Mallory (Justine Bateman) and Alex (Micheal J. Fox) find themselves manipulated and used in Sherry Baby. Written by Barbara Hall, it first aired on 12 January, 1983.

Mallory is intent on getting into a sorority and her classmate, Sherry (Lisa Lucas) may be the key. But Sherry has her eye on Alex. So Mallory attempts to convince Alex to go with Sherry to the sorority dance. Alex agrees on the condition that Mallory go with their friend and neighbour, Skippy (Marc Price), much to Mallory’s horror.

Agreements are made and everyone goes to the dance, only to learn that Mallory’s name wasn’t even submitted to the sorority!

Mallory is hurt and despite Elyse (Meredith Baxter) and Steven (Micheal Gross) pointing out that everyone used one another, and perhaps they need to learn something from that it takes Mallory a little bit to realize she’s hurt Skippy through all of this, and makes amends.

Off-screen Alex left Sherry as soon as he realized what she had done, but he also met someone else anyway.

Not quite as heavy a message issue as we’ve had so far this season, but still kind of important, treat others the way you would like to be treated. Basic, and still true.

It’s nice to get away from some of the heavier themes that permeated the front half of the season, not that the show wasn’t good, but it’s nice to see them dealing with other relatable things, and letting Bateman, Price and Fox have a great time together.

I also love that everyone accepts the fact that Steven, as dad, is the one working on Mallory’s science project.

The Fugitive Part 1 features Tom Hanks, on the verge of superstardom with the release of Splash, as Elyse’s brother Ned.

Written by Micheal J. Weithorn, this episode debuted on 19 January, 1983.

Ned shows up and is his usual impulsive self, connecting with the younger Keatons. He coaches and plays baseball with Jennifer (Tina Yothers) and Alex idolizes him for his business acumen. But when a series of strange calls and stranger behaviour from Ned causes Elyse to worry about her younger brother, a more serious tale begins to emerge.

First Ned shares a story about how he was trying to save the jobs of 1800 people who were about to be out of work because of his own company, and that it caused him to be fired. He confides, briefly, in Alex that there is worse to come out about this story yet, and as likable as Ned is, what happens when the FBI comes knocking at the Keaton’s door asking about Ned’s location and revealing his theft of 4 million dollars from his former employer.

The episode goes from funny to more than worrisome as we come to our first To Be Continued for the series, and we had to wait another week to find out what was really going on with Ned, and he couldn’t have stolen that money, could he?

What will Alex think?

The Fugitive Part 2 was also written by Weithorn and aired the following week on 26 January, 1983.

As the truth comes out about what Ned has done; he did steal the money, and the portfolio of the company that was going to be shut down and hid them in the computer with a code that gave him the only access. Alex is initially disappointed in what Ned has done but also knows that he’s family.

Alex attempts to help Ned escape which involves a hilarious sequence in an airport and also features famed character actor Earl Boen.

In the end, however, Ned decides to return to the Keaton household and face the music. He’ll do his part, but he also wants to bring attention to the behaviour of corporations in America prioritizing profits over people.

That’s an important message, but it gets buried a little in the laughs and pacing of the episode. I do like the fact that Ned calls out Steven and Elyse, he’s finally standing up for what he believes in like they did, it’s just not fashionable at that time. That being said, he did (mostly) the wrong thing for the right reasons.

And Tom Hanks as a guest star, what’s not to like?! He’s so much fun in this episode, showing his comedic and dramatic skills, as well as his knack for physical comedy.

Such a great show, and this is on the first season. Just imagine what else is to come!