Who's the Boss?: Field of Screams

Meanwhile Sam wants a job at the campus
travel agency, which is why we flash back.

Who's the Boss?: Field of Screams
ABC
November 30, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Graham & Wolff wrote this story, mostly told in flashbacks, to "three months ago," when Tony used his influence with his old friend Jerry Kaminski (Sal Viscuso, who's sort of Tony's brother-in-law-to-be, in the sense that he played Helmond's son-in-law Father Tim on Soap) to get Jonathan a job as ballboy for the Mets.  I would've gone with a C+ but at least there's a bit of romance between Tony and Angela.

Soap: Episode 53

Soap: Episode 53
ABC
November 1, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

The best scene in this Harris & Silver episode is Corinne and Tim reluctantly agreeing to divorce.(This is the first time Viscuso appears this season and it's his last time on the show.)  There's humor and drama, with Jessica adding to both.  Earlier, Corinne has lunch with Eunice, who confesses that Dutch now disgusts her and she was more in love with the situation of him being a criminal than with him as a man.  Corinne spots Chester at another table with a strange woman, but Eunice refuses to believe it.  Eunice and her date, Chester and another date, and Billy and Leslie all show up at the same out-of-the-way restaurant for dinner.  And Real Burt tries to get Mary to meet him at the local drugstore, but Alien Burt convinces her it was a prankster.

Waiter Martin Ferrero would be Wounded Man in Jeep on M*A*S*H and a Salesman on Mork & Mindy.  Jodie and the Major are absent.

Soap: Episode 47

Soap: Episode 47
ABC
March 15, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B

This Harris & Silver season-closer really only wraps up one thread: the family, led by Jessica, unites to defy the Devil, who stops possessing the baby.  Well, most of the family.  Burt and Chester have an argument, so Chester throws Burt out.  Sometime later (the chronology in the episode is screwy, switching back and forth between day and night without explanation), Burt is abducted by the spaceship he saw before.  Meanwhile, Danny tracks down one of the kidnappers, almost kills him but can't go through with it, and it looks like he might be killed himself.  And Billy is held prisoner by the Sunnies.  Yeah, most of the family.  My favorite scene here is Mary assuring Jessica and Corinne that the Devil is not there because of their affairs, while she's amazed at all the men in town that Corinne has slept with.  My second favorite is the exorcism scene, which ends with us finally seeing the baby.  Kudos to Tim McIntire for his Devil voice; despite some '70s cheesiness with the special effects, this episode is a bit scary at some points.

Candice Azzara makes her first of five appearances on Soap as Millie; she'd show up in the last season of Who's the Boss?

While the first season averaged an impressive B, the high B- of Season Two (in a C+ to B range) is nothing to be ashamed of.  The series is starting to drift towards more slapstick and Flanderization, but there are still some good and even great moments.  I recall the departure of Benson, early in Season Three, as a bit of a shark-jump, but we'll see.

Soap: Episode 46

Soap: Episode 46
ABC
March 8, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

This Harris & Silver episode has one completely unnecessary scene: Jessica and Detective Donahue in a posh restaurant, where he makes a fool of himself and she tells him she's not ready to choose between him and Chester.  It's not funny, it goes on too long, and it contributes nothing to their relationship or the plot.  The rest of the show is more solid, especially anything to do with Benson, from checking in with Billy to agreeing to help Tim fight the Devil.  The episode is also notable for Jodie and Alice starting to have possibly romantic feelings for each other, to their surprise and confusion.  (Again, the word "bisexual" is never mentioned in the series.)

Scott Mulhern appears as a nameless Sunnie, but in the Fall he'd get the name Roger; he was Andy Cooper on M*A*S*H.  Kit McDonough, who plays Alice's date Maxine, had very recently flirted with Klinger on M*A*S*H, while he was in drag, and she herself played a character mistaken for a man in drag by Mr. Roper, so I'm guessing she was comfortable with playing characters whose sexuality and/or gender was questioned.

Soap: Episode 45

Soap: Episode 45
ABC
March 1, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B

In this Harris & Silver episode, Chester tries to adjust to all the changes to the household since his absence, from Jessica being in love with another man to the quirks of his grandson.  (He makes a remark about the baby taking after him, but he's no blood relative.)  The baby seems to be possessed, so Corinne goes to Tim's cave and persuades him to come home.  Meanwhile, Jodie brings Alice home to meet the family, which goes as badly as you'd expect, and then Burt and Danny leave to track down the kidnappers, but instead Burt spots a flying saucer, setting up a thread that would have long-term consequences.

