Ellen: The Mugging

Ellen: The Mugging
ABC
May 21, 1996
Sitcom
DVD
B

This episode written by David S. Rosenthal was filmed during Season One, but aired two years later, which is why it briefly includes Holly and Anita.  The focus is mostly on Ellen and Adam's friendship, and what happens when he witnesses his new "girlfriend" (a woman he technically dates for about four days) being mugged and is too cowardly to come forward, and then he makes Ellen pretend to be the witness.  There are some interesting character moments here, and while Adam's behavior is regrettable, he does indeed suffer for it.  I can't imagine this plot with Spence, since, while he could be as dishonest with women as Adam, he would never be as passive about witnessing a crime as Adam and would likely run down and catch the mugger, as he did with the thief in the first Matt episode.  (This somewhat resembles that episode, in that we see a police line-up.)

Dave Florek, who was Chris on Who's the Boss?, here plays an Officer.  And Greg Germann is again Ellen's weird neighbor Rick.

Counting the two Season-One-made episodes, Ellen in Season Three ranges from C to B+, averaging out to a B-, with twelve of the twenty-seven episodes receiving a B-.  The substitution of Spence for Adam (yes, they overlap, but not much) harms the show but not irrevocably.  Season Four would see more changes, but these would have less to do with the cast than with the behind-the-scenes struggle over whether, when, and how Ellen Morgan would come out.

Ellen: The Tape

Ellen: The Tape
ABC
May 14, 1996
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Confusingly, this is one of two Season One (These Friends of Mine era) episodes that popped up towards the end of Season Three, long after Anita (Maggie Wheeler) and Holly (Holly Fulger) left the series.  Anita's parents (TV vet Elinor Donahue and Who's the Boss's Earl Boen) are in town and through a somewhat predictable series of events, written by series creator David S. Rosenthal, Anita and her friends try to prevent her sex tape from falling into her parents' hands.  Meanwhile, Ellen is uncomfortable with the idea that her boyfriend may've talked to her on the phone while on the toilet.  (In a time when people didn't take cell phones, or landlines, everywhere.)  The episode contains four spit-takes, although most of these involve more than one person.  And, yes, it's weird to see Adam again, especially goateed.  (I watched the episode along with its TFoM cohorts and then again today.)  I can't see the main plot happening with Paige because she's presented as sluttier than any of Ellen's other friends, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if she made a sex tape.

These Friends of Mine: The Refrigerator

These Friends of Mine: The Refrigerator
ABC
August 9, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B

TFoM came back for a bit for the summer, before becoming a regular series in the Fall.  The writing here, by Richard Day (his first of seven) and David S. Rosenthal, is comparatively sharp in this story of several refrigerators.  The characters (including Anita) are defined enough that we can see them play off of each other, including Holly's lack of assertiveness.  And the physical comedy works, especially when Ellen twice gets attacked by freezers.

Don Stark, who was twice an uncredited Student on Welcome Back, Kotter, and who's probably best known as Bob Pinciotti, here plays a Repairman.

These Friends of Mine: The Promotion

These Friends of Mine: The Promotion
ABC
April 20, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
C+

David S. Rosenthal wrote this convoluted story which starts promisingly with Ellen's mother, Lois (Alice Hirson in her first appearance) advising Ellen to buy a baby gift for her boss, Susan (Cristine Rose, also in her first appearance).  But somehow this leads to Ellen being blackmailed by the Mexican nanny, who goes out with Adam and then gets Ellen and friends to bring her sons across the border, but Ellen gets arrested for importing art for Holly and Anita.  And, yes, Ellen's mother asking about her love life is even more awkward in retrospect.

Rosie Taravella, who was in all three parts of the Who's the Boss? finale, here plays a Clerk.

These Friends of Mine: The Class Reunion

These Friends of Mine: The Class Reunion
ABC
April 13, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

While there are things I like about this episode, Mark Wilding's first of three, like the use of period (ca. 1979) music, and Ellen and Adam pretending to be a married couple and doing fake laughter, it does feel off to me.  For instance, while there's some humor to Ellen's classmate Holly being jealous of Anita (who didn't go to their high school) being the belle of the ball, I kept waiting for some kind of confrontation, or at least line, resolving it.  Also, the actor playing Ellen's old crush comes across as a little creepy, so resolving that thread by having Adam and Rick (Greg Germann again) ruin the romance doesn't seem right.  Note that the episode's use of the word "bi" (in a throwaway line about a character we'll never see again) is a relatively early one for television, and not the last for the series.

Michael Chieffo, who was the Two of Spades in the 1985 Alice in Wonderland TV-movie, plays Ellen's classmate who's a Bank VP.  Brenda Varda, who played Lizzie on Who's the Boss?, here is Ellen's lawyer classmate.

These Friends of Mine: The Anchor

These Friends of Mine: The Anchor
ABC
March 30, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B

Although this was the second TFoM episode to air, and the first in the regular slot on Wednesdays, it was actually the fifth shot, and indeed the TFoM/Ellen air-date order would be drastically different than the production order.  In any case, this episode, written by David S. Rosenthal, is interesting, and funny in its own right, as it introduces Ellen's annoying friend Audrey Penney, played perfectly by Clea Lewis.  Oddly enough, her character is originally overly negative, while later she would be unbelievably upbeat.  Ellen accidentally offends her through call-waiting, and there are some nice visual gags with split screens.  Meanwhile, Holly stuffs her bra to make a point and then wonders if her new boyfriend will accept her "breast reduction."  And, yes, the references to puppies would later become ironic.

This was the first episode where Ellen's weird neighbor Rick, played by Greg Germann, appeared.  Rob Schiller directed this and four other early episodes.

These Friends of Mine: Pilot

These Friends of Mine: Pilot
ABC
March 29, 1994
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This aired as These Friends of Mine but is retroactively (including on the DVD set) seen as the first episode of Ellen.  Besides the Danzaly named Ellen Morgan, these friends are the also not creatively named Holly Fulger as Holly Jamison, Arye Gross as Adam Green (subtle, matching initials), and Maggie Wheeler as bizarrely Anita Warwheel.  Yes, it's the What's Happening!! syndrome.

Anyway, the thirtysomething singletons hang out and deal with important issues like unflattering DMV photos and dates who bark like Arsenio.  It's hard to believe that three or four seasons later this would be a controversial series.  And ironically, Ellen would have trouble getting an onscreen lesbian kiss past the censors, but they seem to have had no more problem with Holly heterosexually sleeping around than with Jackie Harris doing so on Roseanne.

William Bumiller, who was Derrick on Mork & Mindy, plays Roger.  Matt Landers, who was the Courier on a Night Court episode I reviewed, is the Photographer here.  Creators Carol Black, Neal Marlens, and David S. Rosenthal wrote this episode, and Marlens directed.  (Marlens also wrote a couple Three's Company episodes.)  Judging by the copyright date, this was made in '93 before it ended up as a mid-season replacement, debuting right after Roseanne in the Coach spot, before moving over to Wednesdays.