Al Borland

Adventures in Fine Dining

May 30, 2017 by Grunt Work Leave a Comment

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On This Episode of Home Improvement…

After the boys get the Taylor family thrown out of a restaurant for unruly behavior, Jill wages a bet with Tim whether or not he can whip them into perfect gentlemen for one family meal. The bet? If Tim cannot reform the boy’s behavior for one single evening, that he would have to take her to the opera (AHHHH!).

On a very classy episode of Grunt Work…

Truman and Landen dwell on microwaves, pitch a Frasier/Home Improvement crossover movie, and Truman finally concedes to the brilliance of Taran Noah Smith’s performance. Can Tim tame his unruly boys? Will Tim be forced to go to the opera with Jill? Is Wilson God? Did Landen have a stroke while recording?

Wild Kingdom

May 23, 2017 by Grunt Work Leave a Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:40 — 37.6MB) | Embed

On This Episode of Home Improvement…

It’s a brisk autumn day, and Jill is cold. She sends Tim and the boys to the basement to check on the furnace. As they do, they hear a rustling that they think is a mouse. Tim uses this to joyfully torment Jill, but when Randy discovers a shed snakeskin, Tim stops laughing, and calls an exterminator.

Meanwhile, Mark’s Cub Scout troop has a meeting at the house, and a young member has trouble facing his fears. Tim inspires him to grunt in the face of fear. However, when the exterminator fails to find the snake, Tim must confront his own fears, and extract the snake on his own…

Sssaddle up for a very slithery episode of Grunt Work…

Truman and Landen confront their fears of dark basements, mouth spiders, and Boy Scout bullies. New evidence presents itself for the theory that Wilson is, in fact, God, and Landen drops a handful of Michigan snake facts!

Satellite On A Hot Tim’s Roof

May 16, 2017 by Grunt Work Leave a Comment

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On This Episode of Home Improvement…

With a new satellite in hand, Tim looks for help installing it, but finds that everyone is busy, and must go it alone. Meanwhile, Jill has invites over Rondall (Sam McMurray), her instructor from her job training class, to advise her on her resumé. Despite her pleas to the contrary, Tim becomes convinced that Randall is hitting on Jill, and rigs the pulley system, Tim hangs himself from the roof to keep an eye on the situation.

In a very confessional episode of Grunt Work…

Landen divulges how Pamela Anderson and Playboy Magazine lead to his teenage crush on Sandra Bullock, Truman lets us know where to find fan fiction, and they wax nostalgic about the pantheon of creeps that guest star Sam McMurray played in the 80s and 90s.

Off Sides

May 9, 2017 by Grunt Work 2 Comments

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On This Episode of Home Improvement…

It’s Big Game day, and all Tim wants to do is watch football with his boys. He forgot, however, that he was supposed to make dinner reservations with Jill. Left to Jill, she searches for a last-minute sitter, and finds one in Sir Larry Houdini, a birthday party magician.

At dinner, Tim conceals a portable radio in his jacket pocket so he can listen to the game at every chance he gets. Goaded on by another male patron, Jill quickly finds Tim out. Meanwhile, the boys have bound Sir Larry in chains and a straightjacket, and have locked him inside of a hope chest.

Instead of a huge fight, Jill acquiesces to Tim’s obsession and lets him listen with the kitchen staff. Later, they come home to find Sir Larry still in need of rescue.

On this episode of Grunt Work…

Truman and Landen explore Tim’s obsession with football, Jill’s desire to spend more time with her husband, and an over-confident magician. And we further ponder whether or not Wilson is, in fact, God – and if God (Wilson) were to transpose himself into a human body, would he be immortal?

Home Improvement, Season One, Episode Three.

Mow Better Blues

May 2, 2017 by Grunt Work Leave a Comment

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On This Episode of Home Improvement…

Tim and Mark, his youngest son, are in the garage adding MORE POWER! to his lawn mower. Momentarily left alone, Mark accidentally breaks one of his father’s tools, and in a fit of panic, hides it in the dryer.

Depressed, Mark confides in his older brothers, Brad and Randy, who can’t resist an opportunity to torment him, and spin a yarn that this happened once before with another brother, and that their parents were so upset that they traded him in for Mark. Terrified that he’ll also be traded in, Mark hides away in their “tree house”.

On this episode of Grunt Work…

Truman and Landen learn about respecting other people’s property, forgiveness, and sibling rivalry (torture?) They also get a little reference-heavy as they go head-to-head in a Jimmy Stewart-off, compare Patricia Richardson to Daniel Day Lewis, and find wardrobe connections to Jurassic Park.

Pilot

April 19, 2017 by Grunt Work Leave a Comment

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On This Episode of Home Improvement…

Tim installs in the dishwasher the Blastmaster Compressor, a high power water pressure system. And, in true Tool Man fashion, he botches the installation, and, to the chagrin of Jill, it explodes dishes and silverware across their home.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Grunt Work!

For the first episode of the podcast, we dive into the surprisingly solid Pilot of Home Improvement. (Why surprising? Listen to find out!)

We’re introduced to the entire Home Improvement cast, as well as the show-within-a-show ‘Tool Time’, and we discuss whether or not it’s public or cable access. While this is only the beginning, we’re already starting to ponder whether this show is meant to glorify manhood, or if it’s actually an irreverent look at the idiocy of man. Or both?!