'Last Man Standing' Fans Welcome New Baxter Family Member Introduced in Final Season Premiere

Daniel S. Levine

01/03/2021 10:24 pm EST

Last Man Standing introduced a new member of the Baxter family during Sunday night's final season premiere, and she was welcomed with open arms by fans. Sarah, Mandy's (Molly McCook) newborn daughter and Kyle (Christoph Sanders), made her debut. The episode, "Time Flies," began with Mandy still pregnant but flashed forward to a time after the coronavirus pandemic, where Sarah is already walking and talking.

After Mandy and Kyle opened presents from family members in the opening, Mandy told her dad Mike Baxter (Tim Allen), she was unsure about welcoming a baby into this world of uncertainty. He assured her life would be fine, and he invited Mandy and Kyle to stay with him and Vanessa (Nancy Travis) during the pandemic lockdown. Of course, no one could predict how long the pandemic would last.

The show flashed forward into a future after the pandemic as Mike's beard continued growing over months. Following an Outdoor Man video where Mike wondered if he could play Santa Claus, the pandemic finally ended in 2023. Mandy then came into the Outdoor Man office to take Mike to dinner, with Sarah running in to be with her grandpa.

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The majority of the episode centered on Mandy and Vanessa's disagreements over raising Sarah. Although it has been at least a few years since the pandemic ended, Mandy and Kyle are still living with Vanessa and Mike. Mandy thought Vanessa was going overboard with suggestions on how she should parent Sarah. Later, Vanessa agreed to be less "helpful" with Sarah so Mandy and Kyle could still live with them.

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In the end, Mike explained Vanessa's point of view to Mandy after seeing Mandy sing a lullaby to Sarah. "It's hard giving up that feeling that you're a superhero," Mike told Mandy. She vowed to not let "monsters" get to her daughter, something she learned from an "old superhero I know." "That's very sweet of you... Old?" Mike wondered. "...Wise?" Mandy said. Mandy also said she was good with moving back into her parents' house. The next episode of Last Man Standing airs at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox Thursday.

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