Things may be looking up for others, but for Tim, they're looking down. Morgan Wandell wants them to do a Tool Time that's "all talk." He has no one to tell his troubles to, as everyone else is preoccupied with their own interests. So, on to Tool Time, where Al is experiencing the pre-marital jitters, but is confident nothing can break his spirits. Today on the show, no building, just talking. They welcome out three guests who seem to obsess over hardware...more so than Tim. The problems seem to lie in their wives having a problem with their obsessions. It starts off innocent, however their vulgar wives are in the audience and they turn the air blue and, well, one thing leads to another and the next thing you know, a fight erupts! It's a Jerry Springer edition of Tool Time. A full on riot ensues. Following that madcap display, as Tim, Al and Heidi are smarting over their wounds, Morgan appears, happy as a clam. Turns out he staged the whole thing! It's obvious this man doesn't care anything about Tool Time, all he's interested in are ratings. Tim tries to put his foot down, saying he'll go above Morgan's head to Bud, however Morgan drops a bombshell saying Bud is no longer with the company. He left without telling Tim, what a pal. So the Tool Man states he won't go along with these changes and says he'll quit. Morgan has no problem with that.
He tells Jill the news when he gets home, saying Al and Heidi quit too, but have all agreed to do one final show. Tim is devastated, having to part with something he's loved doing all these years. Now what will they do? Jill does a lousy job of consoling him...and she wants to be a therapist, mind you. However, her dream might actually come true. She goes to an appointment with her professor, Dr. Hanover, who has recommended her for a job at a family therapy center...in Indiana. They would have to move. Now it was Tim's turn to rain on a parade and takes a selfish viewpoint. He doesn't want to leave his family, his sports teams, his mechanics. However, a talk with Wilson softens him up. The problem is there were just so many big changes happening, practically all at once and he can't fully cope with it. Wilson advises him to try and support Jill at this time and even though he would never want to lose his neighbor, he told him to do what is best. So, Tim has a talk with Brad and Mark about the move. They're both against it, and as for Randy, well, he refused to come back to the show for the finale...er, I mean, he doesn't want to leave Costa Rica. However, they eventually come to a mutual understanding and will support Jill in this decision, so it looks like the Taylors will be moving to Indiana. Next day, Tim decides to drive the boys to school in Brad's car and then head on to Tool Time for his last show. Jill watches them go, then remembers back fondly to a time when Tim played with the boys on the floor when they were younger. So many memories...
And so ends Part 1 of "The Long and Winding Road", setting up for what I think is a very satisfactory conclusion to this series. In Part 2, we get...well, a clip show. But it has a lot of heart, then everything comes to a head in Part 3. If you haven't seen this episode before, I urge you to check it out. It's very emotional, all these big changes for these characters we've grown to love, and the ending for the show we've come to love is looming on the horizon. And yes, that was Ike from Married with Children as one of the men on stage.
He tells Jill the news when he gets home, saying Al and Heidi quit too, but have all agreed to do one final show. Tim is devastated, having to part with something he's loved doing all these years. Now what will they do? Jill does a lousy job of consoling him...and she wants to be a therapist, mind you. However, her dream might actually come true. She goes to an appointment with her professor, Dr. Hanover, who has recommended her for a job at a family therapy center...in Indiana. They would have to move. Now it was Tim's turn to rain on a parade and takes a selfish viewpoint. He doesn't want to leave his family, his sports teams, his mechanics. However, a talk with Wilson softens him up. The problem is there were just so many big changes happening, practically all at once and he can't fully cope with it. Wilson advises him to try and support Jill at this time and even though he would never want to lose his neighbor, he told him to do what is best. So, Tim has a talk with Brad and Mark about the move. They're both against it, and as for Randy, well, he refused to come back to the show for the finale...er, I mean, he doesn't want to leave Costa Rica. However, they eventually come to a mutual understanding and will support Jill in this decision, so it looks like the Taylors will be moving to Indiana. Next day, Tim decides to drive the boys to school in Brad's car and then head on to Tool Time for his last show. Jill watches them go, then remembers back fondly to a time when Tim played with the boys on the floor when they were younger. So many memories...
And so ends Part 1 of "The Long and Winding Road", setting up for what I think is a very satisfactory conclusion to this series. In Part 2, we get...well, a clip show. But it has a lot of heart, then everything comes to a head in Part 3. If you haven't seen this episode before, I urge you to check it out. It's very emotional, all these big changes for these characters we've grown to love, and the ending for the show we've come to love is looming on the horizon. And yes, that was Ike from Married with Children as one of the men on stage.
