Family Ties (1982–1989): Season 4, Episode 9 - Just One Look - full transcript

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

♪ and I'll 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 nothin' ♪

♪ we can't love
each other through ♪



♪ ooh-hoo

♪ what would we do, baby

♪ without us?

♪ sha-la-la-la

Yeah,
I'm on this great diet.

It's really healthy.

All you eat
are vegetables.

I hate to break
this to you, Mal,

but coffeecake
is not a vegetable.

Alex, do you mind?

This is
none of your business.

I don't start
my diet till tomorrow.

What have you two
been doin' to this?

Well, I've been taking out
the nuts and the raisins



and Mallory's been
digging out the poppy seeds

and then taking off
the icing.

Then we're gonna eat it.

What is this, an assembly line
for destroying coffeecakes?

You know, I can't believe
how inconsiderate you two are.

We all share the same food
in this house.

Show a little consideration
for other people.

Hey, kids.
Hey, dad.

Would you guys setting up dinner
in the dining room tonight?

An old friend of mine
is gonna be joining us.

Oh, yeah,
who is this?

Richie Schofield.
Great guy.

Haven't seen him
In over 20 years.

Oh, no. Is this that guy
who tells those boring stories

about when you
and he went camping

in the, uh,
Adirondack Mountains?

Uh, no. You're thinking
of Marty Randall.

Uh, Richie and I knew each other
from college.

Oh, so we're gonna be hearing
boring Berkeley stories.

Yeah.

Great.

Richie and I and your mom
and 12 other people

shared a house
in Berkeley back in 1963.

Wait a minute, 15 people
living in the same house?

That's nothing
to be proud of, dad.

They weren't always
the same 15, Alex.

People drifted in and out
all the time.

Oh, as long as
you kept it to 15.

Any more than that, you lose
your good housekeeping seal.

I just hope
your mom remembers him.

Richie was really more
my friend than hers.

Richie and I had
some great times together.

We'd go to Giants games,
see Willie Mays,

Bob Dylan concerts.

We probably saw Lenny Bruce's
nightclub act 20 times.

Did anyone
back then have, like,

a job, or anything?

Those were
very special times, Alex.

We were just taking
each day as it came,

trying to find ourselves.

It must have been tough with
all those people in the house.

Hi, honey.

Elyse, guess who
called me today,

out of the blue.

Uh, well, can you narrow
it down for me a little?

Berkeley, 1963,
Bob Dylan concerts.

Bob Dylan called you?

No. No.

Elyse, you're not gonna
believe this,

Richie Schofield.

Richard Schofield?

Really?
Huh.

You remember him,
don't you?

Oh, yeah.
Yeah, of course.

Oh, great. He's in town
until Wednesday on business.

He looked me up, uh,
gave me a call.

I insisted he stay with us.
He'll be here any minute.

Richard Schofield.

Oh, here he is.

Oh, kids.
He's here.

Scho!

Richard: Oh, Steven.
Get in here.

Steven.
Rich, you son of a gun.

Great to see you.
What a sight for sore eyes.

Man,
am I glad I called you.

Me too.

Hello.

Elyse?

Wow.

I thought people
were supposed to age.

You look great.

Oh.

You look great too,
Richie.

Oh, boy, I'll say.
Oh, thanks.

Hey.

Oh, Rich,
I'd like you to meet our kids.

This is Alex, Mallory,
and Jennifer.

Hi, Richard Schofield.

Uh, listen, dad,
in, uh,

honor of the occasion
I dug this up.

Little dinner music.

Bob Dylan!

Oh, Alex,
this is great.

I haven't been able
to find this for months.

Yeah, I know,
I hid it.

Here's one of the old house
we lived in on Fenton Street.

Oh.
Oh, wow.

Look at that.

These pictures
are fabulous, Richard.

You guys all lived
in one house?

Does she have to
be exposed to this?

It was really
wonderful.

You know, a big group
of friends

all living
in the same house,

sharing everything.

Wait a minute.

You all had to share
one phone?

All right, all right.

Let me set the scene
for you, girls.

Indian love beads
hanging in the doorway...

Cheap incense burning...

