January 13th, 2008
Aliens in America Episode Guide
Aliens in America Summary | Aliens in America Website
Season 1 [2007–2008]
Pilot (101)
Justin Tolchuck (Dan Byrd, “The Hills Have Eyes”) is a sensitive, lanky 16-year-old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, “Caroline in the City”), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Scott Patterson, “Gilmore Girls”) and his beautiful and popular younger sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”). Worried about Justin’s lack of friends, and thinking that an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son, Franny signs up for the school’s international exchange student program. However, when the Tolchuck’s exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, “Fair City”), a 16-year-old Muslim from a small village in Pakistan. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja quickly develop a bond that makes them both feel a little less “alien.”
Original Air Date: October 1, 2007
No Man Is an Island (102)
When Raja (Adhir Kalyan) explains in class how close he feels to Justin (Dan Byrd), the entire high school begins teasing them mercilessly about being a “couple.” Horrified that he is more of a target than ever before, Justin turns to Claire (Lindsey Shaw) for help, and she advises him to totally ignore Raja. This strategy backfires when Raja befriends the geekiest kid in school — an 11-year-old genius named “Small Paul” — and Justin finds himself completely alone. Meanwhile, when Claire tries to break up with Jeffrey (Guest Star Natahn Mitchell), Gary (Scott Patterson) decides he has to get involved.
Original Air Date: October 8, 2007
Rocket Club (103)
When Franny (Amy Pietz) insists that Raja (Adhir Kalyan) join Justin’s (Dan Byrd) after-school Rocket Club, Justin is forced to let Raja in on the secret that no such club exists; it was simply an excuse for Justin to get away from Franny’s constant supervision and have some time with his buddies. Horrified that Justin and his friends would lie, Raja decides to build a rocket anyway, but when he tries to purchase the necessary parts, he is taken into custody as a suspected terrorist. Meanwhile, Claire (Lindsey Shaw) discovers that cheerleader tryouts are more challenging than she expected.
Original Air Date: October 15, 2007
The Metamorphosis (104)
Justin (Dan Byrd), along with every guy in school, is furious with Raja (Adhir Kalyan) after he convinces the hottest girl in school that she should dress more modestly. However, Claire (Lindsey Shaw) is thrilled that Amy is no longer the leader of the A-List crowd and quickly takes her place. Meanwhile, when Justin tells Franny (Amy Pietz) it’s time for him to start choosing his own clothes, she turns her attention to updating Gary’s (Scott Patterson) wardrobe.
Original Air Date: October 22, 2007
Help Wanted (105)
Gary (Scott Patterson) is ashamed to tell the family he’s been fired from his job, so he tries to get everyone to cut costs. Not wanting to be a burden on the family, Raja (Adhir Kalyan) gets a job at a convenience store, much to Gary’s delight. Justin (Dan Byrd) and his pals Craig (Alex Pimm) and Dooley (Adam Rose) are thrilled when they go to visit Raja at work and discover that the convenience store parking lot is the cool kids’ hang-out. Everything is fine until Raja upsets the natural balance by refusing to sell liquor to kids with fake I.D. cards.
Original Air Date: October 29, 2007
Homecoming (106)
Justin (Dan Byrd) is looking forward to serving on the Homecoming Junior Float committee, where his idea for the previous year’s float was a big hit. However, when Raja (Adhir Kalyan) innocently questions Justin’s new idea for a float and the committee chooses Raja’s idea over Justin’s, a feud begins between the two friends. Meanwhile, Franny (Amy Pietz) secretly tries on Claire’s (Lindsey Shaw) new, sexy Homecoming dress, which Gary (Scott Patterson) finds irresistible. When he learns that the revealing dress belongs to Claire, however, he forbids her to wear it out of the house.
Original Air Date: November 5, 2007
Purple Heart (107)
Stressed out over midterms, Raja (Adhir Kalyan) horrifies the Tolchuck family when he casually begins smoking. When he explains that it is common practice in Pakistan for people of all ages to smoke, Gary (Scott Patterson) and Franny (Amy Pietz) tell him they both struggled to quit and smoking is forbidden in their home. However, without letting each other know, both Gary and Franny begin sneaking cigarettes with Raja in the garage. Meanwhile, Justin (Dan Byrd) witnesses Claire’s (Lindsey Shaw) heartbreak when her boyfriend Jeffrey (Guest Star Nathan Mitchell) breaks up with her. When Justin’s attempt to cheer Claire up is misunderstood by her friends, she is embarrassed and mocks Justin in front of their classmates. Angry and hurt, Justin decides to disown his sister, and Claire is surprised by how much she wants to win back his trust. Fred Savage (”The Wonder Years”) directed the episode.
