Mork & Mindy: Reflections and Regrets

Mork & Mindy: Reflections and Regrets
ABC
May 14, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This Tenowich & Scharlach story is a solid B for the most part.  The entire cast is present (except, significantly, Orson), yet they're all given moments to shine, and it would in fact be the final appearances for Hecht, Staahl, and Thomas.  (Stephanie Kayano and Amy Tenowich also briefly make their last appearances, as Stephanie and Lola.)  They're all gathered to celebrate Mr. Bickley's 50th birthday.  (Poston was actually pushing 60 but didn't look it.)  He has many regrets, including that he's never told his 27-year-old son Tom the facts of life.  The others share their regrets, ranging from funny (Remo's that women only want him for his body) to dark (Fred's that he killed a man in self-defense during the Korean War).

Mindy avoids sharing hers until everyone has gone home, so that she can tell Mork in private that she regrets that her mother didn't have the chance to meet Mork.  She couldn't say this in front of their friends because she'd have to talk about Mork being from outer space.  It's a sweet, moving confession.  And then Mork says what he'd say to Mindy's mom, and it's unclear if she's really there (as she was in the episode set in the old house).  Mork says that he loves Mindy, and then he tells her directly.  She says, "I love you, too, Mork."  And I dissolve into a pool of emotions.  (No, seriously, I was sobbing!)  It's a lovely way to close out the third season, and to lead to the beginning of the fourth.

Other than this episode, Season Three ranges from C to B, and factoring the B+ in gives an average on the C+/B- border, slightly to the B- side.  And, yes, there are a lot of cuspy shows for '80-'81, a time when television and the world were in transition.  The eighties but not The Eighties, if you will.  As for M & M, this episode proves that there was still life in the series, although Season Four would take it to some unexpected places, Ork among them.

Mork & Mindy: I Heard It Through the Morkvine

Mork & Mindy: I Heard It Through the Morkvine
ABC
April 30, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Staahl co-wrote this story about Mork learning about gossip.  (As with some of his other lessons in Season Three, it seems a bit late for something so basic, especially considering Mork lives with an attractive young woman and should've encountered rumors about them at some point.  But this is not Three's Company.)  The episode also makes a point about the nature of privacy and it's more intelligent than I expected.  (I laughed out loud at the references to the then fairly current autobiographies of Lauren Bacall and Shelley Winters, but maybe that's because I've read those books.)  And, yes, it's another one of those with added poignancy, because Williams's own death would be surrounded by gossip.

This episode has more of the supporting cast than usual, although Exidor does not become a subject of gossip.  Foster Brooks makes his last appearance as Mindy's boss, Mr. Sternhagen.

Soap: Episode 85

Soap: Episode 85
ABC
March 23, 1981
Dramedy
DVD
C

OK, we're down to four writers again, Clair & McMahon having left, but it doesn't really help.  This can be seen in the rescue scene, where characters enter the dungeon one or two at a time and all the chatter is supposed to be funny, but I actually sympathize with Burt who wants to get things moving.  Of course, that's the only time I sympathize with Burt, who's still being a conceited jerk, especially towards his family.

Now that Jodie and Maggie are rescued, she wants him to live up to his dungeon marriage proposal, but he has doubts because he might still be gay.  They discuss this at the same Japanese restaurant (I think with the same actor as the chef), but it only serves as a reminder of how much funnier the Jodie & Carol scenes were.  And Jodie tells his therapist later that he didn't love the mother of his child, but the truth is I'm not at all invested in Jodie & Maggie (especially since she says, "You're not a cupcake"), while Carol was a much more interesting character, and I in fact was more convinced of Jodie's affection for her, while he just seems to love Maggie because the script says so.

Not unlike Gwen & Danny.  She's written him a goodbye note, in order to protect him, but he doesn't know that.  He wonders why whenever he falls in love, it goes badly, and he wonders if he's meant to be alone.  Unfortunately for him and us, this is not the case.

