The Cosby Show (1984–1992): Season 6, Episode 5 - Theo's Gift - full transcript
Theo finds out that he has dyslexia so he changes the way he studies and gets a better grade in history.
♪♪ [theme]
This is the best elevator
music I've ever heard.
Here we go.
Okay, Theo, here's
another question for you.
What was Prometheus's
punishment for bringing fire to man?
He was chained to a boulder.
What else?
A giant eagle came down,
started pecking at him,
and ate his liver,
piece by piece.
Perfect. You know, it's exciting
to be so near to a great mind.
Well, could you get a little
nearer to my great mind?
[chuckles]
Hey!
Uh, I hope in
between all of that
that there was some
kind of studying going on.
I know it didn't look
like it, Dr. Huxtable...
It didn't. It didn't. Believe me.
And I've seen studying before.
And this...
Come on, Dad.
No, no. That does
not look like studying.
No. I was just rewarding
Theo for knowing his mythology.
Rewarding?
That's the wonderful thing
about being a human being.
See, if you were a
seal, you'd get a sardine.
No, Dad, we're serious. Mm-hmm.
Now, look. Here's the list of all
the characters from mythology.
You pick any character. Any one.
Anyone? Any one.
Okay. And if you get it
right, I'm not kissing you.
[Theo and Justine laugh]
Tell me about...
[mispronouncing] Icarus.
First of all, I can tell you it's
[pronouncing correctly] Icarus.
All right, I'm... I'm just
trying to fool you, that's all.
Okay. All right. Go ahead.
Now, Icarus and his father Daedalus
wanted to escape the Cretin labyrinth.
So they made wings
of feathers and wax.
Yes, they did.
Now, Icarus's father Daedalus said,
"Son, don't fly too high near the sun
"because you'll burn.
"But don't fly too low near
the sea because you'll drown."
But Icarus didn't
listen to his old man.
Beginning to sound
like this house a little bit.
Anyway, his father
called out to him,
but Icarus kept
flying toward the sun.
- That's right.
- His wings melted,
and he fell into the ocean,
but his father made
it safely across.
Get down, Dad.
Now, what's the
significance of that story?
Uh... I would probably say
the story advised the
youth of ancient Athens
against foolhardiness,
and at the same time,
it reaffirmed the patriarchal
system of the Greek culture.
Is this my son?
[Justine] Very good, Theo.
Well, it's just you
inspire me to study.
Yes. Well, you see, ever
since you've been with him,
he's been booking it lately.
I've just been trying
to impress upon him
that a hardworking woman
loves a hardworking man.
And I am listening.
I want you to marry him,
and I'll pay for the wedding.
Dr. Huxtable... Now,
go ahead, kiss him.
I want to see you kiss.
Dad, we can't do
this in front of you.
Okay, I'll go up here.
Now, go ahead.
Come on, now. What... Kiss!
Mmm-ahh! Mmm-ahh!
That's terrible.
That's the way old people kiss.
I want a study kiss.
Justine.
Quack quack quack quack quack!
Quack! Quack quack.
Quack quack. Quack quack.
Quack quack.
Oh, my gosh! He's going faster!
I think he's going to fly!
Quack quack. Hey, wait a minute.
Where'd you get that?
What's the matter?
That's my duck.
Yeah, I know. We're
just playing with it.
Are we in trouble?
No, Olivia. I don't blame you.
You're too young.
But Denise should know better.
She's a married woman.
Hi, everybody.
Mom, Denise stole my duck.
Oh, Lord.
Mom, give me a break.
Can you help me here?
No, I think that it's
time that you learned
to handle these situations
by yourself... Mom.
O... kay.
So, Rudy, why don't
we work this out.
Um...[clears throat]
why don't we share the duck?
Okay. I'll pull, and you
and Olivia watch me.
Denise, I want to pull the duck.
Mom, please help me out.
I have some very
important reading to do here.
I got it.
Uh... you guys, I am
just going to take a saw,
and I'm going to
cut this duck in half.
Then you both will have
something to play with.
I'll take the front half.
No. I want the front half.
No, I want it! I want it.
You guys, this is not
supposed to happen.
Whoever loves the duck the
most is supposed to save it
from being sawed in half!
That'll help me decide
who gets the duck.
Worked in the bible.
Yes, it did. Good luck.
I want my duck whole now.
Fine.
Olivia, sweetie, I'm sorry.
We should've asked for Rudy's
permission to play with the duck,
so if she wants it back, we
have to give it to her, okay?
Yeah. Go ahead, Rudy. What?
