"Birthday Boy" is the eleventh episode in the second season of the NBC family sitcom Family Ties. It originally aired on January 5, 1984, and is the thirty-third episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
Alex turns 18 and is ready to exercise his new freedom. When Elyse forbids him to go to West Virginia with friends, he sneaks out of the house anyway, and she catches up with him and embarrasses him in front of his friends by dragging him home.
Plot[]
Steven must be in Washington for PBS on Alex's 18th birthday, so Elyse throws him a surprise party a few days early. On his big day, Alex fails to pass 'taking out the trash' down to one of his siblings, then declines a restaurant dinner because he wants to go to Camelot Inn in West Virginia with Neil and Doug, where the 18-year-olds can drink legally. Elyse forbids this blatantly, but the guys' taunting lures him along anyway, and just as they're pretending to be pilots about to invade Canada, Elyse arrives to drag him home. Alex is beyond furious for days, but they end up talking it through.
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
Guest Starring[]
- John Putch as Neil
- Crispin Glover as Doug
- Eileen Seeley as Roxanne
- Kate Vernon as Christy
- Debbie Gilbert as Buffy
Co-Starring[]
Quotes[]
- Elyse: "I think it's a shame that you're gonna be in Washington on Alex's birthday."
Steven: "Well, at least I was with Alex on Washington's birthday." - Alex's date: "What country are you attacking?"
Alex: "Oh, uh, Canada."
Alex's date: "We're not at war with Canada... Wait, are we?" - Alex: "We can talk about this later. Tomorrow morning."
Elyse: "You're invading Canada tomorrow morning!"
Trivia[]
- Parts of this episode are used as a flashback in "A Word to the Wise".
- Alex's friends are played by Crispin Glover (a later co-star who plays Michael J. Fox's father in Back to the Future) and John Putch.
- Posing as an Air Force pilot, Alex says he's invading Canada (Michael J. Fox's home country).
Gallery[]
