Elyse and Eggy

Here we go…

One of my favorite shows in the 1980s was Family Ties. It was the story of the Keatons, an Ohio family, the parents of which were hippies and Peace Corps volunteers and the kids are a diverse bunch. Steven (Michael Gross) manages the local PBS station. Elyse (Meredith Baxter) is an architect. Oldest daughter, Mallory (Justine Bateman) is fashion-crazy. Oldest son and overachiever Alex (Michael J. Fox) is conservative to a fault and a future high-rolling businessman who dreams of being filthy rich. Younger daughter Jennifer (Tina Yothers) is athletic, bookish, and probably the most like her parents of any of the kids. Andy (Brian Bonsall) is the baby of the family and looks up to Alex.

While Family Ties is often thought of as a sitcom, it’s more of a dramedy because it often dealt with serious issues such as death, drug use, life-threatening illnesses, infidelity, and teenage sex. Sometimes the show even looked like a play, with very spare sets done against a black background. However, tough stuff was always presented in such a way that families could still watch together and maybe discuss afterwards, which I didn’t realize as a kid but appreciate as an adult.

I have a lot of favorite episodes, so many that it’s hard to pick just one, but for today we’re going to talk about “The Boys Next Door,” which was the twenty-fourth episode of Season Six and originally broadcast on March 6, 1988.

It all opens with Andy trying to sell raffle tickets for his school and Elyse trying to decide which dress to wear to her high school reunion. Mallory and Jennifer are intrigued by the idea of their mom’s twenty-fifth reunion, but Elyse shrugs it off because she thinks no one could possibly remember her.

Not so fast, though, Elyse. Her old friend, Roger “Eggy” Erdman (Robert Klein) has been anxious to see her and catch up on old times. He’s done pretty well for himself financially to say the least, so Alex is a wee bit put out that Elyse didn’t tell him that she knew Eggy.

Speaking of the devil, Eggy, er, Roger, shows up, although why he chooses to come in through the laundry room is kind of a mystery (Then again, laundry room entrances happened on the show all the time). Eggy’s glad to catch up with Elyse and meet the family. Alex, is, of course, a wee bit starstruck, as he wants to know all of Roger’s secrets to financial success. It doesn’t hurt that he and Roger both have alarms on their wallets, either.

Roger’s got more on his mind than just catching up and this comes out at the reunion, where he and Elyse reprise their high school singing duo, the Doo Wop Twins. After a triumphant rendition of “Splish Splash,” Roger lays a kiss on Elyse backstage.

None of this ends badly, of course. I won’t ruin anything, but suffice it to say that everyone makes it out with their dignity intact. Oh, and spoiler alert: Skippy wins the raffle and a trip to Mexico.

Story-wise, “The Boy Next Door” is pretty simple. It’s not terribly groundbreaking in terms of the series or as far as TV history is concerned. It takes place over the course of a day or so and the plot isn’t complicated in the slightest. Elyse is the only one who really has anything to do, although Steven gets a few bits in at the reunion when he’s mistaken for class clown Danny Wasserstein.

On the other hand, there are so many touches that make the episode so quintessentially Family Ties. Alex is Alex with his money obsession. Next-door neighbor Skippy (Marc Price) gets in a few pratfalls and finds a kindred spirit in fellow nerd Eggy. Little brother Andrew is cute as always.

Family Ties’ guest star game was always on point as well (incidentally, Family Ties is one of Tom Hanks’s earliest credits). In the case of “The Boys Next Door” the talent was Robert Klein, who gets a lot of screen time because his character is naturally around to reminisce. He’s got this great, dry delivery and he knows how to schmooze. It’s also fun to see he and Meredith Baxter cut up onstage in a completely legit, blues-y rendition of “Splish Splash,” touched up with harmonica riffs.

The idea of the episode is fun as well. As a kid I just enjoyed it, but as an adult who’s staring their thirtieth reunion in the face (Class of ’95, represent!), I relate to it on a more personal level. Who hasn’t thought about their high school reunion, at least in passing? It’s one thing to still see people from high school over the years, and those of us who grew up in small towns know what that’s like, but there are always the people who didn’t stay around that we might wonder about.

There’s also the possibility that those we grew up with might remind us of memories we’d rather forget or memories that are too strong to forget. They don’t even have to say anything. Their mere presence is a reminder. Depending on the memory, this can either be comforting or cringe-y.

Or we might be up onstage belting out “Splish Splash” like Elyse and Eggy. Life is funny that way.

For more of the 10th Annual Favourite TV Show Episode Blogathon, please see Terence at A Shroud of Thoughts. Thanks for hosting this event, Terence, and congrats on ten years! Thanks for reading, all, and I hope to see you on Monday for a special announcement…

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Family Ties: The Complete Series is available to own on DVD from Amazon.

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