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Funeral for a Friend Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?


Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Jake tells ghost stories to scare Brian during their camp-out in the backyard.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is the twenty-second episode of ALF's third season. It originally aired on March 27, 1989.

Plot Summary[]

When Brian has a Badger Scouts camping trip coming up, he confides in ALF that he is afraid of the dark. To help him overcome his fear, they have a camp-out with Jake in the backyard.


Teaser[]

ALF is in the kitchen practicing various knots. Willie comes in and lets Brian know that it's almost time for their Scout meeting. Willie tells ALF that he used to be a Badger Scout as a kid too. Before they leave, Brian mentions the knots aren't very good. As Willie leaves with the keys, the tablecloth comes off because ALF tied the keys to it


Act One[]

ALF is talking to Kate about the baby getting daycare, and Lynn comes into ask Kate for advice about what college classes to register for. Willie and Brian come home and mention that Brian is going on his first overnight camping trip soon. ALF and Brian then do a checklist of supplies for the camping trip. Brian seems a little disinterested, so ALF asks him, and Brian tell him that he's scared of the dark and doesn't want to be teased. Jake overhears part of the conversation and ALF accidentally spills Brian's secret.


ALF then comes up with the idea of camping in the backyard and invites Jake to join them, He's not interested until ALF mentions they'll be under Lynn's window. Kate and Willie are preparing for some camping supplies. Lynn then comes in to say she's thinking of majoring in Art History, which Kate did, and Kate talks about how Willie's major in Social Sciences never accomplished much because population pie charts never made it into a museum.


That night, Brian and Jake are in the tent and ALF has brought some stuff in for the night. Jake inspects ALF's bag and finds videotapes, a blender, and other useless camping supplies showing that ALF doesn't understand the point of going camping. The cordless phone ALF brought rings and Jake answers. It's a pizza place and Jake tells them to cancel the order.


Act Two[]

Willie is in the living room listening and singing along to Beethoven's 9th Symphony on headphones. Lynn comes in to tell Willie she's planning to major in the social sciences. Willie tells her there's a lot of classwork and that it's a rewarding job, albeit a modest salary. Outside Jake is telling a ghost story "The Phantom of the Subway" in front of a campfire to Brian and ALF. The story is beginning to make ALF feel uneasy. When Jake starts talking about the ghost trying to hail a taxi, and grabs the driver into the subway Jake laughs manically and a frightened ALF runs into the house screaming "taxi taxi taxi" Jake finds him hiding under a sheet in the attic. Jake tells ALF to come down, but ALF then says he's worried about slugs. Jake then tells him about the stray cats that hang around at night, so ALF decides to come back down. Willie comes up to ask why ALF was nervous earlier. Jake and ALF discover that Brian has already fallen asleep in the tent, so they both go in and get ready to sleep. Jake zips ALF up in the sleeping bag, and tries to tell another ghost story about "The Headless Stockbroker" Jake falls asleep, and ALF then starts hearing all the stray cats yowling. He's upset because he's trapped in the sleeping bag and can't go out to eat them.


Epilogue[]

Willie apologizes to Kate about insulting her major and presents to her a book about art history "Evolution of art from primitive cave drawings to the wizard of Id" He mentions that whoever inherits ALF will go broke anyway supporting him . Kate comes in to reveal that she won't have time for any courses for her major until she's a junior because of all the required classes. ALF then comes to ask Willie to help untie him from his knots.

Title Reference[]

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is a song recorded by The Robert Cray Band.

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