Why Michael could not call for help.....

[dreadedcandiru2]

The irritating thing about John's breezy assumption that it's safe to leave April at the tender mercies of his idiot son is that he doesn't really understand how bad a babysitter Mike is. He doesn't know that Mike had to be bailed out the first time and let the Nichols kids run amok the second time so he could record their bad behaviour. This allows him to assign Mike intellect, resourcefulness and willingness that were notable for the purity of their absence. Elly, however, did remember by giving him means of escape that he did not take advantage of because he didn't want to look like what he was: a stupid idiot out of his depth. He cannot call them because he thinks he'll get yelled at. He cannot call Anne because he's worried she'll tell Elly that he's too stupid to live. He cannot call Gordon because he's afraid he'll get teased.

Most of all, he cannot follow the instructions Elly gave him because he's got his pride and doesn't want to face the fact that he doesn't know what he's doing so has to be nagged by remote control. Also, he could not tag in Martha because he didn't want to be accused of turning the Pattermanse into a hanky-panky house. This means that he's what I expect him to be: a nitwit who can't cope with a stressful situation stuck without someone to yell to for help. This is what Deanna is for, after all.