Fri, Oct 3, 2003
Tom Warner, a young, bright but somewhat lazy New York author who just tasted success with one bestselling book, gives in to his wife's homesick pleading: they move to her native Kansas, close to her parent's home. Soon the big city individualist finds his anonymous life is turned upside down as they spend more time at his in-laws' (her parents, siblings and others) and obligatory local community events then in their own home or alone, and the old-fashioned social pressure is quite alarming for a Big Apple-free spirit.
Fri, Oct 24, 2003
Susan is sick and tired of hearing her sister Mary's husband Chris is so perfect, in fact slavishly house-trained, while her unemployed Tom is very inventive in finding ways and reasons to get out of any chores. So Tom decides to get the inconvenient 'good example' Chris to become less helpful and spend some time drinking. It works like a charm, but to Tom's horror Mary finds Chris being in the dog house makes him sexy, so he stops helping out and the Kelly parents expect him to take over...
Fri, Oct 31, 2003
Tom finds an obnoxious customer in the deli is a fellow New Yorker married into Kansas, Bob Lydecker, and even Susan is actually delighted to have another city couple to double date with - till she meets them and thus finds out Bobs local wife is actually Trish Arnold, who was in high-school with her, and tore up Mary's school presidential campaign posters, leading to a fight for which Susan was suspended, her most heroic youth-deed. Still her attempt to lay a guilt-trip on him doesn't stop Tom from accepting Bobs invitation to go to his company's VIP-box in the sports stadium, but when the incident between their wives, about which Mary confesses something at home, gets mentioned...
Fri, Nov 7, 2003
Tom learns he's not the only one wrestling with the must-status of countless traditions. Everyone pretends to like Sandy's ham balls family recipe, but even Susan would eat anything at home to get rid of the taste. As always it's worse for Chris- Mary isn't content to drag him to the annual Lithuanian folk-dance, because of her rivalry with Bonnie McClintock she's determined to erase the memory of his one step wrong last year by winning flat out. Tom worries he has nothing to talk about with dad Bill, so he's eager to fill in for Chris at Bill's office's softball team; it's a big hit- on Bill's ankle! So Tom stays home with Bill while everyone else sees Lewis have a ball as MC while Mary drives Chris crazy, but is satisfied when Bonnie slips over a dried fish. Back home Tom discovers Bill only pretended to be badly hurt so he could avoid the Lithuanian drag...
Fri, Nov 14, 2003
Susan assures Tom he shouldn't feel manipulated by her family just because every choice he makes seems to make them jump to conclusions, e.g. after he didn't eat a whole giant T-bone, mother Kelly makes chicken 'because Tom doesn't like steak'. When they decide to buy a new car, everyone has suggestions, but Susan tells Tom to make his own choice. Once they bring the car they both like home, everyone inspects it, except Lewis whose only question about any car is whether he fits in the trunk. However mother quickly jumps to an exceptionally serious conclusion: Tom bought a two-seater, so he doesn't want kids- the others and even Susan are inclined to believe her...
Fri, Nov 21, 2003
When Lewis picks up Toms mail and opens some, it's obvious even to him Tom still has his New York apartment, but agrees not to tell; however when Lewis takes off to it just before Thanksgiving, the family soon finds out and get him back. Tom invites him over for a 'vacation' on his couch, but gets anxiety attacks after Susans wining about him needing psychological backup and not wanting to live in Kansas made him cancel his lease. Lewis tries to cheer him up by visiting 'awesome' Kansas spots such as the Worlds Largest Barn, but it only makes Lewis happy as he finally gets to cross the county border. However the Kellys changing the traditional Thanksgiving to a celebration of New York's five boroughs does help Tom.
Fri, Nov 28, 2003
As each year, Mary makes Chris' official birthday presents list- and as Tom suspects, leaves out the best gifts for herself, so he ignores the list and gives a more original gift. At the party, Toms New York stories are a great success, but when he adds to the way he got his scar that Susan has a tattoo at the same spot, that proves to be one of Susan's best-kept secrets, especially shocking to her mother. The tempting idea of coming clean with the truth tricks several other Kellys into confessions the are soon made to regret...
Fri, Dec 12, 2003
Christmas at the Kellys' is a communal series of traditions, so half-Jewish Tom can forget about anything of his own, even watching 'A Carol Christmas' on TV at home. The family is devoted, with a budget doubled since last year, to finally making the local top ten of Christmas-decorated homes, and since mother Sandy is down on the first Chistmas after her ma's death, Mary takes charge in penal camp drill style of operation take over every single imaginable task, while Lewis concentrates on straying the stall figures in the wackiest places. When they're finally all off to mass, Tom sneaks on to 'Father Christmas's chair' to watch his movie, but finds this overloads the electricity, so even with Chris' expert help it's touchdown to repair it before the judges pass by; then he discovers Sandy's mother-daughter shopping tradition...