Play with it.
[duck quacks]
Quack.
Quack.
Quack!
Quack.
Quack. Okay?
I'm finished.
You can play with it.
Thanks, Rudy!
But next time, just ask.
It's not the duck.
It's just the principle.
Okay.
Nicely done, Mom.
I don't know how you went
through this with five children.
I read the bible a lot.
Come on, Olivia, let's go
get a snack in the kitchen!
All right! Yeah!
Hi.
Hi, sw... [door slams]
Is something wrong?
Me. I'm wrong.
That's what's wrong.
We got our mythology
exam back today.
Guess what I got.
A "C."
Another one of my lousy Cs.
Mom, I'm sick of killing
myself for loser grades.
The night before the test, I
knew I was going to get an "A."
Yeah, because you told me
that you were going to
knock it out of the park.
And I got a "C."
You guys, I'm sick
of being stupid.
Oh, now, you are not stupid.
No, of course not.
And as we told you before,
as long as you work hard
and study hard, we're satisfied.
That's not the point.
I'm not satisfied, Dad.
What kind of graduate school am I
going to get into with a "C" average,
Joe and Ernie's Graduate School?
Theo, perhaps you just get a
little nervous when you take a test.
Mm-mmm. I wasn't nervous.
Mom, I knew that test
backwards and forwards.
A master at mythology.
I probably knew more
than the professor did.
- Oh, well, there you go.
- That's what it is.
- You're overconfident.
- It's overconfidence every time.
- It happens to everybody...
- Pardon, may... may I talk, please?
No, no, no, dear. Be still,
now, because I have the floor.
You have what floor?
The one both of my feet are on.
Thank you.
Son, this happens
to a lot of people.
When I was in law school,
I took a test about the "Erie
Railroad versus Thompkins," all right?
I was so sure of
myself, I had the audacity
to dispute a
Supreme Court ruling.
Well, I get my test paper back,
and the professor's written on the top,
"When you get to the Supreme
Court, you can change the law,
but for now, you're a law
student with a C-minus."
Overconfidence.
You see?
Now, this... this is your
story of overconfidence?
- Yes.
- Please.
Now.
I had a biochem exam.
You understand
me? I studied a month!
I said, "I am not going
to let biochem whip me.
I studied, asked
myself questions,
pretended I was the professor.
And I knew what I knew,
so I could ask myself
what I don't know.
And I became so arrogant,
I said to the professor,
in the classroom,
as the papers were
being handed out,
"I hope that this test will
challenge what I know."
And I looked at
the first question,
and I was so overconfident,
I didn't even read it through.
I just read two words and said,
"I know what it is. I
know what the ques..."
And I wrote at the
top of the bluebook,
"Ha! Thought you would get
me with this one, didn't you?"
I read the first two words and
knew what the question was.
And proceeded to
write 2 1/2 bluebooks...
of the wrong answer!
"F" was my grade.
Overconfidence.
And that's exactly
what happened to you.
Dad, I read all the questions.
I just couldn't
understand some of them.
I even made an appointment
with the learning counselor
to find out what my problem is.
Do you have the test with you?
Here you go.
Uh, son... [chuckles]
uh, this is multiple choice.
The answer's right
in front of your face,
and the first question
is about Icarus.
I know! Dad, you heard
me tell you about Icarus.
I knew that story inside out.
These are trick questions.
Let me see this,
Theo. Let me see.
"Eliminate the statement
that does not apply
to the story of Icarus."
Honey, what's tricky about that?
It's worded in a weird way.
Now, I couldn't understand if
they wanted me to pick the answer
that does apply or
the one that doesn't.
But, Theo, it's obvious, honey.
Three of the statements do
apply to Icarus, and one doesn't.
Well, that's a dumb
way to ask a question.
I mean, how come they couldn't
just have an essay question
that said, "Write
the story of Icarus"?
I would've cleaned up on that.
Because this is not Burger King!
You... You can't
have it your way!
If your professor is
making up an exam,
then you have to
answer it that way.
See, your problem is you're
not even concentrating!
I stared at the question
for five minutes, Dad.
Staring at something for five minutes
doesn't mean you're concentrating.
I don't know why I'm
talking to you guys about this.
You don't support me.
And you know why?
Because you don't understand me.
My professors
don't understand me.
Hey, I don't even
understand myself.
All I want to know is,
why, when I think
I know everything,
I can't even answer
anything right.
Now, maybe this learning
counselor could help me.
But then again, she probably
can't understand me, either.
She'll probably tell me
to read more about Icarus.
