Roseanne: Halloween - The Final Chapter

And this is one of the saner moments.

Roseanne: Halloween - The Final Chapter
ABC
October 31, 1995
Sitcom
DVD
C-

Barr directed and co-wrote, with Lois Bromfield, this odd entry that might well be the Shark Jump, or at least the Putting on the Waterskis moment.  (It'll be easier to tell as the season progresses, or regresses.)  The title I believe has something to do with the fact that this was originally supposed to be the final season of the series, but it doesn't explain why Roseanne, after well over a year of pregnancy, gives birth to a baby boy (Cole Roberts in his first appearance), whom she names after the spirit of Jerry Garcia (Fred Asparagus, who'd played Del Moore on Who's the Boss?), after seeing the recently departed musician in a labor-induced hallucination.  Even before the hospital sequence, we get Ed McMahon and Sarah Chalke, as themselves (I think) mixed in with trick-or-treaters.  And a mini-clip-show of past Halloweens (which is why Gilbert and Goranson are tagged). 

Basically, the whole thing is a mess, not exactly redeemed by the tag where Roseanne fields staged-sounding questions from the audience.  (OK, I did laugh when a man who claims to be one of the writers asks what the hell the episode was.)  You know I've never been a big fan of the Halloween episodes, but they at least had some bearing on reality.  And contrast this episode with some touching and funny moments in the episode with the flashback to D.J.'s birth and you'll see what this series was starting to lose.  It's not all over, but the future doesn't look too bright from this point on out.

Jason Davis's middle Roseanne character is nameless, but he was possibly the lawyer kid.  Bobbie Bates makes her first of two nameless appearances on the show.  (And she was a dancer in Mame over twenty years earlier.)  Trippy Dancer Tera Hendrickson would be Barb on Ellen.

Who's the Boss?: A Well-Kept Housekeeper

Who's the Boss?: A Well-Kept Housekeeper
ABC
November 2, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B

This story by Doran, Kallis, and Rosenfarb deals with Tony's insecurities about being involved with a rich woman.  This didn't seem to be an issue in the early seasons, but Angela's neighbor (I've forgotten her name, the one he met at the grocery store) and Genevieve Pescher were just temporary involvements.  He's more serious about Angela and he does come from a traditional background, where he was raised to be the breadwinner.  The situation is played for humor, but not everything is resolved, although at least the issue is confronted, by them as a couple, and by the writers.  There's a sexy moment near the end, where Angela helps him "feel like a man," by making him open a jar of jam.  I would've gone with a B+ but Tony does, as he later admits, act like a "jerk" during this episode.

Richard Roat had played Dr. Thompson on The Bob Newhart Show and is Phil Davis here.  Oliver Muirhead returns as Oliver, the snooty (and funny) maitre d' at Le Fleur.  Jennifer McComb and Ria Pavia return as Sam's friends from the dorms Jennifer and Laurie, while Lisa Cohen, Colette Duvall, and Ria Giullani play Lisa, Colette, and Ria here and would later appear as Cheerleaders. Bruce French (who played a Hotel Clerk on Soap) and Eileen Barnett would return as Ted and Elaine Braddock.  I saw no sign of Jonathan in this syndicated version.

The Tonight Show: You Are the Author

The Tonight Show: You Are the Author

Different edition, from '91

NBC

1990?

Talk Show

VHS

B-

Johnny Carson reads aloud the studio audience's submissions for a romance novel.  I suspect these have been tweaked a bit by the staff writers, since it runs together pretty smoothly.  The best part is seeing the band break Johnny up.