Tread Perilously is a podcast in which hosts Erik Amaya and author Justin Robinson watch the “worst” episodes of popular TV shows, attempting to determine if they would continue to watch the series based on the most off-key moments.

This Week: Family Ties‘ “Suzanne Takes You Down”

Tread Perilously‘s WandaVision month enters Quality Time territory with an episode of Family Ties called “Suzanne Takes You Down.”

When Elyse’s friend, Suzanne, admits to feeling unfulfilled now that the kids have left for college, she hires the forlorn friend to do some clerical work. But almost immediately, Suzanne begins offering opinions about architectural features of an upcoming project. Soon, Elyse is doing double the work while convincing clients that much of her friend’s suggestions are not feasible or against building code. And just when she has had enough, Suzanne’s husband announces he wants a divorce. Will Elyse find the courage to fire Suzanne?

Erik and Justin immediately credit frequent guest Paul Pakler’s former podcast, Quality Time with Family Ties, for covering the episode first. Erik’s bias against Ethan Hawke makes an appearance. The initial premise of Family Ties gets examined as the episode has very little to do with the kids. Justin appraises the talents of Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter. Architecture remains the fakest TV job. Elyse and Steven’s history as hippies leads to a tangent — and the reason why Erik always connects the show with Airplane! The pair try to figure out if Jennifer ever gets a character, and the “mild chuckle” philosophy returns.

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