Like I'm going to get a job
because I know about Icarus.
I mean, who cares about Icarus?
What has he done for me lately?
But I sure can relate to Icarus
because Icarus's father
didn't support him, either.
His father just let his wax
wings melt in the ocean
and let him drown.
Theo, I've looked over your
essays and notebooks from class.
I hope you could
read everything.
Well, that's one
of the problems.
Your notes are incomplete
and poorly organized.
They are? Yes.
And your writing has a lot of
structural and mechanical errors,
although your ideas are good.
Theo, I think that you
should be tested for dyslexia.
Dyslexia. What's that?
It's a disorder in which
people see letters backwards
or in a different sequence, but
Theo doesn't see letters backwards.
That's only one form
of it, Mrs. Huxtable.
Dyslexia is a special
way of seeing things.
I like to call it a
"different kind of mind."
What kind of mind?
In Theo's case, first rate.
He has the brain power.
He just has a glitch in the
way he takes in information.
A glitch?
Yes. He just has a problem in the
way that he processes language.
Does that mean that
there's nothing we can do?
Not at all.
There are specialists
who can help dyslexics
overcome their
learning problems.
All he has to do is work with
the program they've set up.
You mean if my son does what
they want him to, he can be helped?
Yes.
All right. Well, this
dyslexia... now fix it.
Don't jump to
conclusions just yet.
Theo, when you're
called upon in class,
do you have difficulty finding the
correct words to express yourself?
Yeah. I mean, I know
what I want to say,
but I have a hard time
getting it straight in my mind.
Look, he's got it.
Let's fix it. Let's...
Dr. Huxtable, I'll need to do
a series of diagnostic tests.
When can I take these tests?
You can take them
first thing in the morning.
Son, I hope you
flunk with flying colors.
Dad... I'll do my
best to let you down.
There you go. [chuckles]
Cliff, wha...
Why are you still
standing at that door?
Now, Theo said he would come by as
soon as he got the results of the tests,
and your standing at the
door isn't going to make him
come any sooner.
What are you doing?
I wanted to see what
the weather was like.
You have become
what you have mocked.
He's coming.
He is? Yeah.
That maybe if we
had Asian asparagus...
[Cliff] Right... Hey. Hi.
Hi! Hey.
Ms. Roscoe gave me
the test results back.
- And?
- What did she say?
You guys... I'm dyslexic.
Yea-heh! Aaah!
Ha ha ha! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Ha! Yes! Yes!
Yes, yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
What is everyone so happy about?
Oh, your brother is dyslexic!
That's not funny.
Hey, Vanessa, I finally
know what's wrong with me,
and I can do something about it.
So, what is Mrs. Roscoe
going to have you do?
First, she's going to write
a note to all my professors
asking them if I can
tape the lectures.
Then she recommended
a special instructor
to help me organize my notebook.
I've even met some of the
people she's worked with,
and they're doing
much better in school.
That's wonderful!
And to think, Theo...
all those years you were
doing lousy in school,
and... Dad called you lazy.
I know.
He has been pretty rough on me.
[Vanessa] You must
feel very guilty, Dad.
I remember all those times
when Theo would
bring home bad grades
and you wouldn't let him
go out with his friends.
And all the time, he
had a learning disability.
He'd have to sit up there in
his room, staring at a book...
listening to all his
friends out in the street,
laughing and playing basketball.
Yeah. I could hear them.
Vanessa, I don't think
that this is the time
for you to bring
these things up.
Oh, I don't blame you, Mom.
You must feel just as bad.
Excuse me?
Well, remember that time
when Theo brought home
the "F" on the paper and you
wouldn't let him go to the dance?
It was probably his
learning disability.
And he was supposed
to go with Wendy Gilmore.
Wendy Gilmore! Mom,
I had a big crush on her!
And remember, Theo, at the
dance she met Tommy Burns.
They started going steady a week
later, and now they're engaged!
It took me a long time
to get over Wendy.
Mom, Dad, it's almost as if you
took your son's childhood away.
So if for some reason my
grades should start to slip,
you shouldn't just assume it's
because I'm crazy about boys.
It just might be that I
have what Theo has.
Think about it.
You don't tell me
what to think about.
I think about what I
want to think about.
Now, think about that!
Hey, Dad, since I have to tape my lectures,
do you think I could get a tape player
so I can listen
to the cassettes?
I'll take you down to Jake's,
and we'll get one for you.
Well, I already
have one in mind.
It's auto-reverse,
has four speakers,
a sound booster,
and an equalizer.
