#218 UNDERCOVER GRANNY  (Original air date:   03/26/98)
 

Written by:	Arnold Margolin
Directed by:	Tim Van Patten
Produced by:	Martha Williamson, Jon Andersen, E.F. Wallengren & R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:

Karen Hatcher	Gwen Verdon
Walter Hatcher	Jack Laufer
Ida Gilger	Nancy Linehan Charles
Pablo	Sal Lopez
Sam Perryman	Barney Martin

 

When Dinah decides to visit a friend (Karen Hatcher) who she met on the internet, she discovers that her e-mail pal is actually an eighty- something resident at a retirement home. Josh and Dinah witness Karen being mistreated by her son (Walter) and are disturbed by another resident's cry for help. Hattie and the kids approach the police about intervening, but the police are unable to intervene unless there is clear evidence of abuse. Hattie admits herself to the retirement home to do some sleuthing, realizing that someday she may be in the same position as Karen, at the mercy of others. Hattie's sleuthing gets her in trouble with management and she winds up in the hospital, suffering from an allergic reaction to medication she didn't consent to receive. The Greenes return to the retirement home to retrieve Hattie's belongings and find Walter, beside himself with worry over his mother's disappearance. They discover that Walter is a caring son, cracking under the strain of caring for an elderly parent. The police locate Karen and Walter is relieved. Meanwhile, Russell and Claire fill in as short order cook and waitress (respectively) at a diner. The busboy, Pablo, a Guatemalan refugee and talented chef, feels slighted at being passed over for more responsibility. Pablo convinces the Greenes to help management see him in a different light and trust him with greater responsibility.