Alex (Micheal J. Fox) comes down with Daddy Fever when he helps his parents out with their Lamaze class, and becomes enchanted with the idea of becoming the father to the child of a single mother in Oh, Donna.

Written by Alan Uger, this episode was first broadcast on 3 January, 1985.

Initially dismissive of the idea of the classes, Alex is intrigued when he meets Donna (Isabelle Walker) and is very taken with the idea of helping her in class. This leads him down a path that sees him wanting to help with her doctor, her purchases, and even her parenting.

Steven (Micheal Gross) and Elyse (Meredith Baxter) become increasingly worried about Alex’s growing obsession with becoming a father, but it will be up to Donna to put him in his place, to remind him that they aren’t a couple and that he was just supposed to be helping her, not planning a whole life together.

It’s great to see this other side of Alex, and while it’s a goofy story, it’s handled tenderly, and Alex points out that his parents were so great that he wanted to be the same. Which is weird, he being a republican and all.

Auntie Up was written by Lawrence H. Levy and first aired on 10 January, 1985.

Mallory (Justine Bateman) is dealt a heartbreaking blow when her beloved Aunt Trudy (Edith Atwater) passes because of a heart attack. And while the entire family loved her, she’s the one who takes it hardest, and it’s actually a solid episode that looks at how we grieve, and how different each person is processing their grief.

There are also some really nice moments between Mallory and Skippy (Marc Price) as they both have a lot of affection for Trudy.

Mallory has a very tough time letting go, and the fact that no one seems to remember her, or share her sense of loss and that the world keeps spinning around seems to bother her to no end.

It’s a poignant episode with great laughs and gives Bateman a real chance to shine. And she does, wonderfully.

There’s a fun b-story that sees the family trying to hold a garage sale until Trudy’s death ruins their plans, but Alex didn’t cancel the ad in the paper so people keep showing up, causing a cross-pollination between grievers and shoppers.

It’s a nice little tale.

Finishing out this week is Philadelphia Story, which was written by Micheal J, Weithorn and was first broadcast on 17 January, 1985.

In the course of filming this episode, Fox was okayed to take the role of Marty McFly, replacing Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future. Series creator Gary David Goldberg agreed to let Fox take on the role, but didn’t cut back his role in the show.

Alex is suffering from a cold and a fever but is ready to stay up all night and write his term paper about the Declaration of Independence. Steven has been invited to testify before Congress about public television, something that Alex encourages.

As he falls asleep, he dreams that he is in 1776, Steven takes on the role of Thomas Jefferson while Alex and Skippy are stable boys in his employ. Jefferson, in Alex’s dream, is reticent to take on the role history has prepared for him and Alex has to persuade him to create the Declaration of Independence.

The entire family makes appearances and there are some laughs to be had, and it certainly seems serendipitous that this episode was being filmed when Fox first became Marty McFly because of the subject matter. It’s fun, entertaining and it feels like a test run for Marty.