All language subtitles for family_ties_s04e23_my_buddy

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?

How

do

I look?

You look great.

Well, I... It's important, Mom.

You look fine, I promise.

Yeah, you look, uh... Keep in touch.

Don't take it personally, honey.

Jennifer is turning into a teenage girl.

You know, an exciting, wonderful being
from another planet.

Lisa, this isn't the first time she's
walked in a room and acted like I wasn't

there.

We don't seem to connect anymore. We
used to have so much in common.

They don't have a lot of things in
common. She's just not interested in

anymore.

All right, Mallory. I am never, ever
getting in a car with you again.

All I did was tell the truth, Alex.

You did not tell the truth. I came to a
complete stop, a complete and total

stop. Yeah, you stopped.

What happened?

I'll tell you what happened.

My so -called sister and I are driving
downtown on South High Street, right in

front of Lazarus there.

And for some crazy reason, I don't know
why, a police officer, one of Columbus'

finest and least sighted, pulls me off.

Says I did not come to a complete stop.

Officer, I said, I did come to a
complete stop.

And Mallory says, don't lie, Alex.

Can you believe it? Can you possibly
comprehend it? Don't lie, Alex.

I felt it was my duty as a citizen of
Columbus.

You're going to be a citizen of Saturn.

I'm going to fight this.

I don't care. I'm going to see that I am
vindicated.

I believe in our judicial system.

I'll bribe someone if I have to.

Does this scarf make it work?

Oh, I like it.

Mom, I think it's great.

Very nice.

Say, Jen, I was thinking maybe you and I
could go over to Darby Creek Park

later, shoot some baskets.

Oh, no, I can't today, Dad. Chuck's
coming over and I promised we'd spend

afternoon together.

Oh, Chuck.

Well, that's okay. I understand.

Can I talk to you? Chuck will be here
any minute. Oh, sure, honey.

Thank you.

Maybe tonight we'll shoot some baskets.
Or tomorrow.

And you don't have to let me know now.

Think it over.

Don't feel bad, honey. She's been
looking forward to being with Chucky all

Oh, no, I don't feel bad about it. Don't
be silly. If she'd rather be with a boy

her own age than with her dad, that's
fine.

Seems a little unnatural to me.

Just relax, Stephen.

I'm relaxed.

What were you two whispering about?

Oh. Nothing, really.

Just that sometimes a girl feels more
comfortable talking to her mom, that's

all. What were you whispering about?
Please, tell me.

I don't want to tell you. Why not?

Because last time this happened, you
didn't react normally.

Now, I have to know. Come on, tell me. I
can't stand it. Please, tell me.

Okay.

Today, Jennifer is wearing a bra for the
first time.

Why do you tell me these things?

No, Dad, listen to me. I know policemen.
This guy was not going to give me that

ticket. I can feel it. I can see it in
his eyes. I can see it through his

glasses. It's thick, thick glasses.

And why did he stop you in the first
place?

He wanted to get to know me.

I don't know. I do know that he believed
me when I said I came to a complete

stop. He believed me until Mallory said,
don't lie, Alan.

Oh, and Dad, listen to this.

When he took out his notebook to write
me the ticket, his pen, you're not going

to believe this, his pen is dry.

He can't write the ticket. I mean, he's
laughing. He's going to let me go.

Mallory lent him her pen.

Then I helped him spell your name right.

What have you got there?

Oh, some old Father's Day cards from
Jennifer when I was still her father.

I just don't get it, Lee.

Really, you know, you're acting like
it's the first time one of our children

grown up.

Jen and I have always had something
special. I mean, Mallory was shopping by

herself by the time she was six months
old.

And Alex, well, you can only get so
close to Alex in a non -financial

relationship.

Jennifer... Jennifer used to come to me.

I remember she used to call you her
buddy.

Yeah, I used to call her my buddy. I'd
say, hi, buddy, and she'd say, hi,

Sometimes we'd get confused. We wouldn't
know it was who.

I'm being ridiculous, aren't I? No,
you're not being ridiculous. You're

daddy.

Sometimes the two are identical twins.

Hi. Oh, hey, guys. How was your walk?

It was very nice, Dad.

I relate. We stopped and shot some
baskets.

Really?

I hardly know this boy.

How about a snack?

Oh, no, thanks, Mom. We're going
upstairs. I want to show Chucky

Well, there's nothing you can show him
upstairs that you can't show him down

here.

I want to show him the upstairs.

Wait, Janet, going upstairs makes your
dad uptight? What's the point? Why put

him through it?

What would you like to do, Mr. Keaton?

Well, I don't know.

could set up the ping pong table down
there in the basement, play a couple of

games? Hey, that sounds good. Well,
listen, ping pong's really a two -person

game, so catch you later, Chuck.

Yeah.

I'll call you back on the other phone,
okay, Debbie? Bye.

Hi, Dad.

Jen, can we talk for a minute?

I've got to call Debbie right back. It's
crucial.

