User Reviews

Whitewater is a unique episode because it features Tim, Jill, Wilson, Al, and Heidi, all 5 adults in the series, together at the same time, something the show basically never did. It had some great humor and showed that the show absolutely was NOT dead entering the eighth and final season.

It's Tim's birthday and, against his will, Jill brings him, Al, Wilson, Heidi, and herself on a whitewater rafting trip to celebrate. Randy leaves to visit Lauren and while Tim and Jill are gone, Brad and Mark try to figure out how to take out a stain on the couch before their parents return.

Overall, this episode wasn't one of the show's best, and wasn't one of the show's best season premieres, but the thing it did show was that it still had TONS of hilarious humor in it entering the final season and that the show wasn't going to fade out in it's final stages. There's plenty of funny lines in this episode that will make you laugh, especially at the end when Tim and co. are in danger of drowning while rafting. Basically an average level episode, but, like all fans of Home Improvement know, an average episode of Home Improvement is still absolutely extraordinary, remarkable, and hilarious!

It's Tim's birthday. Yep, the Tool Man is a year older, but not an hour wiser. To start off the occasion, a birthday edition of Fool Time, where Tim announces that he wants to do what he darn well pleases on his birthday for a change, instead of somebody else making plans for him...foreshadowing! He wants to go NASCAR and nothing and nobody is gonna stop him. Anyway, Tim and Al look at an array of manly cakes... the family friendly kind. Tim sneers at the fancy cake mixes and opts to make his own Devil's Food and then the jerkass sits down in what he thinks is his chair, but it's in fact Al's special surprise cake. Boy, was he surprised. At home, Tim gets another surprise. Shock of all shocks, Jill made plans for his birthday. They're going to Kernville, California for a few days of "roughing it." Not only that, but Al, Wilson and Heidi are coming along to liven things up. So they all arrive at the rafting spot, everybody is totally pumped for the experience, except for Tim, and even though I don't blame him for being miffed that his birthday wishes were not honored, he doesn't have to be a dick about it. But this is only the beginning. So they meet their whacked-out guide, Kyle, and he briefs them all on safety on the whitewater, while Tim plays Game Boy like a child. He should probably listen because whitewater rafting is a dangerous sport which can lead to injury or even death if not handled properly...so Tim should fit right in.

There's a B plot about Brad and Mark ruining the couch by spilling soda and wine, but who cares? Back in Kernville, it's time to hit the river! As they run, Jill trips, and I have to say this moment was terribly acted, even the audience laughs, which I don't think they were supposed to do! So because she's a clumsy ass and twisted her ankle in that contrived fall, Jill has to remain on land. I'd say this was a case of pure irony. She stays with Kyle's wife who's just as crazy as he is. On the river, it's a beautiful countryside and everybody is having a good time...except for Tim. However, he intends to rectify that by upgrading his vacation package, and sure enough, a deluxe RV drives out to meet him. He also lets Jill know how he feels about this whole birthday "surprise" and naturally, she isn't apologetic for ruining his plans again. So Tim sleeps in the RV while everybody else opts to camp outdoors. Al's snoring prevents the rest from sleeping. So after the sun rises, it's back to the rapids. As usual, Tim complains and they all start bickering and picking on one another, then it escalates with Tim taking advantage of Kyle's condition, making the idiot jump out of the freakin' raft! So now they have to fend for themselves against the merciless rapids. Even Tim has to lend a hand and finds...that he rather enjoyed it. So they get back to land, Tim admits this was the best birthday of his life, and it all worked out in spite of everything, and hopefully Kyle was fired and then committed.

Well...what can I say about this one? It's a nice episode to look at it. The cinematography and direction are outstanding, and the locations are beautiful. It's a very good episode from a visual standpoint, but as far as story and plot, it sucks the big one. Maybe this would have worked better as a Home Improvement movie, because it does have a lot of potential for being a larger story, but since they had to condense it into a 30 minute episode, it's really lacking. Character development is sloppy, and Kyle is just a one-note joke that isn't very funny, he's basically a live-action Dale Gribble from King of the Hill, except Dale is more interesting as a character. The acting is pretty bad too. It's as if these guys did this episode for the sole purpose of getting a paid vacation, because that's exactly what it looks like. Hope they had a good time, because we didn't. Anyway, this episode is worth seeing at least once, for the cinematography and location, but other than that, this one is nothing special. Just an excuse for a comped trip. With a decent script, it might have been worth it. Whitewater can hit the skids.