Episode Report Card Sara M: B- | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT The Gang's All Here
By Sara M | Season 2 | Episode 7 | Aired on 11.02.1997
Matt encounters Simon and Stan in the hall. They are armed with a fan and an umbrella with which to make thermals. Okay. Spitting in the face of Montessori schools everywhere, Matt confiscates their things because experimental learning is "a bad idea." Then he tells Stan that he, not Simon, told the CamRents about Karen, and because there are five minutes left in the show, this makes Simon admire his brother again and wraps that plot up nicely.
Not concerned enough to actually help, RevCam supervises the StanRents as they search Stan's room. The Clarinet Of Facing The Sad Truth plays as they find a veritable eight-level shopping mall of weapons and drugs under his bed. There are Ziploc bags of full of what looks like Midol, with silly, ungang-like weapons such as a chain, brass knuckles, and nunchakus artfully laid around them. Are they serious? Nunchakus? Unless Blackbird 16 is a ninja gang, which I doubt, this is ridiculous! Not even the gang members in Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video had stupid nunchakus, and they danced -- in unison! The StanRents are really upset, and their reaction is surprisingly realistic. Then Karen walks in and gets yelled at while RevCam watches with his typical "arrogance disguised as concern" face. The easily swayed Karen says she'll leave her gang. RevCam's all, "No way, you're in it for life!" Karen says that he's seen too many movies. Or maybe RevCam has his own gang. Wow, that would be great. I wonder what it would be called? Pious X? Or maybe Devoutness. Ooh, how about God Dam? That sounds badass AND is a clever play on words. RevCam suggests "places" where they can put Karen, because sending your children somewhere else is always the best way to solve problems. He doesn't mention Buffalo. I guess only the worst cases get sent there. Stan's dad then completes his reign of cool by kicking RevCam out. As he leaves, Karen tells him that she doesn't need his help. He says he hopes that she's right, but you know that's a lie. RevCam will stop at nothing to be right, even if it means making people he doesn't know search both of their children's bedrooms.
A family basketball game is played outside, because no one in this family has anything better to do on a Saturday night. Mary takes a foul shot, but not before Ruthie bothers everyone about how fast one hundred miles per hour is. Ruthie asks if it's like "this," and then freaking waves her finger around. Everyone tells her that it is so she will shut up and this "storyline" can finally end. I'll admit, I was kind of afraid they would stretch it out over the next few episodes. Stan smiles, feeling so lucky to be with this perfect family and not with his realistic problem-filled one. Inside, Annie pretends to fix a leaky faucet when the phone rings. She comes outside, looking angry and upset. Everyone notices her, and they slowly stop playing basketball, as if Annie looking depressed is something unusual when she's given that look at least five times this episode alone. Stan realizes that something happened to his sister, and starts to cry. Annie hugs him. The rest of the family looks on judgmentally.