Loading...
Made in Canada is a Canadian television situation comedy which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2003. Rick Mercer co-created the program and starred as mercenary TV producer Richard Strong. In the United States, France, Australia and Latin America, the show was syndicated as The Industry. It was produced using a single camera setup.
1999
Richard is miserable as the new production head for Prodigy's Captain Magee show after being fired from Pyramid for having sex with Siobahan on the boardroom desk. Alan is at a health spa having recently undergone minor surgery and now he's announced to the executives at Pyramid he's selling the company to Dennis Weston of Prodigy. Alan plans to retire and return to what he calls his first love, producing films, but Veronica is able to talk him out of it. Her and Richard are able to get the merger to reversed and Alan ends up buying Prodigy instead of the other way around. She then gives Richard his old job back.
Pyramid Prodigy is having growing pains, Alan rents the bar down the street to hold a private party for the staff that he has just given the day off. They run a video tape of Alan who proceeds to basically fire the whole company. What they don't realise is they have also fired someone who happens to be Keifer Sutherland's brother in law. Some fancy footwork, and quick words on the part of Richard gets him back into the company, but at a press conference announcing the new Keifer project, Sutherland announces Pyramid Prodigy does not have the skills needed to produce such a series. As his videotaped speech plays, Keifer's brother in law sneaks away leaving his resignation with Veronica. The press mobs Alan and the gang before they can make it to the doors.
Michael Rushton, star of Damacles wants to direct, the staff doesn't want him to. Unfortunately they have no choice as its in his contract. At the same time Siobahan wants to spread her wings and try something other than Beaver Creek and so Alan gives her a role on Damacles. Victor's nephew Ted, on a rehab release comes with him to spend a few days at the office, and instantly hits it off with everyone including Alan. Within hours he has pitched a whole New Media division to Alan and begins working on a Sword of Damacles video game. Alan orders Richard to babysit Damacles while he attempts to direct the show in an effort to keep it somewhat on budget, and on time.
Beaver Creek receives an award from a right wing advocacy group for its family positive message. Of course, the whole thing blows up in their face when the Pastor and Blacksmith announce they are marching in the Gay Pride parade in character. Alan assigns the task of fixing the Beaver Creek problem to Victor. He of course makes the problem even worse after faxing an inflamatory memo to the Pastor demanding he not march in the parade. The Gay community is outraged and they announce they will be protesting in front of the Pyramid building. Meanwhile, Richard convinces Alan to option an unpublished book by an author without actually reading the book first. The entire thing blows up in their faces when the book turns out to be terrible, and totally unproducable. Victor and Richard beg Veronica to help them, and she does in exchange for a series of future favours. In the end she gets out of the book deal, and appeases the gay community by volunteering Victor as Grand Marshall of the
Captain McGee, star of the company’s acquired children’s show is found out to be a wife swapper with his girlfriend while a German executive is given the cold shoulder as Pyramid employees try to sell him Beaver Creek as being “young and hip”.
An old business associate of Alan (Murray) returns after joining a cult known as Spirentology claiming he created ""The Sword of Damacles"". The cult demands Alan pay them for using the show. Alan sends Victor to join the cult in order to beg Murray to drop the whole thing. The plan backfires however when Victor becomes ""transparent"" and joins the cult himself. The cult leader blackmails Alan for $50,000 in exchange for releasing their new cult member Victor. Meanwhile Alan is obsessing over his age when he discovers a gray hair... down there. Throughout all of it a mysterious company is trying to recruit Veronica and Richard without the other's knowledge. All the while they are trying to destroy eachothers reputation. We soon discover the recruiter works for Alan as a loyalty test. He reports that Veronica and Richard are the least loyal to Pyramid, and that Victor is the most loyal. But moments later we see Victor with Murray and the cult leader celebrating their scam against
Beaver Creek during sweeps week is 'lucky' enough to land aging fading star Dian Del Largo. The actress writes a new deffintion for high maintence after she fires the director, and demands Lisa play the part of Director. After a mixup with a delivery boy Dian fires Lisa and appoints Victor the new director. Her antics delay production and then has an anxiety attack on set that sets them back even farther. Richard finally calls in the Diva master (Gino Empry) to save the day and get the show back on schedule.
