Titus/The Breakup

The Breakup
Season 1, Episode 4
Airdate	April 10, 2000
Production Number	1ADK-03
Written by	Christopher Titus
Directed by	Howard Murray
← 1x03 Dave Moves Out	1x05 → Titus Integritous
Titus — Season One

The Breakup is the fourth episode of the first season of Titus, and the fourth episode overall. Titus and Erin have a fight that continues to escalate into break-up after break-up over the course of 24 hours.

Starring: Christopher Titus (Christopher Titus), Cynthia Watros (Erin Fitzpatrick), Zack Ward (Dave Titus), David Shatraw (Tommy Shafter)

And: Stacy Keach (Ken Titus)

Co-Starring: Sara Downing (Tiffany), Eric Rutherford (Randy), Phoenix Forsyth (10 Year Old Titus)

Plot Overview

Opening Monologue

Normal people can live with happiness. Screwed up people will try to destroy it. My dad was married five times. Until I was ten, I thought women were rent to own. See, all I'm looking for is the perfect match. On our first date, my girlfriend Erin and I took a thermos of Bailey's and coffee and went on a romantic walk in the park. Except it was sprinkler night. Being chivalrous, I bolted ahead. But Erin, in heels and dressed to kill, never once changed stride. That was the night I fell in love with her. Her strength, her composure... and you could see her nipples. Eventually we moved in together so I could see them every day. They're my friends.

14 months into my relationship, I realized it's not an act. That's who she is, she's great. The perfect girl. I don't deserve this kind of happiness... How can I destroy it?

(Cut to Erin yelling at Titus)

...Wow, I thought screwing this up was going to be a lot harder.

The Show

Titus and Erin have a small fight, but because he's dysfunctional, Titus subconsciously forces it to escalate into a huge argument that culminates in them breaking up. In retaliation for Erin dumping him, he sleeps with a waitress who looks just like her. He comes back home to pack up his things, but Erin tells him that the whole argument was her fault and that they should forget about the previous night.

During the session of fawning over Titus in order to make things right again, Erin gets a call from the waitress that Titus slept with in the time that Erin and he were broken up. After another 12 hours of arguing, Titus comes to the conclusion that she owns him and he must now attempt to fix things. In the middle of this new argument, Erin gets a call from an ex-boyfriend of hers named Randy who she also slept with the night before.

They manage to stay happy for about 30 seconds before exploding into another argument. They storm into the kitchen, where they find Dave eating their fried chicken. Tommy also shows up, because he was worried about Titus since he didn't show up for work. Tommy offers to help and Titus kicks him out. They resume the fight until they eventually realize that they were both in the wrong. They attempt to do the adult thing and end the relationship, but instead Titus asks her to marry him.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Titus and Erin: Titus proposes to Erin and she accepts. He claims that because they cheated on each other once, he won't have to worry about being compelled to break them up due to being too happy.

Trivia

The Show

• True Story: The bit where the sprinkler system turns on during Titus and Erin's date actually happened on Titus' first date with the real Erin. A part that didn't make it into the episode was when a cop pulled up and asked them if they knew that the park wasn't safe because it's a heavy gang area.

Behind the Scenes

• Network Argument: The network were heavily discouraged by the end of this episode where Titus and Erin got engaged because they were uncertain of how the characters could progress in their relationship if they didn't break up.
• Fun With Censorship: The censor fought with producers of the show over the scene where Titus shoots himself after getting everything he wanted in life. At one point, the censor asked if it had to be a gunshot.