Drive
Things seem to be going much better for Craig now that he's moved in with Joey. He's even helping Joey out at his car dealership. As Joey and Craig grow closer, Joey begins putting more trust in Craig. He even let's Craig, who's only 14, drive one of his cars to the car wash. Craig is not used to an adult putting this much trust and faith in him. What's more, when Joey goes out of town for the weekend, he lets Craig stay home alone for the entire weekend without any adult supervision. He even gives Craig permission to invite a few buddies over. Craig is ecstatic and invites Sean, Spinner, and Marco to stay with him for the weekend. Joey's only rules: no parties, no girls, and no booze -- rules that Craig is adament on following. When the boys come over, the weekend seems promising at first. They sit around, pig out on junk food, make a prank call...but the fun starts to dwindle and Craig wonders if there's something more exciting they can do. When he tells them about his experience driving a car at the dealership, Sean and Spinner ask Craig if he has access to the dealership's keys, and they propose taking one of the cars out for a joy ride while Joey is gone. While Craig is initially hesitatant, he eventually agrees to do it.
The next morning the boys sneak into the dealership and take one of the cars off the lot for a drive. They are initially paranoid upon entering the dealership, especially when a ringing phone startles them. They remain cautious, as they slowly but carefully drive one of the cars out of the lot. While taking the car for a drive around the block they hear a radio station announce that they're hosting a contest at the park to give away free Kid Elric tickets...tickets that all 4 boys desperately want. Marco suggests that they walk to the park where the tickets are being given, but the others decide it would be much quicker to drive there. Once they arrive, they answer the contest question and win the tickets. They are elated, ecstatic, and start celebrating when they return the car to the dealership. But their celebration is put on pause when Joey shows up screaming at them. He tells them that a silent alarm when off when they entered the dealership that morning. He yells and tells Craig's friends to go home.
Later that evening, Joey disciplines Craig, for the first time. Craig's response: "You're not my dad" -- but Joey continues punshing Craig anyway, and grounds him for 3 weeks. He also takes the Kid Elric tickets out of Craig's pocket and rips them to pieces. Craig, outraged, complains: "What am I suppose to tell my friends?" Joey responds: "You should've thought about that before you stole the car".
In the sub-plot, Ashley tries to impress her new friend Ellie by agreeing to get her belly button peirced with her.
This was a good episode. Not overly dramatic, but there was a certain level of intensity in watching to see if Craig and his friends would get caught. This episode demonstrates a classic case of peer pressure. What a teenager will do when influenced by their friends. Craig went against his better judgement and stole a car from the dealership even though he knew it was wrong. What's interesting is that Craig wanted to follow Joey's rules. Initially he wanted to prove that he could be trusted, as evidenced by him telling his friends they can't have any booze, girls, or parties in the house while Joey is gone. However, once Craig's friends start encouraging him to take a risk, he gives in.
Craig and Joey's relationship hits a bit of a snag here, but in a way, it cemenets their father/son bond. Yes, Joey punishes Craig for his behavior, but is that not what any likeminded parent would do for their child in a similar situation? He clearly cares for Craig and wants to keep him out of trouble. Being a parent sometimes means being a disciplinary and asserting authority, which is what Joey had to do here. And Craig quickly realizes that even though Joey's is a better, more stable home, there are still expectations from Joey and rules he must follow. Watching Joey and Craig's relationship as Stepfather and stepson develop throughout the series is quite interesting. This is a new role for both of them, and there is still a lot of trust to be built between the two of them, and issues to work through.
Overall, some good development for these two characters and an enjoyable episode.
Grade: B
The next morning the boys sneak into the dealership and take one of the cars off the lot for a drive. They are initially paranoid upon entering the dealership, especially when a ringing phone startles them. They remain cautious, as they slowly but carefully drive one of the cars out of the lot. While taking the car for a drive around the block they hear a radio station announce that they're hosting a contest at the park to give away free Kid Elric tickets...tickets that all 4 boys desperately want. Marco suggests that they walk to the park where the tickets are being given, but the others decide it would be much quicker to drive there. Once they arrive, they answer the contest question and win the tickets. They are elated, ecstatic, and start celebrating when they return the car to the dealership. But their celebration is put on pause when Joey shows up screaming at them. He tells them that a silent alarm when off when they entered the dealership that morning. He yells and tells Craig's friends to go home.
Later that evening, Joey disciplines Craig, for the first time. Craig's response: "You're not my dad" -- but Joey continues punshing Craig anyway, and grounds him for 3 weeks. He also takes the Kid Elric tickets out of Craig's pocket and rips them to pieces. Craig, outraged, complains: "What am I suppose to tell my friends?" Joey responds: "You should've thought about that before you stole the car".
In the sub-plot, Ashley tries to impress her new friend Ellie by agreeing to get her belly button peirced with her.
This was a good episode. Not overly dramatic, but there was a certain level of intensity in watching to see if Craig and his friends would get caught. This episode demonstrates a classic case of peer pressure. What a teenager will do when influenced by their friends. Craig went against his better judgement and stole a car from the dealership even though he knew it was wrong. What's interesting is that Craig wanted to follow Joey's rules. Initially he wanted to prove that he could be trusted, as evidenced by him telling his friends they can't have any booze, girls, or parties in the house while Joey is gone. However, once Craig's friends start encouraging him to take a risk, he gives in.
Craig and Joey's relationship hits a bit of a snag here, but in a way, it cemenets their father/son bond. Yes, Joey punishes Craig for his behavior, but is that not what any likeminded parent would do for their child in a similar situation? He clearly cares for Craig and wants to keep him out of trouble. Being a parent sometimes means being a disciplinary and asserting authority, which is what Joey had to do here. And Craig quickly realizes that even though Joey's is a better, more stable home, there are still expectations from Joey and rules he must follow. Watching Joey and Craig's relationship as Stepfather and stepson develop throughout the series is quite interesting. This is a new role for both of them, and there is still a lot of trust to be built between the two of them, and issues to work through.
Overall, some good development for these two characters and an enjoyable episode.
Grade: B