FAMILY TIES: THE REAL THING {PART 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about the Keaton family -- Elyse and Steven, two aging ex-hippies, and their conservative, materialistic children. In the second half of this two-part episode (continued from B:45622), Skippy arrives at the Keaton home for brunch, but is dismayed to learn that all of the family members are otherwise occupied. Alex is deeply distraught over Ellen, but cannot bring himself to tell his mother, as it a “guy thing.” In class, Tricia happily talks to Alex about an important economics department dinner that they plan to attend, but Alex is distracted by Ellen’s presence and attempts to talk to her about their kiss at the dance. She deflects, however, and reveals that her wedding is in fact that Sunday in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Alex desperately offers to drive her to the train station, and she agrees. They then sit down to take an important test, but Alex is unable to write a thing as he dwells on his memories of good times with Ellen.
At the train station, Alex suggests that he drive Ellen all the way there and admits that he wants to talk her out of marrying Dennis, but when she asks why, he cannot admit his feelings and merely claims he is being pragmatic. She points out that they met under dubious circumstances and he has no right to comment, but he accuses her of marrying young out of insecurity and fear. She retorts that she was merely “humoring” him with the kiss and leaves. At home, a tense Alex snaps at his sisters, but Mallory scolds him to stop feeling sorry for himself, and he tries to force himself to think about the economics dinner. However, he soon confesses to his mother that he is in love for the first time, and despite the circumstances, she is happy for him, saying that she can see Steven in him. He agonizes that he should have told Ellen of his feelings before she left, and ends up driving all the way to Lancaster to meet her train. When he finds her at the station, he says that he couldn’t bring himself to go to the dinner and names the many ways in which they are different, but professes his love all the same. To his great surprise, she returns his affections, saying that she appreciates his hidden “innocent and naïve” nature and was secretly hoping that he would be at the station when she arrived, and they decide to be together, sealing it with a kiss. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: October 3, 1985 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:27:45
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:45633
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Families
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1982-1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Gary David Goldberg … Executive Producer, Created by
- Michael J. Weithorn … Supervising Producer, Writer
- Alan Uger … Producer
- Ruth Bennett … Producer
- June Galas … Associate Producer
- Carol Himes … Line Producer
- Will Mackenzie … Director
- Jeff Barry … Theme Music by
- Tom Scott … Theme Music by
- Meredith Baxter Birney (see also: Meredith Baxter) … Cast, Elyse Keaton
- Michael Gross … Cast, Steven Keaton
- Michael J. Fox … Cast, Alex P. Keaton
- Justine Bateman … Cast, Mallory Keaton
- Tina Yothers … Cast, Jennifer Keaton
- Marc Price … Cast, Skippy
- Tracy Pollan … Cast, Ellen
- Suzanne Snyder … Cast, Tricia
- Peter Van Norden … Cast, The Janitor
- Danny Ponce … Cast, The Shoeshine Boy