Run's House › Season 3 › Ep. 305

‘To Catch a Thief’

An obviously frustrated and revved-up Rev Run is searching Run's House for his $700 belt. He can't find it anywhere, and Run is certain that his son Russy is guilty of taking it. Run tells his wife, Justine, that he doesn't mind Russy hidi...  Full Episode Summary

An obviously frustrated and revved-up Rev Run is searching Run's House for his $700 belt. He can't find it anywhere, and Run is certain that his son Russy is guilty of taking it. Run tells his wife, Justine, that he doesn't mind Russy hiding things as a joke. But now it's the "length of the joke" that's becoming unacceptable, because family members have been losing their minds looking for stuff.

After giving up on finding his belt, Rev Run discovers that his son JoJo failed his driving test. Run thinks JoJo needs reassurance in order to build confidence in his ability to drive, so Run decides he's going to allow JoJo to drive the Phantom, Run's very expensive Rolls Royce. Justine looks at Run like he's crazy, and warns him that JoJo better not run over her flowers.

Meanwhile, at their high-rise apartment in New York City, Vanessa and Angela bicker over the decor of their new digs. Vanessa thinks her style has character, but Angela insists that Vanessa's "style" is boring.

In the driveway of Run's House, Rev Run and JoJo gear up to hit the road for a driving lesson. JoJo struts confidently to the driver's side but, once inside, he's distracted like a kid in a candy store by the car's buttons and gadgets, leaving Run second-guessing himself about whether or not this is a good idea.

Inside, Russy casually reads a magazine in his room, pretending to ignore his big brother Diggy who rushes in looking for his missing iPod. As Diggy frantically searches the room, Russy hides his face behind the magazine cracking a guilty grin.

Back in the Phantom, Rev Run insists that JoJo remove his hat and wipe his feet before driving the car. The nitpicking is too much for JoJo, who decides he's done with this driving lesson. As JoJo opens the door to flee, Run yells "whoa," which makes JoJo stop dead in his tracks. With a furrowed brow, Run quickly starts getting out of the car. They both rush toward the front door of the house to see who can "storm in first."

That afternoon in NYC, Vanessa and Angela check out interior decorating books at Barnes and Noble. They get a lot of ideas, but who's paying for their apartment's new look? Why daddy, of course! So Vanessa and Angela call Justine, who says she'll talk to Run about setting a budget.

Rev Run tells Justine that the driving lesson was a bust and JoJo can "walk the rest of his life." Justine suggests that Vanessa and Angela teach JoJo to drive in exchange for some cash to decorate their apartment. Run likes the idea, but adds his own criteria -- JoJo has to pass the driving test before the girls get any cash.

At this point, stuff is disappearing form the house left and right -- Vanessa's car keys, Rev Run's remote control and Justine's laptop computer among them. While Run and Justine are discussing the mysterious -- and frustrating -- disappearances, Russy runs to his room, jumps on his bed and uncovers the laptop that Justine's been searching for. Giggling, Russy rolls off the bed with the laptop and hides it in his dresser drawer. "This is so much fun," Russy says with a laugh.

Downstairs, JoJo's happily snacking on chips until Rev Run tells him that Vanessa and Angela will be giving him driving lessons from now on. JoJo immediately objects: "I know how to drive!" Just then Diggy joins the conversation and complains about his missing iPod. When Run blames Russy, Justine comes to his defense, saying Russy just forgot where he hid it.

Right at that moment, Russy strolls into the kitchen to get a drink from the fridge, and the room fills with silence. After Russy leaves, Run says: "Everybody check to see if you've still got your wallet." Run and Diggy have had enough of this nonsense and decide to team up on a mission to catch a thief. They plant a camcorder in a piñata in Russy's room. Later, when Russy thinks the coast is clear, he reaches under his bed to pull out the missing belt that Run has been looking for, unwittingly exposing his misdeeds on camera.

Meanwhile, realizing that they really have to teach JoJo how to drive in order to get the money they need, Vanessa and Angela wrangle JoJo into the car. Angela sits in the passenger seat and Vanessa sits in the back as JoJo gets behind the wheel. As soon as JoJo starts the engine, the sisters give him conflicting instructions, making him so crazy that he turns around into the driveway, almost hitting the Phantom.

JoJo storms into the kitchen and starts complaining to Justine and Rev Run about his sisters. His parents explain that the arrangement has to work out. Otherwise Vanessa and Angela won't get their apartment decorated and JoJo won't get his driver's license. The kids are far from enthusiastic, but decide to give it another shot.

This time around, JoJo's driving lesson is a success. In fact, Vanessa and Angela are so confident that JoJo will pass his test that they expect their money right away. But Run makes it clear that they won't get any cash until after JoJo passes.

Rev Run then gathers the entire family in their in-house movie theater for a special presentation. Russy sits front and center, anxious to see which movie they'll be watching. Little does he know that this feature could be called "Russy's Busted." When it's revealed where Russy's been hiding everyone's belongings, he covers his mouth in shock. Russy's been caught red-handed!

In bed that night, Justine and Rev Run are reflecting on how JoJo's driving has improved when Russy enters with a box full of everyone's missing items. Run makes Russy vow to never play tricks like that again, and Russy says he's learned his lesson.

"How do you know when you've taken a joke too far? When it's no longer funny. What's funny to one person might not be funny to another. Sometimes pushing peoples' buttons can really turn you off. So treat people the way you want to be treated because there's a time to play and a time to stop. Know what time it is. God is love." -- Rev Run