Who's Afraid of the Big Black Book? is the fifth episode of the ninth season in this television sitcom on Family Matters, which was aired from CBS on October 17, 1997. It was directed by Joel Zwick and written both by Stephen Langford and Laura M. Stein.
Plot[]
When Eddie takes his pranks on Laura too far by inviting her ex-boyfriend over to the house, whenever Stefan was around, she decides to fight fire with fire by conning Steve into helping her get even with her dim-witted brother by using his black book which contains phone numbers of Eddie's previous girlfriends and invites them over on his birthday. When he and Greta arrived on his birthday party to see his ex-girlfriends, they are incensed by the whole thing. Finally, Steve sets both Eddie and Laura straight (in tears) on how fortunate they were to have each other. He admitted he was always jealous of them because his parents never loved him and that the Winslows were like his own family. Both siblings apologized soon after. Meanwhile, Commissioner Geiss learns a lesson that sometimes it's better if the more experienced cop like Carl is promoted to captain over an inexperienced cop like his son.
Synopsis[]
Eddie and Laura play a series of "get even" tricks on each other. Eddie invites Laura's ex, Rick, over on a night she wants to spend with Stefan but the suave Urkel easily gets rid of his tormentor.
Meanwhile, Carl is upset that Commissioner Geiss passed him over for a promotion to captain, choosing his son, Cliff, instead (despite the fact Carl is more qualified). Carl proves to the commissioner his worth when he is able to diffuse a potentially deadly gang fight.
An angry Laura decides to get even by tricking Urkel into inviting Eddie's ex-girlfriends to a surprise birthday party. Infuriated, Urkel and Greta sets them straight by making Eddie and Laura realize that their immature tricks are just that. Steve admonishes the two for being selfish and points out (while breaking down in tears) how his own family never loved him at all. Seeing the pained look on Urkel's face, Eddie and Laura apologizes for their behavior.
In Commissioner Geiss' office, Cliff admonishes his father and makes him see how wrong he was in passing Carl over for him. He mentions that Carl's insight and experience makes him more qualified for the job as captain. Cliff also admits he was much happier working in the precinct's evidence storage locker and did his job very well. He could never be the kind of cop that his father and even Carl is. This convinces Geiss to listen to his son and allows Carl to gain the position.
During the end credits, Greta confronts Eddie for keeping a black book containing his ex-girlfriends' names and phone numbers on it and brings a blender filled with water to the kitchen table. She gives him a choice: surrender his black book so they can shred it in pieces or keep it which will likely end their relationship and take his chances with one of them whom will leave him dealing with Myrtle alone. Eddie reluctantly but wisely chose Greta and surrendered his black book to the blender. As soon as she Leaves Steve raced downstairs Thinking that Eddie was making a Smoothie that Greta made an Honorable man out of Him that he is proud of him but Feeling so relieved that he got all of his Ex-girlfriends on his Computer and Steve reminded he that he Crashed it and Eddie Glared at Steve in Shock.
Cast and Characters[]
Main[]
- Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow
- Jo Marie Payton-Noble as Harriette Winslow (non-appearance)
- Darius McCrary as Eddie Winslow
- Kellie Shanygne Williams as Laura Winslow
- Jaleel White as Steve Urkel
Guest[]
Recurring[]
- Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson
- Tammy Townsend as Greta McClure
- Mari Marrow as Oneisha
- Dick O'Neill as Commissioner Geiss
- Elise Neil as Heather (uncredited)
- Valerie Mae Miller as Helen (uncredited)
- Rachel True as Sue (uncredited)
Cameo[]
- Shana Mangatal as Brandy (credited as Shana Montgomery)
- Ishtar as Tiffany
- Rugg Williams as Rick
- Marlon Young as Willie Tannen (credited as Marlon "Chopper" Young)
- Joel Higgins as Cliff Geiss
Trivia[]
- Rugg Williams earlier played Laura's study date named Mark in The Urkel Who Came to Dinner.
- The ex-girlfriends who appeared at the party who were named are Oneisha, Heather, Helen, Brandy, Sue and Tiffany. The others went unnamed.
- This is one of the few times Jaleel White actually sings in his Steve Urkel/Princess Sonia voice.
- This episode retconned Eddie and Oneisha's relationship. In Higher Anxiety, she was the first girlfriend who two-timed Eddie by cheating on him with Joey Newman and showed no remorse for it. This continued in her first return appearance in Le Jour d'amour when she flirted with Eddie while he was dating Greta.
- This is the 2nd episode prank war between Eddie and Laura. The first one is back in Cousin Urkel. Unlike in this episode, they put Urkel and Myrtle in the middle of their dispute which ended with Carl and Harriette reprimanding the two and grounding them.
- Geiss learns a hard lesson in passing over a more senior officer for his own son who was unqualified for the job.