out to celebrate, however Brad notified them of some previously unannounced plans he made with the guys if he passed. Tim hands over the keys to the Nomad and lays down the manly rules of the road, and a nervous Jill makes Brad swear to call them at 8:00 on the button. Remember the days when you could go out driving by yourself the same day you got your license? I'm sure you still can in some states, but there's a grace period in mine. Because, you know, only young people cause traffic accidents, right? Anyway, Tim and Jill head over to Patty's to meet her new beau, but Jill was not able to enjoy herself, worrying her pretty little head over Brad being out on the road alone. It didn't help matters that the guys started sharing horror stories about their first nights driving, including Tim's little anecdote about racing a freight train.
8:03- Brad hasn't called. Jill fears the worse and she's as jumpy as a frog on hot coals. Tim's attempts to lighten the mood with levity went unnoticed. Finally, Brad did call, and Jill's fears were realized: he had been in an accident. A minor one, he just dinged a telephone pole. At least, that's what he told his parents. In actuality, he rear-ended another car and said he'd give the other driver $400 to keep it quiet. Brad confesses to Randy and Mark, who will now utilize Brad as their own personal chauffeur. But this bout of blackmail was small potatoes compared to what the eldest Taylor boy will be faced with next. He gets a call from a lawyer representing the driver Brad hit. It seems he wants to forgo the settlement and sue him on account of "whiplash". Brad takes the call, disguised as Tim, so now I'd say he's in deep. A talk with Wilson convinces Brad to be up front and honest about what happened, so as Tim and Jill try to decide where to take their new driver out to celebrate, Brad comes clean about the accident. Needless to say they were far more upset about Brad lying than the accident itself and forbid him from driving for a month. So the lessons learned today are: honesty is the best policy, and a woman's intuition can't always be chalked up to just nerves. To cap it all off, the Al Unsers come back and Tim makes them specialized shirts, even one for Al (Borland), however he's one step ahead of him.
So, Brad's a licensed driver. He's really grown up. Next season, Randy gets his license, and unfortunately the show ended before they could get to Mark. Now, when comparing these driver episodes, "My Son the Driver" is WORLDS better than "Rebel Without Night Driving Privileges". That episode was a piece of crap, forsaking character development and plot for bad jokes, while this one has some genuine moments of tension. I'm sure many worried mothers can relate to Jill and her feelings about her son's first night out. That's one thing that made Home Improvement such a great show: the characters felt real. We didn't feel like we were watching actors pretending to be family members, they seemed like an actual family. The chemistry was perfect. That aside, I'm sure young men and women in the audience can relate to Brad. Maybe you've had an accident your first night out. Again, it's too bad we never got an episode about Mark getting his license. I wonder what could've happened? We had an accident with Brad, unfair rules with Randy, what could Mark do? Maybe... the car gets stolen? But anyway, check out the action as Brad passes the most important milestone in a young man's life.
8:03- Brad hasn't called. Jill fears the worse and she's as jumpy as a frog on hot coals. Tim's attempts to lighten the mood with levity went unnoticed. Finally, Brad did call, and Jill's fears were realized: he had been in an accident. A minor one, he just dinged a telephone pole. At least, that's what he told his parents. In actuality, he rear-ended another car and said he'd give the other driver $400 to keep it quiet. Brad confesses to Randy and Mark, who will now utilize Brad as their own personal chauffeur. But this bout of blackmail was small potatoes compared to what the eldest Taylor boy will be faced with next. He gets a call from a lawyer representing the driver Brad hit. It seems he wants to forgo the settlement and sue him on account of "whiplash". Brad takes the call, disguised as Tim, so now I'd say he's in deep. A talk with Wilson convinces Brad to be up front and honest about what happened, so as Tim and Jill try to decide where to take their new driver out to celebrate, Brad comes clean about the accident. Needless to say they were far more upset about Brad lying than the accident itself and forbid him from driving for a month. So the lessons learned today are: honesty is the best policy, and a woman's intuition can't always be chalked up to just nerves. To cap it all off, the Al Unsers come back and Tim makes them specialized shirts, even one for Al (Borland), however he's one step ahead of him.
So, Brad's a licensed driver. He's really grown up. Next season, Randy gets his license, and unfortunately the show ended before they could get to Mark. Now, when comparing these driver episodes, "My Son the Driver" is WORLDS better than "Rebel Without Night Driving Privileges". That episode was a piece of crap, forsaking character development and plot for bad jokes, while this one has some genuine moments of tension. I'm sure many worried mothers can relate to Jill and her feelings about her son's first night out. That's one thing that made Home Improvement such a great show: the characters felt real. We didn't feel like we were watching actors pretending to be family members, they seemed like an actual family. The chemistry was perfect. That aside, I'm sure young men and women in the audience can relate to Brad. Maybe you've had an accident your first night out. Again, it's too bad we never got an episode about Mark getting his license. I wonder what could've happened? We had an accident with Brad, unfair rules with Randy, what could Mark do? Maybe... the car gets stolen? But anyway, check out the action as Brad passes the most important milestone in a young man's life.
