The Terrible Catsafterme

SEASON 1 – NBC

Theme song: “Together” by Rick Howard and Bob Wirth, sang by Ron Dante

• 001. Pilot – 9/25/1982
  • Edward Stratton III (Joel Higgins) is a millionaire who has made his fortune from his toy company, and lives in a Shallow Springs, Long Island mansion, brimming with toys and electronics. His business manager Louis Morgan (Robert Picardo) and lawyer Leonard Rollins (Leonard Lightfoot) inform him that he is broke, but Edward seems unconcerned. Just then an 12-year old boy named Ricky (Ricky Schroder) shows up and claims to be Edward’s son, his mother having sent him to military school after she got re-married. Edward is glad to visit with him, but says he can’t stay. Ricky then overhears Louis discussing the money that he embezzled from Stratton, and turns him in. Edward is proud but asks his personal secretary Kate (Erin Gray) to drive him back to military school. Ricky is distraught and even more so when he is badgered by his school roommate Derek Taylor (Jason Bateman). Edward then shows up and asks Ricky to come back with him, explaining that he’d like to help Ricky be more of a kid…and Ricky to help him be more of an adult. 1/30/14

• 002. Boys Will Be Boys – 10/2/1982
  • Ricky comes home late while exploring the grounds and finding a cave, which has everyone in a panic. Edward lets him off with just a warning and then tells him that he has invited a neighbor’s son over who turns out to be Derek, the modern-day Eddie Haskell who got kicked out of Ricky’s military school. Derek tells Ricky that the reason his father never punishes him is because he doesn’t love him. Ricky tests this by sending the giant electric train through a door causing some damage to the house, and sure enough he is not punished. He tells Kate that his Dad must not live him and he begins dropping whipped cream balloons out the window. His father then tells Ricky that he doesn’t punish him because one time he spilled a drink on his own father’s paperwork and his father lost his temper causing young Edward to hate him. Not wanting Ricky to ever hate him, he find it difficult to punish Ricky even though he loves him. The two reconcile and Edward gives Ricky a two-day confinement to his room as punishment. 1/30/14
• 003. Grandfather Stratton – 10/9/1982
  • Ricky is curious about his Grandfather Stratton (John Houseman), even though his father and him are not on speaking terms. Ricky cons Kate out of his Grandfather’s address and goes to see him. Grandfather looks just as poorly on his son’s lackluster business sense, but Ricky guilts him into coming to visit Edward. The two can scarcely get along, even though Ricky facilitates a negotiation about the relocating of a lug nut manufacturing plant. Ricky tells them that its a shame they can’t get along, but that he wants both men in his life. Grandfather ends up taking Ricky to a baseball game, and at Ricky’s suggestion, invites Edward to come along too. 2/22/14
• 004. Me and Mr. T – 10/16/1982
  • Ricky starts public school in an effort to be a normal kid, but on the first day he comes home with a shiner courtesy of a bully named Ox (John P. Navin Jr.) who is stealing the kids’ lunch money. At first Edward wants to put him in private school. but Ricky insists on staying. Instead he sends in Mr. T (as himself) as his bodyguard, which frightens Ox, the other kids, and their teacher Miss Campbell (Aileen Fitzpatrick). Ricky demands that his father let Mr. T go and that he stand up for himself, a notion with which Mr. T agrees. The next day in school, Ricky stands up to Ox, whose real name they learn is Hobart, and the entire class backs him up. 2/22/14
• 005. Takin’ a Chance on Love – 10/23/1982
  • With Kate leaving for singles cruise, Ricky asks his father if he is ever going to go out with a woman again. Edward ends up pursuing a date to a masquerade ball with a woman named Helen (unseen). Ricky thinks he hasn’t reached the age yet to fall in love, but everything changes when he meets a girl named Sally Frumbel (Amanda Peterson). The two hit it off, despite Derek’s best efforts to get her first and then start rumors about her. But when Ricky offers to give her his ID bracelet, she turns him down and tells him that she is already wearing the bracelet of another classmate who pushed her out of the way of a bus. Ricky is heartbroken and Edward takes him for ice cream to drown his sorrows. Ricky is ready to give up on women, until a mother and daughter show up at ice cream shop and turns both of their heads. Louis Guss in Hilarious Hal. 4/14/14
• 006. Evelyn Returns – 10/30/1982
  • Ricky’s mother Evelyn (Christine Belford) returns from Switzerland and insists that Ricky leaves with her because she thinks Edward is a bad influence. Edward discusses it with Leonard and decides he doesn’t want to put Ricky through a difficult courtroom scenario so he will let Ricky go with the stipulation that he never put into boarding school again. As they get ready to leave for London, Ricky tells his mother that he wants to stay with his father. As Edward and Ricky are saying their goodbyes, Evelyn decides to let Ricky stay. 4/14/14
• 007. The Great Computer Caper – 11/6/1982
  • Arnold Jackson (Gary Coleman) interviews Rick for his school newspaper, the PS 89 Weekly Woodpecker, highlighting him as a computer whiz kid. When Arnold determines that the story isn’t exciting enough, Rick hacks into a military computer and gets information on the new Starlight 2000 fighter plane. When Arnold prints the information, FBI Agents McConnell (Peter Jason) and Ferguson (James Staley) show up accusing Rick of treason. Rick and Arnold run away and board the tramp steamer Gnarly Dog, surviving only on cheese. Captain Stark (John Anderson) gives them jobs as cabin boys, but his tales of regret and convince the boys to return home. The FBI agrees to exonerate the boys if Rick will reveal how he cracked the FBI codes. NOTE: This episode is a cross-over with Diff’rent Strokes. 7/19/14
• 008. I’m Just Wild About Harry – 11/13/1982
  • Rick sneaks out to meet up with Derek at the local cemetery to seek out the local legend “Big Toes,” half-animal, half-human. It turns out to be an orangutan who takes a liking to Rick. Rick names him Harry takes him home and talks his father into letting him keep him if no one shows up to claim him. They have fun playing poker and dancing to jukebox music, but soon enough his owner Robert Geraldo shows up to claim him. They do a magic act called Poppy and Geraldo together, but when Geraldo’s car was stolen, Poppy had disappeared. Rick says his heartfelt goodbye and Harry/Poppy walks out of their lives. 7/19/14
• 009. Honor Thy Father – 11/20/1982
  • Grandfather Stratton is going to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Industrialist Foundation and he demands that Edward deliver the keynote speech. Edward resents being told rather than asks, so he boycotts going to the event. Rick stands in for him, but tries to get the two to be more flexible and reconcile. At the event, Rick delivers the speech, but Edward does show up to present the award, along with a Fathers Day card that he made when he was six that he was never able to give him because he was constantly on the road with business. The two learn a new respect for each other and show it with a hug onstage. Ricky attempts to play a bassoon solo to cap off the evening. Jack Manning is the M.C. 9/10/14
• 010. Father Nature – 11/27/1982
  • With Derek berating Rick for being a ‘lowly Muskrat’ instead of a full-fledged Badger in their Badger Patrol group, Rick talks Edward into cancelling his ski trip with Leonard in order to take him camping and earn his merit badge. Edward has never been camping and is a little nervous, but Kate guilts him into taking him. Things go poorly when a bear ransacks their campground and eats their food while they are out fishing. Then it begins to rain all night, and finally they are so hungry that they nearly eat crickets. Eventually they begin to bicker and blame each other, but ultimately they realize that things aren’t always as glamorous as one would hope, but at least they did it together. 9/12/14
• 011. A Little Magic – 12/4/1982
  • Frustrated by another one of Edward’s conquests, this time a bubbly blonde named Debbie (Sharon Stone), Kate confesses her feelings for Edward to Leonard. Ricky overhears it and, thanks to some of Derek’s convincing, thinks that Kate is in love with him, not Edward. Ricky has a talk with Kate to let her down easy, and then arranges a romantic dinner for her and his father, during which he plays both Maitre’d and waiter (Frank De Vol) and brings in a violin player. Edward and Kate share a romantic moment but decide it would be unwise to pursue a relationship…but end up in a passionate kiss. NOTE: This is the first of a two-part episode. 10/12/14
• 012. Falling in Love Again – 12/11/1982
  • The day after their romantic dinner, Edward and Kate have a hard time concentrating on work, but when Kate sees that Edward had another date lined up for that night, they end up bickering and deciding to continue dating other people. Leonard gives Kate four box seat tickets to the Vladimir Liebowitz Plays Chopin concert at Carnegie Hall. Kate uses two of them to take a date named Bob Danish (John Reilly), and Ricky finds the other two tickets and brings his father. During the show, Edward tries hard to contain his jealousy, while Kate laments the absurdity of Bob Danish. Edward finally breaks his silence and announces in front of the entire audience that he wants to be with Kate and only Kate, giving Ricky credit for arranging the evening. NOTE: This is the second of a two-part episode. 10/12/14
• 013. The Best Christmas Ever – 12/18/1982
  • Ricky and Edward are looking forward to their first Christmas together, when they receive a visit from a little boy named Joey Thompson (Joey Lawrence) who is looking for odd jobs to raise money for Christmas gifts. Even though he only asks for $1, Ricky gives him the $20 that he received from his grandfather. After Kate takes off for Columbus, and Edward and Leonard head out to donate gifts to kids, Ricky spies Joey return to the house, leave the $20, and take a giant gift basket of food. Ricky follows him and finds that he and his parents Jack (Rick Lenz) and Ellen (D.J. Sydney) are out of work and living in a cave, with no hope of Santa showing up this year. While they are out, Ricky decorates the cave and Edward shows up in a Santa outfit, bearing the gifts that Edward and Ricky were going to give each other. Edwards also offers Jack a job in his toy plant. 11/10/14
• 014. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World – 1/8/1983
  • As Edward and Kate get the house ready for the Badger Ball, some of the Badgers – including Ricky, Derek, J.T. Martin (Bobby Fite), and Freddy Lippincottleman (Corky Pigeon) – go hiking in a cave and discuss their dates. Derek claims he is bringing a beautiful girl named Gloria Stevenson, but J.T. bets him $10 that he won’t show up with anyone. After J.T. and Freddy leave, some of the cave collapses and Derek pulls Ricky to safety. Claiming that he now owes him, Derek demands that Ricky get him a date for the ball. Ricky tries but when each girl finds out that he wants to set him up with Derek, they refuse. Derek then convinces Ricky to dress as a girl and pose as his date Gloria. Ricky complies, but one at the ball, J.T. comes on very strong to him until Ricky punches him. Edward stops ‘Gloria’ and tells her how much he admires that she didn’t let someone take advantage of her. Ricky realizes how foolish Derek has made him look and throws him out. Edward lets on that he knew it was Rick all along. Martha Nix is Cindy Fairchild. 11/10/14
• 015. Twelve Angry Kids – 1/15/1983
  • Rick gets into a fight with bully Hobart “Ox” Doyle (John P. Navin Jr.), when Ox causes his father a balloon-head, and Rick throws Ox’s pants down a manhole. Ox’s father Willard (Patrick Cronin) takes the Strattons to court for 67 million dollars because of the supposed whiplash that Ox received. At the urging of his bailiff/son (Sal Viscuso), Judge Harold S. Nutterman (Jack Kruschen) agrees to let other kids to sit on the jury so that Ricky can receive a true trial of his ‘peers.’ Ox’s lawyer, the esteemed Alan Watenmaker (Jim Baker) nearly wins over the jury by putting Ox in a wheelchair and appealing to their nature as kids. But then Rick gives a rousing speech as to why he pushed Ox for insulting his father, the greatest guy in the world. The jury cheers Ricky, which causes Ox to stand up from his wheelchair. The judge dismisses the case. NOTE: This episode is the last appearance of Leonard Lightfoot. 12/20/14
