Who's the Boss?: Protecting the President

Who's the Boss?: Protecting the President
ABC
January 22, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Ellen Guylas wrote this story that shows how Angela's personal life impacts her professional life, and vice versa.  It begins with Tony barbecuing in the backyard despite the cold weather (perhaps with the BBQ the household won in the episode where Sam and Jonathan run off to Brooklyn).  Jim Peterson (Boen) drops by to tell Angela the news that her friend Grant has resigned as chairman of the board.  She doesn't believe it, until Grant calls.  Now there'll be a new chairman, McKenna (played by Stahl), and Angela might not be president any longer.  She throws a dinner party for McKenna, but Peterson wins him over.  When Jim not only gloats to Tony, who's playing bartender, but says that Angela is president because she slept with Grant, Tony throws him out into the snow.  Jim claims they had a disagreement over football, and Tony is too much of a gentleman to repeat what Jim said (especially in front of all her co-workers).  When Angela finds out, she takes to her bed, catching a psychosomatic cold and wearing her hair in ponytails.  Sam gives Tony some good advice, and Mona offers motherly sympathy, more than she'd show in later seasons.  So Tony invites Jim over so he can apologize to Jim, but Angela stands up for herself and Tony.

I like how we get the catharsis of Tony evicting Jim, but mostly I like how we see the different characters supporting each other.  It's also a funny episode, including Angela trying to fake an interest in sports.  Note that we don't see Grant, but we learn that she did sleep with him after her promotion.  Presumably their relationship is either over or open, since she's been out with a few men since the pilot.

This is the only WtB episode directed by Harvey Medlinsky, who also did one for The Bob Newhart Show and three for Mork & Mindy.  And it's the 1100th sitcom episode I've reviewed.

Mork & Mindy: Dr. Morkenstein

Mork & Mindy: Dr. Morkenstein
ABC
October 7, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Bruce Kalish and Philip John Taylor, who'd co-written a What's Happening!! episode, contribute their first of three for Mork.  If the scenes in the deli weren't weak (no offense to Hecht or Thomas, but it's like all the writers don't know what to do with their characters), I'd give this a B because the main plot of security guard Mork giving a robot (body of Robby, voice of Roddy McDowell) emotions and then having to say goodbye is well done.  Also, some of the jokes are genuinely funny, unlike some of the humor in recent episodes.

Mork & Mindy: Mork's Seduction

Mork & Mindy: Mork's Seduction
ABC
October 12, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Morgan Fairchild makes her first of three appearances as Mindy's frenemy Susan Taylor and, no, she doesn't seduce Mork, although she tries.  I didn't find this episode as funny as some of the recent ones, but I do like that Mindy admits she was jealous and that she and Mork share another sweet kiss.  In Mork's report to Orson, Mindy is clearly more on his mind than Susan is.

This is the first of two Mork stories written by Neil Lebowitz, who would do one for Three's Company the next year.

Mork & Mindy: Mork in Love

Mork & Mindy: Mork in Love
ABC
October 5, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B

This Turner & Mitchell story has Mork, who's still learning about emotions, falling in love with a mannequin.  But of course it is really, especially in retrospect, about Mork starting to fall in love with Mindy.  Early in the episode, he asks her some questions about love and wants to mate with her so he can make a report back to Ork.  She doesn't go for that, but she does have him later compare holding hands, hugging, and kissing with her as opposed to his "girlfriend."  He definitely prefers the human and starts to have stirrings he doesn't really understand.  Meanwhile, Fred gives up the money he was saving for a fancy car to show off at his high school reunion (it doesn't say, but I'm guessing 25th or 30th) so that Mindy can go back to college.  Mork wonders about this and the way that Fred and Cora love each other despite their insults.  He's learning about all kinds of love.

There's some outrageous humor, much of it involving the dummy, as well as some lines that might be Williams's ad-libs that made it past the censor, including a Lolita reference and Mork giving Mindy the "letters" K, F, U, in that order.  Dawber laughs but the audience doesn't seem to quite catch on.  No one was really used to this sort of humor on TV back then, especially on what seemed to be a show aimed primarily at kids.

The Bob Newhart Show: Making Up Is the Thing to Do

The Bob Newhart Show: Making Up Is the Thing to Do
CBS
December 25, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this story by the Farrs, Bob's parents (Barnard Hughes and Martha Scott), who split up around Thanksgiving, reconcile on Christmas Day.  As mentioned on the previous episode, they've been married 47 years.  And we find out that Bob was almost named Herb, not for his father but for President Hoover.  The episode references Farrah and has quite a bit about CB radios.  It's the only one directed by Harvey Medlinsky, who'd go to Mork & Mindy.  It's also the 600th sitcom episode I've reviewed.