Episode: 61
Season: 3
Production Number: 3AEJ14
Airdate: 2003-01-20
Dominic has Logan in a headlock, so to teach him a lesson, Jimmy gets Dom in a headlock. Christine doesn't approve of Jimmy's lesson, so she puts him in a headlock! The Warners come in a break it up. They're moving some boxes into the garage.
Greg and Kim are moving boxes into the garage. Greg isn't able to find a place for the boxes so Kim decides to give much of it away. Greg doesn't like that idea, but Kim offers to take his stuff to a thrift store so long as Greg takes over watching the kids. Greg agrees to take his own stuff.
Greg walks into the thrift store with his stuff. The clerk is disinterested and hands him a tax slip Greg can fill out himself. The clerk says Greg's stuff is practically worthless a Greg gets upset and takes his stuff back.
Back at home Kim is holding baby Emily. Greg comes in and tells her he gave the stuff to the thrift shop. Jimmy walks in and is mad Christine is making him give his stuff away too.
Greg takes Jimmy to his new storage facility where he is keeping his old stuff. The unit is filled with Greg's old tapes, posters, and mementos. They can't wait to get the air hockey table hooked up.
Greg comes into the house and whispers to Jimmy how he was at the storage unit playing Defender on his Atari 2600. Kim comes in and he agrees to mail out Emily's thank you notes. Of course, he uses that excuse to go to the storage unit.
Jimmy opens the storage unit door and finds Greg asleep on his plastic couch. The meet the storage neighbors who are also keeping their stuff. Randy, the first neighbor keeps tons of records with love songs. Howard, the other neighbor is a Star Wars nut who has been storing his stuff for years.
Back at home, Kim wonders where Greg is. She starts to wonder if he's cheating on her. The wives find an address in his clothes. Greg calls and says he will be late, so Kim decides to go to the address.
Kim opens the storage unit and finds Greg and Howard (in his Wookie costume) playing air hockey. Greg explains that he just couldn't give it away. But she still thinks he's cheating because he's gone off to have fun with his old stuff. But Kim allows him to keep it in their garage. Howard and Randy overhear.
In the tag, Greg imagines the fun he had with Howard at the storage unit. They share cookies, play checkers, comb each others hair, do the hand string trick, play guitar, and ride scooters around.
This is one of my more favorite episodes. I dunno, maybe it's because I'm also a pack rat. Or maybe it's because I love Star Wars and Atari too.
I think everyone has this syndrome I call "Pack-rat-itis." It's hard to get rid of sentimental things, especially from your childhood. In the episode they make the two storage neighbors look like total nerds for keeping their collections. Or maybe it's just because their wives demand they get rid of it. Perhaps there's some "you need to grow up" coming from the wives that the men are rebelling against?
Frankly, what's wrong with keeping it all? Why are people made to feel bad when they want to keep their mementos? Why are people who collect Star Wars, video games, and old records made to look sad, silly nerds? Because that's how our society works. Adults are looked down upon because they want to keep their youth by keeping their toys. I don't find anything wrong with it, so long as it doesn't become an obession. Much like the two guys on the either side of Greg.
Not to go all Bible on you, but I couldn't help but think of I Corinthians 13 verse 11 that reads "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (King James Version.) Of course, further investigation of this verse reveals that it has nothing to do with putting away your toys. So, I guess it's okay to keep them after all!
How many of you have felt the need to hide your childhood collections from your spouse? Do you pull out that Atari every so often and play it? What looks do you get? Maybe they're the ones that need help because they're so eager to grow up. Because we all know what happens after you grow up... Before long, you're looking up at 6 feet of dirt.
Dominic has Logan in a headlock, so to teach him a lesson, Jimmy gets Dom in a headlock. Christine doesn't approve of Jimmy's lesson, so she puts him in a headlock! The Warners come in a break it up. They're moving some boxes into the garage.
Greg comes into the house and whispers to Jimmy how he was at the storage unit playing Defender on his Atari 2600. Kim comes in and he agrees to mail out Emily's thank you notes. Of course, he uses that excuse to go to the storage unit.
Kim opens the storage unit and finds Greg and Howard (in his Wookie costume) playing air hockey. Greg explains that he just couldn't give it away. But she still thinks he's cheating because he's gone off to have fun with his old stuff. But Kim allows him to keep it in their garage. Howard and Randy overhear.