Soap: Episode 41

Soap: Episode 41
ABC
January 18, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B

This is one of the better Harris & Silver episodes, since it doesn't really have any weak scenes.  It starts with the Campbell & Dallas men drinking to forget their losses-- of wives, lovers, and Bob's suede jacket.  Even the Dutch & Eunice scene, with him being caught by the police, isn't bad.  Meanwhile, Tim leaves Corinne to go live in a cave and make peace with God, and not long after this, Corinne goes into labor, in her sixth week!  Note that Billy is somehow still 15, although his birthday is supposed to be in October.  (There is no way to explain this with any timeline.)  This is also the episode where Jodie meets a lesbian, Alice (Randee Heller in her first of nine appearances), and talks her out of suicide.

Chester is absent and no one seems to be grieving him, if they ever did.

Soap: Episode 40

Soap: Episode 40
ABC
January 11, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

The main reason to watch this Harris & Silver episode is for the scene where Jodie confronts Carol, who's gone back home to Texas.  The other threads are that the family gathers together for a memorial service for Chester (who's slowly regaining his memory), but no one actually has any good memories of him; and Sally tells Mary about her "affair" with Burt, and his new fling with an 18-year-old.  Note that the rhyming recaps are already getting old in this second venture and I'll be glad when they're dropped.

Peggy Pope makes her first of five appearances as Carol's mother.  Charles Hallahan, who plays Lance, would be Colin Turnbull on M*A*S*H.  Eunice is absent and I don't know if she's heard that her father is probably dead.

M*A*S*H: Inga

M*A*S*H: Inga
CBS
January 8, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Hartley plays the title character, Dr. Inga Halvorsen, in this episode that Alda wrote and directed.  It's the sort of thing that gave him a lot of male-feminist cred at the time.  (He and Phil Donohue were the best examples.)  It feels a little heavy-handed but it is appreciated, especially looking back on the Hawkeye of the early seasons.  I would've preferred that the point about Hawkeye learning to respect a woman as his equal had been made more subtly, but shrug.  It's still nice to see.

Phyllis Katz (her last appearance, this time as a nameless Nurse), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Sal Viscusco (PA Announcer) return.  This is the 200th dramedy I've reviewed, with M*A*S*H contributing the most of course.

M*A*S*H: B.J. Papa San

M*A*S*H: B.J. Papa San
CBS
January 1, 1979
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Neither of the main plot threads of this Larry Balmagia story feel very fresh.   BJ taking care of a local family is reminiscent of things both Hawkeye and Trapper have done, while Charles hoping to become the personal physician of a gruff general who prefers Hawkeye seems like something I've seen before, more than once.  Still, the show isn't yet stale and at least these threads are well done.

Chao Li Chi makes his first of two M*A*S*H appearances, as the Father.  Johnny Haymer (Zale), Shizuko Hoshi (the Mother), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), Dick O'Neill (this time General Marian Prescott), and Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer) return.  This is only the second M*A*S*H episode James Sheldon directed, the other being the first season's "Edwina."

Soap: Episode 38

Soap: Episode 38
ABC
December 21, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

This Harris & Silver episode has some weaker scenes and yet redeems itself.  For instance, Burt and Mary confront each other about their "affairs," and it's marred by Mary's ridiculous thing (which has come up in the past) that she thinks she's fat.  But at least they're finally talking, even if he's still lying (about who the woman was).  And I don't really care about Detective Donohue and Jessica supposedly being in love, but I do like the talking-to Benson gives him.  And the kidnapping thread continues to have too much slapstick and stupid humor, but then there is the literally killer ending of Elaine coming home to die in Danny's arms.  Despite the start and middle of their relationship, this ending is bittersweetly beautiful, especially with the reaction shot of the rest of the family huddling together in their grief.  (Well, not Chuck & Bob who are upstairs working on their mind-reading act.)  The only thread I don't have an issue with is Tim not believing Corinne about the timing of her pregnancy.  Viscuso and Canova work well together, and both characters have views that the audience can relate to.

Greg Antonacci and Frank Coppola are of course back as kidnappers Dave and Mel, but only the latter would return.  This is of course Manoff's final appearance as Elaine, although she would go on to a long-running role as Richard Mulligan's daughter Carol on Empty Nest.  Billy, the Major, Eunice, Dutch, and obviously Chester are absent.