• 016. The Toy Wonder – 1/22/1983
  • Edward wants to secure the services of a snippy adolescent toy consultant named Barbara Webster (Allison Smith) for his company Eddie Toys. She threatens to sign with competing Yamahoy Toys unless Ricky becomes her boyfriend. He goes along with it, but wants a way out of it. He seeks the advice of Derek, who tells him to lead her on and then cut her loose after she signs. He goes along with the plan until he starts to feel bad for her and consults his father for advice; he tells him to do whatever he thinks is right, even if he loses Barbara to Yamahoy. When Rick comes clean, Barbara tells him that she knew he was lying all along and says that she will sign with Yamahoy unless Edward raises her offer. Ricky tears up the contract. Derek then meets Barbara and they go off together. Ricky agrees that they are perfect for each other. 12/20/14
• 017. Popcorn – 2/5/1983
  • Ricky, Derek, Freddy, and Lisa (Jessie Lee Smith) are trying to raise money with a popcorn sale for their orchestra to take a trip to Washington D.C. With 1000 bags to sell at a dollar each, Ricky, who has just seen his father and Kate head off to a $1000-a-seat masquerade fundraiser, assumes his father will buy them all. Edward refuses and tells Ricky he needs to come up with plan to sell them himself. Ricky doesn’t think he can do it, but heads to the mall to try and peddle them. With his father’s help and a lot of flattering, they end up selling all but 200 of the bags. Edward considers buying the rest of them, but then finds that Ricky has gone door-to-door and finished selling them, the last 88 bags to Derek’s father whom he found at a motel. 2/5/15
• 018. Junior Businessman – 2/12/1983
  • Ricky is looking for an idea for a school project involving running his own business. Edward offers him Uncle Smiley’s ice cream parlor, one of his first businesses that he has kept around for sentimental reasons and is about to sell. Derek, J.T., and Lisa come to work for him, but he immediately fires Derek after he insults a fat customer (Bernie Kuby). Lisa cheers for the customers, and J.T. tries one of the customer’s sandwich when she complains of stale bread. They end up quitting after the customers walk out. Just then a men’s baseball team comes in expecting to be fed, and Ricky decides to quit. Edward stops by and is disappointed, and talks Ricky into seeing his job through. With his father’s help, they attempt to feed the team, but only succeed in making a mess and covering each other with soda and mayonnaise. Rick congratulations himself for at least trying, and Uncle Smiley (Ivan Bonar) stops by to tell them this is why he gave up the ice cream shop. Meanwhile Edward hires a stuffy new business manager Dexter Stuffins (Franklyn Seales). 2/6/15
• 019. Three’s a Crowd – 2/19/1983
  • Edward, Ricky, and Kate are getting ready to head out for a ski weekend, but when Derek puts the idea in Rick’s head that he will be ignored by his father in favor of Kate, Ricky starts to get worried. When Kate’s cat Fluffy gets a broken nose and she has to cancel going, Rick is ecstatic and he and his father start off the weekend with some male bonding. But soon Kate shows up and makes them dinner, and Ricky’s fears start to come true about being ignored. He tries to talk to his dad about it, but when Edward falls asleep during their conversation, Ricky leaves a note behind and then leaves the cabin. Edward wakes up frantic and sends the ski patrol to try and find him, only to find that the ski patrol has been reported lost. After Edward blames both himself and Kate for the disaster, Ricky strolls in, having simply spent his night in the car. After reflecting on the situation, Ricky apologizes and states his understanding of Edward and Kate’s need to spend a lot of time together. 3/19/15
• 020. The Empire Strikes Out – 2/26/1983
  • A storm hits Long Island that keeps knocking the lights out, but every time Edward lights a candle the lights come on, and whenever he blows it out, they come back on. During the storm Grandfather Stratton offers Kate a job as Vice President of one his company McIntire & McIntire in San Jose, California. However this is part of his plan to get rid of Kate so that Edward can marry the daughter of an associate so that a merger will take place between their companies. Both Edward and Kate are furious with the suggestion, and Kate storms out. Edward tells his father he is no longer welcome in the house, but lets him say goodbye to Ricky, who takes is father’s side in the argument. Edward’s father comes as close as he can to apologizing to Edward, and Kate returns to stand her ground against his father as well, leaving Kate and Edward reconciled in the end. 3/19/15
• 021. Won’t You Go Home, Bob Danish – 3/5/1983
  • In an attempt to impress Kate by buzzing over the Stratton mansion with his airplane, Bob Danish crash lands into their yard. Edward is instantly irritated by Danish, but Rick wants to take pity on him and invites him to stay. When Danish’s girlfriend Pam (Pamela Murphy) dumps him, Danish takes them up on their offer. Soon he becomes too much for Edward, so Kate tells him that he needs to leave and that she never liked him. Ricky can’t stand hurting anyone’s feelings, so he goes and talks to Bob, causing Bob to release his tears. By the time he leaves, he is somewhat cheered up. 6/13/15
• 022. The X-Team – 4/30/1983
  • Ricky has his friends J.T. and Freddie over for a sleepover and they want to watch Naked Nurses from Outer Space, and X-rated film on cable. J.T. tricks Edward into arm wrestling Ricky so that he can swipe the key to the parental control box. Kate catches the boys in the act of watching the movie and tell Ricky that he need to admit to his father what he has done. While Kate takes home J.T. and Freddie, Ricky confesses to his father, who grounds him for two weeks and takes away his TV for a month. They continue to discuss pornography and Edward advises Ricky that lovemaking should be a private act, and that films like this are especially demeaning to women. 6/13/15

SEASON 2

• 023. Passports to Pleasure – 10/15/1983
  • Ricky talks his father into accompanying them to the Badger Patrol convention in Chicago. Derek has scored some Duran Duran front row concert tickets and plans to use them to pick up some high school cheerleaders who are staying in the same hotel as the convention. One girl named Michelle (Nadine van der Velde) insinuates that if the boys take her and her friend Valerie (Barbara Howard), they will get lucky after the show. After the show ends, the boys try to follow them into the girls’ room and are kicked out. Michelle admits to Valerie what she had promised, and Valerie sensitively apologizes for using the boys. Ricky in turn apologizes for using them to try and get what they wanted. Valerie ends up giving Ricky a kiss, but Michelle leaves Derek puckered up in the hallway. Curtiss Marlowe is Mike. 8/4/15
• 024. Attack of the Giant Frog People – 10/22/1983
  • Ricky has a sleepover with Derek, Freddy, and J.T. After watching a scary movie about killer frogs Derek and J.T. initiate a joke on Freddy by filling his sleeping bag with frogs, using Freddy’s tape recorder to record the result. Ricky is pressured to say that Freddy is not his friend, and when Freddy hears this on the tape, he leaves crying. As the frogs get loose in the house, Ricky tells his father and Kate what he has done. Kate identifies with Freddy since she was picked on as a kid, but Edward thinks Ricky will make the right decision. When Freddy returns, Ricky apologizes to him and tells him that he needs to stand up for himself. Freddy does just that with Derek, causing even J.T. to turn on Derek. Freddy also shows them that being a wimp isn’t all he’s good for… as he performs a tap dance in Ricky’s room. 8/4/15
• 025. A Fair to Remember – 10/29/1983
  • Ricky is having trouble with his 8th grade science teacher Mr. Bartman (Robert Lussier), who is often the butt of Ricky and Derek’s practical jokes. Bartman sends a note home to Edward warning that Ricky could get suspended if he doesn’t shape up. Edward advises Ricky that if he tries to share his teacher’s passion for science, maybe he will earn his respect, so Ricky works with Kate to design a laser machine run by a computer to enter into the Science Fair. The results are spectacular and Ricky receives an A+, but loses the first place award to a model of a cow’s digestive system. Ricky and Edward are both disappointed, but then find out that Ricky hadn’t been paying attention when his teacher had announced that three was a $100 limit on the exhibits. Edward is satisfied that Ricky is now passionate about science, and he also makes Kate the manager of a new laser branch of his toy company, since she had been pitching the idea of laser toys to him. Fern Fitzgerald is Derek’s mother Corrine. Bob Gorman and Gail Todd are Freddy’s parents Duane and Dorthea. 11/9/15
• 026. The Hospital – 11/12/1983
  • While getting ready to fly a kite with Ricky, Edward is struck with severe abdominal pains and is taken to the hospital for tests. He is diagnosed with gallstones, and when the pain persists, he is rushed into emergency surgery. Ricky is extremely worried that his father is going to die, and angry that something like this could happen so quickly – even to the point of thinking that it is his fault that it happened because he had been so happy lately. Edward recovers just fine from the surgery. Nicholas Pryor is Dr. Miller. Georgi Irene is Rick’s doting friend Leslie Anne Cranbottom. 11/9/15
• 027. Mr. President – 11/19/1983
  • As class president, Rick needs to decide what to do to retaliate against rival school Willow Cove when he finds out from Derek and Freddy that they have stolen their school statue Sammy Spartan. As Rick watches President Reagan deliver his address, he imagines himself President of the United States with Freddy as his Veep and Derek as his Chief of Staff reacting to the Russians stealing the Love Boat. He consults with the Russian ambassador (Joel Higgins) and with General Stuffins before deciding to surround Russia with the Seventh Fleet. His father appears and warns him that this could escalate into war but President Rick blows him off. This leads to a call from Russian Premier Yuri Andropov announcing that he has launched nuclear missiles on America. Rick, now dumbfounded by the seriousness of his actions, launches a counter-attack. When Rick ends his daydream, he tells his father that he has learned his lesson and will not retaliate against Willow Cove. 1/5/16
• 028. Driver Ed – 11/26/1983
  • Edward and Kate head off to Chicago for a toy convention, leaving Ricky at home with his Grandfather Stratton babysitting. After sending Derek home, Grandfather tells Rick about his hotrodding days as “Lightning Bolt” Stratton, prompting Rick to ask him to teach him to drive his father’s Mercedes. Grandfather goes along with it, but they immediately crash the car through the house library. When Edward and Kate return home early because of a Chicago blizzard, Rick and his Grandfather attempt to keep Edward out of the library, but eventually he gets suspicious and checks out the damage. Edward gloats in the fact that now he gets to berate his father after years of it being the other way around. However his father will barely let him finish a sentence before criticizing his own actions. He also explains to Edward that as a grandfather he is happy to say yes, when as a father he was forced to say no so many times, which helps them bond. To celebrate, Grandfather attempts to drive Ricky for ice cream, but they crash through the library again. 1/6/16
• 029. Menudo Madness – 12/3/1983