Alan is thrilled with a new management book he has found and is becoming obsessed with the idea of connecting nine dots with four straight lines (without any of the lines crossing) He instructs Richard to find a way to make Beaver Creek more interesting to the Americans. They decide to add an Asian to be a David Carradine character. The changes prove to be disastrous but end up being a setup by Alan. (Another management technique) Meanwhile, he is leaving Veronica completely outside of the loop leading her to believe she is being fired. She becomes so dispondant she gets drunk with Victor and later sleeps with him. Alan calls her into his office the next day only to throw her a surprise birthday party. Veronica, now even more furious announces that not only was her birthday six months ago... but that she was so upset she slept with Victor.
Alan decides Beaver Creek sucks after watching one of the episodes against the advice of everyone and fires the entire staff. He puts Victor in charge of directing, Veronica in charge of the budget, and Richard in charge of making sure the program is watchable, and he runs off to play golf, badly.
Alan's in a bad mood, so he cancels Christmas. The staff rebels against the idea and faxes a copy of the memo to the newspaper earning Alan the name ""The Grinch"". He decides to rectify the situation by donating the normal Christmas money to a needy family he can exploit. Meanwhile Alan seems to be cursed after a group of Wiccan's complain that Beaver Creek shouldn't say Merry Christmas, but ""Happy Holidays"". The needy family turn out to be actors hired by Alan. Richard returns the gift and he and Victor deliver the money to the real Todd family and watch them from across the street as they discover the gift.
Fed Up with being ignored Veronica lets the entire staff have the day off and takes Wanda and Lisa out to lunch leaving the men alone to panic over the question to the German taxes. The trio tear the office apart looking for the files. After they've emptied all the desks and filing cabinets searching for the tax returns they find a joint and a few bottles of booze and decide to have an impromptu bankruptcy party. Veronica's lunch runs a little late.... all the way to last call. The next day Veronica returns to work and reports the taxes were paid the week before. To make up for his years of mistreatment Alan gives her a 20% raise and 4 weeks paid vacation.
A hard hitting journalist wants to do a piece on Pyramid. The group is nervous since she tends to expose all of the dirty little secrets within a company, and within Pyramid, there are plenty. Richard coaches the group in an effort to make them seem better then they are. The piece however turns out to be nothing more than a fluff piece on powerful fathers, and their daughters. That information however doesn't make it back to Victor who decides to dig through Diane's (the journalist) things to find something to blackmail her with. He finds a needle and threatens her and orders her out. The piece is then redone as a full hour expose on the problems of Alan Roy. Meanwhile, Alan has decided to write a script about Dental Surgeons. He is so paranoid that someone will steal his ideas he has them all written on red paper. Unfortunately his paranoia seems real when the office temp skips off to NBC to pitch to pitch the idea, and its picked up as a series.
Alan discovers the healing power of magnets and orders everyone to begin wearing them in their shoes as they prepare for the big television convention NATPE. They Pyramid gang begins working on a new 13 minute daily news show that will stream to every highschool in America but soon learn that Alan's arch enemy is also making his own project. At NATPE Richard straps the magnetic shoe inserts to his arms and proceeds to wipe all of Moses' pilots. His actions work, but not before Moses discovers his treachery resulting in him getting hired by Moses to run his new Bogota, Columbia station.
1998
Canadian television production company Pyramid is hosting a party to celebrate 45 episodes of its popular ""Sword of Damacles"" and the announcement of 20 more shows. The problem is however that the star of Damacles doesn't want to sign on for another year. Richard Strong is having an affair with Siobhan Roy, the boss' (Alan) daughter. The two conspire to drug Raymond Dodge, Richard's brother-in-law by drugging his drink, and making it appear as if he had groped Siobhan in order to get him fired, allowing Richard to take his Job. The plan works and Richard is promoted to the new head of Television Development.