A baby named "Moonbeam"

running around
in tie-dyed diapers...

Everybody
living day to day

like a pack of idealistic,
unemployed vagabonds.

Well, did I get it right?

Well, it was pretty close,

except the baby's name
was Alex.

I'm kidding, honey.

It was before
you were even born.

Yeah, well, don't even joke
about that, okay, mom?

I've got somethin' here
you're gonna love, Richie.

You kids are gonna
love it, too.

What is it, dad?

Just listen.

[ "Man of Constant Sorrow"
plays ]

♪ I am a man

♪ of constant sorrow

♪ I've seen trouble

♪ all my days...

It's a real
pick-me-up, dad.

Sure you got it
on the right speed?

Give it a chance.

♪ ...the place where I

♪ was born and raised
I'm out of here.

See you later.

Great kids, you guys.
Keep 'em coming.

Oh, thanks.

Hey,
what about your daughter?

Oh, she's fine.
I don't get to see her

as much as I'd like to
since the divorce,

but, uh, we're close.

How long has it been
since the divorce?

12 years.
12 good years.

Here's a picture
of your old VW Camper.

Oh, yeah.

That thing
took us everywhere.

Well, not quite. Remember when
it broke down on the Bay Bridge?

Hey, it was a good spot.
We had a picnic.

I don't,
uh, remember that.

Elyse, do you remember
the day I sold this thing?

Oh, yeah. We drove
out to Sausalito,

and then we had lunch
at the pier.

And then we took
the ferry back.

Huh. I don't...
You know,

you'd think
I'd remember that.

I, uh...

Look - Beckett.

Oh, I loved that dog.
He was so smart.

We had a dog? Uh...

Uh, can I see that?

I...

Uh, that was Elyse
and me and Beckett

at, uh, a rally
or something.

Aha!

I-I don't
remember this.

You were in Alaska
for a few months, Steven,

working on a newspaper
or something like that.

Aha.
Well, gee, Rich.

I thought you'd moved out
of the house at that point.

I had. I still came around
a lot, though, to see this lady.

Aha.

This lady?

Our fling,

ill-fated, but, hey,
we were kids, right?

I bet you two have had
a few laughs talkin' about that.

Oh, not that many.

Well,
Andrew's still asleep.

He may
wake up later, though.

He took a very long nap
this afternoon.

I cannot believe that you're
gonna make an issue out of this.

An issue of what?

You know very well what.

I'm just minding
my own business,

getting ready for bed,
Elyse.

Thinking of Beckett,
the dog I never knew.

Do you remember
the conversation we had

when you took
that job in Alaska?

I told you
I didn't want you to go.

But you said, "Elyse,

we need this time apart,
to see other people."

You said that was
the only way that we'd know

if we really loved each other
enough to get married.

You were the one who wanted
to see other people, Steven.

Not me - you.

Evidently, you warmed up
to the idea.

We went our separate ways,
Steven,

and I never once asked you
who you saw during that time.

I was in Alaska, Elyse.

I saw snow
during that time!

The point is,
I never asked you.

You should have told me,
damn it.

This is a hell of a way
to find out.

What... Steven,
how could I tell you?

The day you came back
from Alaska,

we were just so happy
to see each other.

W-we decided right then
and there to get married.

The last thing
on my mind

was what happened
between me and Richard.

How about
the 22 years since then?

Been too busy?

Well, what was the point?

It was history!

It had no bearing
on our relationship.

It was not important.

Oh, n-n-no. No, no,
I don't buy that, Elyse.

You have a relationship
with someone else,

even if it's when we're apart,
it's important.

Well, Steven,
exactly how much of my past

am I supposed to open up
for your inspection, huh?

How far back do we go?

Junior high?

4th grade?

Kindergarten?

4th grade.

I had a crush
on Norbert Goldman.

Great. Is he coming over
tomorrow night?

Where are you going?

To sleep in the den.
We don't have a den.

We turned it
into Andrew's room.

Well, then Jennifer
can bunk with Mallory

and I'll sleep
in her room.

She bunking with Mallory.
Richard's in her room.

You're determined to make this
difficult for me, aren't you, Elyse?

Is the cot still
in the attic

or have you conveniently
donated it to charity?

