Original subtitles

Last week on Family Ties.

You're not Trisha Armstrong, are you?

No, I'm Ellen Reed. The crazy thing is, you've got this roommate, an art major,

for crying out loud, who I have absolutely nothing in common with.

And for some unknown reason, I think about her constantly.

What did you think I would do at this moment? Ellen. Alex, please let me

go. Ellen, I'm sorry. I slipped.

He decided to get married.

I bet we've been together for a million years.

And I bet we'll be together for a million more.

Oh, it's like I started breathing on the night we did.

And I can't remember what I ever did before.

What would we do, baby, without us?

What would we do, baby, without us?

And there ain't no nothing we can't love each other through.

What would we do, baby, without us?

La la la la.

Good morning, Mrs. Kay.

Oh, hi, Skippy.

You know... I was just sitting around my house, and I started getting hungry.

Noticed it was 11 o 'clock, so I figured, why not stop over and enjoy a

hearty Sunday brunch with the whole Keaton clan?

Are we the first ones here?

I'm sorry, Skippy, there's no brunch today. Mr. Keaton's out of town on

business. Alex is still asleep.

Jennifer ate two hours ago, and Mallory's leaving in five minutes.

Don't you eat at home?

My mother only serves the continental breakfast on Sundays.

Hello there, girls.

Where are you off to today?

We're going fishing.

Alex,

I thought you were still sleeping.

I was out walking, thinking about this great irony, this tragic comedy we call

life.

How was the dance, Alex?

Put it this way, Mal.

Last night the entire fabric of my existence unraveled before my eyes.

How are the decorations?

They were nice.

Oh, I almost forgot. Somebody called for you about an hour ago.

Who?

Tricia. Oh, my life is a travesty.

I tried to explain that to her.

troubling you alex i'd like to talk to you about it mom i really would but it's

it's kind of a guy type problem

where's

dad you know where he is he left last night on a business trip right

where's andrew

Oh, Trish, how hard can it be? 10 ,000 -word essay on the political structure

the Ming Dynasty in 14th century China.

It's all common sense.

You know, Alice, I'm really excited about the big economics department

tonight. Have you picked up your tuxedo yet?

Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah.

Uh, excuse me, Trish.

Hi.

Hello.

You ready for the test?

Yeah, I think I'm in pretty good shape.

I've always been a big fan of the Ming Dynasty.

Well, excuse me.

Wait a minute.

I haven't seen you around in almost a week.

I know, I know. I've just been real busy.

Right.

Anyway, I just wanted to... Well, I heard Trish said something about you

deciding to get married.

Yes, I am.

I did decide, yeah.

Oh. I wasn't really sure, you know, because last week at the kiss, at the

we danced and kissed.

I remember that, yeah.

Yeah.

Listen, I was just wondering, when is the wedding thing happening?

Sunday.

Sunday.

How do you mean Sunday? You mean like on a Sunday?

On this Sunday.

Ellen, that's so soon.

I mean, weddings, weddings take a lot of preparation. I mean, you know, you got

to order matchbooks and napkins and ice sculpture.

It's going to be real small, just the two of us. I'm going to take the train

to Franklin and Marshall tonight.

Well, I guess I'll see you when I get back.

Listen, you know, the train station is right on my way home. I could drop you

off.

Why would you want to do that?

Well, it's no trouble.

And anyway, I mean, what other way do you have to get there?

By car.

And leave it at the station all weekend?

It could catch cold.

It was just a thought.

Well, okay.

It would be all right, I guess.

Okay, people, settle in. You have 90 minutes to answer the essay question.

Okay, please start.

What did you think I would do at this moment

when you're standing before me with

tears in your eyes trying to tell me that you have

found you another and you

just don't love me?

What did you think I would say at this

moment when I'm faced with the knowledge that

you just don't love me?

Did you think I would crush you?

They think to hurt you.

You just don't love me no more.

You think I would hate you or raise my

hand to you.

Now come on, you know me too well.

One round trip to Lancaster.

Uh,

you know, Ellen, that, that train doesn't get into Lancaster until about

in the morning. Is he, uh, are you, uh, being met?

Why do you want to know?

Well, I brought you here, Ellen, and I feel I should be kept apprised of the

rest of your travel arrangements.

You must know Dennis is in the middle of working on his senior thesis and I

didn't want him to miss a night's sleep by coming to pick me up. So I just told

him I was coming in tomorrow afternoon.

Did I answer your question?

Pretty much.

Alex, I really appreciate you driving me down here, but you don't have to wait

around. I know you have to get back.

Oh, no, no, I'm in no hurry. No, no, I like it here.

I come here a lot.

Uh, kind of a regular.

Uh, excuse me.

Can I have a shine, please?

The usual.

Alex, I don't think you came here to get your shoes signed.

Ellen, I came down here with you because I was hoping to talk you out of this.

Talk me out of getting married?

Yeah. Why?

Ellen, this is kind of hard for me to say.

As an objective.

uninvolved, neutral, third party.

I feel that in marriage -related matters, it's best to exercise caution.

Wow, Alex. That's quite an outpouring of emotion.

Ellen. Please, please. You've already bared your soul enough.

Look, I'm only saying this. I'm only saying this for your own good.

Well, thank you. You know, it's really great to get advice on my personal life

from someone who picked his girlfriend out of the freshman directory.

Oh, oh, oh. I get it now. Now we're back to day one.

I'm shallow.

I'm insecure. Come on, let's hear the whole speech again, Ellen. Just forget

all right?

No, no, no, no, no. You brought it up.

You think I'm insecure, right?

Well, if I'm insecure, if I'm insecure, then I would like to know how you

describe somebody who gets married when they're 18 just because they're away

from home for the first time and they need something to cling to.