Richard settling in to his new job at Pyramid sets his sights on his new threat, Lisa. At the same time Alan promotes Victor and makes him the new head of all departments. A job previously performed by Veronica. Veronica gives a reporter writing a story on Victor's new promotion top secret information so as to make it appear as if Victor leaked it. The person ultimately blamed for the leak is Lisa, Victor's girlfriend, and she is fired. When Victor says nothing she goes home with Richard. The two sleep together promising they will never speak of this to anyone.... but Richard has his own agenda, he has taped it.
Walter Franklin Sr, the star of Beaver Creek dies during hair transplant surgery in Mexico, after Richard suggests he could save money by having it done there as opposed to the States. Pyramid's stock price plummets on the news as the network announces Beaver Creek will not go on. Richard buys 350k worth of stock as he re edits several unaired scenes of Beaver Creek to make it seem as if Walter had filmed a death scene just before he actually died. In the meantime Pyramid quickly orchestrates a show funeral in the Beaver Creek church, utilising the timeslot they had already been alotted. Problems arrise when the head of the Canadian Actors Union finds out they plan on airing the funeral featuring testemonials of the cast. Alan manages to get Beaver Creek renewed for another season when he threatens to hold back the final episode. Richard's quick editing inserts Shiobahn into the show as Walter's sons wife, fufilling a promise he made to her. Pyramid's stock soars and Richard finds
Victor's movie is not going well. Their star ""Jeremy Black"" is flying off the handle at everything, putting the entire movie into jeopardy. Veronica fires the Vice President of Film Production so that they have a 'fall guy' for the problems on the film. Richard is instructed to hire a new Vice President of Television Development. He hires a non threatening idiot with no education or ambition to fill the post. Alan calls in from LA and asks Richard to start creating a new show about undercover cops that work in prisons to fight organised crime. Alan has an in with the President of NBC's new President of Program Development who loves the idea. Richard works all night on the idea quietly but the information is leaked to a VP at NBC, threatning the project. Richard heads to LA to try and throw off the young exec with a misinformation campaing. The young exec tells him Victor tipped him off to the show. Richard calls someone back home and arranges to have Jeremy Black mugged, and ha
Richard is taken off the cop show project and is given a "mill show" (a cheap daily assembly line-type show) to produce.
Alan Roy receives word that he is to receive the Sully (Lifetime Achievment Award) at this years Gemini Awards. He has Richard force the Gemini Producers move his acceptance to a television night from an Industry night, and hires a writer to write his acceptance speech. Six weeks later he is still unable to settle on a speech. Before the group can leave he is struck in the face by Damacles and is forced to stay behind. The group sets out to look for Richard who has excused himself to the boardroom with Siobahan where they are caught having sex on the boardroom table. Raymond, Richard's brother in law, is brought back to Pyramid at Siobahan's urging as she wants a role in his new show.
2003
Richard, Veronica, and Victor have a hard time accepting their new producer.
Alan tries to find out why a best-selling author turned down his job offer.
Alan becomes obsessed with starting a new digital specialty channel. When it becomes clear it will be too expensive to do so he buys one by assuming its massive debtload. The gang discovers the channel litterally has zero viewers, and only shows one movie, over and over again, but are overjoyed to learn how they will be able to make a fortune off of it, not to mention the cool jackets.
Deon returns from LA to work on a new mini series based on a famous book. She decides she loves Canada so much that she wants to move here. Richard and Veronica are so annoyed by her that they decide to expose her to the dark side of Canada. Richard enters late to a meeting saying the government seized his car for not paying the mandatory 87% income tax, and Veronica enters looking very distressed after spending the whole night in a hospital for a papercut. Meanwhile Alan has declared war on ""Canada Reads"" a pro literacy campaign.
Alan is intent on cashing in on the success of ""Men With Brooms"" by creating a story about a womens hockey team that Richard names ""Babes With Blades"". Veronica is put in charge of the project, but Alan doesn't like it, so the men take it over. They ruin in of course.
