Tool Time features a little drywall hanging competition between Tim and Al, and I don't think I need to say who won. At home, Tim bares the brunt of the boys' practical jokes, handcuffing him to a table and a few cans of silly string aimed at his head. Tonight is family night, but the family can't seem to agree about what activity to partake. The boys want to play video games, Jill suggests they stay home and play charades, and Tim suggests they go bowling. The arcade at the bowling alley wins the boys over, and Jill agrees to go to the lanes, provided Tim doesn't act like the competitive nut he becomes whenever he bowls a good game. She says they should not keep score and just play for "fun". Tim finds that prospect hysterical and goes on to state that men are better bowlers than women, and Jill is a lousy bowler herself. Something tells me he's stirring up some karma here. Once at the alley, they load Brad and Randy up with quarters and send them to the video arcade, while Mark watches Tim and Jill bowl. The Tool Man seemed plenty confident in himself...maybe overconfident. His first frame really blows chips. Jill, on the other hand, bowls a strike...or two. Despite her earlier objections to keeping score and being competitive, the spark of competition begins to glow hot. At least Tim's got a cheering section in the form of the K&B boys, Rock, Pete, Dwayne and Roger, to grate on his nerves even further. Well, the good news is that Tim bowls a strike. The bad news is that it was for the other lane.
Meanwhile, Brad and Randy about to play a game of Zaxxon, some little craphead gets bored and decides to bully them away from "his" machine. They decide to ignore him and go ahead and play anyway. Randy is just about to hit the high score and beat the record, which just happened to belong to that no-account bully, nicknamed C.P. Well, old C.P. couldn't stand the prospect of an underling beating his score, and thusly pulls the plug. Hey, genius, when you unplug an arcade game you delete all the scores. But I doubt his feeble brain could even grasp that concept. So Brad tries to tackle C.P., but since he was bigger, he held Brad in a headlock. He forces Randy to compliment his skill at both Zaxxon AND his looks, and let's Brad go. Anyone else would've just given up and left, but you know what they say about little boys: they don't get mad, they get even. Well actually, they do both. They head back to the lanes to get Mark, while Jill continues her winning streak, making Tim look quite the fool. What is her secret, you may be wondering? Her approach to the lane is as follows: ashes, ashes, we all fall down, and when she launches the ball, she skips backwards chanting "please" profusely. Feeling as cocky as she was, she suggests a bet. Tim agrees, saying whoever loses has to kiss the winner's bowling shoes right in front of everybody... I think you all know who that's going to be. Back at the arcade, C.P. catches Brad and Randy back at the Zaxxon machine, and then they spring their trap: they handcuff him to the machine and cover him in silly string. Victory never tasted sweeter. As for Tim and Jill, Tim manages to bowl a strike in his own lane... and it's a foul. So, as the K&B boys gleefully point out, Jill wins by default. And in lieu of kissing her bowling shoes, Tim simply had to compliment them. Just then, a damn alley employee actually showed up at the arcade, apparently, but apprehended Brad and Randy. Where was he when C.P. was bullying them? He asks Tim and Jill if they're their kids, they hear about what happened and they disown them. When they all get home, Jill tells them that next time they should just come to them if there's a problem. Well, eventually in life there will be instances where you can't run to your mommy for help. Tim and Jill then cap off the night by spraying each other with silly string.
This episode was a lot of fun, it had plenty of funny moments, and a GREAT payback scene between the boys and that airheaded bully. And when he unplugged the machine, he was only hurting himself. Remember, unplugging those old machines will reset all the scores. It reminds me of the Frogger episode of Seinfeld where George buys an old Frogger machine to keep his high score. And as for Brad and Randy's silly string payback, sure, they made a big mess in the arcade, but at least they stood up for themselves. And again, where was that employee when that kid was bullying them? Off choking his chicken or something? And while I always enjoy appearances from the K&B boys, they were very annoying in this one. It was as if they were TRYING to make Tim lose, instantly taking Jill's side and goading him the way they were. Jill was annoying too. You may have also noticed that Wilson wasn't in this episode. I guess he doesn't bowl, but then at this point in the series, he didn't leave his yard, and there are only so many ways to hide one's face at a bowling alley. So anyway, if you like bowling episodes, you like stories about sweet revenge, then Up Your Alley is up your alley!
Meanwhile, Brad and Randy about to play a game of Zaxxon, some little craphead gets bored and decides to bully them away from "his" machine. They decide to ignore him and go ahead and play anyway. Randy is just about to hit the high score and beat the record, which just happened to belong to that no-account bully, nicknamed C.P. Well, old C.P. couldn't stand the prospect of an underling beating his score, and thusly pulls the plug. Hey, genius, when you unplug an arcade game you delete all the scores. But I doubt his feeble brain could even grasp that concept. So Brad tries to tackle C.P., but since he was bigger, he held Brad in a headlock. He forces Randy to compliment his skill at both Zaxxon AND his looks, and let's Brad go. Anyone else would've just given up and left, but you know what they say about little boys: they don't get mad, they get even. Well actually, they do both. They head back to the lanes to get Mark, while Jill continues her winning streak, making Tim look quite the fool. What is her secret, you may be wondering? Her approach to the lane is as follows: ashes, ashes, we all fall down, and when she launches the ball, she skips backwards chanting "please" profusely. Feeling as cocky as she was, she suggests a bet. Tim agrees, saying whoever loses has to kiss the winner's bowling shoes right in front of everybody... I think you all know who that's going to be. Back at the arcade, C.P. catches Brad and Randy back at the Zaxxon machine, and then they spring their trap: they handcuff him to the machine and cover him in silly string. Victory never tasted sweeter. As for Tim and Jill, Tim manages to bowl a strike in his own lane... and it's a foul. So, as the K&B boys gleefully point out, Jill wins by default. And in lieu of kissing her bowling shoes, Tim simply had to compliment them. Just then, a damn alley employee actually showed up at the arcade, apparently, but apprehended Brad and Randy. Where was he when C.P. was bullying them? He asks Tim and Jill if they're their kids, they hear about what happened and they disown them. When they all get home, Jill tells them that next time they should just come to them if there's a problem. Well, eventually in life there will be instances where you can't run to your mommy for help. Tim and Jill then cap off the night by spraying each other with silly string.
This episode was a lot of fun, it had plenty of funny moments, and a GREAT payback scene between the boys and that airheaded bully. And when he unplugged the machine, he was only hurting himself. Remember, unplugging those old machines will reset all the scores. It reminds me of the Frogger episode of Seinfeld where George buys an old Frogger machine to keep his high score. And as for Brad and Randy's silly string payback, sure, they made a big mess in the arcade, but at least they stood up for themselves. And again, where was that employee when that kid was bullying them? Off choking his chicken or something? And while I always enjoy appearances from the K&B boys, they were very annoying in this one. It was as if they were TRYING to make Tim lose, instantly taking Jill's side and goading him the way they were. Jill was annoying too. You may have also noticed that Wilson wasn't in this episode. I guess he doesn't bowl, but then at this point in the series, he didn't leave his yard, and there are only so many ways to hide one's face at a bowling alley. So anyway, if you like bowling episodes, you like stories about sweet revenge, then Up Your Alley is up your alley!