M*A*S*H: An Eye for a Tooth

M*A*S*H: An Eye for a Tooth
CBS
December 11, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

In this Ronny Graham story, the interwoven threads are Margaret is happy because she's gotten her finances straightened out with her new ex Donald, frequently promoted helicopter pilot Capt. Toby Hill (Peter Palmer, who was the bully Jeff on Three's Company) arrives just as Father Mulcahy is getting impatient about never being promoted, and Charles plays Margaret against Hawkeye and BJ in a series of escalating pranks.  I found the episode somewhat predictable but I enjoyed seeing it get there.  Note that the Officer's Club is celebrating its one-year anniversary, Mulcahy has been at the 4077th "years," and Margaret claims she's known BJ for a year.

Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) and Sal Viscusco (PA Announcer) return.

Soap: Episode 35

Soap: Episode 35
ABC
November 30, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B


This Harris & Silver episode contains perhaps the funniest exchange on the series, the "Mickey Mouse's dog was gay?!" dialogue between Jodie and Jessica, showing what pros Crystal and Helmond already were.  (And I think Mary's laughter at the end is Damon's genuine amusement.)

The scene has a more serious side, as both Mary's son and sister want her to talk to Burt, but she's not ready yet.  And Burt tries to let Sally down gently but she gets so upset that he agrees to keep it going.  At the end of that scene, she calmly calls someone to tell them that Burt will soon be a broken man.  Meanwhile, Eunice runs off with Dutch, Chester goes missing, and Elaine gets kidnapped.  Note that the wall calendar by Sally's desk says November.  We'll see if this helps with the timeline later.

Harrison Page, who was on That Girl in two different roles, one of them a policeman, here plays Benson's old friend Deputy Gilmore.  Frank Coppola makes his first of five appearances as Mel and Greg Antonacci his first of three as Dave, who I believe are the kidnappers.

M*A*S*H: Dear Comrade

M*A*S*H: Dear Comrade
CBS
November 27, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
C+

This is the first of three M*A*S*H episodes Tom Reeder wrote and it feels like it should've gone through another couple drafts, and I think Dubin's direction should've been subtler.  With the latter, it feels like the humor is playing to the overly loud laugh track.  Reeder will have a joke in a place where it doesn't quite fit, and then Dubin will have the cast punch it up.  The other script issue is that it's partly from the perspective of Charles's new houseboy, Kwang (Sab Shimono in his first of two M*A*S*H roles), who's a North Korean spy.  As with a lot of these "Dear" episodes, the frame of a letter doesn't quite work because much of what we see is not observed by the letter-writer.  I do like the twist that Kwang, bothered by the staff's ignorance, comes up with a rash cure (a cure for rashes, not a thoughtless cure) that wins him the admiration of the doctors (except Winchester).

Robert Clotworthy, who was Clete in the ABC After School Special "The Skating Rink," here is Private Welch, and would be Tony Williams twice on Three's Company.  Laurie Bates makes her first of three appearances on the show as a nameless Nurse, while David Dozer does his first of three, as Groves.  Larry Block (this time Cimoli), James Saito (this time a Korean Soldier), Dennis Troy (this time Corpsman #1), and Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer) return.

Soap: Episode 34

Soap: Episode 34
ABC
November 23, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

The best scenes in this Harris & Silver episode are the ones of female-bonding, from Mary and Elaine doing mudpacks together to Carol's wedding shower.  And speaking of showers, Mary doesn't buy Burt's story about a plane landing in the road, especially since she notices he showered before he came home.  Jessica admits that, looking back, she thinks Chester cheated on their honeymoon, but she encourages Mary to talk to Burt.  Meanwhile, Tim works for Burt's construction company but quits after one day, Chester thinks he's Marlene Dietrich, and the Flanderization of Danny's intelligence begins, with his plan to hire midgets to work in four-foot-high office space.

M*A*S*H: Point of View

M*A*S*H: Point of View
CBS
November 20, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B

This Levine & Isaacs story is shot as if the viewer is Private Rich, a young white soldier from San Antonio, Texas.  For most of the episode he can't speak, although there is a point when he starts writing a letter to his parents, dated September 12, 1951.  And we find out that Colonel Potter forgot to call his wife last Saturday, for their 35th wedding anniversary.  This gives us a date of September 8, 1916 for their wedding.