Good night.

I hate this.

Why do they have to put
all these dates and nuts

in this granola?

Well, it's called
date-nut granola.

I don't want to eat anyway.

I think mom and dad had
a big fight last night,

and I want to be out of here
before they come down.

What makes you think
they had a fight?

Dad slept in the hall.

It was an accident, dad.

I was on my way
to the shower.

I didn't expect you to be
draped across the floor.

Well, you should watch
where you're walking.

It's usually
a very safe journey.

You know, if you're gonna
sleep in the hall

you should put, uh,
reflectors on your pajamas.

Is the paper here?

Um, it's still outside.

Hmm, reflectors on pajamas.

There could be
a lot of money in that.

I hate it
when mom and dad fight.

It makes me nervous.

Me too,
it's terrible.

But where would
the reflectors go?

On the collar?

The pocket?

Would you forget
about the pajamas.

Mom and dad obviously
had a big fight.

Sure they had a big fight.
These pajamas could save lives.

Don't you care
about this at all?

No, no, no, look,
these fights are natural.

It happens once
every four years.

It's very cleansing.

I still hate it.

Let me tell
you something.

At times like this,
when they fight,

they're off balance,
they need support.

And they're gonna be looking
to us, their children,

for validation
and love.

They're very vulnerable.

It's a perfect time
to hit 'em up for gifts.

You're a deep guy, Alex.

Well, I don't want
to be around it.

Dad's gonna come in,
he's gonna be in a bad mood.

He's gonna start yelling at us
about really unimportant things.

Why are there two
open cartons of milk?

I've told you
a hundred times,

don't open another carton
until the first one's finished.

Who did this?

I did, dad.

And I'm gonna have to
live with it...

...for the rest of my life.

Morning.
Morning.

Did you sleep well?

Oh, fabulous.
I love that cot.

It's almost as comfortable
as sleeping standing up.

Found this note
in the living room.

It's a note from Richie saying
that he's out for a jog

and he wants to take us out
to dinner tonight.

"Dear Elyse and guest..."

It doesn't say that.

You have to read
between the lines.

Well, do you want
to go or don't you?

I don't know.

What if you want to talk
about your old fling?

It was not a fling.

It was a friendship,

in the past,
long forgotten.

I don't know, I saw the way
you looked at Richie last night.

Laughing, smiling,

hangin' on his every word,
giving him that look.

What look?

The look.

The "Hello,
Captain Romance" look.

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

Does this look familiar?

You look like Daffy Duck.

I can't do it, Elyse,

but I'm not crazy -
there is a look.

I'm sorry, Steven,
but you're imagining things.

I swear to you,
there is no look.

Morning, guys.

Hello, Richard.

Morning, Richard.

God, it's great to be here
with you two guys.

Just like old times.

Not exactly.

What do you mean, Steven?
What he means is, uh,

That before we couldn't afford
to eat in a place like this.

Right, honey?

Precisely, dear.

After 22 years of marriage,
she can read my mind.

22 years,

965,000 days.

Hey, Steven,
are you all right?

He's fine. He's hungry.

He gets a little lightheaded
when he's hungry.

And stupid.

So, uh, what do you guys
recommend here?

I hear the hemlock
is quite good.

Steven,
I have to talk to you.

Would you come to
the ladies' room with me?

Am I missing
something here?

What's going on?

Nothing, nothing.

Let-let-let's order.

Looks like
a great salad bar.

You gonna go for that,
Steve?

Oh, you'd like that,
wouldn't you, Rich?

I'd go
to the salad bar, uh,

take a long time
picking out my vegetables,

get caught up
in the bacon bits

for half an hour or so.

I'd be playing right into
your hands, wouldn't I, Rich?

I'm going to excuse myself

and get a closer look
at that salad bar.

Uh, maybe when I get back,

things will have
returned to normal.

That was very nice, Steven.
I hope you're happy.

This is shaping up to be
the most embarrassing night

of my life.

Well, maybe you should've
anticipated this night

when you and Rich were having
your little fling.

Will you please stop
calling it a fling?

You make it sound like
some cheap trip down to Rio,

drinking margaritas out
of people's slippers.

