All language subtitles for family_ties_s02e03_the_harder_they_fall

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 a...

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?

with me tonight.

I seem so nervous.

Would the fact that it's parents' night
at school have anything to do with it?

It's parents' night? At school?

Already?

Yes, yes it is, Mallory.

Your night of nights.

A chance for your parents and your
teachers to get together, review your

and have a good laugh.

You're so smug, Alex. You just love
parents' night, don't you?

Oh, you bet.

I put it right up there with Christmas
Eve.

Hi, come in with the dishes.

Um, there's one or two left.

All right, we should be back by 9 .30.

Look, I know it's going to be very
hectic there tonight, so if you have to

seeing my algebra teacher, I'll
understand.

In fact, as of yesterday, Mrs. Stigny,
she took a vow of silence.

We'll pass nodes to each other.

What about you, Alex?

Anyone you want us to avoid?

Oh, contraire.

You go anywhere you want to go. I just
hope you can contain your joy.

Oh, remember, make sure and see Mr.

Tedesco. You remind us every hour.

I don't mean to be a pest about this,
but it's really important.

His cousin is on the faculty at
Dartmouth. If he writes me a letter of

recommendation, I'm in.

Okay, Alex.

So, so, you'll see him. You'll butter
him up.

Consider him buttered.

Okay, Elise, you go to Alex's classes
and I'll go to Mallory's.

Mr.

Tedesco.

Good guess.

Who are you?

Elise Keaton, Alex's mother.

Alex Keaton, good man.

Thank you. You must be very proud.

Alex is the best student in this class.

Of course, that's not saying much. Half
of them think the hunchback of Notre

Dame is a football player.

Well, this is one of his favorite
classes.

He talks about you all the time. No need
to butter me up.

I wasn't buttering you up. That was the
truth.

My husband and I were very anxious to
meet you, but he had to go to my

Mallory's algebra class.

Mallory? I had a student named Mallory
Keaton last year.

She's the one.

Really? Which one of your children is
adopted?

All right, everybody.

Attention, please.

I'm Ruben Tedesco.

Your children call me Mr.

Tedesco. I think you should, too.

I teach European literature.

If you don't belong in this classroom,
don't worry.

Neither do most of your children.

I'd like to make this an open forum.

I'll answer any intelligent questions
you may have.

And...

Yes, lady in the front row.

Not you.

The one next to you. The old bag.

Why do you give out so much homework?

I said intelligent questions next.

Yes, you.

My son. He says you pick on him.

You call him name.

Who's your son?

Larry Morgan.

Larry the loser?

Mrs. Denny. My daughter, Mindy, so
enjoyed reading The Little Prince.

Is there anything else you'd recommend
for her?

Yes, I'd recommend she lose 40 pounds.

You could lose 30 yourself.

Next.

My, my, such an inquisitive bunch.

I have something to say. Mr. Tedesco, I
think you owe Mrs. Denny and everyone

else in here an apology.

Yes.

You're even terribly rude and insulting
to us all.

Mrs.

Keaton, it's clear that your son does
not get his intelligence from you.

You feel I'm being insulting? Fine.

I won't insult anyone anymore.

This little get -together is over.

I'm leaving.

Jennifer, you hold that piece, and I'll
fit them together.

Okay, great, great. We just got to hold
it like this for two minutes, and it'll

last for 2 ,000 years.

Hey, it said so right on the bottle.

What should we do?

All right, all right, don't panic, don't
panic.

It's for you, Linda.

Oh, thanks.

Uh, Linda?

I'm gonna take it in the other room.

Sorry about that.

Mom, Dad, you're home early. What
happened?

It's a long story.

more serious problems right now. Thank
God.

Hey, Mom and Dad, how'd it go?

Alex, maybe you better sit down.

Marge, I can't sit down. I'm too
excited.

Listen, did you see Mr. Tedesco? Did you
make an impression on him?

Very definitely.

Great. Tell me every detail.

I don't know exactly how to put this.

I punched Mr. Tedesco in the mouth.

I punched him.

Um, when you say punched, did you mean
an affectionate little tap?

Like, uh, way to go, Mr. Tedesco?

I decked him.

Wow!

Any particular reason?

He shoved an elderly lady.

That's it, owl!

Alex, you're Mr.

Tedesco.

I told you that.

What did you have to hit him for?

He was being so rude and insulting that
hitting him was an automatic reflexive

response. I was seized by uncontrollable
impulse.

Can't you understand?

No. It was just one of those things.

I'm sure we can all understand it.

Could you explain it to me one more
time, Elise?

Maybe if you...

