Original subtitles

Last week on Family Ties... I still can't get used to it, you know?

I don't have a dad anymore.

Don't worry, Ma.

I'm here. Lisa's here.

We're gonna help you.

A lot of ghosts here, Lisa.

Being here just brought it all back.

My dad, the problem, the fight. Dad always liked you, Rob.

Are you kidding?

Me and Dad?

You and Dad.

So odd.

Being in this house.

I mean, I know I'm married. I'm 40 years old. I got four kids.

But lying in this bed, in this room, telling you I'm 10 years old.

A lot of ghosts here, Lace. A lot of ghosts.

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 kissed

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.

Sha -la -la -la.

Well, it took an hour of singing and rocking, but I finally got Andrew to

Let him cry, Elise. You don't want to spoil him.

Well, he's in a new place. I think he's a little nervous.

Did you let Daddy cry when he was little boy? Uh -huh.

We didn't believe in over -coddling our children.

Well, that's funny because Mom said that you spoiled Dad so much that by the

time she got him, he was... I'll go

check on Andrew.

Anyway, do you want me to put these boxes in the hallway, babe? I don't

spoiled Steve.

I don't think I actually used the word spoiled, Mae.

Anyway, it was mostly in the area of food.

What kind of food?

It was nothing.

We didn't organize these boxes by size. How did I spoil it with food?

Okay, come on. Break it up, you two. Break it up. Look, it's all right for

Grandma to spoil one of her children.

But Mom spoiled me.

It's only natural.

I'm her favorite.

That's not true, Alex.

Don't try to hide it, Mom. It's all right.

It's only natural. I mean, Darwin.

Survival of the cutest.

Is this Darwin guy a friend of yours?

I don't have any favorites, Alex.

That's okay, Mom.

That's all right.

You don't want to talk in front of the M -A -L.

It's okay. This guy, number one.

over on the house?

Yeah, have it here, Ma. It looks real good.

I don't know how good it looks. Take it easy, Steve.

Well, did you get the price you asked for?

Very close.

Well, what's the problem, then?

Well, I'm thinking maybe we can get more.

Oh, come on, Robert. We've been through this. That's a fair price.

I'm not so sure it's a fair price. I happen to have some expertise in the

estate area. Don't forget.

What expertise?

Maureen, my wife.

Her father was a realtor.

So what does that make you, a realtor -in -law?

But if Dad were here, he would agree with me. He would say, let's get our

He would, and you know it. And he'd be wrong.

Sure, well, Dad was always wrong. I was always wrong. Everyone was always wrong,

Steve, except you. You're wrong, Rob.

That's not what I said.

Now, boy, stop it. What is wrong with holding out for a few more dollars? I

mean, why is getting more money a sin?

It's just not the right time, that's all.

This is not an easy time for Ma. The faster we get it over with, the better.

It's worth a few dollars to favor that aggravation. All I know is Dad sweated

for 40 years to pay off this house. I am not letting it go without fighting for

every penny.

Robin! Look, Rob, this isn't going to be one of your special deals, you hear me?

What's wrong with you?

Can't you see you're upsetting Ma?

Mom's all right. You're the problem.

You haven't changed, Stephen. Mr.

Emotional. Mom's upset, so let's get her out of here today, this minute.

Yeah, sure, never mind. We're getting taken in the deal.

Why don't we just give the house away?

Hey, who wants a free house?

What I said makes sense. It's a painful time for Ma. Let's get it over with. She

belongs at the Oaks. All her friends are there. Let's get her there. She'll get

there. There's no big rush.

It's simple math, something you were never too terrific at. If we keep the

on the market, we get a lot more.

What does more mean?

She doesn't need more. She needs out.

You're wrong.

If we take this price, Mom goes to the Oaks, we're going to run out of money

that much sooner. Then how are we going to support her? We'll worry about that

when the time comes.

They don't make them like you anymore, Steve. All heart, no brains.

Boy, Dad needed to watch you, now I've got to look out for you. I mean, you're

still the same kid who gave away a brand new bike to the orphanage.

What was wrong with that? It was my bike.

You never rode it. I never got a chance. I turned around. Sister Mary Frances

was peddling it away.

Why are you bringing this up now, Rob?

That was 30 years ago.

It'll be 32 years in May.

The point is, you don't think like a normal person. I mean, you never did.

don't think like Dad. You don't think like me. You think like you. Yeah. And

that's very dangerous in the real world, Steve.

You can't talk to me this way, Rob. Not anymore. I've come here to make sure Mom

gets the very best. I don't want her hurt now.

Who the hell are you coming here telling me what's best for Mom?