Still, Jessica forgives Mary, so that's worth something, as is Jessica recalling what a fainter Mary has always been.  And the amazing thing about Soap is that it doesn't seem like it's going to get flat-out awful.  It's just not good anymore, except for moments (like the old prisoner's worry that Nixon is President with Ike dead) and sometimes scenes.

George Wyner, who was Rex Pottinger on The Bob Newhart Show and Cpl. Benson on M*A*S*H, makes his first appearance as Jodie's therapist Dr. Rudolph.  And Jim Staahl proves he can be even less funny as a bee-fearing patient than he is as Nelson Flavor on Mork & Mindy.  Chester and Eunice are missing.  Note that Wendy looks like she's played by another baby, but it's hard to tell.

Mork & Mindy: Mork Meets Robin Williams

Mork & Mindy: Mork Meets Robin Williams
ABC
February 19, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This McRaven & Johnson story to some degree has to be separated from the poignant irony it's gained in light of Robin's death, and his struggles before then.  Mindy has an assignment to get an interview with Williams, who's in town, and meanwhile Mork is attacked by fans who see a resemblance to the celebrity.  There's an awful lot of set-up to get to the good scene with Mork, Mindy, and Robin, and the sad report to Orson where Mork mentions celebrities who found fame hard to deal with, including John Lennon (whose death would've been very recent at the time of filming).

Even in '81, Williams had been struggling with fame for awhile and there is an undercurrent of Dawber, a genuine friend, trying to speak to him and help him maintain his selfhood, whether or not this was a conscious intention on anyone's part at the time.  We (especially a certain naive 13-year-old fan) didn't know about Williams's cocaine usage, but it's impossible to not think of it, and his other problems, now.  And I think there's also the subtext of Williams trying to figure out who Mork was to him, both burden and opportunity, even as he bemusedly watches Mork eat roses.  Not a great episode but certainly an interesting one, especially for the last five minutes or so.

Foster Brooks returns as station manager Mr. Sternhagen, again with a sober scene and a drunk scene.  Guard Rance Howard (Ron's father) had appeared in both versions of the That Girl pilot as a Customer.

Mork & Mindy: Twelve Angry Appliances

Mork & Mindy: Twelve Angry Appliances
ABC
February 5, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Ron Osborn and Jeff Reno's first of three Mork stories is mostly forgettable.  Mindy is fed up with the appliance repairman Mr. Strand (Richard Libertini, who among other things had recently appeared with Williams in Popeye).  So Mork teaches him a lesson.  Note that Mork makes two Watergate references this time, one in front of the daycare kids, who get it and laugh.

Jonathan Ian, Stephanie Kayano, and Amy Tenowich return as respectively Jonathan, Stephanie, and Lola.

Mork & Mindy: Alas, Poor Mork, We Knew Him Well

Mork & Mindy: Alas, Poor Mork, We Knew Him Well
ABC
January 8, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This story by Steve Kreinberg and Andy Guerdat takes awhile to get going but the stuff with Mork in his glass bubble (I'm surprised there's no John Travolta reference) is good.  And, yes, Mork deciding to fully live life is a bit poignant considering Williams's later life and death.  Note that Glenda Faye denies that she and Nelson are an item, although he says they are.

Will Porter, who previously previously played the baby-seller "Sleazy," here is an insurance salesman named Ernest.

Mork & Mindy: Putting the Ork Back in Mork

Mork & Mindy: Putting the Ork Back in Mork
ABC
November 13, 1980
Sitcom
DVD
B

As the title suggests, this Scharlach & Tenowich season-opener has Mork, and the show, trying to find the way back to what was lost.  The result is in turns bittersweet, funny, moving, and meandering.  Although Janis was back for good, the second season additions weren't dumped, and in fact we also get Crissy Wilzak in her first of 22 appearances as Glenda Faye Comstock.  The Da Vincis now run a restaurant ("Eat your last supper here," Remo suggests as a slogan), while Nelson is changing his self image after losing the election.  These four young characters still don't have terribly much to do though, which is why the episode isn't a B+ or higher.