Well, look, Elise, I'm sure that this
can all be cleared up.

Cleared up very easily. Now, why don't
you just call him up and apologize?

Good idea, good idea. I'll get the
number.

Everything is going to be fine. You just
had a bad night, that's all.

Champ.

That's right, Mom. And anyways, Mr.

Tedesco's been asking for it for a long
time now. It's time somebody put him in

his place.

Mallory, I don't want you to interpret
this in any way as meaning that I

violence. I don't. It was a freak
occurrence.

Okay, Mom.

Here you go.

Say anything you have to say.

But give me that recommendation.

Don't worry, Alex. I think I know how to
handle this.

Hello, Mr. Tedesco.

Hi, this is Elise Keaton.

Please, please, hear me out.

Mr.

Tedesco, I...

I feel terribly about what happened, and
I want to apologize.

Now, see here.

Where do you live?

Mr.

Tedesco? Yeah, pay no attention to her.
She's been on medication lately.

Hello?

Hello?

Mr. Tedesco? What is it? May I have a
word with you? You've already had seven.

I'm Stephen Keaton, Alex's father.

One of the Dooling Keatons.

Don't come any closer.

Mr.

Tedesco, I came to apologize for my
wife's behavior. She feels terrible

the whole thing.

She's really sorry. We both are.

I could sue, you know.

Look, look, let's try to gain some
perspective on the situation here.

Haven't you ever done something without
thinking?

Something you regretted later?

Yes, I showed up for parents' night.

Look, look, I know you're upset and you
have every right to be, but you're

obviously a very intelligent, civilized
person who can recognize this incident

for what it is.

and aberration.

And I hope you'll forgive and forget.

Fortunately, Mr. Keaton, your son
inherited your rational temperament. For

sake, I will allow myself to be appeased
by your words. I am nothing if not

civilized. I can see that.

Your wife, however, is an Amazon.

Part Irish, part French. No Amazon.

You know what I mean, Keaton?

She's primal.

Fully evolved.

You must have a tough time keeping her
in line.

Tell me, do whip ever enter the picture?

I think I'll be going now. No, I'm
curious.

What's it like to live with that kind
of...

Unbridled she -devil.

Goodbye, Mr.

Tedesco. No, wait, just one more
question.

Does she ever, uh... Why, you...

You're

in a cute mood, Alex.

Hey, why shouldn't I be in a good mood?
Right now, Dad and Mr. Tedesco are

probably shaking hands.

They're probably deciding whether or not
to go out for a beer.

My problems are over.

Hey, Mom, want to go for a few rounds?
Just for old time's sake?

Alex! Smoke like a butterfly, sting like
a bee? Alex, I'm getting angry!

Whoa, kids, she's mad! Hit the deck!

Stop it!

Let's get the table set for dinner. Aw,
come on, Mom, it's over now. We can

laugh about it.

Can we?

She's not laughing, Alex.

Okay, okay.

What's this?

It's a plate.

Used to be a plate. Now it's art.

There's lots more art in the cupboard.

Well,

Dad, how'd it go? Will you write me the
recommendation?

Well, we didn't exactly discuss the
recommendation.

What did you talk about?

Well, um, first I introduced myself.
Then I told him how sorry we were.

I convinced him to forgive and forget.

And we made a little bit of small talk.

Idle chatter.

Then I punched him in the face.

I'm sorry, Alex. The man is slime.

Elise, if you'd heard the things he'd
said... I can't believe this.

I can't let you two out of the house.

Alex, that man would have made a killer
out of Gandhi.

That man held the key to my future in
his hands.

That letter of recommendation was my
passport to the Ivy League, to penny

loafers, raccoon coats.

Girls named Muffy.

Alex, there's always trade school?

How did all this happen, Elise? For all
these years, we've lived by the doctrine

of nonviolence, of sympathy and love
towards our fellow man.

Peace and harmony.

The man is a rodent.

Listen, my geography teacher has been
wising off lately.

Can one of you rough her up a bit?

We've got to put a stop to this.

Stephen, I know this may sound crazy,
but I think we ought to invite Mr.

to dinner tomorrow night.

What for? To finish him off?

I don't want that man in my home, Elise.

Neither do I, Stephen. But until we can
sit down in peace with him, we'll never

be able to sit down in peace with
ourselves.

You're right.

And I think we owe it to Alex to smooth
this thing over.

Well, now you're talking some sense.

Settled. We'll invite him for dinner
tomorrow night.

Girls, you gotta help me out tonight. We
gotta keep things in an up mood when

Mr. Tedesco comes.

Happiness, gaiety.

Laugh and giggle as much as possible.

