The Brady Bunch: The Fender Benders

The Brady Bunch: The Fender Benders
ABC
March 10, 1972
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Except for the mildly racist Charlie Chan impressions, this is a pretty good episode, the last Bunch written by David P. Harmon and the last directed by Allen Baron.  Jackie Coogan returns, this time as vile Harry Duggan, who gets in a car accident with Carol.  Mike's quick thinking in court saves the day.  Marcia tells off Greg's friend Eddie on the phone when she overhears him saying something against women drivers, setting us up for the Greg vs. Marcia rivalry in season five's driving contest.  Judge Robert Emhardt also played a judge on That Girl, about six years earlier.  Note that this is the 72nd episode and it aired in '72.  Also the seasons are getting shorter by an episode per year, but obviously this can't continue indefinitetly.

The third season is uneven, hitting highs and lows the series hadn't before, but still averaging out to a B-.  As the middle season, it has elements of both the early and later seasons, including a blend of both post-'50s and early '70s kitsch.  The kids are growing up more, with Bobby and Cindy feeling disrespected as the youngest, Peter and Jan coping more with early adolescence, and Greg and Marcia approaching adulthood but still with a lot to learn.  Carol is starting to assert herself more, here worrying how Mike will react to the dented fender but also proclaiming that she's not frail.  Mike is still the head of the family, but he is loosening up a bit.  And Alice, well, she never changes much.

While The Bunch pretty much have the '71-'72 season to themselves in my TV collection, they will have to share the blog with quite a few other shows as we move into '72-'73....