While Steven (Micheal Gross) takes the kids camping, Elyse (Meredith Baxter) has to stay at home and work and ends up getting some life-changing news.

Here We Go Again was written by Ruth Bennett and Alan Uger and debuted on 27 September, 1984.

Her doctor informs her that she’s pregnant. She has to deal with the shock and the pleasant surprise, all of which is compounded by the surprising return of Steven, Alex (Micheal J. Fox), Mallory (Justine Bateman) and Jennifer (Tina Yothers).

It seems a storm has rolled in, and every one of the kids (no matter their age) was whining, and Steven just wants to be done with kids for a while… Awkward.

But once the news is revealed, the family rallies, and begins to wonder and dream about their new sibling, and lend all their support to the expectant mother.

It’s a simple character and narrative episode, setting up a season arc, necessitated by Baxter’s actual pregnancy, so that we already know what the season finale is going to be, and that next season there will be a new face in the family.

It’s light, humorous, and entertaining, and it shows how much the family loves each other, and sure it can be a little sit-com, it’s damned fun.

Little Man on Campus sees Alex attending his first day of college, he’s attending the prestigious Leland University, a short drive away, but it’s not going to be what he thought it was.

Written by Micheal J. Weithorn, and with an original airdate of 4 October, 1984, the story sees Alex realizing a couple of things, that he’s not going to be the academic superstar he was in high school unless he changes his approach to certain things and not just recite facts but argue his own point of view as well.

This happens in a class he was very excited to sign up for, but when his first assignment from Professor Bronski (Micheal McGuire) comes back with an F, a first for Alex, he rethinks everything. It’s only in a discussion later with Bronski when the professor forces Alex to argue his point that Alex realizes what university is going to do and mean for him.

This is a fun Alex episode and puts him on the backfoot by not academically achieving right out of the gates. I like the way Bronski maneuvers him to the realization and how it dawns on Alex. And yes, that is Timothy Busfield as Alex’s buddy, Doug.

Love They Neighbor was written by Weithorn and Uger and first aired on 11 October, 1984.

Jennifer’s neighbourhood friend, Scott (Matthew Barry) is back in town, and he seems to have grown into himself, becoming very attractive, so much so that Mallory has noticed, and Scott is happy with the attention from her leaving Jen behind.

Jen is so upset and troubled by the fact that she sometimes wants to be a kid, and sometimes an adult, that she crashes Mallory and Scott’s date and ends up feeling the fool for it. Steven and Mallory have to have conversations with Jennifer about growing up what that means, how things change, and how things will change for her, but to not rush it and enjoy it as it comes.

Alex and Steven try to figure out a new crib for the forthcoming baby but it’s a little daunting, and Elyse, who is off-screen for the entire episode, is constantly ravenous so there is an ongoing parade of food heading upstairs.

This is arguably the best Jennifer-centric episode of the series to date, and Yother is able to bring that early teen angst perfectly. It’s one of her best performances to date.

Can’t wait to see more of the Keatons next week!