I'm here every day. I do her shopping. When she gets sick, she calls me up.

she has troubles in the middle of the night, I'm the one who comes over. Where

are you, Steve?

Where are you when your mother needs you? I'm asking you.

Where the hell are you? Because you're sure as hell not here.

Stephen, get out of here this minute.

What's with him? We're late already.

What's this? Why aren't you dressed?

I'm not going.

What do you mean you're not going?

I'm not going. I'm staying home.

What's the matter, Stephen? Why don't you want to come?

I just don't want to, that's all.

Grandma knows. It's okay with her.

But it's not okay with me.

When I say the family goes, the family goes.

Now you get upstairs and get dressed this minute.

No.

You say no to your father?

Yeah. I mean, no.

Both.

Maybe Dad needs to talk to Stephen alone. Come on, Robbie.

I can't believe you.

You're gonna get killed.

I love Grandma.

I wish we could go there twice a week.

All right.

I'm going to say this quietly and only once.

You are going to go up the stairs.

You're going to get dressed.

You're going to get out in the car. And you're going to go to grandma's like a

normal human being.

Dad, I go to school five days a week. I work every day after school and

Saturday.

So does every kid in America.

So it's Sunday.

It's my day off.

I should be able to do what I want to in my day off.

You know what my father would do if I talked to him like that?

You take out the strap? Yeah.

I'm not afraid.

You're not afraid?

Actually, I'm petrified.

But I decided that I was going to make a stand today.

This is your stand?

Yeah. I should be able to visit Grandma when I want to, not when everybody else

does.

By the way, I'm going over there tomorrow.

Who are you? Are you from this planet or what?

It's me, Steven.

I figured it would be a pretty one -sided conversation, Dad, but there are

things I have to say to you.

I can just hear you saying, why do you have to bother me when I'm lying down?

I want to tell you I'm sorry, Dad.

I'm sorry for making it so hard for you.

So much I want to take back.

Make right.

God.

You know, it went by so fast.

Wish I could do it all over again, but... And again, I don't think I could

it.

I just couldn't take geometry again, Dad.

Three times should be enough for anybody. You got to understand.

I'm a father of four kids now.

Two sons, just like you had.

I hear you in me, Dad.

I hear you when I tell Alex not to dribble the ball in the house or tell

not to come home too late or Jennifer to finish her milk.

I hear you.

And I have a much better understanding of what you went through with me.

I learned from you, Dad.

And I promise you now to use what I've learned to make the best life I can for

my family.

Say goodbye now, Ben.

But we'll talk again.

I just want you to know I love you so much. I always did.

Did you hear any of this, Dad? Did you hear me?

It's me, Stephen.

Your son.

Hey, good morning, Dad.

Morning, Alec.

What you got there?

Some of Grandpa's old papers.

Anything interesting?

Here's something you might enjoy.

Prospectus for a brand new company called IBM.

See what Grandpa wrote in the margin.

Let me see.

This company will be successful on a scale we can only begin to imagine.

Knew I got it from somewhere.

My dad was very shrewd financially.

Of course he was shrewd financially, Dad.

Don't just get someone like me by accident.

It takes generations of breeding.

I love nurturing that one special gene.

The finance gene.

Well, I didn't get any of it. It skips a generation, Dad.

That means your kids won't get it.

Don't even joke about that.

So, how much did Grandpa invest in IBM?

Nothing. Nothing?

Nope. Well, I don't get it.

See, your grandpa was great at picking them, but he was just too nervous to

really risk his own family's money, not in a big way.

You must have known he was right.

I always do.

A lot of these men who went through the Depression, it colored everything they

did. They'd seen it all collapse, and they never really believed it wouldn't

happen again.

Life insurance, they believed in that.

Savings banks, 5%, compounded quarterly.

Small dreams, but safe.

You know, I remember the first day I figured out what savings banks were

all about.

You know, if they were able to pay you 5 % to use your money, you could bet they

were making a lot more than 5 % on it themselves.

Remember, I came running home to tell you about it.

I remember.

Your kindergarten teacher was furious.

Yeah, it was McCullough.

No head for business, that woman.

It's funny, isn't it?

You live a lifetime, this is what's left.

My dad reduced to a stack of papers and files.

Such a complex man.

I really loved him, Dad.

I know.

He loved you.

We were a lot alike.

You know, sometimes after you and I...

have a big talk or a political discussion, and I'd be sitting there

how did I get into this family?

I'd comfort myself by thinking of him.

You know, I could see the connection.

Sometimes late at night, I'd give him a call.

I didn't know that. Yeah.