I'll bet you Jake
has one. Let's go.
No, I don't think it's at Jake's
because this one's inside
the new Corvette ZR-1.
Uh, is that car
on the street now?
Yeah... Well, let's go.
[chuckles] We're
going to buy one?
No. We're going to break
in one and get the radio out.
Ahhhh... [laughs]
Hi! Hey.
Bye! No!
See you guys later!
Hey! Heee... eyyyy!
No, there's no "hi, bye."
You're too young for "hi,
bye." Come back here.
Now, where are you going?
Kim has a brand-new video
game. I'm going over to play it.
I thought you had a
lot of homework to do.
- Did you finish?
- No.
Well, don't you think you
should finish it before you go out?
I can't. I think I'm dyslexic.
[chuckles]
What makes you
think you're dyslexic?
See, I was upstairs
in my room reading,
and I could see that
my organizational skills
weren't, uh... organized.
Plus, I started
getting a sore throat.
Dyslexia.
[chuckles]
Okay. Fine. Fine.
Then you'll do
like your brother.
First of all, your brother,
in order to do well in school,
is studying five hours
longer than he usually studies.
So I think you have
to go back upstairs,
organize your room
for at least five hours,
and then put in another
five hours of studying.
How's your throat?
Much better.
I think I'll go
upstairs and study.
Man! Can't do
anything around here!
Can't even be dyslexic.
Mom?
Olivia has amazed me yet again.
We were upstairs
watching television.
She hears a song only once, and
she's able to repeat it note for note.
She's amazing.
She's like Mozart.
- Hey!
- Hey!
- All right, what's going...
- You are in time.
You are in time to
hear Olivia sing a song.
Well, let's hit it.
♪ Shake it up, baby, now ♪
♪ Shake it up, baby ♪
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Come on, come on,
come on, baby, now ♪
♪ Come on, baby,
let's work it on out ♪
♪ Work it on out ♪
♪ Na na na na na na ♪
♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
♪ Shake it up, baby, now ♪
Whoo!
Thank you, thank you. You've
all been a fabulous audience.
Come on, let's
go get some juice.
We'll do our numbers.
One... Two...
Three... Four... Five...
Six... Seven...
Eight... Let me
tell you something.
Playing basketball with my
son, my son tells me this story
of which I will let
him finish the details.
Well, Mom, I've been
taking classes for my dyslexia
for the past three weeks, and I
got my philosophy exam back,
and I got a...
Whoo, this story is so good, I
just can't wait to hear it again.
I got a B-plus.
Yes! Yes!
That's wonderful! Oh,
I'm so proud of you!
Thank you. Now... this
is just the beginning.
I'm going to stay
with the studying,
and this B-plus is probably going
to be the lowest grade we'll ever see.
I think he should probably
finish undergraduate school
in two years because there's
no sense in holding him back.
He's going to medical school
and become Dr. what, Huxtable, Jr.
You understand?
Mrs. Roscoe told
you not to do this.
She told you not to
jump to conclusions.
You've got the boy out of
undergraduate school in two years,
and medical school, how long
you going to give him to finish that?
That's not fair.
You can't put that kind
of pressure on Theo.
Now, if he's going to do anything
in two years plus maybe one,
it'll be law school,
won't it, son?
If anything, it ought to
be that he will become
a doctor and a lawyer, you see,
and sit in the middle
between both of us.
Wait, you guys. Huh?
Come on, let me...
Let me think about it.
I have time. Believe
me, I have time.
Now, all these good
grades have made me what?
Hungry. There you go.
And you going where? Okay.
- To the kitchen.
- To the kitchen.
Yes, sir. For some food.
Right. What? Free food.
- Thank you.
- [laughing]
Ohhh! Isn't that a great fe...
You know, I got so
happy about that grade,
I decided to play some
full-court basketball,
and... Ohhh...
and it just...
it's starting to...
uh, stiffen right here.
- Ohhh...
- And it's starting to stiffen there.
- Oh, let me see.
- It's just stiffening all over.
Oh, let me unstiffen your...
Shake it up, baby.
Twist and shout.
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Come on, come on ♪
♪ Come on, baby ♪
♪ Let's work it on out ♪
♪ Work it on out ♪
♪ Na na na na na na ♪
♪ Na na na na na na ♪
31, 32, Oh, no. 33,
34, 35, 36, 37,38,
39, 40, Yes. 41...
- 42, 43, - 42, 43,
44... I can count to a thousand!
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight...
♪♪ [theme]
[Announcer] The Cosby Show
was taped before a studio audience.
