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Original Air Date: April 20, 2008
Brooklyn, 1986
Poor, CHRIS. It’s Earth Day, and a typically gung-ho MS. MORELLO is determined to have the students in her class all complete a project in which they will put forth their “best effort” to help save the planet.
GREG decides to tackle creating a solar-powered tanning bed — I agree with Chris’ observation that that’s what the beach is for — and Chris, stumped, settles on collecting cans and recycling them. He also hopes his father will help, thereby making the undertaking more enjoyable. But, unfortunately, all JULIUS wants to do is sleep.
DREW reveals he has to do something for Earth Day at school, as well, and he chooses building a car out of a block of wood and powering it with potatoes. Julius is just angry about the food his son is wasting since Drew picks the potatoes from his dinner plate to use.
ROCHELLE gets angry, too, when she and Julius receive a letter from TONYA‘s school accusing their daughter of being rude and belligerent to another student in class. Tonya told the girl she would slap the chatter out of her mouth if she didn’t stop talking while they were supposed to be studying.
When the teacher asks, Rochelle claims she doesn’t know where Tonya got that language from, and she disagrees with her family later when they inform her that Tonya not only got it from her, but sounds exactly like her when talking that way. The result is a $5 bet between the parents that Rochelle can’t stop yelling for an entire week.
Greg soon reveals that he’s changed his project to a dung-powered radar system, which he feels is necessary because he created an incandescent bulb with a 600-year burning life while working on his tanning bed, but he can’t let anyone know for fear the power companies in America would unite to kill him immediately for taking away their business overnight (!). Chris is having problems, as well, namely that local homeless people know cans can be exchanged for money, and Chris isn’t fast enough to beat them to the goods without his father’s help.
At home, Rochelle quickly realizes that if she doesn’t yell, nothing will get done around the house. She eventually puts an end to the no-yelling bet herself when she discovers that Julius still hasn’t helped Chris with his project, although it’s almost due. After explaining to Tonya that you can only scream at people when you love them and you have seniority, Rochelle sets out to get her household back together again.
The first order of business is Julius, who shows up at Chris’ school at last to help his son collect a truckful of cans. After they recycle them and Chris only earns $6, Julius then suggests that he give the proceeds KILL MOVES, who, despite Ms. Morello’s confidence that the recycling money will help everyone in some way, promptly spends it on thirteen Styrofoam ice containers, four cans of aerosol spray paint, one pack of cigarettes, and a gallon of whisky, all bagged in plastic rather than paper.
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