Wed, Jan 9, 1985
Alex likes Mallory's favorite aunt Gertrude 'Trudy' Harris for one reason: the pair of airheads regularly go somewhere together, out of his way. After such trip, Trudy gets a heart attack, Skippy helps rush her to the hospital but she doesn't survive. The Keatons hold her wake, but it gets a mixed crowd: Alex never canceled the garage sale. At the funeral, truly mournful Mallory makes a scene because the reverend's speech is fake, every detail wrong as he never met her...
Wed, Jan 16, 1985
Alex has a cold, but insists on working all night on his term paper on the Declaration of Independence - which he had used as an example to encourage his dad Steven, who out of inexperience has declined an invitation to testify before Congress in Washington on the funding of PBS. Alex 'wakes up' in a dream as a Philadelphia stable boy, with his uninterested mate 'Skipford', and they accidentally hear Thomas Jefferson turning down John Adams' request to write the Declaration, just because he would rather spend the night fluffing his wig. But Alex won't rest until he makes sure Jefferson does write it, on exactly the kind of paper and in the celebrated phrasing the brilliant student knows by heart.
Wed, Jan 23, 1985
The Keaton kids are utterly disgusted to have to participate every year in dad Steven's lame PBS telethon as his loving, fake-enthusiastic WKS family, without ever having been asked, and they don't even hide it anymore. The parents think the asking is the problem, so Steven poses the open question - but all three bail out instantly, Jennifer even without any excuse. After some prodding from adult strangers, who all enjoy the loyalty of Steven's colleagues' families, even Alex ends up caving in. A good luck card doesn't cure their guilt, so after Elyse volunteered to play guitar and sing, the trio turns up unexpectedly. However a totally unexpected Keaton has chosen this day for his early, absolute and hence more memorable debut.
Wed, Feb 6, 1985
Everybody else goes baby-crazy all the time, even Alex - who can see the next Richard Nixon and Mickey Mantle rolled into one bassinet. Losing her familiar place in the center of family pictures and seemingly being routinely ignored makes Jen decide she hates her new 'rival' Andy and turns childish again, which Alex correctly calls regressive behavior. The kid has healthy lungs, and a vocal volume which keeps everybody awake, desperately trying to sing him to sleep. An attempt to make Jen the center of family attention again is professionally cried apart by Andy and baby-mania.
Wed, Feb 13, 1985
Alex and fellow Leland student James Jarrett start up a joint tutoring business. Judging by the IQ of prospective tutees like William, who even needs to be told to go home, a fabulous market, but when both have an 'unprofessional' eye on Robin Green, the rivalry wrecks their cooperation as feared, apparently irreparably... Meanwhile Mallory wines dad has chosen a practical new car with more room for the baby but ugly 'like a fridge on wheels' and he bores everyone to tears with his reading the manual aloud.
Wed, Mar 6, 1985
Alex wants to come along visiting Grandma because she lives close to Lisa Tobin; Jennifer wants to come for the cable TV. Elyse makes Steven first drop by for a 'reunion' with another couple from their Lamaze group who had twins, and gets more visitors with, to the others' regret - or without, to their own regret - crying babies. Mallory stays home to work on a paper on the Louisiana Purchase (not about shopping, to her disappointment). Alex gives her permission to consult his 'archives' in the basement, but the trunk is too heavy, so Skippy comes down to help, but accidentally lets the door lock - so they're trapped (her version) or joined (his version) together all night. They finally come closer together, realizing they are both (birdbrain) outsiders.
Top-rated
Wed, Sep 25, 1985
Alex starts his sophomore year looking for a girlfriend in the freshman directory. He meets Tricia, who seems to be everything he wants. However, after a spat with Tricia's roommate Ellen, Alex finds that despite having nothing in common with Ellen, he is developing feelings for her.
Top-rated
Wed, Oct 2, 1985
Alex is an emotional wreck, still with boring Tricia - who he doesn't care for - after kissing her intriguing roommate Ellen, who turned back to accept her Dennis' proposal to a sudden wedding in Pennsylvania without a single guest. Alex even worries so much that the whole time allotted for a Leland test essay he would have aced elapses without him writing a single line. After Ellen agrees to Alex's offer of a ride to the train station, he is filled with hopes of stopping her, but is once more unable to express his emotions. Once Alex has gathered the courage at home, he drives all the way to race her train to its destination, but arrives just minutes after it has come and gone - so it appears to be too late.
Wed, Oct 30, 1985
Alex is feeling insecure about not being a part of Ellen's world of art and dance. Fearful that he might lose her, Alex decides to learn all he can about art and dance...including auditioning for a part at Ellen's dance class. Meanwhile, Steven is upset about missing Monday Night Football games because he and Elyse have joined a book club.
Wed, Nov 6, 1985
Elyse is planning for Mallory's future by sending away for college applications. However, Mallory can't bring herself to tell her mother that she doesn't want to go to college at all. After a disastrous interview with a recruiter, Mallory explains her resistance, which infuriates Elyse, and tempers flare between the two. However, things change when Nick offers Mallory some surprising advice.
Wed, Nov 13, 1985
Alex hires a 13-year-old tutor, Eugene Forbes, to help him bring his grade up in advanced geometry from an 89% to 90%. However, Eugene is immediately distracted when he meets Jennifer, and he struggles to learn how to take a break from being an intellectual genius and to be a 13-year-old kid. Meanwhile, Steven is struggling to keep the family's spending in check.
Wed, Nov 20, 1985
Nick is worried that the constant disapproval he receives from Elyse and Steven will ultimately cost him his relationship with Mallory. Eager to change, Nick turns to Alex for help. Unfortunately, Nick turns into another "Alex," and while he is now pleasing to Elyse and Steven, he turns off Mallory.
Wed, Dec 4, 1985
Steven and Elyse are nostalgically excited by a visitor he arranged: Richie Schofield, an old housemate from their Berkeley hippie days - which the kids find just silly, even embarrassingly. However, Elyse and Richie share memories of their time without Steven, who is not amused to find out 22 years later that they had a brief romance while he was working in Alaska during a break from their relationship. Sleeping in the hall makes the jealous husband even crankier. The trio has a restaurant dinner, during which he loses control. As Steven contemplates his outburst and emotions, Alex reminds him of his own life lessons.
Wed, Dec 18, 1985
While Alex is visiting Mallory in the shop where she works, they catch a 12-year-old girl shoplifting several items. Mallory knows that the girl must be turned in to the police, but later expresses a desire to reach out to the girl, named Jessie, out of concern. Steven points out that the Milford Home where Jessie lives is not an orphanage but specializes in problem children, often abused; Nick knows that is true, for one of his cousins lives there (but can't remember his name nor the abusive uncle's). Mallory decides to make the girl her friend, despite Nick's warning that one can't understand such kids, and indeed is repaid by more shoplifting. Meanwhile, little Andy's greater interest for a toy's box then for its contents reminds everybody of Alex's attachment to an identical box, and even at 19 there is a weak spot left in his heart.