Maybe you could wait for just a second.
We, uh...

We haven't really done much talking
lately.

I miss you.

I miss you too, Dad.

Can I call Daddy back now?

Let's talk.

Buddy to Buddy.

Okay.

You know, you used to call me Buddy all
the time.

You never call me Buddy anymore.

Buddy's so babyish, Dad.

You didn't think that when you were
three.

What are you reading there?

Seventeen. Uh, you're only thirteen. You
shouldn't be reading that.

Shouldn't be reading that for another
four years, gentlemen.

Well, let's see.

What have we got here? Ah, twelve ways
to shape up in time for the prom. Too

late for me now.

Why don't you go call Debbie?

Hey,

Dad. Where are you off to?

Going downtown.

Take some photographs of the scene of
the crime.

Gonna need some visual evidence and
proof of my innocence for my day in

I like your thinking.

You know, Dad, did I tell you that after
that cop gave me the ticket, Mallory

gave him a donation for the policeman's
pocket?

Try to forget all that, Alex. Put your
faith in the legal system.

She should be in jail then.

Mom, can you go with me to the Sunflower
Girls' Troop meeting after school on

Thursday? On Thursday? Oh, honey, I
can't. I've got a meeting at the office.

Kramers want me to go over the plans for
their new house.

Can't you make that for another day?

Honey, I've already canceled it twice.

You know, if I don't get started on
their plans for their home, they're

want to move in here with us.

All right.

All right, I'll reschedule it.

Thanks, Mom.

Sunflower Girls Tea.

Come one, come all. Come join the fun.

Tea, talk, treats.

No, Stephen, it's not for you. It's for
girls.

Not so fast. It says, come one, come
all.

Honey, I know how much you want a shared
experience with Jennifer, but this is

not it. You won't fit in.

Oh, really?

Well, what do they do there? What's so
special about the Sunflower Girls tea

that I can't be a part of it? What goes
on there, Lise? What do they do?

They sing songs.

Are you implying that I can't sing
songs?

What songs? What songs do they sing?

I got a mule and her name is Sal.

I got a mule and her name is Sal.

Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal. What
else do they do?

They talk about things.

What kind of things?

Well, things.

things that go on in their life.

Girls talk and then they eat cookies.

Are you implying that I can't? It's a
girls club.

It's not for you.

You'll be putting yourself in a place
where you have no place.

What place do I have in her life now? At
least I'm the invisible man.

At least this gives me a shot. This
gives me an identity.

I'm a sunflower girl.

I don't want Dad to take me. I just
don't want him to.

Come on, Jen, keep it down. You don't
want Dad to hear, do you? Maybe I do.

You gotta let him go, Jen. That's part
of growing up female in the South.

He came to Sunflower Girls with you,
too?

No, he came on a date with me.

I was 13 and a half, and Brian Madigan
took me to the movies.

Brian sat on one side of me, and, well,
Dad sat on the other.

When Brian put his arm around me, Dad
put his arm around me, too.

And, uh, well, they shook hands.

Morning, everybody.

Is that Mallory?

Where are you going?

I'm going down to traffic court.

Good luck.

Wouldn't need luck if it weren't for
you, Mal.

You would not be going to court, Alex,
if you had just allowed me to keep

driving. Is that it, Mallory?

That is it. That's it, isn't it? That's
right.

It's a reason.

that i wouldn't let you drive anymore is
that my life was in sudden and

immediate peril i mean you're driving
and people are leaping off the

street into the bushes you drive like
you're playing tag

don't lie alex no

no violence has no place here

I have put my faith in our system of
jurisprudence, and it shall vindicate

I have photographs of the intersection,
of the stop sign, and I have photographs

of you.

As well as a report card and a recent IQ

test.

I think the judge will understand.

No, he won't.

Because I'm going to call him up and
tell him you're lying.

Hey, I'm ready for the meeting, buddy.

Great, Dad.

And I've been practicing the sunflower
salute.

Dad, I told you...

Dad, I told you, we don't do that salute
anymore.

It's in the handbook, Jennifer.

We just shake hands now.

Okay.

Look, I'll be back downstairs in about
15 minutes to take you to the meeting.

That's fine, Dad, but just don't do
this... Sunflower goodbye?

I think Dad needs to be watered.

I'm in big trouble here, Alex. Help me
out.

Well, I can tell you what I'd do if I
were you. What?

Well, Dad wants to spend time with you,
right?

Right.

And time is money, right?

Right. So if Dad wants to spend time
with you and time is money, then he'll

spend money to be with you.

See? So what you do is you charge him by
the hour.

Five bucks for a walk in the park.

Eight bucks for a game of basketball.

No, and be a sport. Give him half off on
Father's Day.

That's a beautiful thought, Alex.

But no thanks.

You do what you want, buddy.

I'm going to go down to court.

Well,

what do you say, Dad? Do you want to go
now?

We've been here three minutes, Jennifer.