Is that what happened?

Steven,
you are being ridiculous.

You're jealous about someone
I haven't seen in years.

And I wouldn't be seeing him now
if you hadn't brought him home!

What about Rich's divorce?
12 years ago?

Coincidence?

Come on,
who are we kidding?

You waited because you didn't
think I'd put the two together,

but I'm just a little too smart
for you guys, aren't I?

You're right, Steven.

I confess,
it-it was all just a ruse.

Our marriage,
our four kids...

Just a scheme to distract you
from my other life with Richard.

I knew it.

Hi.

I'm back.

Great salad bar.

Mm, I love these olives.

They look good.

Oh, that's it!
You gave him the look!

I didn't! I was looking
at the olives!

What look?
This look.

You look like Daffy Duck.

All right, forget it.

You two don't have to
keep up this charade for me.

I'm leaving.

I know something's
going on here.

Dad,
what are you doing here?

I thought you and mom were going
out with Richie tonight.

We did.

What happened?

Well, I embarrassed your mother,
I embarrassed myself,

I embarrassed
an old friend,

and as far as
I can tell now,

I'm probably
completely wrong.

So it's nothing new, then?

Well...
I mean, you know,

it's nothing you haven't
been through before.

I guess not.

Listen, dad,

you know,
you always told me

that it takes a big man
to admit when he's wrong.

Mm-hmm.

And to always try and keep
a perspective on things.

Uh-huh.

To always respect the other
person's point of view.

Right.

To understand
your own motivations,

control your own
worst instincts.

Yeah.
To always rise above...

Enough!

I'm sorry.
You're right.

Don't worry, dad.

You're gonna
pull through this.

And, uh,

when you talk to mom,

cry if you have to.

Yeah, women like that.

It's no skin off your back,
and they think it's sensitive.

How did
my little prank go over?

How could you do this,
Steven?

I thought we had
a bond of love

and respect between us.

An understanding
that would preclude

anything like this
from ever happening.

I'm insulted that you obviously
don't feel the same way.

I do feel the same way.

Oh, really?

Well, you have an interesting
way of showing it.

Embarrassing and insulting me
and a dear old friend

in a public place,
Steven.

I'm not saying there isn't
room for improvement.

Steven, stop it.

What you did tonight
was absolutely indefensible.

I'm so sick and tired of it.

I-i don't want to hear
another word about it.

Elyse, I'm sorry,
but I only did this

because you're
the most beautiful,

exciting woman
I've ever met,

and sometimes the passion
I feel for you is so great it...

It makes me crazy.

I'm listening.

Do you remember...

The first day we met,

freshman year?

You were lost.

You couldn't
find your class.

I had a map.

Unfortunately, it was
a map of Spain.

So...

So we spent the day
wandering around the town,

getting ice cream, uh,

browsing through bookstores,

falling in love.

Oh, you were so beautiful.

You still are.

Even after all these years,

after all we've been through,

after everything
that's happened,

I still can't believe
you picked me.

Go on.

Don't you see
what I'm saying, Elyse?

When Richie
came here, and...

and I found out
about the two of you,

it just went right to the heart
of all the insecurities

I've ever had about myself,

and about whether I'm, uh,

good enough for you.

Steven, what do you think
I've been doing all these years?

Biding my time till I found
someone I really liked?

I don't want to become
one of those couples, Elyse.

The ones that have settled,
grown tired, bored...

Where everyone else
is more exciting

than the person
they're married to.

I don't want that either,
Steven.

I want there to be romance,

bells going off.

I want quickened pulses
when I walk through that door.

I want that look,
that look is mine.

What look?

My look. The one that's
supposed to be only for me.

The look that tells me

that we're really meant
to be together.

That I'm the one.

I have a look
that says all that?

Yeah, I showed
it to you yesterday.

I can't do it.
You do it.

Now you look
like Daffy Duck.

Steven, forget the look.

The-the look isn't important.

What's important is...

Is that we trust each other.

You're my best friend,
Steven.

I rely on you.
I want you to rely on me.

I love you, Steven.

Let's go upstairs.

Why go upstairs,

Captain Romance?

That's the look.

Get a camera.