Original Air Date: November 12, 2007
My Musky, Myself (108)
Claire (Lindsey Shaw) forces Justin (Dan Byrd) to become the school’s mascot — Musky, the Fish — but just the thought of performing makes Justin physically ill, so Raja (Adhir Kalyan) takes over the job and the crowd goes wild for his gravity-defying moves. When Raja’s enthusiasm leads to a confrontation with a spectator, Justin realizes he must face his fears and make Franny (Amy Pietz) proud. Meanwhile, when a still-unemployed Gary (Scott Patterson) realizes he is not needed at home, he accidentally stumbles into a relationship with a surrogate family who loves having him around.
Original Air Date: November 19, 2007
Junior Prank (109)
Justin (Dan Byrd) and Raja (Adhir Kalyan) are excited when they are asked to participate in the annual Junior Prank. The plan is to flood the teachers’ lounge, but Raja finds the idea too destructive and convinces Justin to sabotage the prank. When they accidentally flood the football field instead, they incur the wrath of the entire school. Meanwhile, Gary (Scott Patterson) tries to make up for losing his job by getting all the money possible out of his alpacas, and recruits Claire (Lindsey Shaw) to care for them. Finally, Franny (Amy Pietz) tries to earn more money by selling most of the family’s possessions on Craig’s List.
Original Air Date: November 26, 2007
Church (110)
As Christmas approaches, Raja (Adhir Kalyan) mentions that the Tolchuck’s trip to the local mega-store every Sunday seems to be their substitute for church. Franny (Amy Pietz) is horrified that Raja thinks the family is spiritually bankrupt and insists that they resume attending church, despite Gary’s (Scott Patterson) lack of enthusiasm. When Claire (Lindsey Shaw) requests birth control pills for Christmas, Franny insists that she join the church’s chastity group and take the role of Mary in the Christmas play. This plan backfires when Claire and the boy who plays Joseph are strongly attracted to one another. Meanwhile, when Justin (Dan Byrd) discovers that some of his prayers are being answered, he begins praying to have sex with a girl in his class. Unfortunately, his friend Dooley (Adam Rose) is praying for the same thing, causing a rift between the two boys.
Original Air Date: December 10, 2007
Mom’s Coma (111)
Justin (Dan Byrd) becomes the target of Trey (Guest Star Dylan Taylor), the biggest, scariest bully at school. Justin is surprised and relieved to find that he can play on Trey’s emotions by making up a story that Franny (Amy Pietz) is in a coma. Raja (Adhir Kalyan) chastises Justin for such a terrible lie, but when Trey threatens to beat him up, Raja joins in the deception. Meanwhile, Franny accidentally bumps a parked car and leaves a note. When she tells Gary (Scott Patterson) what happened he tries to retrieve the note, but accidentally crashes into the same car, causing real damage.
Original Air Date: March 2, 2008 | Recap
Hunting (112)
When the high school conducts career aptitude testing, Raja (Adhir Kalyan) is told he should become a doctor, but Justin (Dan Byrd) shows no aptitude for any particular career. Franny (Amy Pietz) and Gary (Scott Patterson) put so much pressure on Justin to choose a career path, that he escapes to the home of his buddy Dooley (Adam Rose), where he notices that Dooley’s father is a stay-at-home-dad. Justin’s announcement that he has found his calling and plans to stay home and nurture his future family convinces Gary that a “manly” hunting trip with the boys is in order. Unfortunately, Raja’s fascination with Gary’s crossbow results in an embarrassing accident. Meanwhile, the normally close mother/daughter relationship between Franny and Claire (Lindsey Shaw) turns combative and leads to a confrontation in a local nightclub.
