As we have seen previously in “Hello Tomorrow,” Joey’s sales career has been going great and has likewise helped him gain the confidence and exposure he never enjoyed, thanks to his father’s shady business scheme. What was once a shy youngster has suddenly blossomed into a bold and fearless man. Unfortunately, everything he has earned now, the confidence and the riches, are in peril, as the administrative official who goes by the name Lester Costopolus has issued a regulatory halt for Brightside Office.
According to the subpoena, any further commercial activity, whether it be the dissemination of flyers or discounts, may result in immediate arrest. Lester had earlier asked Shirley to submit pertinent documents like tax IDs, gross receipts, and lunar zoning within 16 hours, but the latter missed the deadline as there was no response from the office headquarter. The situation is blowing out of control, and now even Shirly is having some doubts about the headquarters and Jack Billings, his boss.
Spoilers Ahead
Failure To Comply
Myrtle visits Lester’s office and finds him under the pile of forms and documents. She learns that the latter has reviewed the complaint form, and unfortunately, there is no legal ground for the grievance. According to the contract, the departure flight from Earth would take up to six months since the flights are scheduled only quarterly. However, she is happy to know that Lester has filed a 97C4I “Failure to Comply.” against the office for the forms and receipts Brightside has neglected to file. Lester is an office guy who believes that appropriately filled and filed forms are the backbone of an orderly commercial society, and since Brigside has neglected every single aspect, this bestows Lester with the authority and power to cooperate with the courts to make arrests. Myrtle is happy and believes that this will culminate in everyone taking her seriously, and she’ll be off the planet in no time.
Posing As A Father
Joey has finally conjured up the courage to ask his crush, Phyllis, out for dinner. Joey has been planning to ask her out ever since he bought his pet fish at the store where she works, but now before he takes her out for dinner again, Phyllis’ dad must have a face-to-face with Joey’s parents. His mentor and boss offer to help, saying he has a son about Joey’s age and will most probably pass himself off as his father. Joey has even told Phyllis’ father, Phil Montez, that he is the regional manager, just like his father. Joey and Jack leave to meet the father-daughter duo in a fancy restaurant, but the situation spirals out of control as Phyllis’ father recognizes that the fancy suit is just an instrument to cover the cheap con. Fortunately, Joey saves the day, and the duo even manages to secure a sale. Meanwhile, Shirley visits Lester’s office and presents him with the paperwork from the lunar headquarters to show that she’s hard at work trying to get the information the company owes to justify the delay. Shirley is hoping to secure permission to get her salesmen to work because they can’t survive without it, as they are paid via commissions. Eddie is the most affected of the bunch, as he’s drowning in debt and has turned to gambling and to bet on baseball matches. Shirley even learns from Phyllis that Joey is Jack’s son and urges her to keep the secret as Joey is not fully up to speed on the “Dad” thing.
Breaking The Law
Myrtle notices Joey when he accepts Phyllis’ father’s request to get him a condo on the moon and immediately relays the message to Lester Costopolus, informing him that they’ve broken the law again. She has been trying all day to catch the salesman off guard, even donning makeup and huge glasses to mask her eyes, hoping to get anyone to sell her a condo on the moon. Myrtle is trying hard to get off the planet and is angry because of the delay since she has no place to call home after she has burned her house and left her husband. However, she’s yet to realise that there are no condos with an attached lunar garden on the moon, and the entire thing is a giant con.
The episode concludes with Joey thanking Jack for his help in impressing the nosy father of the love of his life. In any case, Jack is delighted that Joey referred to him as “father,” even if it was all an elaborate hoax. Jack is proud of his son and, in a way, questions his decision about leaving Marie. Joey also looks up to Jack and appreciates his help, whether it be in fixing his garage door, helping him secure sales, boosting his confidence, or tagging along with him to impress Phil Montez. But what will happen when he finds out that Jack is his biological father, the man who abandoned him and his mother 20 years ago.