I pretty much agree, but...

In 1985, Biff is just under 50 (since he looks like a senior in high school in '55...of course he could have been held back 2 or 3 times; anyways...), so his son in 1985 can't be any older than probably 30 (incidentally, since George McFly is right around the same age as Biff, doesn't he look pretty damn young for 48 or so?), and that would only be true if Biff had gotten married and had a family right after high school. So Biff's son (let's call him Smiff) is probably 5-10 years older than Marty, and from that idea it's easy to realize why he never bullied Marty. Now Griff looks to be about 18-21 (I don't remember if he's in school), which means Smiff didn't have him until he was like, 35. Anyways, I figure Smiff lived on his own in 1985, with whomever, and didn't have Griff until right around 1998 or '99.

 

Biff's son doesn't have to pick on Marty

All through history, a Tannon has picked on a McFly his own age. However, we don't know the exact age of Biff's son (Griff's dad). He could be five years older than Marty, and then probably would have picked on Dave McFly. Or possibly Biff's son/Griff's dad didn't live close enough to the McFlys.

 

maybe so

seriously, how much time does marty spend in 1985 after having changed Biff's life via 1955? maybe now there is a Tannen bullying him in 1985 and he isn't even aware yet. maybe Biff's son is not bullying Marty but has respect for him, in the same manner that Biff shows respect to George. And this could all change after the accident. all other explanations are also valid.

 

Good point.

Good point because in all generations shown in the Back To The Future trilogy, we always see a McFly being pushed around by a Tannen except for Marty. It is possible that Marty could have been born up to ten years apart from Biff's son, and if so, they probiably would never associate with each other. However, there was that one guy Needles (played by Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), remember. He tried to take control of Marty at times.

 

Who says Biff ever had a son...

...He could have very well had a DAUGHTER!

 

The origjnal nitpicker is right...

Although I agree with some points of the last couple of nitpickers, the original nitpicker is right. It's a mistake. The characters and family relationships are very pertinent to the plot. Not explaining who Biff's son is makes a big whole in the story line, with plenty of room for speculation.

 

Marty

Marty never gets bullied by a Tannen, but he is headstrong and stands up for himself, unlike his father and his son. Remember, Marty stood up to Griff in 2015, and to Biff in Part I's 1955 (twice; once in the ice cream shop, and once in the cafeteria when Biff is harassing Lorraine.) So Marty isn't the type to be pushed around by a confrontational, bullying Tannen.

 

D-I-V-O-R-C-E?

Knowing Biff's personality and his way with women, it's entirely possible that Biff's wife divorced him and moved to a different town with their son. Or maybe the child was born out of wedlock. For the purposes of the plots of all three movies, Griff's dad is not important what-so-ever. Also, the DVD for the second movie says that Griff is 2 years older than Marty jr. Maybe Biff's son was too old to pick on Marty in school. Remember, Marty is the youngest of 3 children. Maybe Biff's son bullied Dave.

 

McFlys and Tannens

There is a notion running through a number of the comments that in Hill Valley in each generation a Tannen bullies a McFly. There is no such Law of Nature.

• In 1885 Bufford 'Mad Dog' Tannen has told Seamus McFly not to frequent the saloon, but since he has already killed at least a dozen men, Seamus can hardly be considered a special target of his bullying.
• There is no evidence one way or the other that William McFly or his son, George's father, was ever harassed by a Tannen.
• From 1955 to 1985 George McFly has clearly been a victim of Biff Tannen's bullying. There is no indication, though, that Dave, Linda, or Marty have ever been bothered by any of Biff's children.
• In 2015 Marty, Jr appears to be getting some special attention from Griff.

Of the six generations of McFlys and Tannens in Hill Valley, only George and Marty, Jr are especially bullied by a Tannen. That is not to say that the Tannen family seems ever to have produced anyone we would care to know, just that we have no reason to be surprised that Biff's child has not, to our knowledge, ever bullied Marty.

As for the nitpick itself, I can't see why it matters who Griff's father (or mother) is. I fail to see why the lack of reference to a character who has nothing to do with any of the storyline qualifies as a nitpick.

 

Needles?

It is entirely possible that Douglass Needles is Biff's son, who seemed to at least give Marty a hard time. Although Needles is his last name, it is possible that (assuming Doug Needles is Biff's son) Biff and Douglass Needles' mother never married, in which Needles would be his mother's name. This would mean that Griff's last name would also Needles and not Tannen.

 

re:McFlys and Tannens

I strongly disapprove the fact that needles might've been Biff's son, and I also confirm that Griff is not related to needles at all... remember when needles call Marty SR, before his bosses Fire him??? it give detailed info on Needles whereabouts in 2015... Married ( strangely with a lady named Linda???) and that he has 2 kids aged in thier 20's ... so needles kids might be a bit too old to pick up Marty Jr., so Griff come from the darkness of the script.