When the focus is on Mork and Mindy, with and without Fred and The Elder (Vidal I. Peterson in the first of two appearances), things really hum though.  Williams starts out doing a very bland, whitebread Earthling and then gradually returns to something more like (but not identical to) first-season Mork.  His jokes and his energy are stronger than they've been in a long while, and I laughed out loud a few times.  (There are a couple swipes at Republicans, including, yes, Nixon, but my favorite line was the throwaway about ABC shaking up the schedule the previous season.)  The sweetness of M & M's relationship also gets more attention than it usually did in Season Two.  Whether the show can sustain this quality for the rest of the season is unknown, but it certainly has more potential than Soap's season-opener indicates.

I remember this episode from the time, including that at twelve I got that the joke about "You should've seen the way we used to do this," in reference to Mindy putting her finger in Mork's ear so she can speak with Orson, was a sex joke.  I remember enjoying the episode then, especially Peterson's performance; I'd forgotten until watching it now that the Orkan backwards aging didn't come up before.  Note that most of Mindy's memories, set to a cover of "Memories," look like they're extended clips of scenes from the credits, such as flying the kite.

Amy Tenowich returns as Lola.  And this is the episode that introduces Mork's pet noggachump, Bebo.

Mork & Mindy: Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies

Mork & Mindy: Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies
ABC
February 14, 1980
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Tenowich & Scharlach story, Nelson has an hour of Saturday morning time on local TV, so Mork, Mindy, their friends, and the kids from the daycare where Mork has a new job put on a show.  I usually like "talent show" episodes but this one never quite builds to anything.  Some nice moments though, like the "Frog Lake" ballet.

The episode was on high nepotism alert, with various staff's kids making up the daycare bunch.  although only Amy Tenowich, making her first of eight appearances as Lola (I think the one who wanted to hear Dick Cavett), would return.  Peggy Pope, who would return to Soap shortly as Carol's mother, plays Mrs. Thompson.

Mork & Mindy: The Night They Raided Mind-ski's

Mork & Mindy: The Night They Raided Mind-ski's
ABC
January 10, 1980
Sitcom
DVD
C+

While I don't question the sincerity of this Scharlach & Tenowich story about Mork learning about bigotry, I do have some issues with the execution.  In particular, the studio audience is encouraged to laugh at Mork's ethnic jokes and to identify with his destruction of the Pure Power headquarters.  (Some of this may be Storm's fault.)  Also, while I like the device of Mork making the bigots change colors, did the soundtrack have to do a quick "Oriental" theme for the Asian woman?  (It's not presented satirically, like in, say, Down with Love.)  Dawber does well under the circumstances, and I like that she's proud of her Polish grandmother, although it does feel a bit ret-conny to find out Cora's background at this point.  (Or is it Fred's mother?)

Tom Kindle's middle of three roles on the show is Lloyd Prescott.  Nancy Steen, who's Helen Anderson, was a Nurse on M*A*S*H.  And among Ed Peck's many credits are five appearances on That Girl, although at the time he played Jim Blake he was probably most recognizable as Police Officer Kirk on Happy Days.

Mork & Mindy: Exidor's Wedding

Mork & Mindy: Exidor's Wedding
ABC
December 16, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
C

In this McRaven & Johnson episode, Mork finds Exidor's long-lost (after 35 years) mother, Princess Lusitania (Anita Dangler, who had recently played the lobotomy patient Virginia).  There's a lot of wackiness here but not much actual humor, and the attic wedding (presided over by Nelson for some reason) isn't as memorable as the one Mork performed for Eugene in the first season.

Mork & Mindy: Hold That Mork

Mork & Mindy: Hold That Mork
ABC
November 25, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This Kalish & Taylor story is another one where "sex" was used to boost ratings, but the Denver Bronco Pony Express Cheerleaders aren't exactly memorable sex symbols compared to Raquel Welch.  (I remember from that era as it being all about the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, although admittedly the DBPEC were more local to Boulder.)  The most interesting thing here, besides seeing hairy Williams in a halter top and skirt, is how Mindy reassures him after he's hit by stage fright.  (Apparently this was shot at an actual game.)  As for the message of sex equality, it's of course as muddled as you'd expect.