Subtitled By J.R. Media
Services, Inc. Burbank, CA
This is the best elevator
music I've ever heard.
Here we go.
Okay, Theo, here's
another question for you.
What was Prometheus's
punishment for bringing fire to man?
He was chained to a boulder.
What else?
A giant eagle came down,
started pecking at him,
and ate his liver,
piece by piece.
Perfect. You know, it's exciting
to be so near to a great mind.
Well, could you get a little
nearer to my great mind?
[chuckles]
Hey!
Uh, I hope in
between all of that
that there was some
kind of studying going on.
I know it didn't look
like it, Dr. Huxtable...
It didn't. It didn't. Believe me.
And I've seen studying before.
And this...
Come on, Dad.
No, no. That does
not look like studying.
No. I was just rewarding
Theo for knowing his mythology.
Rewarding?
That's the wonderful thing
about being a human being.
See, if you were a
seal, you'd get a sardine.
No, Dad, we're serious. Mm-hmm.
Now, look. Here's the list of all
the characters from mythology.
You pick any character. Any one.
Anyone? Any one.
Okay. And if you get it
right, I'm not kissing you.
[Theo and Justine laugh]
Tell me about...
[mispronouncing] Icarus.
First of all, I can tell you it's
[pronouncing correctly] Icarus.
All right, I'm... I'm just
trying to fool you, that's all.
Okay. All right. Go ahead.
Now, Icarus and his father Daedalus
wanted to escape the Cretin labyrinth.
So they made wings
of feathers and wax.
Yes, they did.
Now, Icarus's father Daedalus said,
"Son, don't fly too high near the sun
"because you'll burn.
"But don't fly too low near
the sea because you'll drown."
But Icarus didn't
listen to his old man.
Beginning to sound
like this house a little bit.
Anyway, his father
called out to him,
but Icarus kept
flying toward the sun.
- That's right.
- His wings melted,
and he fell into the ocean,
but his father made
it safely across.
Get down, Dad.
Now, what's the
significance of that story?
Uh... I would probably say
the story advised the
youth of ancient Athens
against foolhardiness,
and at the same time,
it reaffirmed the patriarchal
system of the Greek culture.
Is this my son?
[Justine] Very good, Theo.
Well, it's just you
inspire me to study.
Yes. Well, you see, ever
since you've been with him,
he's been booking it lately.
I've just been trying
to impress upon him
that a hardworking woman
loves a hardworking man.
And I am listening.
I want you to marry him,
and I'll pay for the wedding.
Dr. Huxtable... Now,
go ahead, kiss him.
I want to see you kiss.
Dad, we can't do
this in front of you.
Okay, I'll go up here.
Now, go ahead.
Come on, now. What... Kiss!
Mmm-ahh! Mmm-ahh!
That's terrible.
That's the way old people kiss.
I want a study kiss.
Justine.
Quack quack quack quack quack!
Quack! Quack quack.
Quack quack. Quack quack.
Quack quack.
Oh, my gosh! He's going faster!
I think he's going to fly!
Quack quack. Hey, wait a minute.
Where'd you get that?
What's the matter?
That's my duck.
Yeah, I know. We're
just playing with it.
Are we in trouble?
No, Olivia. I don't blame you.
You're too young.
But Denise should know better.
She's a married woman.
Hi, everybody.
Mom, Denise stole my duck.
Oh, Lord.
Mom, give me a break.
Can you help me here?
No, I think that it's
time that you learned
to handle these situations
by yourself... Mom.
O... kay.
So, Rudy, why don't
we work this out.
Um...[clears throat]
why don't we share the duck?
Okay. I'll pull, and you
and Olivia watch me.
Denise, I want to pull the duck.
Mom, please help me out.
I have some very
important reading to do here.
I got it.
Uh... you guys, I am
just going to take a saw,
and I'm going to
cut this duck in half.
Then you both will have
something to play with.
I'll take the front half.
No. I want the front half.
No, I want it! I want it.
You guys, this is not
supposed to happen.
Whoever loves the duck the
most is supposed to save it
from being sawed in half!
That'll help me decide
who gets the duck.
Worked in the bible.
Yes, it did. Good luck.
I want my duck whole now.
Fine.
Olivia, sweetie, I'm sorry.
We should've asked for Rudy's
permission to play with the duck,
so if she wants it back, we
have to give it to her, okay?
Yeah. Go ahead, Rudy. What?
Play with it.
[duck quacks]
Quack.
Quack.
Quack!
Quack.
Quack. Okay?
I'm finished.
You can play with it.
