The Best Episodes of Last Man Standing Season 1

Mike feels let down when his daughters aren't into celebrating Halloween with him the way they used to. He decides that his two-year-old grandson, Boyd, can be his perfect trick or treat partner. But Kristin, Boyd's mother, adamantly tells him that she doesn't want her son to go out on Halloween. Mike sneaks him out -- with a plan to get the child home before Kristin gets back from work. When Mike, dressed as John Wayne from "The Green Berets," gets to Ed's house with Boyd, they are greeted at the door by Ed's lady friend, Elvira.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Marsh McCall

Mike is surprised to learn he shares similar interests with a new neighbor; Mandy plots revenge after catching her boyfriend in a lie.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Kevin Hench

Mike establishes new, strict house rules after Kyle accidentally falls asleep in Kristin's room.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Andy Gordon

Mike's Christmas spirit gets dampened when Ryan, the father of Kristen's baby, unexpectedly comes back to town after a long absence. Meanwhile, Ed hires Mandy as an elf at Outdoor Man, where she tries to unionize the other elves to get better perks.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Jack Burditt

When Mike realizes he unintentionally upstaged Vanessa's announcement about being nominated as the top volunteer school parent, his efforts to make it up to her might cause more harm than good. Meanwhile, Eve is afraid she won't fit in at high school; and Ed wants to release an Outdoor Man action figure inspired by Mike.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Eben Russell

The Outdoor Man's softball team holds a vote to decide if they will go coed; Kristin thinks about her own future as she helps Mandy fill out college applications.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Kevin Hench

Mike, amazed that Mandy might finally have found a passion for something, takes her under his wing at work when she offers to start an Internet campaign to keep Ed's favorite barber shop hangout from closing. Also, an exhausted Vanessa insists that she can still take care of the household despite her hectic work schedule, until she falls asleep during her own business presentation.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Marsh McCall

Vanessa blames Mike when she finds out they were not invited to a neighbor's party; Eve accidentally damages Mandy's car.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Linda Videtti Figueiredo, Liz Astrof

Ed and Mike second-guess their decision to have Kyle on their team in an annual sports competition. Vanessa is caught saying she doesn't want to attend Eve's soccer game and Mandy's school play.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Kevin Hench

Mike plays Cupid for Mandy by setting her up on a blind-date with Kyle, one of his employees who he thinks would be the perfect guy for her. But Mike's set-up gets off track when Kyle accidentally meets Kristin. Meanwhile at work, Mike's long-time boss and friend, Ed, announces that he's grounding Mike from their catalogue's international photo shoots and putting him in charge of the company's webpage. In this new role, Mike discovers that the Internet might actually provide him just the outlet he needs, a platform that gives him a voice to appeal to those who agree that manliness is under assault, and a pulpit for his opinions about feeling like the last real man in a woman's world.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Jack Burditt

When Mike's younger brother and father visit, a sibling rivalry ensues; Eve, Mandy and Kristin try to help Bud find a girlfriend.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Kim Flagg, Marsh McCall

A teenage prankster gets hurt on the Baxter's property, and the Baxters get a bill for his injuries. Meanwhile, Kristin's busy schedule gets more challenging when she begins taking college courses.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Jon Haller

Mandy worries when Mike doesn't like her new boyfriend, Terrence, who is an animal rights activist. Kyle discovers that Ed is Basque, like him.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Marsh McCall

Mike is outnumbered by his wife and daughters when they all agree that baby proofing the house is a good idea. But soon Vanessa has second thoughts when she finds herself home by herself babysitting Boyd and can't release the toilet seat's complicated childproof latch. Meanwhile, Mike thinks it's time for Mandy to earn her own money and gets her a job delivering pizzas -- without first consulting Vanessa.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Linda Videtti Figueiredo

When Vanessa forces a reluctant Mike to attend Grandparents Day at their grandson Boyd's preschool, Mike manages to insult the daycare teacher and Boyd gets kicked out of school. Boyd's mom, Kristin, tells Mike that he now has to look after him, so Mike takes the two-year-old to work with him. Meanwhile, after an elderly looking grandmother at the Grandparents Day event thinks she and Vanessa are the same age, Vanessa goes out of her way to look more youthful hoping no one sees her buying clothes from a boutique her 17 year old daughter.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Liz Astrof

Mike is taken aback when he finds out that Ed, who has been an absentee dad, has hired his daughter, Gabriella, to replace him as the new marketing consultant of Outdoor Man. When Ed agrees with Mike that her youth-oriented proposals to re-brand the retail stores aren't the way to go, she plays the Daddy card for all its worth. Also, Mike and Eve bring home a stray dog that Mandy thinks she's allergic to.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Joe Port, Joe Wiseman

When a history of Mike and Vanessa's house reveals a previous occupant died there, the family starts blaming things on a ghost; Ed keeps borrowing money from Kyle because he doesn't carry cash.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Linda Videtti Figueiredo, Liz Astrof

When Vanessa's sweet but flighty sister, April, comes to visit, Mike knows she's only coming to ask for yet another loan. Mike would rather use any extra money they have to buy a tank so that he and Ed can take it to a junkyard to run over old cars and boats. Meanwhile, when Kristen and Kyle decide to break up, Kyle is more concerned with what Mike will think.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Andy Gordon

Vanessa asks Mike to be the one who says "no" to Mandy when she wants to try out for a modeling show, since he usually says "yes" to his daughters for everything.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Eben Russell

After a neighbor's home is broken into, Vanessa puts together a neighborhood watch program; Mike finds himself in trouble after getting caught up in some gossip.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Eben Russell

A visit from a rising star on the professional fishing circuit leaves Vanessa wondering if Mike feels tied down; Eve and Kristin assume Mandy's decision to become a vegan is a passing phase.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Steve Baldikoski, Bryan Behar

When Mike gets NASCAR driver Tony Stewart and his racecar in the store, he realizes how much he misses the adrenaline rush he used to get from his adventures on the road; Vanessa thinks about how she used to take more chances before she was a mom.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Andy Gordon

When Mike's dad, Bud, moves to town to be the builder on the new Outdoor Man store, Vanessa is concerned that some of Bud's well-intentioned ways might elevate Mike's high blood pressure.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Steve Baldikoski, Bryan Behar

Mandy gets to meet Kim Kardashian; when the city orders Mike to cut down a tree on his property, he decides to organize a protest.

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Kevin Hench