Last Man Standing season 7 episode 3 recap: Change

Last Man Standing season 7 episode 3 saw two changes. Ed and Mike’s business is at risk of being bought out, and Mandy and Kyle are trying to conceive.

Give Fox some credit. The network is adding new storylines to Last Man Standing. Last week we mourned the passing of Bud Baxter. This week we saw two changes happen. So what exactly happened? Let’s dive right in!

Ed Retires

The title of this Last Man Standing episode is appropriately “Giving Mike the Business.” The episode starts off with Joe (Jay Leno) informing everyone that Ted’s Tackle Shop has been sold to Arbo Industries. In various episodes, Ted’s Tackle Shop has been a direct competitor to Outdoor Man. Will it be next?

Unfortunately, many Ted’s Tackle Shop employees lost their jobs. Chuck Larabee (Jonathan Adams) tells everyone to calm down, Mike Baxter (Tim Allen) will renew everyone’s confidence. Mike tells everyone he knows the news; they shouldn’t worry. Privately though, he admits Outdoor Man very well could be in trouble.

While Mike has a vision for Outdoor Man, Ed Alzate (Hector Elizondo), who owns the majority of the company, dislikes change. At the moment, Ed is fishing in a place where there is no cell reception. When Ed eventually returns, he says he was not at his favorite fishing hole. Instead, he fished on a beautiful lake compliments of Arbo Industries. They made him an offer to buy Outdoor Man, and he is considering it!

Mike tells Ed the company needs some changes to sustain its future. Otherwise, Arbo Industries will be like Joey Chestnut and eat the company up. I admire the references and quotes in Last Man Standing. Whether those occur in Mike’s vlogs, Mikes’ comments in general, or in someplace else, the writers do a superb job finding the perfect references and quotes.

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After his initial attempts to convince Ed not to sell fail, Mike walks him down to the store floor. After pointing out various employees and stressing how these people need Outdoor Man for a living, how their families rely on Outdoor Man to keep food on the table, Ed comes to a decision. Outdoor Man will not be sold, but Ed will retire.

Shocked, Mike shares the news with his wife Vanessa (Nancy Travis). She notes that Mike jokes a lot. Last Man Standing is a sitcom after all! Perhaps instead of always joking about Ed’s baldness, his failed marriages, his age, etc.,

Mike should remind Ed how much Mike values him. If Mike affirms his appreciation of Ed, Ed may be less of a cranky old man. Although Mike doesn’t say anything, it is apparent he agrees.

The next day, he walks into Ed’s office only to find Ed packing up his stuff. On a videotape on a VCR, Mike plays the first commercial he and Ed did together advertising Outdoor Man. Thank goodness Mike commented about the age of the videotape and the VCR. While they share a laugh reminiscing, Ed looks at the future.

He is old, he wants to enjoy the rest of his life, and Mike has a sound vision for the future of the company. Never one to share his feelings, Mike is reluctant to accept. Ed calls him out. All of the Baxter girls are grownup, Bud is dead, and Ed is retiring. Mike is struggling with these changes. Yes, change isn’t easy, for both Ed and Mike. Before he departs, Ed shares this with Mike.

Will Hector Elizondo depart the show? Will he be on for a limited number of episodes? After all, neither Boyd nor Ryan made an appearance in this episode, and Eve (Kaitlyn Dever) will not be in every episode. While time will tell, Elizondo signed on as a series regular for this season.

As far as the future of Outdoor Man, Mike wants to implement his vision for the company, yet that will require hard work from everyone. If anyone doesn’t comply, there are former Ted’s Tackle Shop employees seeking jobs.

It would be neat to see a minor character cast as a former Ted’s Tackle Shop employee now working at Outdoor Man. With expansion and improvement, there will be opportunities for new employees. Kyle could even interview them!

Will there be another Baxter grandchild?

Although this was the secondary storyline, Kyle (Christoph Sanders) and Mandy (Molly McCook) dealt with a possible change to their lives. After Vanessa discovers t-shirts signaling Mandy is pregnant, Mandy states otherwise. Kyle is excited to be a dad! Which as I mentioned last week, those two are more open about their sex life than anyone desires, especially Eve.

Vanessa is delighted at the possibility of another grandchild, yet she learns Mandy isn’t too keen on becoming a mother. At least not yet. Mandy has worked hard building her company, Kyle is adjusting to his new job, they both are enjoying life, wouldn’t a pregnancy change all of that? The face Mandy gives to her mother in these photos show her hesitancy to become a mom.

Vanessa tells Mandy a baby will be a massive responsibility. Yes, it will change her life. It will be a good thing, but only when the time is right. Vanessa may have learned something about timing and pregnancies from Kristen’s teenage pregnancy. Vanessa also tells Mandy to tell Kyle the truth. Apparently, Mandy isn’t telling Kyle the truth about the best time for her to become pregnant. Telling the truth will immensely help Kyle because he confuses appendectomy with vasectomy!

Later, Kyle returns home from a doctor’s appointment. He learned he has a low sperm count. He apologizes to Mandy and she tells him the truth. When all is said and done, it may be awhile before Mandy becomes pregnant.

My final thoughts are I laughed more in this episode than last week. The word family was used several times in this episode. The Baxters are a family, the Outdoor Man employees are a family, and Last Man Standing is a family show.

Speaking of family, I asked this question before the start of this season, but where is Mike’s brother Jimmy (Mike Rowe)? Wouldn’t Mike want to talk to Jimmy about their dad dying, or the fact he is taking over Outdoor Man? Regardless, I prescribe Mike some quality time with his family because he has gone through some tough times recently.

Last Man Standing airs at 8/7c Fridays on Fox!