Thanks, Rudy!
But next time, just ask.
It's not the duck.
It's just the principle.
Okay.
Nicely done, Mom.
I don't know how you went
through this with five children.
I read the bible a lot.
Come on, Olivia, let's go
get a snack in the kitchen!
All right! Yeah!
Hi.
Hi, sw... [door slams]
Is something wrong?
Me. I'm wrong.
That's what's wrong.
We got our mythology
exam back today.
Guess what I got.
A "C."
Another one of my lousy Cs.
Mom, I'm sick of killing
myself for loser grades.
The night before the test, I
knew I was going to get an "A."
Yeah, because you told me
that you were going to
knock it out of the park.
And I got a "C."
You guys, I'm sick
of being stupid.
Oh, now, you are not stupid.
No, of course not.
And as we told you before,
as long as you work hard
and study hard, we're satisfied.
That's not the point.
I'm not satisfied, Dad.
What kind of graduate school am I
going to get into with a "C" average,
Joe and Ernie's Graduate School?
Theo, perhaps you just get a
little nervous when you take a test.
Mm-mmm. I wasn't nervous.
Mom, I knew that test
backwards and forwards.
A master at mythology.
I probably knew more
than the professor did.
- Oh, well, there you go.
- That's what it is.
- You're overconfident.
- It's overconfidence every time.
- It happens to everybody...
- Pardon, may... may I talk, please?
No, no, no, dear. Be still,
now, because I have the floor.
You have what floor?
The one both of my feet are on.
Thank you.
Son, this happens
to a lot of people.
When I was in law school,
I took a test about the "Erie
Railroad versus Thompkins," all right?
I was so sure of
myself, I had the audacity
to dispute a
Supreme Court ruling.
Well, I get my test paper back,
and the professor's written on the top,
"When you get to the Supreme
Court, you can change the law,
but for now, you're a law
student with a C-minus."
Overconfidence.
You see?
Now, this... this is your
story of overconfidence?
- Yes.
- Please.
Now.
I had a biochem exam.
You understand
me? I studied a month!
I said, "I am not going
to let biochem whip me.
I studied, asked
myself questions,
pretended I was the professor.
And I knew what I knew,
so I could ask myself
what I don't know.
And I became so arrogant,
I said to the professor,
in the classroom,
as the papers were
being handed out,
"I hope that this test will
challenge what I know."
And I looked at
the first question,
and I was so overconfident,
I didn't even read it through.
I just read two words and said,
"I know what it is. I
know what the ques..."
And I wrote at the
top of the bluebook,
"Ha! Thought you would get
me with this one, didn't you?"
I read the first two words and
knew what the question was.
And proceeded to
write 2 1/2 bluebooks...
of the wrong answer!
"F" was my grade.
Overconfidence.
And that's exactly
what happened to you.
Dad, I read all the questions.
I just couldn't
understand some of them.
I even made an appointment
with the learning counselor
to find out what my problem is.
Do you have the test with you?
Here you go.
Uh, son... [chuckles]
uh, this is multiple choice.
The answer's right
in front of your face,
and the first question
is about Icarus.
I know! Dad, you heard
me tell you about Icarus.
I knew that story inside out.
These are trick questions.
Let me see this,
Theo. Let me see.
"Eliminate the statement
that does not apply
to the story of Icarus."
Honey, what's tricky about that?
It's worded in a weird way.
Now, I couldn't understand if
they wanted me to pick the answer
that does apply or
the one that doesn't.
But, Theo, it's obvious, honey.
Three of the statements do
apply to Icarus, and one doesn't.
Well, that's a dumb
way to ask a question.
I mean, how come they couldn't
just have an essay question
that said, "Write
the story of Icarus"?
I would've cleaned up on that.
Because this is not Burger King!
You... You can't
have it your way!
If your professor is
making up an exam,
then you have to
answer it that way.
See, your problem is you're
not even concentrating!
I stared at the question
for five minutes, Dad.
Staring at something for five minutes
doesn't mean you're concentrating.
I don't know why I'm
talking to you guys about this.
You don't support me.
And you know why?
Because you don't understand me.
My professors
don't understand me.
Hey, I don't even
understand myself.
All I want to know is,
why, when I think
I know everything,
I can't even answer
anything right.
Now, maybe this learning
counselor could help me.
But then again, she probably
can't understand me, either.
She'll probably tell me
to read more about Icarus.
Like I'm going to get a job
because I know about Icarus.
I mean, who cares about Icarus?
What has he done for me lately?