Beaver Creek's new Christmas episode is re-scheduled to February forcing a quick re-write by Richard & Veronica to make it about Valentines Day they do so by ""find & replacing"" Christmas with Valentines to avoid any actual work. When Network Brian finds out he storms in on Alan and demands they change the script again. Meanwhile on set, an aging star is trying to get jiggy with Blind Jimmy and Victor. When Network Brian interupts her attempts to seduce Blind Jimmy, the pair begin making out. Richard interrupts them and after they leave he drops a ciggerette into the hay and burns down the barn. Beaver Creek's Valentines day episode now has a climactic finish with the burning of a barn, and Network Brian is silenced when Richard tells him the fire department thought the fire was caused by two kids fooling around.
Pyramid is nominated for a prestious Swedish award, the fianl application is due at the end of the day, and Richard is in charge of faxing in the application. Alan is feeling under the weather, so he decides to shred old scripts, and eventually a phone book. Veronica trys to convince him to take a sick day, but he refuses. All of the office eventually contracts Alan's flu, except for Richard, who is finishing the application. He leaves it in ALan's office while Alan is napping on the couch. When he wakes up, Alan feeds it through the paper shreder, thinking that it was left there for him to shred. Richard starts again on the application, only to find that the computer network is down. He calls in the ""computer guy"", who does very little to repair the computer system, and very much to pitch his idea for a ""computer guy"" television series. Richard completes the application by hand. The next day, Alan complains about his shotty work, and runs off to have a meeting with the computer guy ab
Richard supervises an interior designer who is redecorating the Pyramid offices; Victor has his eye on a new studio he wants Pyramid to buy.
Victor runs into a number of problems while producing a dating show for Pyramid, including a difficult show runner.
Alan pressures Victor into ensuring a Pyramid staffer gets a coveted Leaf of Fame award when Victor is chosen to sit on the awards committee.
Alan decides to stop making episodes of Dock Cops, one of Pyramid's most popular shows. The gang eventually persuade him to change his mind, but he wants to make dramamtic ""improvements"", that include introducing a female cop to the show. The star of the show eventually quits, and his character is killed off. The show's style is changed, and another female character is introduced. The script is softened (a lost kitten instead of a murdered prostitute as an episode's main story) and the show is cancelled.
Beaver Creek reaches a point in its run whereas it can only go downhill from there. Victor, Richard and Veronica remember the point in time that their lives ""Jumped the Shark"".
Victor hires Richard's brother (Scott Thompson) to host Pyramid's new kids' show to help boost ratings, much to Richard's chagrin.
The Network decides its time to cancel Beaver Creek. Alan flips out and orders Veronica to organize a rally of disgruntled Beaver Creek fans, of whom there are less than ten. He also has Richard lock up all of the principal actors in lame Pyramid projects so that they can't go elsewhere to other shows. In the end Richard and Network Brian agree that although its time for Beaver Creek the show to end... its time for Beaver Creek the two hour TV movie to begin.
Alan discovers a show called Producer's Cut, a Canadian program that lampoons the television production business, and Alan feels its based on him. He decides to fire Wanda and has her planted at the production company that is producing the new show. Jonathan Summers, the shows producer asks Alan to appear on the show, and continues to insist the show is not about him. Unfortunately Alan's newly acquired improv skills make him look like such an ass that the shows producer begins making fun of him after all. Meanwhile, with Victor being the only person Alan trusts, he places him as the office receptionist. As well, Veronica renegotiates all the executive salaries. Victor and Richard become obsessed over who makes the most money.
Alan secretely sells the company to a dairy farmer. After promising nothing will change Veronica and Richard are offered severance packages to quit, Alan is fired, and Victor is made CEO of Pyramid. Wanda is the only person who will still take Alan's phone calls. Veronica and Richard have a child and make millions off of a terrible show. After Victor takes early retirement Wanda is made CEO of Pyramid.
