- The gang goes on a pub crawl to celebrate Mike's birthday. Stephanie's book piques the interest of a film producer.
- Mike expects the gang to treat him to a super-cool "40th" birthday. Told to pick how, his choice of an old-fashioned pub crawl faces countless real or lame excuses. Bobby's credit card problems, alas, stem from a huge cloud over the whole Newman family fortune that soon materializes, brutally and painfully, to send the gang running to save what they can carry. Kenny accompanies Stephanie to a meeting with Hollywood producer Josh, who shows interest in the book 'You're a Great Guy But', but only Kenny spots his interest in acquiring just the title alone.—KGF Vissers
- As the episode title would imply, Mike (Jamie Kaler) wants a party thrown for his 35th birthday. And he has plenty of ideas for his own surprise party. Which obviously doesn't make it a surprise, but this is Mike, after all. Rejected ideas include: party buses, paintball, Six Flags, Whirly-Ball, Beer Pong, Go Karts, Dodgeball, and Pottery Class. All of those sound like fun unless you put the word "drunken" in front of each...like Mike did. Stephanie (Kellee Stewart) has good news: a Hollywood producer is interested in turning her book "You're a Great Guy, But..." into a movie, and she wants Kenny (Michael Bunin) to come with her to the lunch meeting. Everybody is excited, and Bobby (Kyle Howard) even offers to buy Stephanie her drink, only his credit card was rejected.
Stephanie and Kenny meet with meet with the producer, who tells Stephanie that the title of the book (emphasis on title) has that cute, quirky, urban sensibility and it's totally slammin'. (Dude, seriously, be more white.) He wants to make it into a franchise (You're a Great Girl, But..., You're a Great Mayor, But..., You're a Great Vampire, But...), and Kenny is tempted to call BS on it, especially given how Josh didn't even get the concept of the book itself. Of course Stephanie loved it, only because Josh's lips were surgically attached to her ass the entire time.
At the poker game, Mike has it boiled down to Six Flags, Whirly-Ball, Twin Anchors for dinner (awesome ribs, BTW), followed by a pub crawl through both Lincoln Park and Lakeview. (Trust me, nobody can get to every bar in Lincoln Park and Lakeview in a lifetime, much less one night.) P.J. (Jordana Spiro) and the gang agree to the pub crawl starting at 8 PM instead of Mike's suggestion of 11 PM. Brendan (Reid Scott) has to bail, however. A waitress from the club with a panther tattoo down the right side of her body wants him to take her to a concert. Stephanie is also having another meeting with Josh about her movie deal. Mike excuses Stephanie but not Brando. Granted, it's a tattoo over the ENTIRE right side of her body, but that isn't good enough. Brando wants to know why Mike's 35th birthday is so important. And Mike tells him it's actually the 5th anniversary of his 35th birthday. Mike is the old man of the group by 4.25 years, according to Kenny.
P.J. You can't play Whirly-Ball on your 40th birthday! You'll die!
Bobby found out why his credit card was rejected. His father invested all of their money with their uncle, Marvin Fischer. Which is Chicago-speak for Bernie Madoff. The entire Newman family fortune is gone.
The night of the party arrives, and Mike is ready for the 24-bar (4-bar) pub crawl. Even Brando shows up, since he'll meet the woman later on. Stephanie meets with Josh, who spent most of the night worrying about his current movie. Stephanie pitches Zoe Saldana for the lead, since she was in Guess Who (as was Kellee) and Avatar, but Josh was thinking Sandra Bullock.
JOSH: It's more of "you're a great guy, but...I'm too crazy to see it, until it's too late. And I get a job as a caterer, and I go and cater your wedding.
Stephanie tells him the book was about women getting out of toxic relationships and he says he's making a frothy romantic comedy, not a Hilary Swank film. Kenny was right: the guy was a tool bag and never read the book. The meeting ends soon after.
After two bars on the pub crawl, Brando bails and everybody else rushes to Bobby's apartment before they seize all of his possessions. Bobby looks around as Kenny and P.J. pack stuff. (Mike wants the painting of Bobby's grandfather for some reason.) Bobby can't wrap his head around the enormity of losing everything. Two cops arrive. Two rather attractive female cops. And Mike thinks this was all a setup for him. He starts acting all Mike to the cops, and he receives the business end of a taser gun.
The gang takes a taxi back to Crowley's to get Bobby more than a few drinks. And the surprise party finally happens. Mike is thrilled, and even Stephanie and Brando join them. Brando's date was sleeping with one of the members of the band and just wanted someone to take her to the concert. In other words, he got stood up. Stephanie is mad at Kenny for being right about Josh, but Kenny was genuinely sorry for what happened. Josh apparently went ballistic when Stephanie turned him down.
STEPHANIE: And then 'The Josh' called me "girlfriend."
KENNY: I wouldn't call you that, and you are my girlfriend.
Everybody toasts Mike on his birthday. And P.J. tells Bobby to look on the bright side: at least he isn't 40.
P.J.: It's good to have close friends to share life's surprises with. Because no matter how much you prepare for them or even ask for them, they still sneak up on you.
Mike cashes out his bar tab and gets his license back from the bartender, which indicates he was born in 1967. (He's actually 43.)
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