All right, that was very nice singing,
girls. And now on to the new business.

I would like to welcome all the moms and
the dad.

Mr. Keaton, nice that you could come,
sir.

Thank you, Mr. Carpenter. I feel very
much at home.

In fact, I'd like to give you all a warm
sunflower... Well,

now it's time for the round table. Oh,
what's that?

Well, once a month we discuss some topic
of interest to the sunflower girls. Oh,

great. I'm already camping, boating,
hiking. Today we're going to talk about

sex. I'm your guy.

Did you say sex?

Mm -hmm.

Dad, maybe you should go, really.

Since Jennifer, I'm a sunflower dad.

I think I can handle a mature discussion
about what she said.

Now, we're going to discuss our bodies
as they blossom into womanhood and about

boys and their bodies as they burst into
manhood.

Some of you have already gone out on
dates with boys, and I want to talk

first experiences.

And I want the younger girls to benefit
from you older girls. So we're going to

go around the room, starting with you,
Shelly.

Well, on my first date, I went out with
a guy in my class. I'm not going to name

names. Was it Larry Barker?

That's right.

Anyway, I went out with Larry, and all
he wanted to do was fool around.

What do you mean by fool around?

I mean, he wanted to touch my body as it
blossomed into womanhood.

Boys are only interested in one thing.

Sex. Right, Mr. Keaton?

Well, uh, what's your name? Alice. Well,
Alice, some boys are very interested in

sex. For you?

Well, when I was a boy, I was interested
in a lot of things. Was sex one of

them?

Well, I was interested in baseball,
basketball, football.

You're not answering the question.

Get off my back, will you?

I don't want to lie to you, Alice.

I admit, there were some girls.

I remember Marjorie McCracken. Boy, she
had a body on her.

Dad, I can't believe you're talking
about this stuff.

What can I do? She was hounding me.

Dad, you're really embarrassing me. This
is not the place for you to be. Why do

you say that? Look around you, Dad. Do
you see anyone out here who shaves?

Jennifer, I just wanted to spend some
time with you. I'm sorry, Dad, but this

isn't the right place.

If you don't leave, I will.

Would anyone like to know how he did in
court today?

Well, let's see.

Not good?

I won.

Judge loved me.

Commended me on my thoroughness.

Commiserated with me about Mallory.

He has a sister.

Not quite as aggravating, but close.

Anyway, I wanted to throw up the ticket.

That's not good news?

When I went out to the car, I found a
parking ticket.

When I went inside to complain, I got a
jaywalking ticket.

Don't you just love justice?

It's so fair.

It wasn't a good idea.

Tried to stop me, but I wouldn't listen.

I was wrong.

Wrong again.

I'm always wrong.

Want to tell me what happened? Maybe in
a couple of years.

It was really something.

I was talking about my sex life to the
sunflower girl.

Sorry, I missed that.

Jennifer was so embarrassed, you must
think I'm the most ridiculous excuse for

father in the world.

Do you know what Mark Twain said?

Was he a sunflower dad?

No.

He said that when he was 14, his father
was so ignorant he couldn't stand to

have him around.

But by the time he turned 21, he was
astonished at how much the old man had

learned in just seven years.

She'll come back to you, Stephen. It may
take seven years, but she'll come back.

I

heard it

didn't go so well.

But to say that most of the sunflower
girls are still in shock.

Honey, he only went because he cares so
much about you.

That's hard to believe.

Well, it's true.

And the day will come when you'll look
back on this fondly and you'll realize

what a wonderful father you have.

I guess you don't want to see the
sunflower salute, huh?

Not at the moment, no.

I made a mistake, Jen. I tried to force
myself in somewhere where I...

I didn't belong.

But I only did it because I missed you.

I... I missed talking to you, walking to
the park with you, throwing the ball

back and forth.

You mean if I would have gone to the
park with you, none of this would have

happened? Well, it's not as simple as
that, Jim.

You know, when you were born, when I
picked you up for the first time and our

eyes met, right then I signed on for
life.

I knew that I would... I would care for
you, protect you, teach you.

Love you.

And you've done all those things.

All of a sudden, it seemed like you
didn't need me anymore. You didn't want

be with me.

Now it hurts.

I didn't mean to hurt you, Dad.

It's just that I've changed. I can't
help it.

Look at me, Dad.

I'm 13 years old now.

I'm not a little girl anymore.

I know that. I'm just trying to find
ways that I can still fit into your

Well, it's not as a sunflower girl.

I learned that the hard way.

This is a hard time for me. So much is
changing at school and with my friends.

It's just so hard to keep up with
everything.

I only wish I was able to help you
through this.

I think the easiest thing for you to do
is not push too hard.

Not a little girl anymore.

I guess I'd better get used to that,
huh?

You've got no choice.

I can't help it. I just keep growing.

I'm really going to miss the old times.

It's not going to be like that anymore,
huh?

Maybe it'll be better, buddy.

Sit, Ubu, sit.

Good dog.