"My Brother's Keeper" is the ninth episode in the fifth season of the NBC family sitcom Family Ties. It originally aired on November 20, 1986, and is the hundred-and-first episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
Skippy's slated to become the object of a cruel fraternity prank.
Plot[]
Alex has all kinds of fraternity activities going (for which he also dresses up Andrew - Theta Pi Sigma style). Mallory has been asked to pledge six sororities. Alex does some legwork to get Skippy introduced to his fraternity brothers at Grant College, and they decide to let Skippy pledge the fraternity. Unfortunately, the brothers really just want to humiliate Skippy.
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
- Tom Bresnahan as Brian Elliot
- Christopher Bradley as Dave Dubin
- George Newbern as Eric
Co-Starring[]
Quotes[]
- Andrew: "Um ... a pompous fool."
- Andrew: "Girls. Beer."
- Steven: "Elyse, is my poem good?"
Andrew: "I don't like it."
Steven: "Is your name Elyse?"
Trivia[]
- Jennifer's poem: "The gray world spins. We are adrift in the empty universe. Lost. Depressed. Nothing in sight. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing." She previously a dark poem in "Double Date".
- Steven's poem: "So off he went to bluer sky, to sing a song or play a game. But 'ere he went, he turned to cry, Robin Red Breast is my name. Can you guess, or have you heard, my little friend is but a bird." (They used to called him "Iambic Pentameter" Keaton.)
- Jennifer's second effort (after Steven's advice): "I looked down at the car and felt depressed. For under the tire lay Robin Red Breast."
- The fraternity that Alex joins and that Skippy attempts to join "Theta Pi Sigma" (ΘΠΣ) was not a real-life fraternity when the episode first aired. In 2012, the queer-focused gender-neutral fraternity "Delta Lambda Pi" was sued by the gay-fcosed fraternity "Delta Lambda Phi" due to its similar sounding name. As a result, the former eventually changed it's designation to "Theta Pi Sigma" and continues to exist as of 2025.
Gallery[]