But I sure can relate to Icarus
because Icarus's father
didn't support him, either.
His father just let his wax
wings melt in the ocean
and let him drown.
Theo, I've looked over your
essays and notebooks from class.
I hope you could
read everything.
Well, that's one
of the problems.
Your notes are incomplete
and poorly organized.
They are? Yes.
And your writing has a lot of
structural and mechanical errors,
although your ideas are good.
Theo, I think that you
should be tested for dyslexia.
Dyslexia. What's that?
It's a disorder in which
people see letters backwards
or in a different sequence, but
Theo doesn't see letters backwards.
That's only one form
of it, Mrs. Huxtable.
Dyslexia is a special
way of seeing things.
I like to call it a
"different kind of mind."
What kind of mind?
In Theo's case, first rate.
He has the brain power.
He just has a glitch in the
way he takes in information.
A glitch?
Yes. He just has a problem in the
way that he processes language.
Does that mean that
there's nothing we can do?
Not at all.
There are specialists
who can help dyslexics
overcome their
learning problems.
All he has to do is work with
the program they've set up.
You mean if my son does what
they want him to, he can be helped?
Yes.
All right. Well, this
dyslexia... now fix it.
Don't jump to
conclusions just yet.
Theo, when you're
called upon in class,
do you have difficulty finding the
correct words to express yourself?
Yeah. I mean, I know
what I want to say,
but I have a hard time
getting it straight in my mind.
Look, he's got it.
Let's fix it. Let's...
Dr. Huxtable, I'll need to do
a series of diagnostic tests.
When can I take these tests?
You can take them
first thing in the morning.
Son, I hope you
flunk with flying colors.
Dad... I'll do my
best to let you down.
There you go. [chuckles]
Cliff, wha...
Why are you still
standing at that door?
Now, Theo said he would come by as
soon as he got the results of the tests,
and your standing at the
door isn't going to make him
come any sooner.
What are you doing?
I wanted to see what
the weather was like.
You have become
what you have mocked.
He's coming.
He is? Yeah.
That maybe if we
had Asian asparagus...
[Cliff] Right... Hey. Hi.
Hi! Hey.
Ms. Roscoe gave me
the test results back.
- And?
- What did she say?
You guys... I'm dyslexic.
Yea-heh! Aaah!
Ha ha ha! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Ha! Yes! Yes!
Yes, yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
What is everyone so happy about?
Oh, your brother is dyslexic!
That's not funny.
Hey, Vanessa, I finally
know what's wrong with me,
and I can do something about it.
So, what is Mrs. Roscoe
going to have you do?
First, she's going to write
a note to all my professors
asking them if I can
tape the lectures.
Then she recommended
a special instructor
to help me organize my notebook.
I've even met some of the
people she's worked with,
and they're doing
much better in school.
That's wonderful!
And to think, Theo...
all those years you were
doing lousy in school,
and... Dad called you lazy.
I know.
He has been pretty rough on me.
[Vanessa] You must
feel very guilty, Dad.
I remember all those times
when Theo would
bring home bad grades
and you wouldn't let him
go out with his friends.
And all the time, he
had a learning disability.
He'd have to sit up there in
his room, staring at a book...
listening to all his
friends out in the street,
laughing and playing basketball.
Yeah. I could hear them.
Vanessa, I don't think
that this is the time
for you to bring
these things up.
Oh, I don't blame you, Mom.
You must feel just as bad.
Excuse me?
Well, remember that time
when Theo brought home
the "F" on the paper and you
wouldn't let him go to the dance?
It was probably his
learning disability.
And he was supposed
to go with Wendy Gilmore.
Wendy Gilmore! Mom,
I had a big crush on her!
And remember, Theo, at the
dance she met Tommy Burns.
They started going steady a week
later, and now they're engaged!
It took me a long time
to get over Wendy.
Mom, Dad, it's almost as if you
took your son's childhood away.
So if for some reason my
grades should start to slip,
you shouldn't just assume it's
because I'm crazy about boys.
It just might be that I
have what Theo has.
Think about it.
You don't tell me
what to think about.
I think about what I
want to think about.
Now, think about that!
Hey, Dad, since I have to tape my lectures,
do you think I could get a tape player
so I can listen
to the cassettes?
I'll take you down to Jake's,
and we'll get one for you.
Well, I already
have one in mind.
It's auto-reverse,
has four speakers,
a sound booster,
and an equalizer.
I'll bet you Jake
has one. Let's go.
No, I don't think it's at Jake's
because this one's inside
the new Corvette ZR-1.
Uh, is that car
on the street now?
