Special guest on Tool Time today: a customized 1950 Mercury! Along with its owner, Alan Jackson. So while Alan puts on a rockin' hoedown, singing the "Mercury Blues", Tim plays around inside the car, and breaks a few things. I guess Alan has never seen Tool Time before. At home, Tim and Jill are having Harry and Deloris for dinner. You know what a delightful, inseparable couple they are. But, in light of being dinner guests, maybe they'll put their differences aside and break bread with the Taylors peacefully. Yeah, and Al might shave his beard. They start bickering right before they get in the door. Mainly, Deloris is upset because they cut her hours back at the diner, and then she criticizes Harry for the way he runs the hardware store. She thinks she can do a better job at it, and right then and there usurps his authority, mainly after some encouragement from Jill, and forces herself right into the hardware store. Right away, she bullies Marty and Benny, the freeloaders, and treats Al, part owner, like a stock boy. Harry has had his fill of his wife running his store, and so with encouragement from Tim and the guys, finally stands up and orders his wife out. When Deloris finds that Harry put his friends before her, she not only leaves the hardware store, but she threatens to leave Harry as well. He feels he should be so lucky.
Next day, Al and Marty smoke cigars in celebration of the wicked witch leaving. Only Tim feels remorse for the fight the previous day, and he's sure Harry is suffering. Quite the opposite. He felt like a million bucks, waltzing into the hardware store, singing up a storm. He brings Benny donuts and gives Tim a saw for free. However, Tim isn't buying the act and he's sure the man is hurting deep inside. Jill congratulates Tim for having his first sensitive insight and tells him he's "evolving." This all has to do with Tim feeling responsible for the break-up. Despite his best efforts, he can't seem to get through to Harry, so at Wilson's suggestion, he goes to the diner to try and talk to Deloris. Cranky as always, she refuses to listen to reason. It takes a lot of convincing, but she finally does agree to go talk to Harry when her shift ends. In another fit of generosity, Tim agrees to take over for her so she can go right now. Unfortunately, he doesn't find out until much later that Deloris' shift actually ran 12 hours. As for Harry and Deloris, I guess they worked things out, or so Tim says because we don't actually see it. The Tool Man is proud of himself, having become so philosophical. He was like a whole new man. He'd even forgotten how to grunt, but Jill manages to bring him out of it.
Tim's insightfulness doesn't disappear entirely, because he still has his rational moments from hereon out. This episode is one of my favorites. The writing and character development are top notch. Tim as a go-between worked very well, and apparently his character was the only one to develop, as Harry and Deloris never reconciled on screen. I mean, I didn't want to see them kiss and make up either, but you gotta remember that rule of the screen: show, don't tell. So they may not be as well rounded characters as some of the others, but they're still very entertaining to watch. I wonder if Deloris' attitude is modeled after Judge Judy? So anyway, if you like the show, you like Harry and Deloris and you like when Tim has insightful episodes, check this one out.
Next day, Al and Marty smoke cigars in celebration of the wicked witch leaving. Only Tim feels remorse for the fight the previous day, and he's sure Harry is suffering. Quite the opposite. He felt like a million bucks, waltzing into the hardware store, singing up a storm. He brings Benny donuts and gives Tim a saw for free. However, Tim isn't buying the act and he's sure the man is hurting deep inside. Jill congratulates Tim for having his first sensitive insight and tells him he's "evolving." This all has to do with Tim feeling responsible for the break-up. Despite his best efforts, he can't seem to get through to Harry, so at Wilson's suggestion, he goes to the diner to try and talk to Deloris. Cranky as always, she refuses to listen to reason. It takes a lot of convincing, but she finally does agree to go talk to Harry when her shift ends. In another fit of generosity, Tim agrees to take over for her so she can go right now. Unfortunately, he doesn't find out until much later that Deloris' shift actually ran 12 hours. As for Harry and Deloris, I guess they worked things out, or so Tim says because we don't actually see it. The Tool Man is proud of himself, having become so philosophical. He was like a whole new man. He'd even forgotten how to grunt, but Jill manages to bring him out of it.
Tim's insightfulness doesn't disappear entirely, because he still has his rational moments from hereon out. This episode is one of my favorites. The writing and character development are top notch. Tim as a go-between worked very well, and apparently his character was the only one to develop, as Harry and Deloris never reconciled on screen. I mean, I didn't want to see them kiss and make up either, but you gotta remember that rule of the screen: show, don't tell. So they may not be as well rounded characters as some of the others, but they're still very entertaining to watch. I wonder if Deloris' attitude is modeled after Judge Judy? So anyway, if you like the show, you like Harry and Deloris and you like when Tim has insightful episodes, check this one out.
