What is the price of success?
What do you have to sacrifice to attain success?
More pointedly, what is success?
Many situation comedy episodes have addressed that topic through the years, some with good results, others not so good. But what if, sometimes, the results of outward "success" — material wealth, luxury cars, several business holdings, etc. — are tragic and at the cost of the things that really matter?
That's the case with Edward Frazier, an old Army buddy of Archie's, as he hopes to share with him and his friends his "Success Story" ... but it's one filled with woe.
As the episode opens, Mike and Gloria, with help from Edith, are stuffing and stamping envelopes to disseminate information about a local free medical clinic that provides free food and VD treatments for dropouts and runaways with nowhere else to turn. Archie returns home, already in a bad mood after being ticketed for jaywalking, and is predictably disgusted by the idea of the free clinic, getting into yet another argument with Mike over the ingratitude of the young generation and the virtues and vices of the welfare state.
Their argument is interrupted by a package delivery for Archie - a box of high quality Macanudo cigars, worth a dollar apiece. The deliveryman returns a moment later with another larger package containing a gift basket of bottles of liquor and luxury food. This time, there is a card identifying the sender: Archie's old Army buddy, Eddie Frazier, now a multi-millionaire car dealer in Los Angeles. Mike and Gloria's reaction to the name suggests they are sick of hearing Archie enthuse over how successful Eddie has become; Mike takes particular exception to the fact that Eddie has not used his considerable wealth for philanthropic causes.
This new argument is interrupted by a phone call for Archie - the operator asks if he will hold for a call from Eddie Frazier! Archie is so beside himself with excitement that he runs upstairs to "answer another call", as Edith puts it.note When he returns, Eddie is on the line, calling from a hotel in New York. He is in town for another day and would like to see Archie and his other Army buddies, Billy Prendergast and the Frouge "twins", Joe and Fred (who coincidentally have the same last name but are not related). A delighted Archie promises to call the other veterans; he quashes Mike and Gloria's plans to go to the movies the next day, insisting that they stay in to meet Eddie Frazier.
The reunion the next evening is a sober affair at first, but Eddie's arrival puts the spark back in Archie, Billy, Joe, and Fred. He is full of laughs and jokes (which Mike only just makes the effort to pretend he finds funny), and turns on the charm when he is introduced to Edith and Gloria, and seems even happier to meet Mike, claiming that Mike reminds him of his own son, Greg, though he responds to Mike's declaration that when he graduates from college, he plans to join Ralph Nader's campaign against business corruption, with a mild wish of good luck. Eddie delights Archie by saying he came to New York specially to see his Army buddies, and regales the guests with tales of golfing with Bob Hope and appearing on television with Johnny Carson. He then asks Archie if anyone has called the house asking for him, and when told no-one has called, he asks to use the phone; Archie assumes there is a big deal in the works, and happily agrees to Eddie's request.
As the other veterans look at photographs of their Army days, Archie orders Mike to fix Eddie a drink. As he takes the glass over, Mike overhears Eddie's conversation, and it's not business at all - he's calling his son, Greg, who lives in New York and is the person Eddie really came to town to see. It immediately becomes obvious that Eddie and Greg are on bad terms; they have not spoken for three years, and Greg is clearly uninterested in renewing their relationship. The conversation rapidly goes downhill, as Eddie is reduced to begging and trying to bribe his son with $500 for a five-minute meeting, and at one point breaks down crying. Archie and his Army buddies barely notice Eddie's pain, but when Mike goes to the kitchen to fetch more ice, he hears the end of the conversation as Greg loses patience with his father and hangs up. Eddie forces a smile and tells Mike that he was talking with his son, and that his son could have anything he wants from him; Mike, seeing through Eddie's brave façade, asks, "What does he want from you?", and Eddie initially stumbles with an explanation, but painfully admits that Greg wants him "to stay the hell away from him." Eddie rejoins the party and puts on the facade of being lively and jovial as the others serenade him with "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", but he sees Mike looking at him sorrowfully, and lowers his head in both grief and embarrassment, and then starts crying again, only just masking it for his buddies with laughter.
Later that evening, a drunk Archie tells Mike he hopes he remembers the reunion; clearly thinking better of shattering Archie's gilded image of Eddie, Mike solemnly says he'll never forget it. As Mike sits lost in thought, Archie begins singing "Bless 'em All (The Long and the Short and the Tall)".
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Greg is so adamant that he doesn't want to see Eddie that at one point in their conversation, Eddie yells, "Don't make me beg!" After lowering his voice so that his friends cannot hear him, he starts doing exactly that, offering Greg $500note if he will meet with him for five minutes.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After Greg hangs up on Eddie, the latter puts on a forced smile and tells Mike that his son can have anything he wants from him. Mike immediately asks, "What does he want from you?" Knowing that Mike has heard enough to know the answer anyway, Eddie admits that Greg wants him "to stay the hell away from him."
- Dark Secret: Eddie is successful at putting up his male bravado to conceal that he is deeply bitter and unhappy — he is estranged from his son and, it can be inferred, most of the rest of his family. Only Mike is in the know ... and it's purely by accident.
- Exact Eavesdropping: Mike — running an ice bucket errand for Archie — unwittingly hears parts of Eddie's telephone conversation with his son, where he's begging and pleading for a chance to reconcile. The son hangs up on him. Mike asks Eddie what his son wanted — and when Eddie realizes Mike had listened, he's forced to admit the difficult, painful truth: "He ... he wants me to stay the hell away from him."
- Hated by All: Eddie by his son, with whom he was trying to reconcile ... and, it can be implied, the rest of his family.
- How Much Did You Hear?: Surprisingly averted this time. Perhaps knowing that Archie would be incensed to learn something unflattering about one of his closest war buddies (because it would spoil his opinion of him), Mike never tells what he knows about Eddie. When Eddie realizes that Mike is on to his tragic secret ... he simply admits that his son told him goodbye ... forever, and don't call back.
- Lonely at the Top: Eddie may be a wealthy man, but without the reconciliation of his son, all his money won't bring him any happiness.
- Parents as People: It's implied Eddie was a downright negligent father, but nevertheless is torn up when his son tells him to stay away from him.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: We only hear Eddie's end of the phone call with his son, but by Eddie's responses, it can be implied that his son is giving him a severe dressing down.
- Rejected Apology: At one point, Eddie tries to beg his son for forgiveness and vows to do better. The son isn't willing to forgive for whatever (unstated) offense this was.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Mike's initial impression of Eddie, based on Archie's bragging him up. It may be unfounded ... or it might not be note after Mike accidentally overhears part of Eddie's phone conversation with his son. Mike's opinion of Eddie changes from resentment and outrage to one of pity.
- Selective Obliviousness: Eddie's call becomes increasingly intense that even Archie and the guys notice something is up. But, because of their heroic views of Eddie, they choose to ignore it, without even so much as a second thought, or a question as to what the call was about when he rejoins them.
- Ungrateful Bastard: During their conversation, Eddie rants on and tells his son that he did "a lot for him" in raising him.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: As the reason for the estrangement between father and son was unstated, one theory is that, during his son's childhood, Eddie was so busy with his work, becoming wealthy and (likely) partying and carousing around that he rarely, if ever, spent any quality time with his son, and (likely) delivered many empty promises that he would do so. Whatever the reason for the estrangement is, it's clear that some mistakes were made, on Eddie's part, and he clearly regrets making them.
