"A, My Name is Alex, Pt. 2" is the twenty-fourth episode in the fifth season of the NBC family sitcom Family Ties. It originally aired on March 12, 1987, and is the hundred-and-sixteenth episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
Alex reflects on his past and attempts to define his own life following the accidental death of a close friend.
Plot[]
After Alex's friend Greg McCormick (played by Brian McNamara) dies in a car accident, he has to deal with all kinds of emotions, including a refusal to grieve, and the realization that he was supposed to be with Greg the night he died. He eventually turns to a monk, Brother Timothy (played by Richard McGonagle) and then to a professional counselor (voiced by David Wohl).
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Meredith Baxter as Elyse Keaton
- Michael Gross as Steven Keaton
- Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton
- Justine Bateman as Mallory Keaton
- Tina Yothers as Jennifer Keaton
- Brian Bonsall as Andrew Keaton
Guest Starring[]
- Marc Price as Skippy Handelman
- Brian McNamara as Greg McCormick
- Scott Valentine as Nick Moore
- Meg Wyllie as Mrs. Leahy
- David Wohl as The Counselor
Co-Starring[]
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
- David Wohl appears in four different episodes.
- In a flashback, Alex as a seven-year-old reports finding a flaw in John Dean's testimony (at the Watergate hearings).
- Mallory expresses a belief in reincarnation (which she apparently learned from Shirley MacLaine).
- Jennifer loves the band Van Halen but has a picture of Bruce Springsteen on her wall.
- Alex refers to a short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway (with which his Grant College-educated counselor isn't familiar)
- "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf
- "Light My Fire" by The Doors