Peter Keleghan
Alan Roy
Dan Lett
Victor Sela
Leah Pinsent
Veronica Miller
Rick Mercer
Richard Strong
Jackie Torrens
Janet Kidder
Ron James
Raymond Drodge
Streaming availability information not available
2000
Richard is still trapped in Bogota working at one of Moses' new stations. The Industry Leader is still mad over the scam he pulled in the previous season finale. Moses sends Richard out into the Jungle by helicopter and the chopper is shot down. Richard is forced to return to Canada in a container with a group of illegal immigrants where he befriends a man who speaks no English. Back at Pyramid all is not well. The shareholders are out for blood after they learn that after their worst set of losses in the company's history Alan has given himself a huge bonus. Veronica is trying to douse the crisis. Meanwhile Wanda's attention is focussed on an Elian like child named Manolo on the television news. Richard returns to Pyramid surprising everyone, seeing as how they thought he was dead. Alan wants the group to track down Manolo's agent as television companies all over the world fight for the rights to his story. Richard returns again to Pyramid after a meeting with Moses with Man
Alan sends Victor to the Camans to deposit some money he ‘borrowed' from the company. Alan is speaking in Australia about how he ‘saved' the show. Damacles has taken on a far more, homoerotic undertone now that Richard has added a new young, virile sidekick. At the same time Damacles is complaining that he still doesn't have his own action figure. Alan decides to go to the Camans himself in order to rack up his frequent flyer miles without the knowledge that Victor has hidden a sick lizard in the briefcase to be released. When Alan arrives he is arrested when the lizard escapes and must use the briefcase full of money to bribe his way out of trouble.
Pyramid wants to make a new Beaver Creek movie using the original star, Mandy who's not thrilled with the prospect of returning since she accuses Pyramid of stealing her chidlhood. Alan has a new theory on successful television series. Using his new flowchart that links Baywatch, Flipper, Beach Combers, and Gilligan's Island he creates a program about ‘water' where water is the star. Alan uses a new computer program to write a script for his new movie Water. Richard smuggles a copy of the script to Mandy who is desperate to hurt Alan with the understanding that it's a terrible script, but something happens. She loves it, and agrees to sign on for the next two Beaver Creek movies if she gets the lead in Water.
Contrary to popular opinion, Alan sees no future for the Internet. Richard and Veronica dabble in a little insider trading after Pyramid is approached for their content by a happening Internet company. Meanwhile, Victor hits the rave clubs.
Wrongly imprisoned Dean Sutherland attempts to sell his story to Pyramid as a movie of the week. Alan, however has reservations as he does not trust the DNA evidence that freed him and points the finger at Sutherland when his new Palm Pilot goes missing. Meanwhile, Wanda and Veronica fight over the new man in the office.
The staff are anything but happy when Alan starts a protein diet as a New Year's Resolution and bans coffee and vegetables in the office. The staff secretly start a coffee house in Richard and Victor's office. Alan eventually makes a fool of himself on television, and goes into a state of shock as a result of his new diet. He allows coffee back in the office. Wanda pushes for an espresso machine, but does not get it.
Alan has a nightmare about someone smashing a pyramid with a hammer in the company boardroom. He charges Veronica with organising a team building weekend. The entire office however is completely apathetic to the idea including Alan, who five minutes after ordering her on the Team Building quest announces he can't make it. At Veronica's request Alan hires Angela Windstrom to take over a few administrative responsibilities while he focuses on the creative. Within her first day Angela appoints four new vice presidents over Richard and Victor. As the week moves on Angela appoints another ten vice presidents. The trio has to team up in order to get the new Vice Presidents to resign, and it is soon after revealed that Angela and the others are from a company that specialises in team building excersises.
