Here it was: the series finale of Tool Time. The gang could hardly stomach all these changes, especially when Tim tells them he's moving to Indiana. But on the bright side, Al is getting married and Heidi is pregnant again. Then, jerk-ass VP Morgan comes in, saying that for an "explosive" finale, he wants Tim to start an electrical fire and burn down the set. But Tim has other ideas. The show starts with him giving a safety tip on how to avoid electrical fires: get a surge protector strip. That's not all: The K&B Boys return, instruments a-blazing to play them out, including Janine on the saw. Also including Sparky and Eddie, Felix Myman, and Mario Andretti! They put on the coolest tool concert of all time, singing about "Burning Down the House", but fortunately there will be no fires on this last Tool Time... except the one caused by Tim when he pointed his butane blowtorch on the wrong direction. Going out true to form. Meanwhile, the Taylor backyard was all decorated for Al and Trudy's wedding. However, it made the yard look rather small, so Tim and Wilson decide to take the fence down. Why didn't they ever think of doing that before? Wilson's guess was that they probably didn't want to reveal too much of each other.
As they work, Tim mentions that after the turn out for that final Tool Time, Binford was practically begging him to come back to work, offering him executive producer credit and a big salary increase. He turned them down in favor of moving to Indiana, but he hasn't told Jill yet. So, on to the wedding. The big day. The gang's all here. Harry and Deloris, along with Benny, Marty and Jeff, who were betting on whether or not Al would go through with this. As Jill sets up in the kitchen, who should come through that front door but Morgan Wandell. He lets the cat out of the bag about Tim turning down the huge promotion and tries to place blame on her. Jill kicks his slimy ass out of the house and reflects back on what a one-in-a-million fellow she'd married. And so, after Heidi finally shoots down Brad, it's time for the ceremony. Trudy made an absolutely beautiful bride. Officiating the wedding is, who else, Wilson. They share some heartfelt vows, Wilson pronounces them man and wife, and Al kisses the bride. Before the reception, the Taylors have a little meeting in the garage. It seems Jill has decided against going to Indiana, mainly because she didn't want to leave everything behind and start anew. See? Even now it's all about what SHE wants. After the reception, Tim and Jill clean up the yard, reminisce about their own wedding, so it looks like they may not be moving after all. But, if they ever did, Tim knows a way they could take the house with them: on the back of a big truck. And if that isn't fast enough, there's always a souped up tugboat.
Well, all good things must come to an end, I guess. As far as series finales goes, Home Improvement's was pretty good. Sure, it would've been nice to see Randy again, but I guess Jonathan Taylor Thomas felt this show was "beneath" him, since he became such a "successful" movie star with such big hits as I'll Be Home for Christmas. I also think they should've revealed Wilson's whole face in the episode, even though they do in the final curtain call, but that's usually missing from the syndicated runs. However, there was a special edition episode called Backstage Pass that aired after this one, which includes the curtain call. TV show series finales are often hit or miss, and shows like M*A*S*H and Home Improvement seemed to have hits, while other popular shows, like Seinfeld, had terrible finales. Seinfeld was such a great show and they bid farewell to their audience with a piece of crap finale like that? They go to jail for a non-existent law then parade guest stars from over the years into a courtroom scene? What an insult. Another show with a bad finale was Married with Children, that also ended on a wedding, but it was called off. Besides, that show was canceled behind the casts' back. But anyway, back to Home Improvement. If you were with them in the beginning, you might as well see how it all ended. This episode was a great finale to a great show. My favorite Season 8 episodes were "Thanks But No Thanks", "Dead Weight", "Ploys for Tots" and "The Long and Winding Road", and I despised "Adios", "Mark's Big Break", "Al's Fair Lady", "Not-So-Great Scott", "Home Alone", "Taylor Got Game", "Knee Deep" and "Neighbors" to name a few. So long, Home Improvement! You rocked the house...as well as wrecked it a few times.
As they work, Tim mentions that after the turn out for that final Tool Time, Binford was practically begging him to come back to work, offering him executive producer credit and a big salary increase. He turned them down in favor of moving to Indiana, but he hasn't told Jill yet. So, on to the wedding. The big day. The gang's all here. Harry and Deloris, along with Benny, Marty and Jeff, who were betting on whether or not Al would go through with this. As Jill sets up in the kitchen, who should come through that front door but Morgan Wandell. He lets the cat out of the bag about Tim turning down the huge promotion and tries to place blame on her. Jill kicks his slimy ass out of the house and reflects back on what a one-in-a-million fellow she'd married. And so, after Heidi finally shoots down Brad, it's time for the ceremony. Trudy made an absolutely beautiful bride. Officiating the wedding is, who else, Wilson. They share some heartfelt vows, Wilson pronounces them man and wife, and Al kisses the bride. Before the reception, the Taylors have a little meeting in the garage. It seems Jill has decided against going to Indiana, mainly because she didn't want to leave everything behind and start anew. See? Even now it's all about what SHE wants. After the reception, Tim and Jill clean up the yard, reminisce about their own wedding, so it looks like they may not be moving after all. But, if they ever did, Tim knows a way they could take the house with them: on the back of a big truck. And if that isn't fast enough, there's always a souped up tugboat.
Well, all good things must come to an end, I guess. As far as series finales goes, Home Improvement's was pretty good. Sure, it would've been nice to see Randy again, but I guess Jonathan Taylor Thomas felt this show was "beneath" him, since he became such a "successful" movie star with such big hits as I'll Be Home for Christmas. I also think they should've revealed Wilson's whole face in the episode, even though they do in the final curtain call, but that's usually missing from the syndicated runs. However, there was a special edition episode called Backstage Pass that aired after this one, which includes the curtain call. TV show series finales are often hit or miss, and shows like M*A*S*H and Home Improvement seemed to have hits, while other popular shows, like Seinfeld, had terrible finales. Seinfeld was such a great show and they bid farewell to their audience with a piece of crap finale like that? They go to jail for a non-existent law then parade guest stars from over the years into a courtroom scene? What an insult. Another show with a bad finale was Married with Children, that also ended on a wedding, but it was called off. Besides, that show was canceled behind the casts' back. But anyway, back to Home Improvement. If you were with them in the beginning, you might as well see how it all ended. This episode was a great finale to a great show. My favorite Season 8 episodes were "Thanks But No Thanks", "Dead Weight", "Ploys for Tots" and "The Long and Winding Road", and I despised "Adios", "Mark's Big Break", "Al's Fair Lady", "Not-So-Great Scott", "Home Alone", "Taylor Got Game", "Knee Deep" and "Neighbors" to name a few. So long, Home Improvement! You rocked the house...as well as wrecked it a few times.
