"Designated Hitter" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of the NBC family sitcom Family Ties. It originally aired on October 24, 1985, and is the seventy-second episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
Jennifer has a boyfriend and feels a bit self-conscious. When the boyfriend is teased at school by a bully, Jennifer steps in to defend him. Alex asks Mallory to take and IQ test and is chagrined when she scores higher than him.
Plot[]
Jennifer is interested in Adam Galardner (played by Noah Hathaway) and she defends him from the school bully (played by Danny Nucci). Then Jennifer and Adam's relationship ends up on the rocks. Meanwhile, Alex is disturbed when Mallory scores higher than he did on an IQ test. Jennifer and Adam find some peace in the end.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Meredith Baxter as Elyse Keaton
- Michael Gross as Steven Keaton
- Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton
- Justine Bateman as Mallory Keaton
- Tina Yothers as Jennifer Keaton
Guest Starring[]
- Noah Hathaway as Adam Galardner
- Danny Nucci as Rick
- Simon Burgess as Student
- Andre Marcellous as Teacher
Co-Starring[]
Quotes[]
- Jennifer: “He’s the boy I’ve been looking for my whole life. Only shorter.”
- Alex: “Great height.”
- Mallory: "A person of, uh, your intelligence can still lead a normal life."
Trivia[]
- Parts of this episode are used as a flashback in "The American Family".
- Adam makes reference to Steve Garvey as the best first baseman in the major leagues.
- Twice, while in her educated phase, Mallory corrects Alex in questions of grammar.
- Inexplicably, Alex later refers to Mallory's IQ test results as unimpressive ("My Buddy").
Gallery[]