In fact, let's practice, okay?

Go ahead.

Laugh.

Try it with a little more enthusiasm.

He... Better.

Okay, look, if he starts getting into it
with Mom and Dad, talk about something

else, okay? Like the weather.

Okay, Alex, now the chicken's in the
oven and the table is set.

Chicken? Chicken? Is that the best you
could do, Mom?

What's wrong with chicken?

You do not appease a man with poultry.

Beef. We need beef.

We're having chicken, Alex.

Okay, look, I've given some thought as
to what you might say to Mr. Tedesco.

Never has so cruel an attack been
perpetrated on so innocent a victim.

Would that I could reverse the hands of
time.

I would.

I beg your forgiveness with all my heart
and soul.

We had no right to hit him. We know
that.

But we're not going to beg his
forgiveness.

Begging's out.

I'm afraid so.

We're not going to grovel either.

No groveling either? Why are we having
the guy over?

I'll get it.

Mr. Tedesco.

Hello, Alex.

Come on in.

Please.

Sit down.

Thank you.

Well, of course he accepted, Mom.

He's a very forgiving man.

Before you sits a human being who thinks
and acts on the highest plane

imaginable. I came for the free dinner.

Mr.

Tedesco, why don't we start with a clean
slate here?

reasonable, intelligent human beings
who've just behaved poorly over the past

few days.

I know my husband and I are sorry for
hitting you, and I'm sure that you're

sorry for saying the things you said.

What's for dinner?

Chicken, but before we eat, I was hoping
that... I had chicken for lunch.

Mom, there's got to be something else in
the fridge.

Maybe we can go out and eat.

No, Alex, we are staying here.

And we're eating chicken.

I said I had chicken for lunch.

Um, they say it might rain.

Yeah.

Rain's good.

Oh, that's the Mallory I remember.

Mr. Tedesco. Stephen.

I think I need some help in the kitchen
with the chicken.

I'll do, Mom.

Good. It's pig chicken.

Sorry about that, Mr. Tedesco.

It's about what I expected.

Look, um... There's no point in going on
with this charade any longer.

You're not gonna write that letter of
recommendation for me, are you?

Uh, are you?

You know, Keaton...

This is one of those moments when I
prize being a teacher.

When I can watch a student squirm
because I hold his fate in my hands.

You like that, huh?

I do, I do.

There's something very appealing about
playing God.

That's how we think of you.

I love having power.

And it's inspiring to see that you don't
abuse it.

Ah, look.

I really need that recommendation.

I know.

Okay, okay, okay.

You've suffered long enough. You got the
recommendation.

I do?

Yeah, I wrote it the day you asked me
for it. It's right here.

I don't usually show letters of
recommendation to students, but this

exceptionally well written and...

Well... Here you go.

Oh, Mr.

Tedesco.

Oh, this is beautiful. This is
beautiful. Thank you. I admit that I

about not giving you a recommendation.

Then I realized that wouldn't be fair.

It wasn't you that hit me.

Uh, no, no, no, it wasn't.

It's not your fault your parents are the
way they are.

No, in fact, considering what your
parents are like... You're a remarkable

fellow.

When they came into the classroom, I
realized that evolution sometimes takes

detour.

We're all descended from apes, but not
quite as directly as you.

Mr. Tedesco, sorry about flying off the
handle earlier. My wife and I were

talking out there, and we reminded each
other what this evening is all about and

how much it means to this family.

We're defrosting some steaks. Should be
ready in about 20 minutes.

Yummy.

No, Mom.

No steaks tonight.

Tonight, we're having chicken.

No, Alex, remember, Mr. Tedesco had
chicken for lunch.

Yo, I don't care what Mr. Tedesco had
for lunch. And, uh, this is what I think

of his recommendation.

Alex, what are you doing?

I'm keeping my self -respect.

I overrated you, Alex.

I thought you were better than your
parents.

I was wrong.

Look, Mr.

Tedesco, I don't feel like I'm better
than my parents.

As a matter of fact, if I grow up to be
as good as they are, I'll be very proud.

How conventionally sweet.

I think we'd all appreciate it if you
left our house now, Mr. Tedesco.

My pleasure.

Oh, nice going, Alex.

You should have punched him.

No, he shouldn't have.

I think you handled the situation just
right.

Look, I know it wasn't easy for you guys
to invite him over here for dinner

tonight. And I know you did it for me.

Thank you.

The evening didn't end up the way we
thought it would, but at least nobody

hit.

Alex, you're hard to figure. Right when
I think I know you're going to do

something nice.

All right, I'll have the chicken.

Sit, Ubu, sit.

Good dog.