  • At a debate club meeting, Ricky has a crush on his partner Consuelo (Dawn Agrella), while Leslie has a clear crush on Rick. J.D. suggests that Rick arrange a party on Friday to get closer to Consuelo, but knowing his crush on her, she refuses to come. When Ricky notices that she likes Menudo (Miguel A. Cancel, Johnny Lozada Correa, Ray Reyes Leon, Carlos J. Rivera Masso, Ricardo Omar Melendez), he promises that they will be at his party. Rick is disappointed when his father can’t help him get to the party so he bribes a room service waiter (Jack Fletcher) to get him into Menudo’s hotel room. He convinces the band that visiting his party will give them so privacy and ample access to video games. At the party, everyone become impatient for the band, so Edward and Kate perform Monkey and Chimp (Abba Dabba Dabba). Eventually Menudo shows up and performs Gotta Get on Movin’. Consuelo then professes her feelings for Rick, but it turns out she is talking to band member Ricardo. Ricky ends up dancing with Leslie. Meanwhile Edward brings home the robot Mr. Foobie (aka Foobie D. Robot). Paul Berselou is the security guard. Karissa Noel is super fan Debby. 3/15/16
• 030. Happy Birthday – 12/10/1983
  • Rick thinks his family has forgotten his birthday but his father, grandfather, Kate, and Dexter throw him a surprise party. Rick gets a fireworks show and the video game Manhole from his father, while his grandfather get him a briefcase. Edward and his father can’t stop bickering with each other, which hurts Ricky’s feelings. He tells them how they are ruining his birthday and they stop fighting temporarily…but quickly resume, this time dragging Kate into the fight as well. Rick again expresses his heartfelt pain at their constant fighting. So they all make up and hug. Then the fighting begins once again. 3/15/16
• 031. Sounds of Silence – 12/17/1983
  • After returning home from a masquerade fundraiser for endangered species, Edward, Kate, and Dexter find Ricky dutifully practicing his bassoon for his band tryouts. Although the noises he is making are anything but music, Ricky comes home from his audition the next day and reports that he will be playing in the band, with their first concert being an outdoor performance of Peter and the Wolf. With Derek reading the narrative, the band performs beautifully, but during the intermission Ricky confesses to his father that he isn’t actually playing, and that the band teacher Mr. Zimmerman (Kenneth Kimmons) only allowed him to sit in if he promised not to play. Rick feels guilty, and during the second act actually tries to bellow out a few notes, only to be embarrassed and run away from the concert. Edward follows him home, assuring him that not everyone can be good at everything, relating how poorly he had done in football compared to Ricky being an excellent player. Merritt Olsen is Harold. 6/17/16
• 032. Rick the Greek – 1/7/1984
  • Ricky and Edward share a common interest in their coin collecting, and Ricky discovers what will become the prize of their collection: a three-legged Buffalo nickel valued at $150. Meanwhile Derek talks Ricky into using his computer skills to predict the winners of football games so that he, Freddie, and Rick can place bets with Derek’s bookie Trout (Phil Rubenstein). The boys do quite well, and Ricky decides to place one huge bet for $100 on the Jets beating the Colts by 4 points. Derek and Freddie get cold feet and back out, so Rick goes it alone. When the Jets only win by 2 points, Rick has to pay off the bookie, and does so by selling the three-legged Buffalo nickel, creating a new one by scraping off the leg of another nickel. Rick feels guilty about it and comes clean to his father, who is proud that he confessed when he might have gotten away with it, but lectures him for gambling with a bookie more than he could afford to lose, and stole the nickel and tries to cover it up. Rick’s guilt is enough punishment as Edward feels he has learned his lesson. 6/17/16
• 033. Uneasy Rider – 1/14/1984
  • Rick and his father are all poised to buy a pair of dirt bikes, but when Kate worries him with a story about her cousin getting paralyzed from a dirt bike accident. Rick is disappointed, so when he goes to spend a planned week with his mother, he talks her into getting the bike for him. Kate tries to make friends with Evelyn, but she has no interest. Edward tells Rick how disappointed he is in turning his parents against each other and that the motor bike is going back, but Ricky tells his dad that he is disappointed that he let Kate convince him. Kate speaks alone with Rick, and after Rick yells at her for interfering, Kate explains that she worries about him because she loves him. Rick tells her that he loves her too… but all three parents decline his request that they all spend time together. 9/8/16
• 034. The World’s Greatest Father – 1/21/1984
  • As Dexter tires to get Edward ready for a tax audit, Rick talks him into skipping a business meeting so that he can take him to see the Harlem Globetrotters along with J.T. and his father L.B. (Michael Crabtree). L.B. shows up at the house livid and embarrassed because J.T. thinks Edward is the world’s greatest father, while he struggles with two jobs to put food on the table. Edward then tells Rick that he is backing out of the plans, much to Rick’s irritation. When Rick continues to sulk, Kate takes him out for pizza, where Edward is working hard to cover for L.B. so that he can take J.T. to the game. Edward explains that not all families have the advantages they do, and that as much as he wants to give Rick everything he wants, he needs to learn that lesson. Rick understands and says to help his father at the job. They end up losing money when Dom the manager (Eddie Barth) charges them for all of the dishes Edward broke and pizza Rick ate, but L.B. shows up to give Edward his gratitude. 9/8/16
• 035. I Want to Be Alone – 1/28/1984
  • Kate and Ricky are excited when Edward offers to take them to a cabin on the Lake Guchiwampus, but Ricky feels bad that Dexter has nothing to do for the weekend so he invites him along. Dexter clearly is more interested in a weekend to himself, but reluctantly agrees to go along. Trouble starts for Dexter immediately when he falls into the lake while fishing, the hot springs while berry picking, and then the well. They all decide to stay indoors and play twenty questions, but in the midst of the game a bear wanders into the cabin. Dexter steps up and scolds the bear and sends him on his way. Although he is the hero, he still make it known he’d rather come home and only came because he cares for Ricky. However they stay a little longer when the bear greets them outside the door. Once they get home, they get in a discussion about how people have different tastes and Edward discovers that Kate hates Italian food. 12/1/16
• 036. Mr. Cool – 2/4/1984
  • Ricky and Freddie run into Rick’s trendy Valley girl crush Carol (Christa Denton) and her friend Beth (Wendy Brainard) at the pizza parlor, but she is more interested in ‘cool’ boys instead of the preppies like him. Rick goes home sullen and tells his dad that he needs to change his style, and is soon dressed in his own New Wave attire and doing the moonwalk. Carol finds the new Rick cool, and the two pairs of friends double date at the pizza parlor. However Rick starts to feel uncomfortable when Carol convinces them to ‘dine and dash’, which still goes smoothly until Freddie realizes that he’s left his glasses inside. The girls want to abandon him but Rick stands up to them, dumps Carol, and returns to pay for the meal. When he gets home he finds that Freddie had told him other what happened, and she told Edward, who is satisfied to find out that Rick was worried by his own behavior and clearly won’t be acting that way any longer. Danny Wells is the waiter. 2/4/1984 
• 037. St. Louis Blues – 2/11/1984
  • Just before Valentines Day, Derek shows up at Rick’s and asks to stay the night because his parents are fighting. Rick surprises Edward and Kate with Freddie dressed up as Cupid, while Derek watches from afar and both mocks and pines for the family’s closeness. Derek admits that his father is still cheating on his mother, and that they are getting a divorce. Derek’s mother Corrine (Fern Fitzgerald) also shows up to pick up Derek to take to St. Louis. Initially worried that Derek has done something drastic in the bathroom, it turns out he only had his earphones on. Although Edward agrees that Derek could stay with them, Derek ultimately decides that he needs to be with his mother. Derek says his goodbye to Rick and asks him why he tolerated him all through the years. Rick tells him that life with Derek Taylor was never boring. They embrace and admit they’ll miss one another. NOTE: This was Jason Bateman’s final episode. 3/13/17
• 038. A Hunting We Will Go – 2/18/1984
  • Edward has purchased a jungle couch and Grandfather Stratton has purchased a fast food chain called Mel’s Mostly Meats, but the big news is that Grandfather invites Ricky to go hunting with him. Against his better judgement Edward allows Ricky to go along to Grandfather’s wooded mountain. During their trip, Edward tracks them down and brings them some food. The three guys enjoy each other’s company and get closer to one another, but when a deer appears and Ricky shoots it, he becomes very upset and remorseful when the deer doesn’t die and Ricky has to look into his eyes. Grandfather shoots the deer to put it out of its misery, while Ricky cries and decides to go home. Both Grandfather and Edward blame themselves, but Ricky says no one is at fault: he simply wanted to try hunting and learned he didn’t like it. However his best memory is the time that the three of them spent together. 3/13/17
• 039. Changes – 3/3/1984
  • Rick and his female teammate Billie (Sydney Penny) are great together on the Eddie Toys team with her as pitcher and him as catcher, but she is disappointed that Rick doesn’t see her as a girl. She consults Kate and asks how to better be viewed as a woman, and Kate gives her some pointers, then tells Rick that Billie has a crush on him. Rick is aghast as he’s only seen Billie as ‘one of the guys’. When Billie visits decked out in a dress and long hair, she drops the bomb to Edward that she actually has the crush on him, and not Rick. Edward lets her down easy by bringing up the age factor and the fact that he’s already in a relationship with Kate. Then Ricky sees Billie looking beautiful and immediately asks her out, so Billie shifts gears and uses her womanly wiles on Rick. Frank Welker provides celebrity impressions via calls to Dexter from Walter Kronkite and Ronald Reagan. 9/2/17
• 040. A Summer’s Romance: Part 1 – 3/10/1984
  • Leslie comes over to see Rick and rehearse a play she wrote, and Edward meets her mother Veronica Woosterman Cranbottom (Lauree Berger) and realizes that she was an ex-girlfriend of his from their camp counseling days. Despite the fact that Edward tells her that he’s in a relationship, Veronica tries to rekindle their romance. Kate and Veronica meet, and although Edward vows that he is in love with Kate, she is still worried. Veronica returns with the diary from their summer together and tries to have a picnic with him. Meanwhile Leslie tries to convince Rick that her mother and his father were once in love, but Rick reminds her if they can married, she and Rick will be siblings and thus can’t get married, turning Leslie off from the idea. Rick warns Kate that she better step up her game, but Kate is confident that Edward would never do anything to hurt her… until she walks in and finds Edward and Veronica kissing in his study. NOTE: This is the first of a two-part episode. 9/2/17
• 041. A Summer’s Romance: Part 2 – 3/17/1984
  • Kate is crestfallen and angry when she walks in on Edward and Veronica kissing. Edward admits that he doesn’t understand his feelings, but admits that he may be in love with her causing Kate to storm out and telling Edward to make his decision quickly. Edwards struggles with deciding, but when he talks it over with Dexter, he helps Edward realize he’s already decided since he loves and is happy with Kate, but he merely used to be in love with and may be happy with Veronica. Edward is excited that he’s solved the problem and plans on ending it with Veronica, while Rick plans to end it with Leslie. Edward is more successful than Rick is, just as Kate arrives to clean out her desk. She is touched by Edward’s gesture but refuses to come back to him, thinking that their relationship is permanently damaged. As Kate packs up and storms out, Ricky suggests that they give each other a final goodbye kiss. Once they kiss, Kate can’t help but forgive him. 4/9/18