Original Air Date: March 9, 2008
Community Theater (113)
Franny’s (Amy Pietz) community theater group puts on a production of “Rent,” and when she can’t get Justin (Dan Byrd) to audition for a part, she convinces him to at least join the stage crew so they can have some quality mother/son time. When Justin meets the cute, artsy leading actress Zoe (Guest Star Larisa Oleynik), he auditions for the male lead and lands the part, giving him an excuse to spend time with Zoe. The two become inseparable, but the friendship is damaged when Zoe discovers that Justin has let his buddies believe that he and Zoe are having sex. Meanwhile, Claire (Lindsey Shaw) joins the teen hotline at school, but finds that she isn’t able to help anyone. Feeling bad for her, Raja (Adhir Kalyan) calls in using a fake name and an American accent and begins telling Claire his troubles.
Original Air Date: March 16, 2008
One Hundred Thousand Miles (114)
The Tolchucks are set to fly to Vancouver for a family vacation, but when Raja (Adhir Kalyan) begins praying at the airport, the family is questioned and the trip is postponed. Feeling that the family resents him and has never understood him, Raja leaves the Tolchuck’s home and asks Mr. Matthews (Christopher B. Duncan) to place him with a new family. Guilt-ridden and frantic to find Raja, the Tolchucks turn to the local mosque, where Franny (Amy Pietz) and Claire (Lindsey Shaw) meet a Muslim mother (Guest Star Nimet Kanji) and teenage daughter (Guest Star Sunita Prasad) who are hosting a German exchange student (Guest Star Lars Anderson). Meanwhile, Gary (Scott Patterson) and Justin (Dan Byrd) set off in search of Raja and share a rare father/son bonding moment. Fred Savage (”The Wonder Years”) directed the episode.
Original Air Date: March 23, 2008
The Muslim Card (115)
Raja (Adhir Kalyan) befriends an annoying girl named Mindy (Guest Star Kala Savage, sister of Fred and Ben Savage), feeling that she is unfairly ostracized by the other students. After spending a day studying with her, Raja realizes how truly annoying Mindy can be and is horrified when Justin (Dan Byrd) tells him Mindy believes she and Raja are dating. Trying to let her down gently, Raja tells Mindy they cannot date because of their religious differences. The next day, Mindy shows up in a burka and tells Raja she has converted to Islam so they can be together, forcing Raja to tell her the truth. Meanwhile, Gary (Scott Patterson) and Franny (Amy Pietz) hit it off with the new neighbors Ted (Guest Star Jim McCauley) and Leslie (Guest Star April Amber Telek), but are shocked when Ted tells them he must notify all this neighbors that he is a registered sex offender.
Original Air Date: April 27, 2008 | Recap
Smutty Books (116)
When Justin’s (Dan Byrd) English class is assigned the book “Madame Bovary,” one of the PTA moms begins a campaign to ban “smutty books” from the school curriculum, leading both Justin and Franny (Amy Pietz) to actually read the books for the first time. Claire (Lindsey Shaw) tries to get out of reading “Pride and Prejudice” by claiming it should also be banned. Meanwhile, Justin is embarrassed when his parents discover that he has been secretly drawing naked women for years and turns to a bewildered Raja (Adhir Kalyan) for help.
Original Air Date: May 4, 2008
Wake at the Lake (117)
As an extracurricular activity, Raja (Adhir Kalyan) joins Students Against Drunk Driving and is given the job of organizing the annual event - a fake funeral for a student who was killed in a drunk-driving accident. Because the chosen victim has traditionally been the school’s most popular student, everyone expects Raja to select Dan Archer (Guest Star Jacob Blair), but Raja rebels and gives the dubious honor to Justin (Dan Byrd). When Dan Archer decides to hold his own funeral - the Wake at the Lake - Justin decides to go all out to attract mourners, and the competition escalates until Justin receives a sobering reminder of what the event is really about.
Original Air Date: May 11, 2008
Raja Sixteen (118)
Justin (Dan Byrd) notices that Raja (Adhir Kalyan) is obsessed with Sadika Sadaqatmal (Guest Star Sunita Prasad), one of the few Muslim girls in Medora. When Franny (Amy Pietz) hears about Raja’s interest in a girl, she immediately arranges for a date that requires the attendance of every member of the Tolchuck and Sadaqatmal families. Justin is stung when his parents comment that even Raja has begun dating while Justin has yet to find a girlfriend, so he asks out a neurotic girl named Donna (Guest Star Carol Hodge). Meanwhile, Claire (Lindsey Shaw) begins dating a German exchange student (Guest Star Larn Anderson) who lives with the Sadaqatmal family. Fred Savage (”The Wonder Years”) directed the episode.
[SERIES FINALE]
Original Air Date: May 18, 2008
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