A Plot: When Barry wants money to purchase a pair of expensive Reebok Pump basketball sneakers, he gets an important lesson from Murray.
B Plot: Adam tricks Pops into secretly going see the PG-rated horror movie Poltergeist instead of The Great Mouse Detective, which Beverly disapproves of because she thinks its way too scary for Adam. She is proved right when Adam is too afraid to sleep at night.
- Anachronism Stew: Poltergeist and The Great Mouse Detective actually premiered four years apart (1982 and 1986, respectively). Could be justified in that the former may have been a re-release, as Adam mentions that it's playing at the dollar theater.
- Comically Missing the Point: Rather than realize that Adam tricked him into seeing an entirely different movie, Pops is upset that The Great Mouse Detective had false advertising.
- Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films: Adam tricks Pops into taking him to Poltergeist instead of The Great Mouse Detective. While Pops is confused by the lack of mice, Adam is so terrified by the movie he becomes scared of things like clown dolls.
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: Beverly loves cuddling her children, so after realizing that Adam's seeking more comfort from her than usual due to being scared, she decides to fake a haunting in Adam's room. She's found out when Adam finds a walkie-talkie in his toy chest and tracks the other one to her.