• 042. Spare the Rod – 3/24/1984
  • Ricky brings home his friend Toby Anders (Meeno Peluce), who is accident prone and has recently sprained his arm rescuing a cat. When Ricky breaks Kate’s early porcelain birthday gift by playing ball in the house, Toby is quick to jump in and take the blame. Toby confesses that Rick got off easy, as his father would have done much more than yell. Rick deduces that Toby’s arm was actually injured by his father, which Toby finally admits with the understanding that Rick won’t reveal his secret. However when Toby shows up at Rick’s with bruises all over his face, Rick reveals the secret to his father and Kate. Edward decides to meet with Toby’s father Larry (Allen Williams) and invites him over. Larry gets irate and knocks a drink out of Edward’s hand, and then tries to justify his anger problem because he is overworked and wants his son to have discipline. He also confesses that his father had hit him and he hated him for it. Edward convinces him to join Parents Anonymous through the children’t hospital when he talks about another man who accidentally murdered his son by abusing him. When Rick and Toby come home, Larry tells Toby that he is going to work on fixing his problem and that Toby will be staying with his aunt for a while. Toby tells him he loves him and walks him to his car. 4/9/18
• 043. Blazing Hotel Rooms – 3/31/1984
  • Edward and Ricky are attending a toy convention at the Hotel Belvedere in Miami Beach, and tagging along with them is Dexter, who is depressed that his girlfriend Renee has run off with his plumber Ralph Alcorn. Edward and Ricky at first try to convince him that she is only looking for attention, but when he phones her, Ralph answers the phone. As they get ready to head out of the room, spoke overtakes them and the realize the building is on fire. Kate watches the news report from home, concerned that smoke for a second unoccupied wing will be dangerous for Edward and Ricky. Back in the room, the three guys stuff wet towels under the doors to keep the smoke out, but eventually it becomes too strong and they have to go onto the balcony. After picking up a fat woman, a helicopter sends a seat down for them and while Ricky and Dexter manage to make it into the seat, Edward has to merely hang from it as the helicopter pulls them up. Back home Edward has suffered a hand injury when the fat woman sat on it. Dexter has a new lease on life and vows to forget about Renee, but when he finds out that Kate has hired Ralph to fix their bathroom plumbing, Dexter goes on the warpath. 12/5/18
• 044. Hi, Mom – 4/7/1984
  • As Ricky heads off to school dressed bizarrely for ‘Freaky Friday’, he and Edward tell her that her mother Marjorie (Georgann Johnson) has called for her. Kate is concerned because she hasn’t yet told Edward about their relationship. Kate says it is because if she knew about them, she’s immediately press for them to get married. Edward barely has time to tell Kate that her mother is coming for a visit from Columbus, before she arrives. Kate insists that they pretend they only have a business relationship, so Edward reluctantly goes along. Marjorie takes an instant liking to Edward, and when she hears Edward refer to Kate as ‘honey’, she starts to get suspicious. She tricks Ricky into showing her their photo album and scans it to find Kate and Edward kissing. Immediately she starts talking to the ‘lovebirds’ about a wedding. Kate finally tells her mother that she is meddling, and that if she can’t accept Kate’s relationship timetable, she doesn’t have to be part of her life. Marjorie is very apologetic and promises not to meddle further, and two embrace. 12/5/18

SEASON 3

• 045. Best Friends – 9/16/1984
  • Dexter’s sister is doing research work in Kenya and Dexter agrees to keep his nephew Alfonso Spears (Alfonso Ribeiro) for six months. Rick takes him to the hangout Leave It to Burgers, where Alfonso quickly turns off Rick’s friends Nate (Gary Riley) and Bobby (K.C. Martel) by acting obnoxious. Alfonso also claims to be great at break dancing and that he knows Micheal Jackson. He quickly proves his dancing ability, even outshining local dancer Dancing Machine (Aaron Seville), but Rick is skeptical that he really knows Michael Jackson as there appears to be too many holes in his story. Although he is still the hero at the hangout, Rick knows it’s a matter of time before the lie is exposed. However when Michael Jackson does in fact make an appearance at the hangout, the kids mob him… so much so in fact, that Alfonso is forced to confess that he hired lookalike Norman Williamson (Bert Simon) to play Jackson. Rick is furious, and Dexter decides to send him to boarding school, but Rick comes to his defense and convinces Dexter to give him another chance. Rick decides to remain friends and the two practice break dancing together. 10/6/19
• 046. Survival of the Fittest – 9/23/1984
  • Rick is getting ready to start Buckminster Fuller High School, but Freddy is worried about what the sophomores notoriously do to freshman. Rick thinks there is nothing to worry about it, and tells Freddy that by knowing Rick, he should be safe. However on the first day of school, while Freddy has a great day, Rick’s is full of disasters culminating with an old friend name Randy (Byron Thames) and his friend Cliff (Chad Cowgill) locking Rick inside his locker. The next day Rick feigns a fever in order to stay home. Meanwhile Eddie’s Toys’ new board game Endangered Species totally tanks when they only sell six units out of 50,000. Edward decides to skip the board meeting so he doesn’t have to face the members, and Rick gives him a pep talk about not hiding form his problems. As they discuss facing their fears, Rick decides to go to school after all. His day is considerably better when a girl makes eyes at him, and he tells Randy and Cliff that he is willing to pay his freshman dues and be the butt of the joke if it makes them feel good and willingly climbs into the locker himself. 10/6/19
• 047. Growing Pains – Part 1 – 9/30/1984
  • Rick and Alfonso and their friends Randy and Nate lament their loss in the soccer game, but make plans for the weekend Clambake, where Rick hopes to take the lovely Tawny Oglethorpe (Shawnee Smith). Edward embarrasses Rick when he tries to show the boys his new ventriloquist dummy Moe Hogany. Edward laments to Kate that Rick doesn’t seem to want to spend time with him, so he offers to take him out for pizza, but Rick has plans to hang out with his friends. Edward asks him to be home at 9pm, but since Tawny is there and shows no signs of leaving, Rick stays for a full 90 minutes past his curfew, and Edward has to come retrieve him in front of his friends. They all make fun of Rick, and Alfonso gives him the idea to try and butter up his father so Rick tries to persuade him to un-ground him by giving him a mock newspaper declaring him the greatest father, an Italian bologna, and Alfonso delivering a singing and dancing telegram. Edward doesn’t bite, and tells an angry Rick that he is only doing it because he cares about him. Later Edward gets a voice message from Rick stating that he has moved out. In a fleabag hotel, Rick is given the tour of the disgusting place by a building manager named Harry (Peter Schrum). Harry Woolf is Al the policeman. NOTE: This is the first of a two-part episode. 3/26/20
• 048. Growing Pains – Part 2 – 10/7/1984
  • Rick settles into his new hotel room, meets the bum (Carmen Filpi) next door, and checks out everything falling apart. Meanwhile Edward, Dexter, and Alfonso are frantically searching all over town to try and find him. Kate has secretly made contact with Rick and comes to visit him. Rick asks her for money and tells her his plans to move to Los Angeles, go to school, and work on rock videos. She tries to talk Rick into moving back home, and Rick becomes sentimental of the memories with his father. Edward then shows up at the hotel, having been told where Rick was by the manager. Edward brings Rick home, but the grounding still stands. Edward struggles with how best to handle the situation. He goes up to Rick and overhears his friends who have snuck into his room trying to convince him to sneak off to the clambake. Edward decides to not interfere, and hopes that Rick had the good sense not to go with them. He goes up to check on Rick and finds Moe Hogany (voice of Bob Berger) in Rick’s bed. Edward assumes he snuck out, but Rick comes out of his bathroom, and tells him that his friends tried to convince him to go to the clambake, but that he told them that he couldn’t since he was grounded. Edward comes clean about overhearing their conversation. They have a conversation and promise to work out their disagreements like men. Edward tells him to go ahead to the clambake and that he will ground him later. Tom Hatten is the T.V. announcer (edited from syndicated version). NOTE: This is the second of a two-part episode. 3/26/20
• 049. A Dark and Stormy Night – 10/28/1984
  • With Halloween approaching, Rick, Alfonso, and Freddy are watching the Halloween Monster Marathon when the electric goes out. Edward encourages them to use their imagination instead of relying on TV, and tells them how he used to play a game called Pass the Ghost Story with his friends, where one person would start a story and then pass it on when it got scary for the next friend to pick up. Edward starts them off with the tale of the three boys in 1891 happening upon the same Stratton Manor they are currently in. The place looks haunted inside with lots of scary decor including a coffee table coffin with spring loaded snakes inside. The boys meet up with Dr. Edgar Swell – played by Edward – who invites them to stay the night. When he goes to get their room ready, they meet someone hiding inside a mummy’s case. Alfonso then takes the story and reveals that it was a beautiful woman – played by Kate – inside the case who warns them to leave immediately because Swell performs evil experiments with brains and animals, including a 26-foot frog and 9-foot fly. Before they can escape, Dr. Swell comes after them, appearing to be transformed into a monster named Mr. Rotten. Freddy then takes over the story and tells of how Super Freddy subdues and hog-ties Rotton, but when they are celebrating, Mr. Rotton rips off the “F” from his shirt, which stripped him of the source of his power. Rotten escapes the ropes and captures the boys in a net. Swell/Rotten alternates between personalities, but even as Swell, he plans to take someone’s brain for a creature he is working on. As the girl tries to free the boys, Swell drinks a potion to give him the personality of a New York cab driver and angrily bursts into the room. Rick then takes the story and relates how Rotten takes the girl and ties her up next to his monster preparing to take out her brain. The boys escape their ropes and Freddy attempts to leave, but finds the giant frog outside the door. Instead they break into Rotten’s lab and attack him with a giant bread stick. Rick bread-fights him and overpowers him while the other boys frees the girl. As they are ready to leave, the Frankenstuffin monster – played by Dexter – comes alive and chats with the boys. Dr. Swell sends Frankenstuffin into town to terrorize the people, but he turns on Swell and attacks him, sending him fleeing outside where he is eaten by the giant frog. The boys end their story just as the power comes back on, but Rick and the boys decides to continue the story. Freddy starts the tale about the Frankenstuffin monster coming back… just as Dexter comes up dressed in his Frankenstein’s monster costume, scaring everyone half to death. 7/7/20
• 050. I Won’t Dance – 11/4/1984
