Today's Tool Time project: sliding glass doors, ones that close on their own. However, thanks to an ill-advised adjustment by Tim, it slides too fast and nearly kills a guy off camera. Following the show, Bud "Hard- ass" Harper stops by to tell Tim that it just occurred to him they've never gone out socially. He invites the Taylors to go bowling with he and his wife that night. But when Al asks to come along with Ilene, Bud tells him to get lost. At home, we get the start of our B plot: Brad's annoying girlfriend Angela is trying to hook up her younger sister with Randy, who isn't too crazy about the idea. Well, you never know. She might be a babe. Tim tries to convince Jill to drop her plans for the night and go bowling with he and Bud. He goes on and on about a supposed "Tim Taylor empire", generating new shows like Tool Time. This does very little to convince her. However, Tim manages to nag her into going, so once they're at the lanes, he obsesses so much about trying to please his boss that he tries to tell Jill what she can and can't say. They meet Bud and his wife, Jean, and then it was time to pound some pins! By her third frame, Jill had bowled three strikes, while Bud was doing lousy, and his attitude more than reflected that. The man is sore loser as well as a control freak because he says he doesn't allow food on the lanes. The ass-kissing Tool Man backs him up by suggesting Jill was watching her weight, sending his furious mate off to order some popcorn. Bud goes to get himself a bag, leaving Tim and Jean to talk. She tells him just how sore of a loser Bud is: the last guy who out-bowled him was the VP of his textile plant, and Bud had him transferred to Pakistan.
Of course, she could've said that to put Tim on, but he didn't want to find out, so when Jill gets back, he insists she slow down her winning streak. So after Bud bowls his first strike, it's Jill's turn. Tim follows her to the lane, nagging her about her playing, and accidentally gets a bowling ball to the nads. I'd say he had that coming. Meanwhile, the kids have their double date. How did it go? Randy and Jessica hardly got to speak because Angela never shut the hell up. So, Tim and Jill come home, still bickering over the game. Tim is so worried he's going to be sent to Pakistan and he blames Jill for possibly jeopardizing his future. Ordinarily, I would wonder what these two ever saw in each other, but I think they're the perfect pair. Next day on Tool Time, they talk about being a resourceful Tool Man, including using French fry grease as a solvent to get paint off your hands, and to take tarnish off brass, Tim and Al recommend ketchup. According to Tim, it's the Vitamin C takes it right off, but Al says it's the vinegar. However, Tim wins the argument because it's his damn show. After that, Bud comes by again, and it turns out the VP sent to Pakistan was an embezzler. Bud wants a rematch, AND he wants to hear whatever foolish and misguided ideas Tim has for the company, on condition that he and Jill have a rematch. Will Jill agree to it? The two talk like adults, Jill feels Tim puts his career and his boss's needs before her own. However, they make amends and they do go bowling. Two separate games: Jill and Jean playing a peaceful game, and Tim and Bud playing a competitive one. In a poor attempt to appease Bud, Tim throws a gutter ball, prompting his boss to remind him of what happened to an employee who threw a game: he's now wearing a fez.
I'll put this bluntly: this episode sucked ass. Bud Harper continues to cement himself as one of the show's most unlikeable characters, and a boss that nobody in their right mind would ever want to have. He's very disrespectful to Al and he treats Tim like his puppet. Oh, and the B plot of this episode went nowhere. Hasn't motormouth Angela gotten old yet? How long did they think we'd find a fast-talking valley girl funny? The writing was terrible, I didn't laugh once at the jokes, it's just awful! The show bowled a real gutter-ball this time. I think the writer and director should be wearing a turban AND a fez. I say skip this one, and there's another episode where Tim bends over backwards to do what Bud wants called Chicago Hope. It sucked too. I don't know why they thought this character would work in this show's setting. What they should have done was introduce a new Binford boss who is very intolerant of Tim at first, trying to make him change his ways, but then softens up to him a bit. You know, a developed character? So anyway, Bud Bowl is a DUD Bowl. Do yourselves a favor and skip it.
Of course, she could've said that to put Tim on, but he didn't want to find out, so when Jill gets back, he insists she slow down her winning streak. So after Bud bowls his first strike, it's Jill's turn. Tim follows her to the lane, nagging her about her playing, and accidentally gets a bowling ball to the nads. I'd say he had that coming. Meanwhile, the kids have their double date. How did it go? Randy and Jessica hardly got to speak because Angela never shut the hell up. So, Tim and Jill come home, still bickering over the game. Tim is so worried he's going to be sent to Pakistan and he blames Jill for possibly jeopardizing his future. Ordinarily, I would wonder what these two ever saw in each other, but I think they're the perfect pair. Next day on Tool Time, they talk about being a resourceful Tool Man, including using French fry grease as a solvent to get paint off your hands, and to take tarnish off brass, Tim and Al recommend ketchup. According to Tim, it's the Vitamin C takes it right off, but Al says it's the vinegar. However, Tim wins the argument because it's his damn show. After that, Bud comes by again, and it turns out the VP sent to Pakistan was an embezzler. Bud wants a rematch, AND he wants to hear whatever foolish and misguided ideas Tim has for the company, on condition that he and Jill have a rematch. Will Jill agree to it? The two talk like adults, Jill feels Tim puts his career and his boss's needs before her own. However, they make amends and they do go bowling. Two separate games: Jill and Jean playing a peaceful game, and Tim and Bud playing a competitive one. In a poor attempt to appease Bud, Tim throws a gutter ball, prompting his boss to remind him of what happened to an employee who threw a game: he's now wearing a fez.
I'll put this bluntly: this episode sucked ass. Bud Harper continues to cement himself as one of the show's most unlikeable characters, and a boss that nobody in their right mind would ever want to have. He's very disrespectful to Al and he treats Tim like his puppet. Oh, and the B plot of this episode went nowhere. Hasn't motormouth Angela gotten old yet? How long did they think we'd find a fast-talking valley girl funny? The writing was terrible, I didn't laugh once at the jokes, it's just awful! The show bowled a real gutter-ball this time. I think the writer and director should be wearing a turban AND a fez. I say skip this one, and there's another episode where Tim bends over backwards to do what Bud wants called Chicago Hope. It sucked too. I don't know why they thought this character would work in this show's setting. What they should have done was introduce a new Binford boss who is very intolerant of Tim at first, trying to make him change his ways, but then softens up to him a bit. You know, a developed character? So anyway, Bud Bowl is a DUD Bowl. Do yourselves a favor and skip it.
