Honey, We're Young At Heart

Honey, We're Young at Heart is the sixth episode of the second season and the twenty-eighth episode overall of Honey I Shrunk The Kids: The TV Show. Wayne and Diane test a cellular enhancer to transfer some of their "zest for life" into their elderly neighbors who end up getting younger while Wayne and Diane are left aging rapidly. Amy and Nick pursue their neighbors to get the situation reversed before it's too late for their parents.

Plot Overview
Wayne and Diane receive a letter saying that Wayne might get an award for Wayne's latest invention, the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, and someone will arrive to judge two days later. Excited at the possibility of no longer working for Jennings, Wayne and Diane dance and sing their song "Moon Over Miami" only to be interrupted by Nick and Amy. Amy comes home sad because an elderly couple that she volunteers for, the McGanns, are getting senile. Wanting to help and also test out the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, Wayne and Diane selflessly transfer some of their youthful energy into the McGanns. Activated by Nick and Amy, the machine overloads during the transfer between their parents and the elderly neighbors. Afterwards, the McGanns begin to remember things from their past and leave while the Szalinski family goes on with the day.

While getting ready for her day, Diane notices a grey hair. She plucks it out, observing that she’s starting to look like her mother. Later, Amy and Nick visit the McGanns to see how they're doing. The kids are greeted by what looks like a younger couple who turn out to actually be the McGanns several decades younger. Meanwhile, Wayne struggles to repair the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, missing his work in the process and getting surprised by Quark using an old fashioned alarm clock. Diane returns home from a trip to the store, remarking that her grocery bags feel heavy. When Wayne goes up to greet her, she turns around to scold him for missing his work. Wayne is shocked to see that her hair has turned silver and her face has aged. Diane is initially confused by Wayne’s shocked reaction, until he removes his protective goggles and she notices his aged skin and greying hair. The two horribly realize that the Szalinski Zip Enhancer has caused them to age at a rapid rate.

After making a plan with Amy and Nick to find the McGanns and figure out how to reverse the problem, Diane and Wayne begin consuming yogurt, which they believe will help them live longer. As sunset approaches, Amy and Nick search for the McGanns. Later that night, the search leads the kids to the Neon Chapel and Motel. Meanwhile, the parents are trying desperately to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer. Thinking they have fixed the machine, Wayne tests the prototype out on a pair of plants; the results are promising at first, with one plant growing younger while the other ages, but proves fruitless when one plant ends up dying. Wayne absentmindedly thinks about the grant to which Diane angrily remembers they will continue to age rapidly. Wayne and Diane then remove the plants and try again. Meanwhile, Amy and Nick watch the McGanns renew their vows. The McGanns manage to get away while the siblings argued about what to do.

By morning, Wayne and Diane have greying hair and sagging skin in addition to Wayne balding and Diane wearing glasses. Now they start taking naps at random and inconvenient times— sometimes while in the middle of a sentence! Meanwhile, Amy takes the family van to chase the McGanns as immature teenagers while Nick stays home. Relishing in their teenage youth a second time, the McGanns take a baseball bat to every single mailbox in their sight. The McGanns gets pulled over by a police officer, however, amazingly manage to feign innocence to get away. The officer subsequently pulls Amy over for speeding. Although Amy fails to capture the McGanns, she does follow them to a mall to which Amy calls Nick for help. Meanwhile, Wayne manages to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer while Diane is puttering around the house while talking on the phone, explaining they have not gone into their respective work lately. Desperate due to their parents having a limited amount of time left, Amy and Nick work together in one last effort to capture the McGanns as obnoxious toddlers at an indoor amusement center. Nick and Amy attempt to capture the McGanns but the toddlers manage to evade and hide further in the entertainment center.

Back at the house, Diane and Wayne have completely white hair while sitting near the fireplace, knitting and discussing all the things they fear they won’t be able to do. The doorbell rings to which Wayne and Diane putter over to answer, expecting their kids. Instead, they open the door to a man in a dark suit. The man then says he is there about a “grant”, revealing that he is the grant judge. Unable to tell the judge what really happened, Wayne and Diane scramble to come up with an explanation for where Wayne is. Despite Nick and Amy using several inventions at their usage, the McGanns manage to evade and hide further in the entertainment center. When the failure to save their parents gets apparent, Amy and Nick had given up until the McGanns gain a change of heart.