  • Rick has to come up with a history project involving American business in the 20th century. Edward suggests that Rick invite his grandfather to speak to the class, and he accepts the invitation. After class, Grandfather tells Rick that he finds his teacher Joanie Bugden (Barbara Billingsley) quite appealing. Rick coaxes him into asking her out, and although she turns him down for that night since she has Foxtrot classes, she accepts for the following night. Two weeks later they are still dating and Rick is gloating that he got them together. Grandfather has never been happier but expresses that he wishes Joanie would stop asking him to dance… mostly because he doesn’t know how. Kate and Edward give him some lessons, but when he talks to her to confirm their date for dinner with Gerald and Betty Ford, she says she has to judge a dance contest and that their relationship isn’t working out. Grandpa is crestfallen, and Ricky is a little put off by his teacher, making uncharacteristic cracks against fellow student Calvin Plotkin (David Wagner). After class, he and Miss Bugden discuss this, and also her relationship with his grandfather. She mentions that it didn’t seem that he was all that interested since he was so involved in his business, and also that he would never do anything she wanted to do, particularly go dancing. Rick tells her that she really means a lot to him, but he is shy in his personal life, unlike he is in business. She agrees to come to their house for dinner, where Grandpa insists on showing her his new moves on the dance floor. Rick says he won’t take any more credit, and for now on, their relationship is up to them. Farrin Jacobs is Tracy (not present in syndication edit). 7/8/20
• 051. Village of the Darned – Part 1 – 11/11/1984
  • Dexter is on Alfonso’s case to ensure that he spends the bulk of his time studying, while Edward tells Rick that he needs to pull up a low grade that he got in his science class mid-terms. Rick thinks there is no practical use for what he is learning. While they are studying, Rick and Alfonso come up with plans for their Thanksgiving break which include a Cyndi Lauper concert and a party at their sophomore friend Nick’s place, where they will be the only freshmen are invited. However their plans are quickly scuttled when Edward and Kate announce that they are going to be spending their break on  St. Agnes Island, to where Kate will be flying the company jet. The five of them make their way, but along the way, one of the engines runs out of fuel and as they play “find the face in the clouds,” Kate struggles with losing the second engine. As they coast in for a water landing, Rick confesses that he forged Edward’s signature on a note from the school about his Science grade. Edward quickly forgives him, but when one of the engines comes back, he starts to get angry. However the engine drops out again, and he forgets it again. They spot an island below, and as they coast toward it, Ricky and Edward say they love each other. NOTE: This is the first of a two-part episode. 10/24/20
• 052. Village of the Darned – Part 2 – 11/18/1994
  • The group of five make a safe landing on an island in the Caribbean. The inflate their raft and work their way across a river to a dilapidated hut built in 1962 by a man named Ben Carlson who had been stranded there when his S.S. Sixpack boat sank. They find his diary that indicated that he slowly went mad over the course of over fifteen years. They make a campfire for the night and eat bananas and the last of Rick’s M&Ms. When Alfonso and Dexter get in another argument about the fact that Alfonso isn’t as enthused about his education as he should be. Rick also gets angry at his father for being forced on the trip, and Kate gets angry at Edward when he infers that the accident was her fault. Dexter goes to look for Alfonso, just as a hurricane hits the island. Edward goes to find them, and tree falls on top of his legs. Rick and Kate are able to drag him to safety, but Dexter and Alfonso are nowhere to be found. When they find one of Dexter’s shoes in the water, they assume that Dexter and Alfonso have drowned. However as they are mourning their loss, Dexter and Alfonso return after having waited the storm out in a cave. The two families have a banana Thanksgiving dinner, despite that fact that none of them are prepared to cook a duck that they find. Rick then uses some skills he learned in Science class to help power the generator using wind power to get airplane radio working. They are able to contact a Spanish fisherman (voice of Castulo Guerra) who is on an island five miles away. Rick communicates in Spanish that he learned in school, and they set a signal fire so the man can come rescue them. NOTE: This is the second of a two-part episode. 10/24/
• 053. The Call of the Wild – 11/25/1984
  • Rick’s mother Evelyn comes to visit Rick, and brings along her new fiance, famous NFL player  Elmer “The Exterminator” Sinkowski (John Matuszak). Both Rick and Edward are huge fans and thrilled to meet him. Evelyn tells Kate that she wants to settle down, and asks Kate to help teach her to be more ‘ordinary.’ Rick. his father, and Alfonso have a great time playing football with Elmer in the yard. Rick is even more thrilled when his mother announces that they are planning on buying the house next store, although Edward is skeptical that she’ll be able to stay the night in one place. After a week, she is doing well, although driving Edward crazy. She seems to prove herself when she offers to take Rick bowling on a weekend night. As Rick tries to read her his book report on The Call of the Wild, Evelyn is distracted by the going-away party for the Westbrooks next door. When she keeps watching it and calling out elite members who are showing up as guests, Rick offers to go bowling at a later time so she can go to the party, and she take him up on the offer. She comes back home the next morning, dressed to the nines and tells Edward that she and Elmer are splitting up and she is leaving for Bermuda with Lord and Lady Brooks, whom she ran into at the party. Edward insists that she deliver the news to Rick herself. He is disappointed, but not all that surprised, likening her to the dog Buck from The Call of the Wild. He harbors no ill will against her… and both Rick and Edward vow to remain friends with Elmer. Bill Richmond is Evelyn’s butler Reevers. 2/11/21
• 054. Beauties and the Beasts – 12/9/1984
  • Kate gets irritated at Edward and Dexter when they exclude her from union contract negotiations, and then sees the same sexist behavior in Ricky, Alfonso, and Freddy when they decide to hold a beauty contest as a way to bolster their school newspaper headlines. After Alfonso and Freddy do some breakdancing at the burger joint, they all meet and go over the applicants. Three of the applicants also pay visits to their table. Leslie Anne Cranbottom, who was usually smitten with Rick, butters up Freddy. A girl named Angela Cavendish (Rahkel Bouchet) smooth talks Alfonso. Rick is disgusted by their behavior…until Corliss Kirchenbauer (Tracy Wells) makes him promise she’ll win the contest, and in exchange agrees to go to prom with him. Rick feels guilty, and the guys all discuss the fact that they need to tell their new girlfriends that contest will be judges on their merits, but each guy chickens out. They hold the contest in the hangout, with Rick as the emcee and Alfonso and Freddy as the opening tap dancers, judging each of the girls on beauty, personality, talent, and long division. In the end, all three judges vote their own girl and none of them will budge. Finally Alfonso gets the idea to award the prize of Miss Fuller Freshman to elderly teacher Mrs. Bushmill (Connie Sawyer). The crowd turns on them as the girls each accuse their boyfriend of fraud, and the angry freshman mob chases them out of the restaurant. Back home, Kate has saved the day for Eddie Toys by proposing compromises for the labor negotiations. Rick arrives home and tells his father that he made a huge mistake, and he and Corliss are certainly through. Edward tells Rick not to make the same mistake of underestimating a woman. Sure enough, Corliss shows up and apologizes to Rick and asks him to go for a walk, continuing to compliment the size of his biceps. 2/12/21
• 055. Twas the Night Before Christmas – 12/16/1984
  • It is Christmas Eve at the Stratton residence, and everyone is in the holiday spirit, ready to celebrate an organized night of frivolity. Alfonso is particularly excited because his mother is flying in to spend the holiday with him. Things quickly take a turn when Freddy shows up at the house, announcing that his family’s house burnt down while his father was trying roast chestnuts on an open fire. Rick and his family quickly invite the Lippencottlemans to spend the night with them rather than being alone in a motel. So Freddy’s father Troy (Earl Boen) and Myrna Loy (Miriam Flynn) come join the festivities. Unfortunately, Troy is just as accident prone as Freddy, and soon they have collectively managed to knock over the tree, destroy Edward’s guitar, and injure Troy’s back two seconds after they head out for caroling. Dexter becomes particularly angry when Myrna falls asleep during his reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas. Making matters even worse, Alfonso gets a telegram from his mother saying she is stuck in Mozambique and won’t make it after all. He becomes depressed and withdraws from the celebration altogether. Rick has a talk with him and convinces him that Christmas is a feeling and not a day, so no matter when they can finally get together, they can share the Christmas spirit. Edward is ready to tell the Lippencottlemans that they are ruining their Christmas, when Troy interrupts to tell them how nice they’ve made Christmas for them after the tragedy they faced. Edward then welcomes them with open arms, and despite the fact that Troy manages to injure both Edward and Kate when he hugs them, they start the party fresh. Edward brings out his other guitar, and Alfonso sings Merry Christmas Stranger. Merrie Raker is the caroler. 6/8/21
• 056. Lulu’s Back in Town – 12/30/1984
  • Rick finds out that their favorite hangout Leave It to Burgers is going to sold by its owner Max (Bill Quinn) to a buyer that is going to put in a paint store. Rick has the idea to have his father buy the place, but Edward doesn’t think he’d have the time to oversee it. Meanwhile, Edward’s old nanny Lulu Baker (Pearl Baily) stops by to visit Edward and his family, after spending years running restaurants in Europe with her late husband William. Rick and Alfonso accompany her to the mall to shop for clothes, and then they stop by the burger place. The boys are able to quickly convince her to purchase the place and run it as her own. Dexter helps prepare the contract for her and Max to sign, but after she hears Max talking about how he and his wife plan to enjoy their golden years after working together for the last forty, suddenly she backs out of the deal. It appears that she wants to enjoy her retirement as well, and she soon beings gardening, writing her autobiography, and preparing a luau for the Strattons. Rick finds her up late one night, and she confides in him that she didn’t back out of the deal so that she could retire, but because she was afraid of being alone, lamenting about William’s passing. Rick tells her that no one really dies when she still carries him with her, and that no one is alone who is loved, and their talk makes her feel better. The next day, as Alfonso and Rick are enjoying their last milkshakes at the burger joint, Edward and Kate show up, saying that they got an anonymous invitation to be there. It turns out to be from Lulu, who has now decided to buy the place after all, thanks to her discussion with Rick. Steve Daniels is the break dancer. 6/8/21
• 057. The Trouble with Grandfather – 1/6/1985
