Episode no. Season 5
Episode 9 Written by Valerie Watson Original air date January 11, 2000 | Directed by Terry Hughes Production code 506 | |
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"The Loud Solomon Family: A Dickumentary" the 106th episode of the American sitcom television series 3rd Rock from the Sun and the ninth episode of the fifth season. The episode was written by Valerie Watson, directed by Terry Hughes and aired on January 11, 2000 on NBC. Guest stars in this episode include Chad Einbinder, Bob Morrisey, Theresa Mulligan, Larisa Oleynik, and Lisa K. Wyatt.
Contents
The episode takes place around Mary Albright using grant money to make a documentary about typical family using the Solomons. When the filming starts, all sorts of dramatic revelations ensue.
The title is a reference to the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California, who were the subject of the TV documentary An American Family.
Plot
Mary decided that she wants the Solomons to be the subject of a documentary she was making on the "typical American family". Only too quick to accept her offer, Dick saw it as an incredible validation of their mission. After filming began, the episode moved to a movie theater where the documentary was screened.
The documentary seemed to roughly follow a reality television format with scenes in the Solomons' home having the "camcorder look" and being intercut with interviews. When Dick covers up a slip-up by saying that Sally is a lesbian, it led to the aliens wildly "revealing" embarrassing secrets about each other. The real-life viewers realized that they made it all up to get back at each other for various indiscretions, but the fictional audience in the theater does not. As the Solomons' supposed problems ballooned out of control, Dick vainly struggled to make them come off as the "ideal family".
Once the film concluded, the Solomons were surprised by how much the rest of the audience liked it. Sally passionately made out with Don, telling him afterwards that he "kissed the 'gay' right out of me!" Dick asked Mary to make a film that is just about him without the rest of the family.