 

Re: Needles?

If Douglass Needles was Biff's son, his last name would be Tannen, not Needles, regardless of whether he and Needles' mother were married. And I can prove this using myself as an example: 1. My parents aren't married 2. My mother's last name is Moran 3. My father's last name is Jones 4. My last name is Jones

 

Comment on Needles comment

For the commentor who was trying to make the argument that Needles is Biff's son hence Griff's father, if you remember when Needles called Marty at home and suckered Marty into whatever scheme that eventually got Marty fired, information about Needles is running underneath his face like hobbies, favorite drink, ect and it also lists his children and Griff wasn't among them. Besides, if it were so, Griff had just been arrested for the incident at the town hall so if Needles was his father wouldn't he have more important things to do than bully Marty into a scheme?

 

Biff's Family

If Biff had a Daughter than Griff's last name wouldn't be Tannen, would it? Because all the Tannens in history had the name Tannen, we know that everyone had at least 1 son. However, why is it unreasonable to assume that Biff had no son? It's possible that, in the altered 1950's where he was decked by George McFly his life changed from the original timeline. (We know this because he now waxes George McFly's car). Now we can assume he might have had different opportunities to meet women in his new timeline, and may have had a son, which would have never bullied Marty because Biff was scared to death of George McFly now.

 

Ask Zmeckis

This one should be marked Refuted for the very simple reason that it isn't a nitpick at all, but merely a question.

The question itself is irrelevant. Griff's father doesn't appear in the movie. Why is that a nitpick? Biff's old gang, Marty's siblings, Jennifer's parents, and lots of other Hill Valley residents don't appear, either. So what?

Biff was 17 or 18 in 1955 so he's 77 or 78 in 2015. He has, undoubtedly, retired. A reasonable guess is that his son, Griff's dad, now runs the Body Shop.

Remember that in 1955 Biff was living with his grandmother. We didn't see HIS parents, either. Big deal. That's not a nitpick and neither is this one.

 

This is not essential for the plot

Some of the other comments argue that this is a valid nitpick because it is essential for the plot. It is not essential for the plot, so the nitpick is invalid.

The plot isn't based around each generation of McFlys being picked on by a member of the Tannen, it is based on a different McFly, in each of the three movies, being picked on by a different Tannen, depending on which ever time period they traveled to. It isn't all generations of McFlys being picked on by a Tannen, it is three generations of McFlys being picked on by a different Tannen -- one for each of the three movies. In the Back to the Future movies, it was part of the plot for there to be parallels between the movies. Like the way Marty was asleep, and thought his recent experiences were a dream, then was surprized when Marty's mom said something while he was waking up that indicated he was not dreaming. Another parallel was when a Tannen would come into the bar screaming ''McFly!! I thought I told you never to come in here!!'' That is what is necessary for the plot, and that only requires three generations of McFly vs. Tannen fueds, but it does not require conflict between all generations of McFlys and Tannens.

 

reply to 36366

A couple of points 1. The original person who said Needles could be Biff's son said that Biff and his Mother could have never been married. If they were never married it is very possible that Needles would take his mother's maiden name. 2. You claimed that Needles would take his father's name regarldess of the circumstances of his birth. You couldn't be more wrong. It is not that uncommen for a child to end up with his/her mother's surname if he/she is born when his/her parents are not together. 3. Even if Needles was Biff's son he cannot be Griff's father since Griff's last name is Tannen (freeze frame on the newspaper headline).

 

Agree with 41503

I agree with this comment. When George stood up to Biff it changed the story. Biff went from being the bully to getting bullied. Which would explain why there is nothing about Biff's son bulling any of Geroge's kids. How ever we know that Biff is angry in the second movie enough to go back in time and change his life so he can destroy George's. Which would mean that old Biff wanting revenge raised Griff to bully Marty's kid.

 

Not important

Biff could've had 10 kids. Unless they were important to the story, we never saw them. We have to remember Marty is the youngest of the three kids. If he's 16 to 18 in the movies, then he was born in 1967 to 1969, 12 or 13 years after the events in 1955. ( I was born in 1966, by the way, I was like a Marty myself, although I wasn't short) Biff could've had a child anytime in there, or after. Biff's offspring then could've had Griff somewhere in the 1990's. Let's say Biff had a child in 1965 only 10 years after 1955, when he was 28. This child, at 30 had a child in 1995 who turned out to be Griff. This put Griff at 20 years old in BTTF2. Griff doesn't have to be the first child, could've been the last. I had my first child at 33, so I know having kid's in your 30's is more common nowadays, where careers come first for some people.