The Szalinski parents, pretending to be Wayne’s elderly parents, keep the grant judge occupied until their children can fix the problem. Diane starts showing off family photos, which the impatient judge dismisses while asking when Wayne will arrive. Diane asks the real Wayne to back her up. Diane tries to stall when the judge starts to leave by showing a different invention of Wayne's: a new and improved fire extinguisher. Not knowing what the device is at first, the judge ends up spraying foam all over himself. Fed up with these shenanigans, the judge declares to leave and that Wayne will be disqualified. Desperate not to lose his grant, Wayne shouts for the judge to wait and tells the judge that he has a confession to make. Making a joke that Wayne might be the Lindberg baby, the judge begrudgingly agrees to listen.

Fortunately, Amy and Nick arrive just in time with the McGanns that are now babies. Amy and Nick reactivate the Szalinski Zip Enhancer and the ages of their parents and the McGanns are restored to normal. When Wayne runs out of the house to catch up, the award judge is impressed that Wayne has instantly transformed from a senior citizen. But when Wayne realizes that the judge only cares about money, Wayne convinces the judge of being a mad scientist, causing the judge to refuse to work with Wayne. As the McGanns leave, Diane notices the elderly couple still have may have some of their energy as they speed away in their own car and run over a mailbox.

Main Cast

 * Peter Scolari - Wayne Szalinski
 * Barbara Alyn Woods - Diane Szalinski
 * Hillary Tuck - Amy Szalinski
 * Thomas Dekker - Nick Szalinski
 * Quark

Guest Cast

 * Beverly Leech - Mrs. McGann
 * Todd Waring - Mr. McGann
 * Sarah Lind - Teen Mrs. McGann
 * Chas Harrison - Teen Mr. McGann
 * Britt McKillip - Little Mrs. McGann
 * York Myers - Little Mr. McGann
 * Jordon Dobbie - Skateboard Kid
 * Don McAllister - Minister
 * Keith Humphrey - Groom
 * Linn Johnson - Bride
 * Kevin Rothery - Trooper
 * Gery Schubert - Manager
 * Lesley Harris - Mother in Crowd
 * Julia Maxwell - Some Kid
 * Daryl Shuttleworth - Grant Guy

Trivia

 * Diane asks Wayne if the Szalinski Zap Enhancer is safe for them, referring to their past experiences.
 * Seeing the McGanns have Diane and Wayne wonder what their old age will be together. Their questions are answered in a way due to rapidly aging over the next two days.
 * It's symbolic that Diane thinks of her mother and Wayne thinks of his parents as well as remembering their respective elderly relatives (Diane's great-grandmother and Wayne's great-aunt) in-between posing as Wayne’s elderly parents to keep the grant judge occupied.
 * Wayne's and Diane's respective bosses are alluded via phone calls.

Behind the Scenes

 * Chas Harrison (Teen Mr. McGann) previously played the teen version of Wayne Szalinski in "Honey, They Call Me A Space Cowboy".
 * Dave Trainor was responsible for the old-age makeup.

Continuity Issues

 * Driving : The McGanns are allowed to have a driver's license. However, they're clearly shown as senile. The "teenagers" later should've been pulled over by the police officer.
 * Hair : Wayne's receding hairline has his hair on the back of his head that does not fall out long in contrast to the short haircut he usually wears. This suggests that the Szalinski Zip Enhancer causes his hair to grow as per the aging process. However, Diane’s hair remains the same length even as she ages at the same accelerated rate.
 * Glasses : Diane's deteriorated eyesight has her wearing glasses for most of the episode's second half. Either the kids got a pair of glasses or Diane used a pair of reading glasses or borrowed Wayne's spare pair of glasses.
 * False Teeth : Wayne’s teeth falling out as a result of aging, but it's extremely unlikely that he would have been able to go and get a pair of dentures that fit his mouth. Even if he could have gotten dentures, there’s no way he would have taken the time to do so, given the pressing need to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer.