Todd invites his mom and younger sister Crystal onto the TodCast PodCast to reminisce about childhood, family game nights, and the many ways a loving family can quietly document your most embarrassing personal history.
What begins with tree houses, candy, square pizzas, and fond memories eventually becomes a detailed investigation into Todd’s procrastination, questionable study habits, science fair anxiety, and the time he apparently needed to avoid school because of a book report.
In this episode:
- Crystal remembers the family tree house, which turns out to have been a few boards, a rope, and a tree that was apparently considered structurally sufficient.
- Childhood trips to the laundromat involved sorting Tupperware, matching socks, collecting loose change, and buying candy and square pizzas.
- Todd and Crystal save their nickels and dimes to see Snow White at a midday theater showing.
- Todd explains how working at the library allowed him to avoid being the person responsible for telling his sister and her friends to keep quiet.
- A strategically placed bookshelf helped divide Todd’s shared bedroom and protect his Star Wars possessions from younger siblings.
- Crystal and Todd revisit the board games of their childhood, including Hoosker Doo, Stay Alive, Pushover, Flinch, Rook, and the elusive American Express game.
- Todd attempts to explain why Pushover, a game involving tiny people riding on other tiny people’s shoulders, remains one of the greatest and most confusing games ever created.
- Star Wars board games, Ewoks, Death Star dogfights, Dagobah, and the general appeal of owning anything with a lightsaber on the box make an appearance.
- Treasure Island becomes shorthand for Todd’s spectacular decision to avoid an assigned book report until pretending to be sick seemed like the most reasonable option.
- Science fair projects were manageable right up until Todd had to stand in front of people and talk about them for five minutes.
- Crystal reveals that Todd has always been the family’s unofficial technology support department and one of her choices for a hypothetical game show lifeline.
- Todd receives some genuine compliments from his family, although only after spending most of the episode being reminded of his academic crimes.
From childhood chores and questionable tree-house construction to board games, Star Wars toys, book reports, and science fair nightmares, this episode gives Todd’s family an opportunity to revisit the memories he might have preferred to leave safely in the past.
Fortunately, Crystal and Mom are also willing to confirm that Todd turned out pretty well.
Which is generous, considering the evidence presented.
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