Alan orders Richard and Veronica to create a new kids show, a task they really don't want. Wanda overhears them talking about the project and asks to join in. Siobahan returns from an evening party accompanied by Victor to announce she is in love, with Kyle.... Victor's driver. But he's not just a driver... he wants to be an actor too. Siobahan demands Kyle be put on Beaver Creek as a producer but Victor says its not possible. When she whines to Richard he tells her that he can't have the job because he's not family so the pair get married. With Kyle now a producer on the show morale is dropping rapidly as he fires a series of important staffers. Wanda recognises Kyle as a stripper from photos taken from her friend's birthday party. Victor convinces Kyle to give up his claim for a divorce settlement in exchange for a part on the new kids show.
The network has three words to describe the 150th episode of Beaver Creek. ""I Hate It!"" After taking a major advance to produce a special Beaver Creek the team has to scramble to come up with a new way to make the network happy, and what better way to do it, but to do it Live. They dig up an old script written by Siobahan that takes place in just one room. All hell breaks loose and everything that can go wrong... does go wrong. All the while a crazy woman (Miss Barnes) from a watchdog group is protesting the violence of The Sword Of Damacles. She bursts on to the set and tries to address the camera but is punched out by Siobahan seconds before the show gets cut off the air.
Victor is all Gung-Ho about his new Arcardia 3000 demo, which is basically Noah's Ark in space. Alan orders him to stop bothering him about it as he is too busy preparing for the DVD release of Prom Night at Horny High. Alan reflects back on his first film, as does Veronica as she realises that nothing has changed from the day she joined the company. Fritz Hoffman comes in from Germany to direct the Arcadia demo he brings with him the new European Super Model Tempesta Victor convinces Dino (Blind Jimmy) to play the hero in Arcadia. Things start to go badly when Tempesta falls for Dino and breaks up with Fritz. He falls apart and can't continue directing the demo. Things are not going well with Alan's Director's commentary for Horny High either as he begins to realise his participation on the movie was less important than he had originally thought. Fritz agrees to record the commentary for Horny High, and Alan takes over the Arcadia demo stealing all of the credit from Victor
Alan is concerned with morale at Pyramid and so he hires William and Susan Doyle to produce a video to boost morale. He instructs them not to tell Veronica, Richard or Victor what they are doing as it will only arouse their suspicions. The last time the company produced an internal video they fired most of the staff. (2x02 New Offices) Meanwhile, Alan gives Victor and Wanda a make work project to find a song he heard on the radio at some point over the last week. The only problem is he doesn't remember how it goes, what station he was listening to, or when he heard it. The three are convinced that this, and Alan's announcement that the Sword of Damacles needs to be more Australian are all designed to keep them busy so they are unprepared for their coming firing. Veronica and Richard come up with a great way to break up the team by planting ideas in each others heads.
Morale is down on the set of Beaver Creek. Siobahan wants a better story to showcase her ‘talent' and so the sacred trio of Victor, Veronica, and Richard come up with a story about a near death experience to help her. Before they can deliver the good news however she walks in on her father and mother who after having one of their famous fights begin making out. Siobahan freaks out and becomes even harder to work with on set, choosing to spend most of her time eating at the craft table. Meanwhile, to get back at his Ex-Wife Alan hires Adam Kalilieh, an art director to produce any film he wants, for however much money he wants. The movie goes way over budget, putting the entire company at risk and Richard convinces Alan to sell the film to his ex-wife's company in order to save theirs. Meanwhile, Veronica convinces Siobahan to quit Beaver Creek and move to LA with her mother, saving Beaver Creek $30,000 and episode.
Alan decides to kill off the entire cast of Beaver Creek in the final episode, leading everybody on the Pyramid staff to imagine their own eventual deaths. Richard gets hired out to the mayor's office to produce a campaign ad.
2001
Richard's latest pilot is a disaster. Victor lords it over him as they enter a meeting with Alan. Alan decides to bring in a creative team known as ""The Two Daves"" When they arrive however, they're on Dave short. Dave has a great deal of difficulty coming up with any good ideas on his own. Richard helps him out saying he has an annonymous writer with some ideas. The writer wants 50% of Dave's consulting fee ($50,000). Dave finally agrees. The writer of course, is Richard. Victor wants a date with Veronica's friend but she thinks he's gay. He then finds out Veronica's Gym (female only)is only four blocks away. Alan and him sue for membership. Hours later they find out there is a better gym even closer, the only catch, is that its a gay Gym.
