The Meershatz Pipe - Recap

The staff of the Alan Brady show is busy trying to figure out how to end the show for this week. Sally wants to use something Alan already said to in the show. Rob suggests Alan sing a lullaby Rob wants to cut the jokes out of this week's show Buddy disagrees and Rob then demonstrates how easy it is to cut a joke from a script.

Rob takes the page and physically crosses out the joke. Rob and Buddy continue to argue over the jokes. Sally wonders if they should take a five minute break and Buddy wonders if Rob should take a five week break!

Sally asks Rob how he feels he tells her he's all right just tired he goes down to lie on the couch. Sally asks Buddy if he wants a cigarette he tells her he's going to smoke his pipe. Which he claims is a gift from Alan made in Vienna. The pipe is referred to as the Meershatz. Rob takes look at the pipe and describes it as a piece of furniture.

Sally wonders how Buddy got that particular pipe He tells Sally and Rob that he was at Alan to house last year for a party and Alan gave it as a gift to Buddy. Buddy decides to do a joke about an elephant Rob still wondering exactly why he didn't give a gift from Alan doesn't like the joke and tells them to go ahead and write the show on their own.

He heads home to Laura who is busy cooking dinner and Ritchie who always wonders if his father brought him anything on this particular night Rob didn't bring Ritchie anything. Ritchie asks if his father will tell him a story.

The story Ritchie wants read to him is Hansel and Gretel. There is a particularly funny part Ritchie likes in the story where the witch is burned in the oven. Rob tells his son that he's already heard that story at least three times. Rob picks a story from another book but doesn't get very far in the story in when it talks about a peace pipe. Rob automatically switches to the first story Ritchie requested looking for the funny part.

Rob gets mad because he can't stick to one story. When Rob slams the book down on the table Ritchie automatically thinks he doesn't like him anymore. Rob complains to Laura all day Buddy was talking about that gift from Alan. Rob wonders why he didn't receive a pipe.

Rob tells Laura that he's gonna go lie down for while because it's been long hard day. Laura wonders if he's feeling alright and tells him his eyes have a funny lock. Rob is glad that something about him is funny. Laura asks Rob to see if he can get out of bed with Laura blocking his way. Rob learns he can't get out of bed because Laura won't let him.

Soon Laura decides to call the doctor and let him decide if Rob is sick. While Laura is calling the doctor Rob tries to go to the office but Laura polls the back of the shirt to keep him from going. Rob is back in bed with a nasty cold calling Buddy to find out how the show is going. Rob learns that Buddy can't be disturbed.

Laura brings Rob some warm salt water to gargle with. Rob tries to prove to Laura that he's not sick by drinking what he thinks is chicken broth only to find out that what he just drank was warm salt water! Buddy calls Rob back and asks him when he's returning to work. Buddy also tells Rob that Alan liked the jokes they wrote and thought it was the funniest one all season!

Rob offers to go into the office and help punch the monologue for next week's show but Buddy tells Rob to stay home and get better and that they don't need him. This makes Rob wonder if he's about to be out of a job. Laura brings Rob something to eat chicken rice soup. Which Rob believes is the salt water he gargled with earlier. Rob tells Laura he believes he had a seven hour virus and now he is better but when he gargles with the chicken rice soup it proves that he's still sick.

The next morning Laura is still asleep in bed and Rob tries to sneak get out of the house without Laura knowing about it. Rob delicately takes out the clothes he's going to wear but makes one mistake. He takes out a shirt that is wrapped in plastic and fearing Laura is going to wake up and know what's going on.
Rob continues to dress while keeping a careful eye on his wife a few minutes later Rob feels a sneeze he coming on and quickly get back into bed and tries to suppress the sneeze so no one will hear it. Rob told his son if he is given a dollar bill he can't tell Laura where he is going. Ritchie asks if his father is unsecure about going to work sick

Laura kindly corrects the word Ritchie meant to say insecure. They've been in a small debate about whether television these educational. Rob is headed to the office with a cold. Buddy and Sally along with Mel wonder why Rob even bothered to show up for work.


Just as Rob departs the elevator Mel is busy convincing the writers that Alan will love the joke. Buddy & Sally tell Rob that next week's show is all ready done. Mel tells Rob that he needs to go home and get over his cold so he can come back and write more jokes. Mel doesn't want the whole staff getting the flu. Rob reluctantly gets back in the elevator and says he wants to be down and out.


That evening the jokes that Buddy and Sally wrote hit the air Rob is busy watching it in disgust because he feels that this might be his last time on the jobs. Laura is laughing at the joke and enjoying it that is until Rob tells her he's going to make an important call. The call is to Alan Brady saying that he will resign from the show because he figures two writers can write the show better than three. But before he makes the call Alan announces on the air that he has an important cold to make. He telephones Rob saying that there is an urgent message from the writers simply saying Dear Rob help!

Alan asks Rob if there's anything he'd like to say to the writers He tells the writers he hated the show because it was too good. The next day at the office Sally gives Rob a present the present is chicken soup made by Sally herself. Laura told Sally he liked to gargle with it. Buddy gives Rob he is priced pipe which he didn't get it from Alan Brady he got it at the local drugstore.

Buddy tells Rob and Sally that it aggravates Alan to even give Buddy his salary!


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