Heavy Sledding

**Heavy Sledding** is the first episode of the second season of *F Is for Family* and the seventh episode, overall.

## Opening Scene

The episode opens to a flashback in 1958 when Sue and Frank just start dating. Frank is parked outside Sue's sorority house, and chats with a young boy while he waits for Sue. He gives the boy a dollar and tells him to treat his folks to dinner. Time moves forward to January 1974, a depressed Frank sits and impatiently waits in the station wagon while Sue tries to sell Plast-a-Ware at a Plast-a-Ware party. He is then harassed by a neighbourhood boy, whom Frank cusses out. A disappointed Sue comes out of the house and asks Frank to help bring out the products she didnt sell. While Frank goes to collect the boxes, Sue secretly smokes a cigarette. She is then harassed by the boy, who she tells to "get the fuck out of here" and tosses her cigarette at him.

## Plot

As the family stresses over not having enough money since Frank's unemployment, Sue decides to use a snow day as an excuse to spend some time together and have fun.

During their trip to the sledding hill Frank and Sue run into Vic, who has a new girlfriend, and Ginny who's life is now seemingly going great. Maureen meanwhile disobeys Frank and goes off to play with Ben and Ken, while Bill and Phillip are tormented by Jimmy.

Kevin meanwhile meets up with his friends, who tease him for being a virgin, which prompts him to go talk to Claire. Like in the past, she seems to return his feelings for her and invites Kevin over. As that is happening, Ben and Ken use a cinder block to break the ice, and Jimmy sends Bill tumbling down the hill, hitting Maureen in the face on his way, and tripping Kevin and causing him to fall into a newly formed hole. The contact with water sends him into a panic attack, which Frank attempts to sooth before seeing Maureen's bloody eye. He rushes over to her instead, dropping Kevin, who falls in again, this time going under entirely.

The family rushes to the hospital, with Frank demanding something be done about Maureen immediately, while ignoring Kevin's hypothermia. Frank’s angry rant to Beatrice causes him to pass out.

Afterwards, to try and make up for the lousy outing, Frank suggests they go out to dinner. The family is getting along and having a good time, until Frank realizes he can't afford to pay the bill. Sue slips him the money to avoid embarrassment, though begins to worry about their financial state again that night. As luck would have it, though, Bob Pogo calls wanting a meeting with Frank.

## Characters

### Major Characters

* Frank Murphy
* Sue Murphy
* Kevin Murphy
* Bill Murphy
* Maureen Murphy

### Minor Characters

* Lex
* Bolo
* Claire
* Jimmy Fitzsimmons
* Phillip Bonfiglio
* Bob Pogo
* Jeffree
* Colt Luger
* Roger Dunbarton
* Rosie Roosevelt
* Red
* Carl
* Brandy Dunbarton
* Chief Cornfeathers
* Vivian Saunders
* Carnac the Magnificent
* Otto Holtenwasser
* Jim Jeffords
* Vic Reynolds
* Cutie Pie
* Ginny Throater
* Greg Throater
* Ben
* Kenny
* Beatrice
* Babe Bonfiglio (Name Written Down)
* Goomer (Name Written Down)

## Trivia

* **Title Reference:** The term meaning rough and difficult conditions, which is currently what Frank and Sue are going through. The title also refers to Maureen undergoing a rough experience while sledding.
* With this episode taking place well after Christmas, the series from here on, takes place in 1974.
* Haley Reinhart is now billed in the opening sequence alongside Bill Burr, Laura Dern, Justin Long, Debi Derryberry, and Sam Rockwell.
* Frank's first name is revealed to be Francis, though the X for his middle name has yet to be known.
* Kevin is revealed to have aquaphobia.
* Vic has a steady girlfriend for the first time in the series.
* The Murphy's meal at Sam's Starving Boy adds up to $13.89, equivalent to about $72.24 in 2020 US dollars.
* Many of the menu items at Sam's Starving Boy are (appropriately, given the theme of the restaurant) given borderline racist names, such as the "Plantation Dog", "White Meat Supreme", and the "Uncle Tom Turkey Platter".
* Sue mentions that her father's name is Joe, and that she has another relative named Cindy who was the flower girl at her wedding.
	+ In Season 3, it's revealed that Sue's father's name is actually Stan, which may suggest that Joe is a nickname, or his middle name.
* This episode takes place in January 15th and 16th.
* Frank has a dream that they had another kid, which they do at the end of season 4.
* The Newspaper that Frank reads reveals that Roger Dunbarton didn't mention or at least thank Frank Murphy for ending the Union Strike, thus further infuriating him. In fact, it states that Roger only thanks one of his managers, Bob Pogrohovich.
	+ The Newspaper also discloses that, for several years, Dunbarton forbade his stewardesses from wearing underwear on the job.

### Continuity

* Frank sinks into depression after losing his job in "O Holy Moly Night".
* Bill gets mentally scarred, after walking in on Kevin masturbating. This is the third time in the series, he gets scarred. The first was in "The Trough", when he saw a bunch of guys with their dicks out in the bathroom, and the second time was in "Bill Murphy's Day Off", when he saw his parents having sex, complete with the image of his dad's nutsack, slapping against his mom's crotch.
* Kevin first learns about how he nearly drowned as a toddler.
* Bill seemingly no longer fears Jimmy Fitzsimmons, after standing up to him in "Bill Murphy's Day Off".
* Ginny got back together with her husband, Greg. Although, he's still repulsed by her.

### Errors

* In the scene where Frank picks up the newspaper and sees the article about Mohican's soaring profits, the newspaper is dated Thursday, January 16, 1974. In reality, January 16, 1974 was a Wednesday.
* When frank picks up the bill at the diner, it listed 3 hotdogs and 2 turkey platters and 2 clam dishes. When you view the food on the table, Bill, Kevin, and Sue all have what appears to be turkey. While Maureen has a single hot dog.