Eliza, who is Network Brian's daughter, is at the office on a school work study. Alan gets asked by Network Brian to keep Richard and Victor away from her, and he tells the to go away, but not too far. Victor takes Richard to an empty soundstage where they brianstorm about a sci-fi history movie. Meanwhile, Eliza pitches show ideas that are all old shows with minor, and not workable, differances and falls in love with Veronica, and Veronica rejects her. Richard and Victor end up taking a drunken and depressed Eliza home, to find Alan and Network Brian in the apartment.
In an attempt to be sure the reality show ""Roomies"" dosen't get canceled, Alan makes sweeping changes, including the eventual firing of the actual 'roomies' in favor of Veronica, Victor, and Alan himself. Of course the network cancels the show.
Veronica complains to Alan about the feeling of a posionous work envrionment, as well as how babyish the Beaver Creek actors have been lately. Wanda suggests Veronica get child care books to help her deal with the actors, which sparks the rumour that Veronica is pregnant. Victor can't let go of getting a ""password"" for when he, Alan, and Richard talk about Veronica's ""situation"". Alan decides to make Veronica quit, so he doesn't have to pay her matromony. To do this, he decides to start a fake company to hire her away. Belinda has a brief conversation with Richard and Victor, where she's told not to make any press releases. The guys then decide to put Belinda in Veronica's place when she goes on leave, so they can be in control. Belinda sends out a press release, and before Alan can fire her, she first announces that she's pregnant, and then states she's going to try to get a job with the fictious company the guys were trying to get Veronica to join.
Alan hears of a great team building retreat through Moses Znaimer. Without knowing anything about it Alan signs up the office staff to attend. When they get there they discover a Facillitator who won't let them leave. All of his activities have long drawn out storries attached to them, but in actual fact they are just lame games we all played in school. (Egg on spoon) The retreat ends with Victor falling into the fire pit and the group leaving. In order to make up for the hell they went through, Richard calls another production company and tells them about a ""Great Retreat""
A series of bad reviews come in for some of Alan's shows that get him very upset. Meanwhile, Wanda's cat needs an operation and the crew don't seem to care. Wanda, upset by their lack of care sets Alan on all of them by constantly reminding him of everything he's asked them to do. Richard finds out and decides to train Wanda to be as evil as him. Pulling pranks on the group and getting Victor in trouble by writing a letter to the editor in Victor's name bashing the critic who won't lay off Alan. Wanda begins to feel guilty and promises never to be evil again. Meanwhile the group comes up with a plan to create a show about Television reviewers. The critic (JW) tells Richard that the reason she hates Alan so much is that they slept together ten years ago and never called her back. When Alan confronts JW she tells him that they never slept together, it turns out that Victor was the person that jilted her.
An aging US star seeking a comeback is set to appear on Beaver Creek. She arrives late to set, complaining of the baggage handler strike going on at the air port. She begins to push her ultra conservative agenda, arguing everything from the Trickle Down Theory with Blind Jimmy to the futility of gun locks with Richard. Alan returns from Japan, sans Victor who has been taken by several angry baggage handlers and beaten. Alan announces he has seen a commercial in Japan starring Blind Jimmy. Worried that their funding will be cut if the network discovers the ads Alan decides to cash in on the idea, and makes the entire cast do commrecials for Japan in secret.
Pyramid's CFO dies and Richard helps to replace him with his old stock broker from Ohm Dot Com. He hopes that he will be able to control him, but things get out of hand when he begins dating Veronica and questioning Richard's bizzare spending on Beaver Creek. Meanwhile a magazine keeps calling to do an interview with Alan. He thinks its a feature, but it later turns out to be a joke, focussing on all of the comedians Alan turned down over the years, including: Mike Myers, Jim Carey, and Michael J. Fox.
