“Shoveling Snow” has Mike giving Eve a lesson on capitalism and the free market, while Mandy and Kyle reach a new level in their relationship.
Mike enters the kitchen saying, “Boy, mother nature sure took a dump on us last night,” referring to the snow outside. Eve comes through on her way out to shovel driveways. She says, “The sky dropped a ton of white gold and I am her to scoop it up at $20 a driveway.” Vanessa comments that Eve used to charge less. Eve credits it to inflation and living in “Obama’s America” as she leaves. Mike says he knows he’s not to have favorites, but that Eve is and it’s not even close. He then says, “Here comes number three,” as Mandy walks into the kitchen. Mandy says the weather doesn’t look good so she might as well skip class. Mike tells her to give him a check for $106 if she’s going to skip. Mandy questions why. He explains that he did a cost analysis for her tuition and he’s paying $106 a day for her to attend classes. If she doesn’t want to go, then she can pay him for the missed day. She decides to go and says she’s happy he didn’t do it while she was in high school because she would have owed a lot. Eve comes back because someone else has already shoveled the driveways she usual shovels. She decides to get up earlier next time it snows.
At Quincy’s Diner, Mandy surprises Kyle with two glazed donuts for their eight-month anniversary while she’s working. She asks Kyle if he ever thinks about the future. Although she’s referring to their future, he thinks she’s talking about future in general as he talks about cars that hover instead of flying. She explains that she meant their future he replies, “Oh, sorry. We’ll be dead by then.” Kyle leaves. Mandy mentions to her fellow waitress that her tips are never that good. She explains to Mandy that her tips are bad because Kyle comes around. She encourages Mandy to flirt and let her customers think she’s available. Although she thinks it’s a bad idea, she agrees to give it a try. Mandy walks over to a family and asks, “So, what looks good? Besides me,” and weeks at the young boy.
Eve comes in from a successful shoveling venture. A few minutes later, their neighbor Phil Munroe knocks on the door. Vanessa wonders what he could want. Mike says, I guess we’ll never know,” as he starts to walk away from the door. Phil is returning Mike’s rake, which is just one of the many things he’s borrowed from Mike. Phil also says he’s come to speak to Eve. He tells Eve that he’s her competitor as she hands him a business card for Eve’s Snow No Mo’. He explains that he is her competitor and asks her to stop doing the driveways in the neighborhood so he can. He’s doing it for extra money since he lost his job. When Vanessa asks Eve what she thinks about it, she says she can’t say it out loud because Phil is still there. Vanessa tells her it would be a nice thing to do for Phil. Mike agrees that it would be the nice thing to do, but questions whether or not the nice thing to do is the right thing to do. Vanessa and Phil both say that generally it is. Mike thinks this is a good opportunity to teach Eve about the free market and capitalism. Phil and Eve will go head-to-head for the neighborhood business. Vanessa doesn’t like it. She thinks Eve should step aside because Phil obviously needs the money more. Mike starts a rant about capitalism and merit-based success. Vanessa replies, “I’m not Karl Marx and I’m sorry I asked to share your waffles.” Kristin enters and they explain the problem to her. Kristin asks why Phil is more entitled than Eve. She actually agrees with Mike. Mike looks shocked as he says, “Okay. Not much fun in that though.” Kristin explains that it goes back to the male thinking he has to be the breadwinner and the female being pushed out of jobs. Mike confusedly and shockingly says, “I’m a feminist.” Kristin and Mandy explain that adults are taking the good kid jobs. Eve decides that she can’t compete with Phil unless she has a snowblower. She agrees to take Mike’s offer of leasing his snowblower. She offers him $1 per driveway. Mike counters with $2 per driveway and she accepts.
Eve shows up to the Larabees to clean out their driveway. Phil then arrives offering to do it for twenty percent less than whatever Eve is charging plus a free cup of hot cocoa. Eve offers to do it cheaper, but Phil says he can’t go that low because he wouldn’t be able to afford his cholesterol medicine. Phil successfully plays on Chuck Larabee’s sympathies as Chuck decides to hire Phil.