He'd get on, I'd say, Grandpa, quick, three reasons why liberalism can never

work.

I don't imagine he had any trouble giving them to you.

No.

I feel close to Uncle Rob, too.

Well, that's nice. I wish I felt closer to him sometime.

He's a good man, Dad.

He's a lot more like you than you think.

He shows it differently.

When did you become so wise about people, Alex?

Well, Dad, I know a lot about conservative, financial -type older

It's my specialty.

Rob and I had some good times as kids.

It's funny how the years color your memories.

I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but when you're older, some of

your fondest memories in the world will be of Jennifer and Mallory.

That is hard to believe.

Morning, Alex. Morning, Rob.

Hey, did you see the paper today?

Cromwell Electronics? Up three and three -eight.

That's a good boy.

He's a terrific kid, Steve.

You should be proud of him.

I am.

He likes you too, Rob.

And he respects you.

Well, if not the father, at least the son, huh?

Robbie, we have to talk.

I realize you and I have been at odds for a long time now, and there's a lot

unfinished business between us.

You're not going to bring up the baseball card thing again, are you,

I didn't take your Joe DiMaggio.

How'd we grow so far apart, Rob?

I don't know.

One day you were my little brother, tagging after me with a bat and a ball,

shouting, pitch him in, pitch him in.

Next year, this knot -nosed, note -all teenager telling me what a terrible

being I was, how my values were all wrong.

You always pitched him into me, didn't you, Rob?

Even when you were with your friends, the big guys, you always found a minute

come over and pitch in a few.

I suppose I got a little annoying with that, huh?

Well, I'll be honest with you, Steve.

You were a real pain.

I didn't mean to be.

I idolized you, Rob. You were my big brother. I wanted to be like you.

Hey, you remember you were in the fourth grade? I got you on the baseball team

with all the ninth grade guys?

We used to sit around the locker room and talk about sex.

I was always trying to be so grown up.

I was the only guy in fourth grade pretending he had kids.

When did I become such a bad guy, Steve?

When did that happen?

You were never a bad guy, Rob.

I think it was me.

Maybe it didn't feel like Dad loved me. I don't know.

You guys were always close.

I was... I was the outsider.

Dad loved you, Steve.

Thought you were unbelievably weird, but...

He loved you.

And you knew you loved him.

I love you too, Rob.

You're my big brother.

Hey, look.

You know, I was just talking to Mom, and she really wants to move.

Well, the sooner she does it, the easier it'll be for her. So, maybe you're

right. I'll waste another $5 ,000 against the time she has left.

Oh, I don't know, Rob. You know a lot more about this stuff.

I mean, you're here. You know best. David, you want to... I'm taking your

financial advice.

This is a big day for us.

Don't blow it.

Well, it's the last of it, Dad.

My mom went upstairs to change Andrew.

Thanks. What about Jennifer and Mallory?

Who?

Your sisters. You sat next to them on the plane for three hours.

Oh, yeah, those two.

Yeah, well, they're helping Mom with Andrew.

Sit down for a minute, Alex.

Yeah, sure, Dad.

Something wrong?

You've become a good -looking young man, Alex.

Thanks. Thanks, Dad.

You're a good -looking older man.

You're a knockout.

No, I mean it. You were pudgy as a kid, that's all.

I was worried for a while.

Well, thanks, Dad.

Can't tell you what it means to a guy my age to know his dad thinks he's good

-looking.

I was afraid you had too much Uncle Harold in you.

He, um... He had a little weight problem.

It's only one guy, Dad?

He was a nice man.

Big, booming laugh.

Gosh, he's been dead for... 20 years now.

Oh, Uncle Wally.

He's dead, too.

Aunt Edna, Cousin Janet, Uncle Ed.

They're all dead.

All dead.

Well, this has been fun.

I got a date tonight. Thank God.

Alex, isn't it? There's a little piece of all these people in you, a little

movement, a smile, the way you tilt your head.

Sometimes when you walk a certain way, you're the spitting image of your Aunt

Ethel.

That's a real confidence builder before a date, Dad.

It's family, Alex. You can't escape it. Yeah.

Oh, go ahead. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you. Yeah, no problem.

Okay. Night, Dad.

Good night, Ethel. Alex!

me tonight.

Can I go over to... Oh, you'll just leave, boy.

Next time, Mr. Spencer, I promise.

You broke your pipe.

I'm coming, Mom.

Oh, I'm sorry, Dad.

I'm coming, Mom.

That's him.

That's Michael Miller.

I lost my sheet. Looks like you lost your shape. I'm home, Mom.

Sit, Ubu, sit.

Good dog.