Wanda, worried about a Tax Audit demanding money for $75,000 in stock divedends is disheartened to learn that the gang won't help her. When they realise why she is being audited they all try and suck up to her to find out how she makes so much money in the stock market. Little do they know the Audit was a mistake, and Wanda doesn't make the money they all believe she does. She tricks them into all submitting the same show idea to Alan in an effort to make them look stupid. Sadly for Wanda, the plan backfires and Alan is thrilled to see his management team working and thinking together.
A man shows up at Pyramid claiming to be Alan's brother. It turns out that Alan has had had a brother who has been living in a mental hospital for the last twenty six years. Frank who seems to want to do no harm, other than annoy Alan seems content on counting things, jelly beans, files, dots on the ceiling, when he comes across a file that shows that he owns a company called AlanLand that owns 53% of Pyramid. With Frank in a home Alan created the company and made himself CEO, but with Frank out, he's now in charge. The group comes up with a plan to drive Frank back to the home and returning their original Lunatic leader back to power.
Alan decides to cash in on Damacles' popularity in Germany and asks Michael Rushton (Damacles) to write a book based on the philosophy of Damacles. Unfortunately, after weeks of work all he has come up with is a title. Alan charges Veronica and Richard to write the entire book. The pair get wasted on techilla and end up writing what becomes a best seller. Unfortunately this creates another problem as Michael begins to believe he is a god. Richard is forced to bring him back down to Earth which ends up destroying the books popularity, but saving the show from cancellation.
Veronica's friend from when she was in high school comes to visit. Back then she was a poor nobody, but now she comes complete with fur coats and a snobby euro-accent as well as a shady past where she may have killed her two former rich husbands, and now she's on the lookout for a third. Is Alan next? Richard has to get a web address for Pyramid to get online, but it looks like the Plumbing King of Pensylvania has bought up all the good addresses (like www.pyramid-tv.com), and he's asking way too much. Richard manages to convince Veronica's friend to date the Plumbing King, and in return he gives the web addresses to Richard, who sells them to Alan through a numbered holding company he owns. When Alan suspects Richard of this he tries to call the Plumbing King to find out who he gave the address to, but he had died tragically days earler. Alan is overjoyed, believing he now has a shot with her.
Alan discovers his senior staff are all giving seminars at the Toronto Film Institute and becomes jealous. When he tries however to get himself admitted as a speaker they reject him. In order to appease Alan the group convinces the TFI to allow Alan to teach a class by giving them two seperate donations out of their Discretionary Production budget. All goes well until Victor decides to one-up them by having things turned into a one night Tribute (roast)The roast is cancelled at the last minute and Alan decides to produce a video for the students. The videos budget is tight as the discretionary production fund is now empty after another round of donations to the TFI and as a result it is terrible. So terrible in fact the TFI fires Veronica, Victor and Richard from their teaching possitions. Alan on the other hand thinks the video is gold and suggests producing another one.
A brash and irritating American Network exec comes to Pyramid to discuss their new joint project ""The War of 1812"" The exec has problems with everything including the food, the water, and the fact that the Americans lost the war. She forces Richard to change the ending so as to have the Americans win. She also changes the famous British Red Coats to Teal, because they film better.
This episode blended a clever behind the scenes look at Damacles with the real goings on with the show. Richard, in an attempt to save money has a historical monument moved and in turn gets the entire production thrown out of its location. Victor comes up with the idea for Damacles to travel to the future (present) and have the final battle with Hamacles in the Pyramid offices.
Alan deceides the Beaver Creek Wrap Party is too too expensive, and has it relocated to the office. Blind Jimmy brings some pretty good pot and the entire group get very high. During the party someone rips off all of the office equipment. The reverand tells Allan what he really thinks of him, and he's fired. The Network's representitive gets loaded along with the rest of them and confides that to Richard that he wants his job. Just as things heat up the cops show up and arrest everyone. Richard and the network exec sneak out through an emergency ladder.