As for the episode itself, it's a little hard to swallow that everyone confides in Private Rich like they do, especially Potter, but maybe Rich just has one of those faces you can trust.  I like that the script doesn't get to the point of ridiculousness, like if Klinger said, "I see you noticed I'm in drag.  Let me tell you why."  We just see Rich look down at Klinger's heels and then at his skirt, telling all we need to know.

Paul Tuerpe makes his first of two M*A*S*H appearances, as Medic II.  Jan Jorden (Baker) and Sal Viscusco (PA Announcer) return.

M*A*S*H: Baby, It's Cold Outside

M*A*S*H: Baby, It's Cold Outside
CBS
November 13, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
C+

Not long after it was hot and then stormy, it's now freezing in Korea.  Charles gets a very nice, warm jacket but selfishly keeps it for himself, even though there are patients suffering.  Meanwhile, Klinger goes temporarily deaf, Sonja Henie skates in a movie, and Radar has become an idiot who doesn't know who the Rockettes are.

David Cramer makes his first M*A*S*H appearance, as a Patient.  Jan Jorden (Baker) and Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer) return.  Gary David Goldberg, who'd done three scripts for later Bob Newhart Show episodes, contributed this forgettable one for M*A*S*H.

M*A*S*H: Major Ego

M*A*S*H: Major Ego
CBS
November 6, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B-

This Larry Balmagia story has Charles successfully save a dying patient and, as any Brady Bunch viewer could tell you, he gets a big head about it (well, bigger than usual), until his inevitable comeuppance.  He calls in a reporter, who ends up seducing a drunk Margaret and helping her get over her annoyance with her almost-ex Donald.  And Klinger thinks that if he dresses as famous movie actresses and the reporter publishes his picture, then the long-awaited Section Eight will be in the bag.  No, this episode doesn't make a lot of sense, but unlike the recent Welcome Back, Kotter episode about Vinnie's break-up, at least it's entertaining.

Frank Pettinger makes his first of six M*A*S*H appearances, as the Anesthetist.  Both Sal Viscuso and Todd Susman are listed as the PA Announcer on IMDB, but I caught only Viscuso's voice.  Roy Goldman (this time as Roy Goldman), Phyllis Katz (this time as a Triage Nurse), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Patricia Stevens (Baker, her last appearance) also return.  Alda directed.

M*A*S*H: None Like It Hot

M*A*S*H: None Like It Hot
CBS
October 23, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Levine & Isaacs wrote this story with Johnny Bonaduce, and the main issue I have with it is I don't know how Hawkeye and BJ thought they could keep a tub or ice cream secret during a heat wave.  This has one of the few "Hot Lips" references relatively late in the series.  It also has Klinger asking Margaret out, after apologizing for jumping in the tub with her when his heat-prostration ploy didn't work out.

Ted Gehring (this time Sgt. Rhoden), Roy Goldman (a Corpsman again), Johnny Haymer (Zale), Jan Jorden (Baker), Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer) return.  This is the first of two M*A*S*H episodes directed by Tony Mordente, as well as the 1100th TV program I've reviewed.

M*A*S*H: The Billfold Syndrome

M*A*S*H: The Billfold Syndrome
CBS
October 16, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
C+

This Levine & Isaacs story doesn't quite work.  I don't see why Hawkeye and BJ would be so bothered by Charles's silent treatment, and sending him a fake telegram promising a job feels extreme.  As for the other plot, while it's nice to see Sidney again, it feels like the hypnotism breakthrough happens too easily.

Roy Goldman (this time a Corpsman), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Sal Viscusco (PA Announcer) return.  Alda directed.

Soap: Episode 30

Soap: Episode 30
ABC
October 12, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
C+

This is another episode Harris wrote with Crittenden, but I don't know if it's his fault that the current storylines are less appealing to me than the ones from the first season.  My least favorite is the Taming of the Shrew thread with Danny and Elaine.  Meanwhile, Burt's secretary Sally (Caroline McWilliams, who would be a different character on Benson) starts coming on to Burt and Danny.  Jodie proposes to Carol, who's hesitant because she knows that Jodie doesn't want to have sex with her again, although he says he'll try.  (And she makes a Schwarzenegger reference.)  Tim's mother dies.  Eunice confesses her feelings for Dutch to Jessica.  And Dr. Kanter (Ron Rifkin in his first of three Soap appearances) tells Jessica that Chester has a brain lesion that caused him to act violently and he'll need to operated on.

Policeman #2 Jeffrey Kramer had been on M*A*S*H and would be again.  Fred Iwasaki returns as the Japanese Chef and gets a line this time.