Yeah... Well, let's go.
[chuckles] We're
going to buy one?
No. We're going to break
in one and get the radio out.
Ahhhh... [laughs]
Hi! Hey.
Bye! No!
See you guys later!
Hey! Heee... eyyyy!
No, there's no "hi, bye."
You're too young for "hi,
bye." Come back here.
Now, where are you going?
Kim has a brand-new video
game. I'm going over to play it.
I thought you had a
lot of homework to do.
- Did you finish?
- No.
Well, don't you think you
should finish it before you go out?
I can't. I think I'm dyslexic.
[chuckles]
What makes you
think you're dyslexic?
See, I was upstairs
in my room reading,
and I could see that
my organizational skills
weren't, uh... organized.
Plus, I started
getting a sore throat.
Dyslexia.
[chuckles]
Okay. Fine. Fine.
Then you'll do
like your brother.
First of all, your brother,
in order to do well in school,
is studying five hours
longer than he usually studies.
So I think you have
to go back upstairs,
organize your room
for at least five hours,
and then put in another
five hours of studying.
How's your throat?
Much better.
I think I'll go
upstairs and study.
Man! Can't do
anything around here!
Can't even be dyslexic.
Mom?
Olivia has amazed me yet again.
We were upstairs
watching television.
She hears a song only once, and
she's able to repeat it note for note.
She's amazing.
She's like Mozart.
- Hey!
- Hey!
- All right, what's going...
- You are in time.
You are in time to
hear Olivia sing a song.
Well, let's hit it.
♪ Shake it up, baby, now ♪
♪ Shake it up, baby ♪
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Come on, come on,
come on, baby, now ♪
♪ Come on, baby,
let's work it on out ♪
♪ Work it on out ♪
♪ Na na na na na na ♪
♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
- ♪ Ahhhh ♪
♪ Shake it up, baby, now ♪
Whoo!
Thank you, thank you. You've
all been a fabulous audience.
Come on, let's
go get some juice.
We'll do our numbers.
One... Two...
Three... Four... Five...
Six... Seven...
Eight... Let me
tell you something.
Playing basketball with my
son, my son tells me this story
of which I will let
him finish the details.
Well, Mom, I've been
taking classes for my dyslexia
for the past three weeks, and I
got my philosophy exam back,
and I got a...
Whoo, this story is so good, I
just can't wait to hear it again.
I got a B-plus.
Yes! Yes!
That's wonderful! Oh,
I'm so proud of you!
Thank you. Now... this
is just the beginning.
I'm going to stay
with the studying,
and this B-plus is probably going
to be the lowest grade we'll ever see.
I think he should probably
finish undergraduate school
in two years because there's
no sense in holding him back.
He's going to medical school
and become Dr. what, Huxtable, Jr.
You understand?
Mrs. Roscoe told
you not to do this.
She told you not to
jump to conclusions.
You've got the boy out of
undergraduate school in two years,
and medical school, how long
you going to give him to finish that?
That's not fair.
You can't put that kind
of pressure on Theo.
Now, if he's going to do anything
in two years plus maybe one,
it'll be law school,
won't it, son?
If anything, it ought to
be that he will become
a doctor and a lawyer, you see,
and sit in the middle
between both of us.
Wait, you guys. Huh?
Come on, let me...
Let me think about it.
I have time. Believe
me, I have time.
Now, all these good
grades have made me what?
Hungry. There you go.
And you going where? Okay.
- To the kitchen.
- To the kitchen.
Yes, sir. For some food.
Right. What? Free food.
- Thank you.
- [laughing]
Ohhh! Isn't that a great fe...
You know, I got so
happy about that grade,
I decided to play some
full-court basketball,
and... Ohhh...
and it just...
it's starting to...
uh, stiffen right here.
- Ohhh...
- And it's starting to stiffen there.
- Oh, let me see.
- It's just stiffening all over.
Oh, let me unstiffen your...
Shake it up, baby.
Twist and shout.
♪ Twist and shout ♪
♪ Come on, come on ♪
♪ Come on, baby ♪
♪ Let's work it on out ♪
♪ Work it on out ♪
♪ Na na na na na na ♪
♪ Na na na na na na ♪
31, 32, Oh, no. 33,
34, 35, 36, 37,38,
39, 40, Yes. 41...
- 42, 43, - 42, 43,
44... I can count to a thousand!
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight...
♪♪ [theme]
[Announcer] The Cosby Show
was taped before a studio audience.
Subtitled By J.R. Media
Services, Inc. Burbank, CA