Melanie Vincz, who plays Kathy, had recently been Sylvia on Three's Company.  James Staley also was on 3'sC that Fall, as Special Agent Banning, and he has his first of two Mork roles here as sportscaster Stu Scully (presumably a blend of Stu Nahan and Vin Scully).  Linda Henning plays her second Mork role here, as Pam Stockhaus.

Mork & Mindy: Mork vs. the Necrotons

Mork & Mindy: Mork vs. the Necrotons
ABC
November 18, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Alan Eisenstock and Larry Mintz had written eight What's Happening!! episodes (among other things) when they contributed this infamous one-hour special, their first of three Mork stories.  It's not as bad as its reputation, although the innuendo and cleavage do feel out of place for the show.  (The audience reacts less than you'd expect, including to a line early on where Mork hides in the sofa and then tells Mindy it's one thing for him to sit on his face, but another for her to.)  Raquel Welch isn't much of an actress (some of her line readings are odd, including how she pronounces, "Kama," "Sutra," and "Orkan"), but it turns out she's a fine dancer.  This is as good a place as any to note that there are a lot of Billy Carter jokes on this series.

Mork & Mindy: Dial "N" for Nelson

Pam looks understandably dubious.

Mork & Mindy: Dial "N" for Nelson
ABC
November 11, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
C+

In this Misch & Kelly story, Nelson is being threatened, apparently by someone who works at the local strip club.  Along with a "Lolita" joke earlier, there's some borderline tasteless and not particularly funny innuendo, with the exception of Mork's strip act, which made me smile.  Not a bad episode but the show continues to drift from what it does best.

Timothy Blake, who plays Madge, was Midge on The Bob Newhart Show.  Dick Yarmy has his middle of three Mork roles, as Ron.  David Wall, who does the Club Owner's voice, had played Julius.  John Miranda makes his first of two Mork appearances, as the Cop; he'd recently played Bill on Three's Company.

Mork & Mindy: Mork Gets Mindy-itis

Mork & Mindy: Mork Gets Mindy-itis
ABC
October 21, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Tom Tenowich story is about Mork seeming to have developed an allergy to Mindy, but this is different than, say, everyone on the island allergic to Gilligan or Jan allergic to Mike or Tiger.  As Mork reminds us we learned on the season-opener, when Orkans sneeze, it sounds like laughter, which is a problem when Mindy is going to be hosting a political affair for Nelson.  At Exidor's suggestion, Mork tries injecting some of Mindy's hairs into his arm, but the result is pre-Doubtfire cross-dressing, although he seems to be as much Margo Channing as Mindy McConnell.  The episode has more suggestiveness and innuendo than past episodes, but this was the season when ABC wanted the series "sexed up," as we'll see more of as we go on.

Lloyd Kino, who was a Houseboy on That Girl, the Japanese Delegate in Gidget Grows Up, and a Soldier on M*A*S*H, is Mr. Wang here.  (Mork offers, "Another wang, Mr. Eggroll?"  See what I mean?)  Bill Morey, who's Mr. Prendergast, would return as Mr. Simpson.

Mork & Mindy: Mork vs. Mindy

Mork & Mindy: Mork vs. Mindy
ABC
October 14, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Jim Staahl makes his first of thirteen appearances as Mindy's cousin Nelson Flavor in this David Misch story.  (Oddly, Staahl is listed as a guest star in the closing credits, although he'd previously appeared in the opening credits, but maybe the episodes weren't running in their intended order.)  The character isn't particularly likable and he doesn't seem to work as a foil, since Mork and Mindy don't really interact with him in an interesting way.  I mean, I actually thought the scene in the deli, where Remo has culture shock about Boulder values (someone asks how stickball would help him grow as a person) was more entertaining.  Still, there are some mildly funny lines, and it is interesting to hear Mondale references (and more Nixon of course).

Jeff Harlan, who played Bill in the Pilot, is a Customer here.