“The Red Door, Or How Beth Saved Dad” is the fifth episode of the 7th Season of the USAmerican television situation comedy Dad’s Casa. This is a Halloween episode. The plot centers on Dad getting into trouble and Beth saving him.
Plot
Friday night, Beth is reading a weird short story anthology. Dad comes in to say goodnight and asks her what she’s reading. She says a short story about an explorer who gets lost, comes across, a very much out of place, red door which he goes through and comes to much grief as a result. Saturday afternoon, Dad goes into the city, to Oldtown, to do some shopping, get ice cream and do sightseeing. After shopping but before getting ice cream, Dad gets lost because the ice cream parlor he favors has changed locations. Of a sudden, Dad notices a Red Door, a red so red it makes every other red thing seem like it isn’t red. Huh, thinks Dad and opens it. In an otherwise empty lot is a ice cream cart/newspaper stand and a man dressed in an old timey ice cream uniform. “Ah welcome, welcome” says the man as Dad walks up and reads the sign: Mister Marvel’s Marvelous Ice Cream and Newspaper Emporium. “Yeah, uh, I’m lost, could you tell me how to get to Longbard Street?” “Oh sure sure, but would you like a little ice cream? On the house of course.” “Well,” says Dad as he looks at the stack of newspapers that read: Mister Marvel’s Ice Cream Is The Best!, “I suppose.” As Dad starts eating the ice cream, a sourceless ethereal flute sounds and “Mister Marvel”, now dressed in clothing decades out of fashion, exclaims: “I’m free, I’m free. Oh frabjous day” does a little jump kick and runs out by the Red Door which disappears behind him. Dad is horrified to find himself wearing the old timey ice cream uniform. “If there ever was a time for cursing, this would be it.” Back at the casa, Beth drops her book as a wave of foreboding washes over her. Beth does a tarot reading and draws The Emperor, The Red Door, and The Fool. “Ah, Dad’s in trouble again”, she says under her breath. Beth checks the bag she’s prepared for these occasions; rope, salt, chalk, meteoritic rock, UV light, matches, mirror, UV/IR goggles, hourglass, ear plugs, food and water, et al. After finding out where Dad has gone, Beth asks Horatio to come along. “I was just gonna eat ice cream” “We’ll get ice cream after” “Ok” Beth and Horatio pin down where and when Dad went missing. “Now, we need to wander around without paying close attention to our surroundings” Beth says to Horatio. Not long after, they come across a Red Door. “Aha,” says Beth. They conduct tests with the compass, hourglass and goggles and then Horatio ties one end of the rope around his waist and Beth ties the other end around her waist. “Stay back Horatio” Beth says, and goes through the door. “Beth!,” exclaims Dad, “and Horatio?!” Beth turns and sees Horatio has also entered and the door has closed. “I wanted ice cream”. “Do not eat the ice cream Horatio.” Beth opens the door again, sighs and turns to Dad: “All right Dad, tell me everything.” “Since the ice cream is the lure and doesn’t reappear immediately and you have no appetite, you can try eating all the ice cream before it reappears and that’ll break the curse,” Beth reasons. It works. The cart/stand disappear and Dad is restored to his normal clothing but just as they reach the Red Door, the cart/stand reappear and Horatio runs back to get ice cream. Horatio looks happy for a moment and then glum when he realizes he has no appetite. Beth relates: “I knew this would happen and yet I did nothing. Let’s go home.”