  • Ricky and Alfonso think that it is time to get jobs, so they do some research on becoming Mel Steckler ushers. Meanwhile, Grandfather Stratton is planning on hosting a fancy party at the mansion as a benefit for the Edward Stratton II Library of Business and Finance. Upon arrival to look over the place, Dexter delivers the news that one of Grandfather’s biggest business rivals Franklin Faversham has unexpectedly passed away. That night at the party, While the boys try to steer clear of the guests to avoid getting their cheeks pinched. Grandfather show up dressed in a flashy white and red suit with his young date Dee Dee Driscoll (Misty Rowe) in tow. Everyone is shocked by their wild behavior, and after a while Grandfather decides to leave and go for a ride in his new Porsche. He winds up in jail for driving with a long-expired license, and when Ricky come to see him, he explains that the death of Faversham really got to him and he now wants to make sure he has experienced life to the fullest. With no chief rival around now, he is ready to retire. Edward then shows up to bail him out and tells him that Faversham’s son Skippy is taking over the company, so he will have a new rival, suggesting that his father do a little bit of both: stay in business, but also have fun. This is an idea that Grandfather can get behind. They all embrace, including the biker (James Arone) who is sharing the cell with Grandfather. Helene Winston is the matron at the party. Frank De Vol is Bernie the violin player. 10/5/21
• 058. Special Friend – 1/13/1985
  • When Rick catches Kate listening to a radio psychologist, he expresses how serious Psychology can be, mostly because he is participating as a mentor in the school Peer Counseling group. After proving that he can be successful, Rick’s advisor Miss Pikes (Cynthia Kania) assigns Rick to an especially difficult student named Mark Adams (Christian Brackett-Zika). Mark initially scoffs at Rick’s age and inexperience, feeding him nothing but lies and insults. However, when Mark finds out that Rick has a computer, they bond over that, and Mark shows Rick the video game he created, which mirrors his hobby of skipping school. The two get along quite well, while Rick starts to get a big head about his success. Meanwhile, Alfonso is starting to get upset that Rick is no longer spending any time with him, and is constantly with Mark. His father reminds him not to let the work he is doing go to his head, but Rick can only gloat about the fact that Mark is now making friends and no longer skipping school. After Ricky heads out for school, Mark climbs in Ricky’s window and manages to hack into Rick’s rival soccer team’s playbook. Rick his angry that Mark has done something illegal, and has stolen the playbook, although he can’t help but being please by having the playbook. Rick becomes so torn, that he turns to the radio psychologist as well, and is promptly blown off. Rick calls Adam to come and see him, and tries to treat Mark like a friend, and admits he’s at a loss. Mark comes clean and confesses that his father is an alcoholic, which greatly affects his life and school performance. Mark said he has found some support groups, and just needs Rick to be his friend. Rick agrees that is what he will do, and also works on making more time for Alfonso. 10/6/21
• 059. What’s Cookin’? – 1/27/1985
  • While Kate is giving Edward a facial based on a tutorial she is watching on the show Wake Up, New York, Rick is trying to collect wages from his father for doing the weeding… but Edward will only give him four dollars. Grandfather Stratton shows up and butters up Edward so that he might buy their Stratton Flour company that has been losing money for years. When Lulu has them try the new dessert she is working on for the restaurant, Ricky suggest that they get her a spot on Wake Up, New York to do a cooking show live at her restaurant, and promote Stratton Flour in her recipes. Grandfather is so impressed with Ricky’s idea that he not only implements, but offers Rick a minimum wage job working for him. Ricky is doing his work in his room, while watching the segment on TV. During the cooking show, Edward breaks in with a jingle advertising the flour. Alphonso stops by Rick’s room and offers Rick tickets to the Mets game. Ricky tells Alphonso he can’t go because he has to input customer input on the flour into his computer. When Alphonso tells him that it is jacket day, Rick changes his mind and decides to go along, but as they leave, all of the paper surveys fly out of the window. When Grandfather finds about it, he immediately fires Ricky. The hosts of the show, Vaughn (Terence McGovern) and Debbie (Leslie Norris), introduce another one of Lulu’s segments at the restaurant. When Edward and Rick come there, so that Edward can yell at his father for being too hard on Rick. Their bickering starts to interfere with the show, so Lulu brings them on camera as guest chefs. After they get flour all over themselves, Lulu has them role play as each other to help settle the dispute. They do impressions of each other until Edward steps in again and tells his father how obstinate he is and proves so by having him look at the TV monitor so he can see that he’s turned his back on them. Even the stage manager (Burt Harris) of the commercial agrees that Grandfather is difficult. Both Grandfather and Rick both admit their faults, and they both embrace with Edward and Pearl, then sing the Stratton Flour jingle. 4/2/22
• 060. Marry Me, Marry Me: Part 1 – 2/3/1985
  • Rick and Alphonso are concerned when they have Kate and Edward take a compatibility test and their score winds up being a low 31. Then Kate shows up for work and gives Edward the cold shoulder, so they start to worry even more. After the boys go to school, Kate tells Edward that she had dinner with Harold Zapkowsky from Zapp Toys, and he offered her a job at double her salary. Edward is relieved to find out that she turned it down, but she admits she only turned it down out of loyalty to Edward, but is unsure if their future together since he has moved so slow. He tries to explain that he just wants to make sure that he is ready since he jumped into his last marriage so fast, and consequently, it ended so quickly. She tells him that ‘someday’ isn’t a good enough answer, as her biological clock is ticking and she wants to have a baby. After Kate leaves to go home, Dexter suggest that Edward should marry her. The next day, Edward has a big surprise and calls in Rick, and then calls in a marching band to assist in popping the big question for Kate. She joyfully accepts, and Edward gives her a dress and brings in Vidal Sassoon to do her hair so they can go out for a nice romantic dinner. After all is said in done, it is clear that Ricky is not happy with the situation. He tells Edward he wished he would have discussed it with him first, rather than everyone in his school’s band knowing before he did. He is concerned that things will change with them, and that Kate will try to act like his mother. When Kate tells Rick to pick up his hockey stick, Rick notes to his father that it is happening already. Edward tries to soften the blow by saying that he needs to get married since Kate gave up a job for him, and because her biological clock is ticking. Thinking that this is the only reason that Edward proposed, she gives him back his ring and calls it all off. NOTE: This is the first of a two-part episode. 4/2/22
• 061. Marry Me, Marry Me: Part 2 – 2/10/1985
  • Edward and Rick are both moping around the house following the breakup between Edward and Kate. They’re not even sure where she is, since her housekeeper will only tell Edward that she went out of town with her friend Annie (Fran Drescher). Rick is able to track her down by calling her cat kennel and finding out her emergency contact information. She is in Miami and getting ready to board a cruise. Edward and Rick fly to Miami and get on the boat as visitors before it departs. Kate discusses her breakup with Edward, and although she is heartbroken, she is still angry with the amount of time he made her wait for him. Rick spots and her and pleads with her to come home, and then Edward finds them both, and he makes his plea, along with a fresh heartfelt proposal. Still, Kate turns him down and tells him that she needs time to think. Edward tries to plead with her but he is carried off the boat by the ship’s steward (Curtis Taylor). Before Rick leaves the ship, he tells Kate to call them and she says she will. Back home, Rick tries to keep everyone off the phone while waiting for Kate to call. Eventually, she does call, and tells Edward that the cruise still has six more weeks to go. Edward is disappointed, but then she reveals that she has come back, and she enters through the back door and surprises Edward. She also asks him to marry her and he jubilantly agrees. Soon the wedding takes place in Edward’s house, with Kate’s parents (Gloria Henry, John Ingle) there to give her away. Grandfather Stratton also shows up and gives Edward a toaster company as a wedding gift, as well as tells him how lucky he is to have a woman like Kate. Edward is very nervous and keeps trying to give the ring to Ricky, even though he gave it to him much earlier in the day. Rick acts as the Best Man, while Annie acts as Kate’s Maid of Honor. The only hitch is the scramble to find the ring in Ricky’s pocket, before the minister (Ivan Bonar) announces them man and wife Danny Wells is the ship waiter.. NOTE: This is the second of a two-part episode. 8/1/22
• 062. Rick and the Legend – 2/17/1985
  • Rick brings home a new friend named Lege McLemore (Steven Antin), whose first name is short for ‘Legend’, and who calls everybody ‘Jake’. Edward takes an instant disliking to him. Shortly after Lege admires Edward’s solid gold pen, the pen turns up missing. Edward is quick to blame Lege, even though Kate thinks he is jumping to conclusions. Meanwhile, Rick is not only trying to emulate Lege, but he is also giving Lege exorbitant amounts of gas money, and doing Lege’s homework for him. In return, Lege offers to take Ricky to the drag races in repayment. When the pen doesn’t show up and Lege suddenly has a new horn for his car, Edward inquires how Lege came up with the money suddenly to buy the horn. When his only excuse is that he recently ‘came into’ some money, it is clinched in Edward’s mind that he stole the pen and sold it. When Edward tells this to Ricky, he is quick to come to Lege’s defense, and also tells his father that he has no right to try and choose his friends for him. Lege winds up standing Rick up for the drag races and has a party at his house, and doesn’t even invite Rick. On the other hand, Edward receives a note form his new butler Winthrop (Dean Dittman) that states that the dry cleaning company found the pen down in the lining of his jacket. Edward feels guilty for jumping to conclusions, and goes up to see Rick in his room and apologize. Rick is quick to tell him that he told his father that Lege wouldn’t steal the pen, but also has to admit that Lege isn’t that great of a guy after all. The next morning Lege comes to pick up the paper on JFK that Rick promised to write for him, and Rick cheerfully gives it over. He later has Alphonso read a copy in which he states that JFK was once ran a balloon farm on Mars. They are both pleased that Lege will obviously be receiving an F on this paper. 8/1/22
• 063. Trouble with Words – 2/24/1985
  • Rick and Alfonso are working on their book reports, but Alfonso is really struggling with his report on Moby Dick. He claims he is excited that Olympic gold-medalist Bruce Jenner (himself) is coming to the house to discuss his endorsement on a new line of children’s exercise equipment. Alfonso also states that he is much more interested in concentrating on dancing in the upcoming school talent show. Dexter is insistent that Alfonso concentrate on his schoolwork so that he can be successful like most of the men in the Stuffins family. Edward and Dexter take Jenner out for dinner to discuss the contract terms, and Dexter again tells Alfonso to work on his paper while they are gone. As soon as they leave, Alfonso wants to play Pac-Man rather than work, so Ricky offers to help him with his report. Alfonso is hugely offended that Rick tries to help him and tells Rick that he must think he is really stupid, and when Rick tries to tell Alfonso that he thinks he is smart, Alfonso gets even angrier and storms out. That night when his father returns, Rick tells his father what happened and that he doesn’t know what to do about it. The next morning as they leave for school, while Jenner is putting the equipment through its paces, Dexter asks Alfonso to see the paper. It is poorly written, many words are misspelled, and it is only one page long. Alfonso claims her really tried, but just could not do any better. He says he doesn’t know what is wrong with him, but he feels stupid. Dexter is furious and doesn’t think he was trying, and he tells Alfonso that he can’t participate in the talent show. Bruce comes into the house to sign the contract and takes a look at Alfonso’s paper. He recognizes the sign of a dyslexia learning disability, mostly because he has it himself. He tells Dexter that it is something that can be overcome with training, and that by allowing Alfonso to do something he’s good at – like dancing – it will give him the confidence he needs to overcome the disability. Before they leave for school, Dexter and Bruce tell all this to Alfonso as well. Before they head off to the guidance counselor, Dexter rescinds the punishment so that Alfonso can participate in the talent show. 11/28/22