At the diner, Mike and Ed leave Mandy a generous tip and hug her goodbye. The other waitress automatically assumes it’s because Mandy has been flirting. She tells her that if she keeps it up that guy will buy her a car. Not realizing what she means, Mandy says he already did. She continues flirting with other customers as Kyle walks in. She greets him as her cousin before taking him outside to talk to him. He thinks she wants to role play, but she explains that he can’t come around because she doesn’t get good tips when he is there. Mandy says she gets better tips when she pretends and turns up the charm, just like he does at work. Kyle explains that he isn’t pretending at work. Kyle really likes the things he works with and worships Mike because he’s a genius. Mandy further explains that he works for salary and she works for tips. He thinks it’s phony. He asks if he can come around and just go to the other waitress’s section even though she did put a napkin on his lap, “which was nice, but she lingered.” Mandy tells him no.
At Outdoor Man, Mike asks Ed if they have a job in accounting for Phil. Ed explains that they don’t. He says they can’t fire chesty Mona. Mike urges him not to call her that. Ed says he does it so he doesn’t confuse her with black Mona. Ed then says Gary is in rehab and is now an official alcoholic so they can’t fire him. Mike says he Gary never shows up. Ed says it’s because he thinks Gary is drinking again. Ed says they could fire him if they could prove Gary was bad at his job. Mike says he is. Ed says it’s because he’s drinking. Mike comments that they have to fire the good people in order to protect the bad, “Isn’t that written on a government building somewhere?” Ed asks, “You want to take care of your neighbor?” Mike says, “Yeah.” Ed replies, “Get him on the sauce.”
Mandy arrives at Outdoor Man to see Kyle. He says he should start acting phony like her. As a man walks by with a camouflage t-shirt, Kyle says, “You should wear the opposite of camouflage. Everybody should be able to see you.” Mandy stops him and tells him she was thinking about their relationship. Even though she made an extra $40 at the diner without Kyle around, she hated every minute of it. She tell she has something to say to him, but doesn’t want him to feel pressure. He says, “I can take pressure. My brothers used to sit on me all of the time.” She says, “I love you.” He replies that he’s glad she’s not a customer, “So you know I’m not being phony when I tell you, I love you.” They kiss. Mandy stops and questions if Kyle really tells customers her loves them. Kyle replies that some people need to hear it.
Eve enters saying she did more driveways than Phil. Mike stops her and takes his cut. Chuck shows up to show Mike a flyer that Eve posted in the neighborhood. It’s a flyer for a missing cat that was last seen in a driveway Phil Munroe was snowblowing. Mike isn’t happy about this and tells Eve they need to talk. She thinks it’s because she lied about how many driveways she did and really owes him more money. He tells her to take down the flyers. He didn’t tell her to win that way. She says she sets loftier goals for herself. He tells her he doesn’t want her to lie and cheat. As she leaves to take down the signs she says, “Just when you get an edge, the man hits you with regulations.” Mike says, “Boy, I love that kid.” Phil shows up holding the flyer. Mike assures him that Eve is taking them down. Phil is relieved because he is up for a part-time job at a pet store. Mike tells him he may have a job for him at Outdoor Man. He tells Phil to stop by the store tomorrow. He then says they can grab a beer after. Phil tells Mike he doesn’t drink. Mike replies, “Start. It’s job security.”
With Phil at his new job at Outdoor Man, Eve’s Snow No Mo’ is back on top. She jacked up the prices again since she doesn’t have any competition. She then tells Mike that she’s leasing Phil’s snowblower for $1 per driveway. Mike says, “So you’re squeezing me out?” She replies, “Free market. Gotta love it.” Vanessa asks how it feels to be squeezed out by his daughter. Mike happily replies, “I love that girl.”
Mike’s Outdoor Man video blog has him superimposed on top of a mountain. He starts talking about a meritocracy. Mike says the government is too worried about making things fair. He believes that we should have a merit-based system. The big prize should go to the person who merits it. As he shouts, an avalanche starts behind him. He says not to worry because he has a satellite phone, which, coincidentally, are on sale this week at Outdoor Man.
image: ABC
