Dad's Car
| "Dad's Car" |
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"Dad's Car" is an episode of the American sitcom My Name Is Earl.
Synopsis
On Mother's Day, Earl decides that he and Randy should finally act on promises they'd made to their mother in a coupon book they'd given her for Mother's Day (after stealing it from Kenny James) some twenty years earlier. While doing things for Mom (including, among other things, participating in Hands Across America, taking a bath without being asked to, and watching family films together), Earl is reminded of an incident in which he lost a 1965 Mustang, which was Dad's, in a drag race, and claimed he'd driven it into a lake. His Mother uses her last coupon (Mother's Choice) to get Earl to do something nice for his Father, so Earl challenges his old competitor to a rematch. The race starts, and both are neck and neck, until they hit 30 mph. Both cars break down in mid-race, so they each call their brothers to push their cars. Randy does a better job of pushing the El Camino than Earl's rival's chain-smoking brother does of pushing the Mustang, and Earl wins the race. Earl then brings the car back to his parents' house, only to discover that Dad had intended to give the Mustang to Earl when he turned sixteen. His father writes Lost my own Mustang because I'm an idiot on Earl's list, and slams the door in his face.
Earl is conflicted over the fact that he'd really inflicted harm on himself, and refuses to simply forgive himself on the grounds that his life would have been a lot better if he'd had the Mustang. He then returns to Dad's garage to start fixing up the car by himself, but eventually discovers that Dad had had a supply of '65 Mustang replacement parts in the garage all along, and had planned for himself and his son to restore the car together. Earl and Carl then claim the opportunity to patch up their long-estranged relationship.
Quotes
- Randy: What about your mom, Catalina?
Catalina: My mom is dead.
Randy: Oh, I'm sorry.
Catalina: Don't be. It was either her or me. - Randy: Hey Earl, do snakes have fur?
Billy: They do when they're ferrets!
The List
| Item | Number | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Dad's Mustang | 108 | 1.18 | Completed when Earl won the car back in a drag race. |
| Lost my own Mustang cause I'm an idiot | 267 | 1.18 | Completed when Earl restores the Mustang with his Father. (Note: added by Earl's father when he revealed that the Mustang was going to be Earl's when he was 16.) |
| Never gave Mom a good Mother's Day | 266 | 1.18 | Completed when Earl and Randy use some coupons they gave her 20 years ago. |
| Ran over Crackers | 67 | 1.18 | Outstanding |
Songs
| # | Song Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Things Do For Love | 10cc |
| 2 | Radar Love | Golden Earring |
| 3 | Highway Star | Deep Purple |
| 4 | How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) | James Taylor |
| 5 | Mustang Sally | Wilson Pickett |
Trivia
- Earl was originally going to be named Carl after his father, but Carl's poor cursive writing resulted in the name Earl being on the birth certificate.
- The day Earl moved out of his parents' house (and the combination to his father's gun safe): 3, 14, 89.