• 064. Hot Shot – 3/3/1985
  • Edward and Kate go through their wedding photos and gifts. Ricky tells Alfonso that he’s picked out a $150 picture frame that he plans to get them, but currently he only has $2. He starts looking through the classified ads for a job and finds one called Discounts International. The place is run by Al Butler (Paul Williams) and Roy McIntire (Pat McCormick), who are dealing in Hot Shot cameras that are selling for $15, with Rick getting $3 per every camera that he sells. Ricky ends up selling 80 cameras, and quickly earns enough to buy his parents the frame. After he presents it to them, he sees the consumer advocate show Fight Back! hosted by David Horowitz (himself) and spots the camera that he’s been selling as being labeled a piece of junk. Soon his friends Alfonso, Nate, Beth, and Larry are all confronting him about getting their money back. Beth even threatens to make sure he doesn’t get a date for the rest of his life. Rick returns to Butler and McIntire to tell them about the phony cameras. The guys tell Ricky that the ‘idiots in Taiwan’ sent them the 100LT instead of the 200LT model. They write him a check to refund all of the cameras, including enough to cover Rick’s commission that he already spent. Back home, Edward is fielding all of the complaints from Rick’s customers when Rick gets home. He tells his father that he might need his help, as the check they wrote for him bounced. When Rick tells his father that he saw the cameras on David Horowitz’s show, Kate recommends that Edward get hold of Horowitz to help. Unfortunately, when they head to the guys’ office, it has been completely abandoned. Edward agrees to front Rick the money so he can pay back his customers, and then Rick can work to earn the money to pay him back. Horowitz also offers to have Rick on his show to talk about his experience. Rick thinks he will look foolish, but Horowitz tells him this will make him a hero to others, so they won’t fall for the same scam. 11/28/22
• 065. All the Principal’s Men – 3/10/1985
  • Rick and Alonso are hosting their school’s news program This Week at Fuller High on Cable Channel F but are looking to get some scoops to bust their ratings. Freddie tells them that he has a great story to share but is afraid to go public with hit. Ricky promises that he will remain Mr. X if he spilt it. Freddie tells them how he works in the school cafeteria and has overheard the cafeteria manager William T. Snodgrass (Jack Riley) pay off a guy named Larry (Peter Van Norden), the owner of the Happy Dale Meat Company, to sell him horse meat at a savings to serve as hamburgers at the school. Rick goes public on Channel F with this, having Freddy make his testimony from behind a Halloween mask. As soon as the school principal Dr. Percy (Don Draper) hears this news, he calls Ricky and Edward to his office to warn them that this could be a libelous charge if they don’t have any proof. Edward and Kate start investigating this on their own, with Kate trying to set up Larry by asking him to sell her cheap meat, while Alfonso takes the meat to get it analyzed. Sure enough, Larry’s company comes of squeaky clean, and the test results indicate Grade A ground beef. Freddie clues in the guys that Snodgrass and Larry are going to meet again, so Rick and Alfonso show up with a video camera to get the information that will incriminate them. It nearly works, but then the men catch the guys making the video and they destroy the tape. Edward and Dr. Percy show up and ask what is going on. Since the tape is destroyed and the boys have no proof of the claims they are making, Snodgrass threatens to sue Edward and to expel the boys from school. Freddie overhears this and comes forward and admits that he is Mr. X, saying he will testify that they were in fact using horse meat and defrauding the school. Mr. Percy promises a full investigation. Later on the school news channel, Rick reports that Mr. Snodgrass voluntarily resigned. Edward tells Rick that they were lucky that it all worked out, since it could have happened that their witness was incorrect. Rick promises to do his research before broadcasting information from now on. 5/12/23
• 066. Return of the Paisley Conspiracy – 3/17/1985
  • As Edward is getting ready to turn forty, he pulls out his old scrapbooks to reminisce. He tells Rick about his old singing group, The Paisley Conspiracy, and even finds an old record that they made, The Colors of My Feelings. Rick decides not to give his father a weedwhacker for his birthday after all and instead he hosts a small This Is Your Life event, where he brings in Kate, Alfonso, and himself, before revealing the real surprise: his old friend and partner from the Paisley Conspiracy, Dave Travis (Michael Goodwin), who comes from Atlantic City where he is still playing music for a living. After reminiscing for a while, they decide to go visit one of their old drummers, and before they know what happened, they are playing live shows locally again. For three nights in a row, they stay out until all hours of the night to the point that both Rick and Kate are starting to feel rejected. Edward then lays the bombshell on them that they are going to go out on tour and perform in 28 cities across the country. Rick is devastated that his father will be in Philadelphia on the night of his Lettermen Banquet. When he finds out that he will be meeting with a record producer they used to know, Rick decides not to even tell him about the banquet. The night after the banquet, Rick and Kate wake up in the middle of the night and talk about calling and telling him how much they want him to leave the tour but go back on forth over whether they should crush his dream of touring in his band. They don’t have to decide because just then Edward returns home. He says the venue in Philly wasn’t what he had hoped it would be, and the record producer had gone out of business years ago and actually wanted Edward to invest in him. He says he felt stomach pains throughout the tour because he missed them so much, but as soon as he walked in the door, they were gone again. Dave plans to continue touring but Edward is done. Later, he sings a song he wrote about himself, his guitar Molly, and Dave. 5/12/23
• 067. The Secret Life of Ricky Stratton – 3/24/1985
  • Rick has been communicating via computer with a girl who goes by the name Lady Godiva. Through their ‘grokking’, they have found that they have much in common and they decide to meet up for a date on Saturday. They also exchange photos through the regular mail. Rick finds out that her name is Wanda O’Biddle (Katie Barberi) and thinks she is beautiful. Alfonso recognizes her from the record store where she was seen with the star quarterback of Jefferson High School, Chip Matheson. who has chest hair and owns a red Porsche. When looking the mirror, Rick suddenly becomes self-conscious of a new pimple and the fact that he suddenly sees his ears as being too big. Rick asks his father what he thinks of his ears, as well as his off-center nose and feet the size of pumpernickel loaves. Rick falls asleep and dreams that he shows up for his date with massive ears and a giant red dot painted on his forehead dressed in nerdy clothes. Wanda thinks Rick is too young and has abnormal ears. The waitress, who happens to be Kate, assumes that it is ‘mercy day,’ calling Rick Quasimodo. Rick attempts to dance with Wanda… until Chip, who is actually his father, shows up and steals her away. Rick tries to go after her, but trips and falls, leaving everyone laughing at him, before he finally wakes up. His father and Kate convince him not to let his fears get the best of him or he might miss out on something good. Meanwhile, over at the burger place, Wanda is waiting for Rick and chats with her friend Sally (Rachel Jacobs). She can’t believe that Wanda is going out with Rick, who she considers to be one of the most popular boys in school. After Sally raves about Rick, she herself starts to feel self-conscious about her appearance as well. She daydreams that she has a huge nose and is too fat to get out of the booth. She imagines Rick is extra cool with girls all flocking around him and even asking for his autograph. When Wanda snaps out of it, she decides to leave, but she and Rick pass each other by the door. They recognize each other and decide to sit down. Both are nervous, but much more composed and comfortable now that they’ve seen each other. When Wanda tells Rick that she’s on a diet, he tells her that she’s the kind of girl that makes other people go on a diet. The two get out of the dance floor, and when Rick asks about Chip Matheson, she tells Rick that he dates her older sister. As they dance, Wanda admits that she was nervous to meet him. He says he wasn’t nervous at all… as his voice cracks. 9/16/23
• 068. The Babysitters – 4/7/1985
  • Rick and Alfonso have started a babysitting service called Sittin’ Pretty Babysitting Corp. Their plan is to charge $3.00 an hour per kid, and then pay Leslie Cranbottom and Freddie Lippencottleman half that to actually do the babysitting. Unfortunately, Alfonso delivers that both Freddie and Leslie had to cancel when Freddie got stung by bees and Leslie quite when she found out that they had the brothers Henry (Ina Fried) and Tommy Bramlett (Tyler Jacobs). Rick and Alfonso have to take care of the boys plus Beth Barton (LaGloria Scott). They all demand Rick’s attention while Alfonso makes lunch, and during all of this Tommy sneaks off and knocks over all of the books on the library shelves. After the boys go home, Rick takes care of Beth by himself, and she tells him that she wishes that she had a mommy again but won’t tell him what happened to her. Through her doll Mandy Jean, she tells Rick the ‘secret’ that her father picked her up at nursery school and said they’re going to move away because her mother never wanted to see her again. Beth tells Rick not to tell anyone because it would mean her father will get into a lot of trouble. After her father Ken (Mark Hutter) picks her up, Rick tells his father and Kate about Beth’s secret. Edward calls the police to inquire if there were any missing children on the books with Beth’s description, but they don’t find any information. They are all puzzled by what she said, but Kate notes that sometimes divorced couples say terrible things about the other spouse. The next time Rick babysits, Beth points out a picture in a history book of a Minuteman and says that it is the monster that she used to see all of the time and cause her mother to comfort her. The statue that she saw was from Concord, Massachusetts, so Edward calls Detective Henshaw (Gwendolyn Mithcell) back and asks her to check if there are any leads in Concord. Henshaw finds out that there was a Beth Thompson abducted in Concord and they are going to try and reach her. She shows up in town and identifies Beth’s father who is subsequently arrested. Mrs. Thompson (Mary McCusker) then shows up at the Stratton house to retrieve Beth, who is shocked and excited to see her. As Beth and her mother tearfully embrace, the Strattons have their own emotional family hug. 9/16/23

SEASON 4

Theme song: “Together” synthesized version featuring unknown vocalist. Second half of season introduced rock version of “Together”, again sang by original singer Ron Dante. 

