The youngest Brady boy, Bobby, had a very wild imagination and was a big daydreamer. Whilst most of his dreams were about his success in sports, one of his later dreams was really "Out of This World".
Brigadeer General James McDivitt, USAF Ret., is a guest on the local talk show, recalling his real-life encounter with a UFO during his Gemeni 4 mission on June 4, 1965. Afterward, Peter and Bobby — who were in the audience — get autographs and tell McDivitt how awed and amazed they are with this encounter. Late that night, after they are in bed, they her a weird noise outside their window. They look and see a red blip, resembling a UFO. Both are incredibly awestruck!
Alas, someone is putting something over these two naive Brady boys, and it is none other than their older brother, Greg. As we will soon find out, they had squealed on him for coming home after curfew one night. He had hung a plastic curtain on a clothesline he rigged between the property-line fence and his attic room window, put red crepe paper over the light beam of a flashlight (with a small cutout to resemble a ship), and then using a duck whistle to make its sound ... viola, instant UFO. Marcia finds out but then goes along as she, too, had been ratted out.
Meantime, Peter and Bobby are laughed at by their sisters and even Greg bluffs his way through disbelief that they saw a UFO. The reception at school for both of them is the same. The two are even more determined to prove they saw an actual UFO and, that night, they borrow their mother's camera and camp out in the back yard to capture it all on film. Unknown to them, Greg knows their every move and it isn't long before the UFO makes its cameo appearance. Later that night, Bobby has a dream — no, not a wet dream, but the next best thing: He's being visited by the Klaputians, friendly aliens from outer space!
Peter and Bobby pester Carol to develop the film so they can show everyone and prove they aren't crazy. Indeed, there does appear to be proof of a UFO on the photos. Mike sees the photos and decides he's going to call the Air Force to get his opinion.
That night, a stern-looking L.A.P.D. captain shows up, immediately annoyed that he is being sent to investigate a non-existent UFO claim. Greg is arriving home from late practice, sees that his brothers' discovery has gained national attention ... and — clearly not having expected this turn of events — decides he really needs to explain ... now. So while Greg is explaining to Mike his deception, the captain is still in the Bradys' family room, ranting about how this UFO is a fake ... until he sees the "UFO." He hurriedly calls the Air Force office to report the claim. Mike and Greg beckon the captain upstairs to explain the hoax. The captain is outraged and wants to press charges, but decides that being close to retirement, to keep it quiet. As punishment, Greg gets grounded from a much-anticipated fishing trip
Tropes present in this episode:
- Cut Himself Shaving: Literally, with Greg, who had a bandage on his chin and Alice makes it a point to ask him to explain. In Barry Williams' autobiography "Growing Up Brady," he explains that he had been involved in a car accident around the time this episode was filmed in November 1973 – the driver of another car was talking to her dog(!) – and that Sherwood Schwartz suggested the "cut himself shaving" explanation.
- Dream Sequence: Bobby's dream of being visited by the Klaputians.
- Flying Saucer: The obviously fake UFO that Bobby and Peter are duped into thinking is real.
- Hilarity Ensues: The secret behind the UFO is kept quiet, as the lieutenant officer sent to investigate is nearing retirement and doesn't want a lot of stress. In real life, Greg and/or Mike might have been facing misdemeanor charges of reporting a false emergency, and the officer might have also been in hot water, too. note .
- Idiot Ball: C'mon, weren't Peter and Bobby mature enough to tell that there was a plastic curtain in their backyard, or that the "UFO" was obviously a fake, even if it was just by keeping on showing up? Undoubtedly, Robert Reed tried – without success – to make this point clear to anyone who would listen and that this was just more slapstick horseshit.
- Innocent Aliens: The Klaputians. Frank and Sadie Delfino, two dwarves who were stand-ins for Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen when they were younger, played these friendly aliens.
- Special Guest: Brigadeer General James McDivitt, USAF Ret. He relates his real-life encounter with a UFO during his Gemeni 4 mission on June 4, 1965, during his guest appearance on a talk show, which takes up much of the first act and is eventually used to frame the plot.
- The Stool Pigeon: The reason Greg plays this revenge game with Peter and Bobby, taking advantage of their gullibility after they reported to Mike and Carol (likely at their behest) that he was late for curfew without a good reason. Marcia joins in because she was ratted on, too!
- You Are Grounded!: At episode's end, when Mike forbids Greg to go on the fishing trip as a consequence for his stupid prank. Marcia, on the other hand, gets off scot free.