I'm speaking hypothetically, of course.

You don't know what you're talking about.

I am not marrying Dennis because I need something to cling to.

I'm marrying him because... Why do I have to justify this to you?

Dennis and I have a very wonderful relationship, all right?

Oh. Well, I'll bet it's a great relationship.

You get... You get engaged over the phone, and then an hour later, you're

kissing me on the dance floor.

First of all, you kissed me.

Second of all, the worst mistake I ever made was humoring you instead of walking

away. Oh, humoring me.

Well,

let me tell you something.

You are not the first girl to humor this guy.

Who's Ellen Reed?

Nobody.

Then why is her picture in that book?

Because it's a book of people who don't exist, okay?

Why am I having trouble believing that?

Look, will you please leave me alone?

All right, all right.

I thought I told

you to leave me alone.

No, you didn't.

Oh, what are you doing?

I'm knitting.

What does it look like I'm doing?

Well, you have to watch TV in here.

It's the only TV in the house, Alex. Oh, you got an answer for everything, don't

you?

What is your problem?

Sorry, I'm a little tense.

Girl problems.

Well, watch TV. It'll get your mind off of it.

I don't understand it, Helene.

Last week you kissed me as if we were in love.

And now we're leaving to marry someone else.

She's right.

Mallory's right.

I'm wrong.

And Mallory's right.

The world is ending.

I want you to know that I'm through feeling sorry for myself, and this

episode is over.

It's about time.

What little episode?

It doesn't matter.

I mean, after all, Mom, this is one of the biggest nights of my life.

And nothing is going to prevent me from enjoying it.

Going to be in my tuxedo, hobnobbing with the economics faculty,

best girl by my side.

Everything is going to be perfect.

Perfect. If I could just tie this damn tie!

Who am I kidding?

Well, I'm sure your dad has a clip -on you could borrow.

It's not the tie, Mom.

Well, if you want to talk, I'm still here.

I guess so. I got nowhere else to turn.

Oh, I told you about it a few weeks ago.

Ellen Reed.

I'm not sure. Oh, oh, Trisha's roommate. The one you didn't like. Right, the one

I didn't like. The one I still don't like.

What about her?

I'm in love with her.

Really? Oh, Alice, it's wonderful.

No, it's not wonderful, Mom.

Right now, she's on a train traveling 350 miles to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to

marry another guy.

That's a tough thing to overlook.

Love.

It's my first time.

I mean, sure, I love that dog we had when I was a kid.

But in many ways, this is different.

I hope so.

It's not fair.

Mom, it's just not fair.

I mean, what did I even do to deserve this? I mean, I was minding my own

business.

All of a sudden, I find myself in love with a wonderful girl I can never be

with.

You're smiling, Mom.

My life is falling apart, and you're smiling.

I'm sorry, honey. It's just... It's so beautiful to hear you express those

feelings.

And this is the first time I have really seen your dad in you.

Yeah.

you something what does ellen know about this i mean does she know how

you feel i don't think so i haven't wanted to tell her before she left but i

didn't it's a shame

why you you think it would have made a difference if i told her damn i should

have told her

Excuse me.

Excuse me. Sorry to bother you.

It's okay. It's okay.

Almost time for my break anyway.

Listen, is the train in yet? The one from Leland, from Ohio.

Is it in yet? Yeah. Yeah, it got in about five minutes ago.

That's it on its way out.

Ellen.

What are you doing here?

I, uh... I, uh, you forgot your news week.

I figured you might want that, so I swung by here.

It was no big deal, really. Seven hours.

There's a good article on the omelet craze.

I read someone else's copy on the train.

I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear that.

Ellen, listen, I'll be honest with you.

The magazine is not the only reason I came.

Why else?

I don't know.

I just had to come.

I mean, I was in the car on my way to the biggest night of my life, and

something made me turn the car around.

I mean, I knew I'd miss the dinner, and I'd be blowing any shot I had of

returning this tux on time, but something made me turn the car around.

Ellen, you and I are completely different.

You're an artist.

You write poetry. You attend anti -nuclear demonstrations.

Me?

I'm an economics major.

I voted for Reagan in the Young Executives Club.

I wear a jacket and tie everywhere I go, except train stations at 3 in the

morning, in which case I wear a tuxedo.

Anyway, the point is, Ellen, that I cannot for the life of me figure out why

love you.

You love me.

Yeah.

I love you, okay? I said it. I mean, after all, Ellen, if I'm going to go

far, I might as well go all the way.

I love you, all right?

I love you, I love you, I love you.

I'm crazy about you. I'd give anything to be with you. I can't live without

Okay?

Gotta go. See ya.

I love you too, Alan.

I mean, it's like you have a way of seeing right through me.

I'm seeing a part of me that I don't even... I don't even like to admit

and that scares me, because if you see it, that forces me.

What did you say?

I love you too.

I do.

Alex, I've never met anybody like you.

You come on like some pompous, arrogant, obnoxious guy.

And underneath that, there's this wide -eyed child.

Completely innocent and naive.

Oh.

Is that sort of a compliment?

We love each other.

I mean, we said it. We know it.

I mean, that's all that's important. Ellen, it doesn't matter what happens

What happens now?

I have to see Dennis.

I was afraid that's what happens now.

All the way up here, I was thinking about what you said about my

being scared and needing something to cling to.

And you were right.

I said to myself, if Alex is in the train station when I get off, I'm not

to marry Dan.

Here you are.

So, I guess I have to stick to it.

Well, if you're not getting married, and you do love me,

Do you think maybe when we get back to Leland, we could go to a movie or

something?

Sit, Ubu, sit.

Good dog.