• 069. Head Over Heels – 9/15/1985
  • Kate’s friend singer Whitney Houston (herself) is in town to film a video, so Kate brings the family to see her on location. She also meets Dexter, who hopes he can offer her services as a business manager. He has no preconceived notions about her, but when he sees her, he becomes instantly smitten. He plans to meet her over the weekend to go over business, but Dexter is extremely nervous because he has feelings for her but has no idea how he could possibly compete with the type of men she knows. Rick and Alfonso work with him to make him look like he’s hip, and his actions echo his new appearance. They all good job of passing him off as a cool guy, as Whitney does fall for him quickly and they begin to date. Everyone visits the filming of her video Saving All My Love for You, which she performs. After the video, Dexter thanks Rick and Alfonso for helping him, and then tells them that Whitney will soon be heading back to Los Angeles, and he plans to move as well. Alfonso is shocked and hopes that he can stay with the Strattons. He’s also upset that since his uncle met Whitney, he hasn’t paid any attention to him. Edward also gets annoyed when Dexter lets a business deal slip by that they’s been working on. Kate tells Edward that Whitney is upset about her relationship with Dexter, as she never planned for him to give up his life and move with him. She had hoped that their relationship would just be confined to her visits to New York. Edward goes to talk to Dexter and tells him to be careful about giving everything up, including himself. Alfonso also makes it known that he doesn’t want to move to California. Dexter finally realizes how impulsively he’s been acting when Edward tells him to look in the mirror and imagine himself at a Harvard reunion. Dexter finally returns to his senses and decides that they are going to stay in New York. Dexter has a talk with Whitney who agrees they can continue to see each other when he visits California. She gives him a passionate kiss before she leaves, and then later tells Kate that her time with Dexter was the best seven days of her life. Later, the Starttons all have dinner with Dexter to keep him company since the break-up. Dexter admits to Alfonso that he sometimes thinks about moving to California but is ultimately glad they stayed. 1/18/24
• 070. Mrs. Stratton Builds Her Dreamhouse – 9/22/1985
  • Rick is disappointed when he and his father don’t keep to their Sunday morning tradition by going to Duke’s Diner for breakfast in favor of staying home for Kate’s Eggs Florentine. During breakfast, Kate also points out the Home section of the newspaper and tells Edward how much she’s like to decorate the kitchen. Edward gives her permission to move forward, and soon the house is filled with workers as they seem to touch every area of the house. Rick expresses his displeasure when he finds out they plan to change his room as well. Between the flamboyant interior designer Guy Du Maurier (Ian Abercrombie) and the contractor (Richard Foronjy), no one can get a moment’s peace. Over the next few weeks, Edward and Rick are inconvenienced in every way possible from finding empty cabinets in the kitchen to being the victim of a huge leak on a rainy night. Rick confides in Alfonso that he thinks everything is changing since his father married Kate, but doesn’t want to talk to him about it. When it becomes clear how upset Rick is, which is made clear from how often he eats at Duke’s, Edward finally asks to talk to him in the kitchen. Rick doesn’t think it will do any good, as it is clear that Edward has been annoyed by the renovations and hasn’t said anything to Kate. However, once the ceiling collapses in the kitchen while they are talking, he decides he needs to have a talk with her. He tells her that she’s gone overboard with the redecorating, and she agrees she has gotten in way deeper than she had expected to. They all agree to move into the guest house while the work is done and to keep the lines of communication open between them. They even all agree to go out to eat at Duke’s, even though no one really wants to. Later, Kate unveils the new living room, which showcases a cozier setup of the furniture and fireplace. However, the train is still in place, and she has Alfonso ride it into the newly decorated living space. 1/18/24
• 071. Poor Evelyn – 10/6/1985
  • Rick’s mother Evelyn comes for a visit from London, and Kate is nervous about seeing her again. Rick is excited for her to be there, but he quickly starts deducing that his mother might be struggling with money problems. Edward thinks that she should be fine since her business manager Clarence Birmingham keeps her on a sensible budget. However, Dexter knows that Birmingham has recently absconded with client funds to Brazil. Edward and Kate confront Evelyn, and she admits that she’s basically lost everything, and when her boyfriend, Lowell Whiting (Julian Barnes), the Duke of Braxton, found out that she had lost everything, he dumped her. Edward offers to give Evelyn some money to get through the emergency, she says she is too proud to take charity. Rick suggests that Edward offer her a job as a receptionist at Eddie Toys. Much to Edward’s surprise, she accepts the job. Her first day winds up being a disaster, and not only does she cover a Japanese client, Mr. Yamaguchi (Ernest Harada), with wet coffee grounds, she manages to spill water on the computer, which takes out the electricity. All of this, added to the fact that she doesn’t know how to type, causes Edward to realize that he has to fire her. Before he can tell her the news, Evelyn thanks him and Kate for giving her the job. They are further interrupted with the Duke shows up at the house and asks her to return to London as his fiancée. Everyone is thrilled, especially Rick. After they say goodbye, Kate admits that she had called and arranged for the Duke to come. Greg Lewis is Evelyn’s cab driver from the airport. 5/18/24
• 072. Promises, Promises – 10/13/24
  • Kate notices that Rick has been acting different lately, namely by dressing nicer, being away all of the time, and always talking on the telephone. It isn’t long until they find out that Rick has had a new girlfriend named Kimberley (Andrea Elson) for the past month, and they are not shy about kissing in front of Edward and Kate. While they are hanging out, Stephanie mentions to Rick about some of the kids who are getting ‘promised’ to each other, which involves the guy buying the girl a ‘promise ring’, meaning that they will be together forever… or they will break up, whichever comes first. Later, while they are at Burgers, Kimberly’s friend Jenny (Tammy Ames) shows off the promise ring that she received from her boyfriend David. It is obvious from her reaction that she wants Rick to get her one as well, and when he mentions the possibility of buying one, she gets especially excited and tells him that she loves him. Later, while Rick and his father are playing ping-pong at the house, Kimberly stops over to make plans for the big event when Rick takes her to get a ring. As Stephanie makes more and more plans for Rick to attend her family events, Rick starts to feel more and more pressured and uncomfortable. After she leaves, Rick asks Kate if she can remember how it felt to become promised, and Kate tells him how wonderful it felt since she was in love. Rick tries to justify his relationship with Kimberly, but he winds up getting upset. After he has to turn Alfonso again since he has plans with Kimberly, he finally goes to his father and confesses that he is in over his head and is starting to feel suffocated whenever he is with Kimberly. Edward makes it clear that it is important to do what is best for him, and not worry about what others think. Rick considers writing Kimberly a letter, but Edward convinces him that he should tell her in person. Rick meets her at Burgers, and she can see by his body language of tearing up napkins that something is wrong, and she correctly guesses that he is having cold feet about the promise ring. When she starts crying, Rick changes him mind and offers to go buy the ring, but she realizes she doesn’t want him to do it if he doesn’t mean it. Since they are no longer promised, they realize they don’t have to spend the day together… but they decide to go to the movies together anyway. NOTE:  The character Jenny is named Heather in the credits. 5/19/24
• 073. The Great Baseball Card Scheme – 10/27/1985
  • Coming soon…
• 074. The Trouble with Harry – 11/3/1985
  • Kate’s uncle Harry Summers (Ray Walston) has been staying at the house, and Edward is getting tired of his constant disregard of the rules. He tells a constant stream of tall tales about his days in World War II in the army and does things like borrow Edward’s Mercedes without asking. Rick, however, enjoys all of the stories from Uncle Harry. After going shopping on the military base, Rick and Harry get ready to watch a war movie and see a commercial for Chicken Charlie, who Harry recognizes as an old war buddy named Charlie Morrisson (Normal Alden). Rick suggests that Harry call him up and have lunch, but Harry thinks that Charlie will just laud all of his success over him, as they were more rivals than friends while in the army. Harry then gets the idea to invite him over while Edward and Kate are at the Jets game and tell him that Edward’s estate belongs to him. Rick feels funny about being involved in a big lie like this and asks his father for advice without telling him that this is about Harry. Rick becomes convinced to tell Harry that he can’t do this, but Harry gives him a sob story about how he will feel like a nothing after all of his years of military service. Rick agrees to allow him to show off the house as his, as long as it is only for a few minutes. After Rick manages to rush Kate and his father out the door before Charlie shows up, Charlie comes in and is impressed by the surroundings. Although Rick tries to get them on their way, Harry wants to give Charlie a ride on the giant electric train, and while they are outside, Edward and Kate return from the game prematurely thanks to an incoming thunderstorm. Rick convinces them to have a picnic in their bedroom to watch the game on TV. After derailing the train, Harry and Charlie come back inside, just as Dexter comes to the door soaking wet. Harry introduces him as his business manager. Harry wants to watch one of his new Chicken Charlie commercials on TV, so Rick forces them into the den, as Edward comes downstairs to see Dexter. Harry then summons Rick because he got his hand stuck in an expensive vase while looking for the keys to Edward’s Ferrari. When Edward hears the crash of the vase, everyone comes out of the den. Charlie refers to Edward and Kate as the butler and maid and the goes back in the den to look for his hat. Edward is furious that Rick went along with this and grounds him for two weeks. Both Edward and Kate read the riot act to Harry, who apologizes profusely and tells them how his pride got the better of him and now he has ruined his relationship with the only three people who matter to him. When Charlie comes back in, Harry gets ready to tell him the truth, but Edward and Kate step in and pretend to be the butler and maid. Harry is most appreciative, and he heads out to lunch with Charlie. Rick points out that he was grounded for going along with a lie, but both Edward and Kate did the same thing, so they should be grounded as well. They point out the irony that they are all grounded while Harry is currently taking off for lunch… in Edward’s Ferrari. 10/5/24
• 075. One Strike and You’re Out – 11/10/1985
  • As Edward is attempting to grill a rump roast in the freezing cold, Kate’s new temporary secretary James Packard (Robert Standley) from the Ryan Girls temp agency. Rick jokes that Kate might be attracted to him, but Edward blows it off. Meanwhile, Alfonso and he and Rick’s friends Andy Hill (Michael Sharrett) and Brad Langford (Billy Jacoby aka Billy Jayne) come over to complain to Rick that because they are still students, their wages have been lowered at the fast-food restaurant where they work, The Big Enchilada. Rick’s Grandfather Stratton is the owner of the company, and they want Rick to talk to him. Rick thinks that Grandfather is probably unaware, but when he arrives for the barbecue, he is very aware of the company. When Rick tells him about his friends’ request, Mr. Stratton fires them all. Rick calls his grandfather to question him, but he says that Rick can get new friends, preferable ones with jobs who won’t complain. Rick then spearheads a picket line in front of Stratton Industries. Grandfather is so upset that Rick has stood up to him that he says that Rick is no longer his grandson. Rick then continues to picket alone with a sign that states that Edward Stratton is unfair to his grandson. Grandfather picks him up in his limo, and Rick talks him into meeting at the house for negotiations. Alfonso, Brad, and Andy all come along, but as the negotiations go into the night, they all fall asleep, leaving Rick and his grandfather to argue. Kate leaves to go work dressed to the nines, prompting Edward to get a bit jealous. She tells him that he doesn’t need to worry because she fired James, then rushes out before she can explain more. Kate gets home late, and Edward apologizes for being jealous when he had no reason to. He encourages her to hire James back again, but she admits that she fired him because he made a pass at her. It gets to be 2am, and Rick and Grandfather are still going strong, and Edward finally intervenes, telling them both that they are just alike and equally stubborn. Grandfather tells Rick that he does see the same bullish resemblance and tells him that he is his Grandson again. However, they haven’t solved the contract dispute, so Edward lays out the terms to be that Grandfather will rehire the boys and then pay them minimum wage after they’ve worked there for two months. Both agree to the terms, and Grandfather tells Rick that his breakfast negotiations with the teamsters will seem like a piece of cake after his night with Rick. 10/5/24

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