"Margin of Error" is the sixteenth episode in the first season of the NBC family sitcom Family Ties. It originally aired on February 9, 1983, and is the sixteenth episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
Alex trades stock on paper for a school project. He tries to persuade his parents to cash in on his promising investment tips, but they decline. Frustrated, he impersonates his father to use their account. Things go well, until they don't.
Plot[]
Alex has a school project picking stocks. Seeing that he's losing money by not investing, without his father's knowledge, Alex invests Steven's money in a stock (Video Industries of the Philippines) that crashes due to a typhoon in Manila. This leaves his father owing $2700. Alex tries to talk to the broker, Dan Matthews (played by Philip Charles MacKenzie), but he's not able to help. Alex finally tells his parents the truth.
Cast[]
Starring[]
Guest Starring[]
- Philip Charles MacKenzie as Dan Matthews
- Anne Haney as Mrs. Matthews
Co-Starring[]
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
- The title is a reference to the investment term "Margin Call" (and, of course, the error Alex made).
- Parts of this episode are used as a flashback in "A Word to the Wise".
- When Alex is at the brokerage house, he witnesses one of the brokers speaking harshly to an older lady. It turns out to be his mother. A similar gag was used in "The Job Not Taken " at the investment firm office.
- Elyse is designing a university chapel to accommodate many different faiths. She explains her plan to Mallory by comparing the chapel to The Hollywood Squares: different faiths on different levels. For example, the Unitarians will meet down where Charley Weaver used to sit, the Jews will meet where Jan Murray used to sit, and the Catholics in the center square (where Rose Marie used to sit).
Gallery[]
