Who's the Boss?: Savor the Veal, Part 3

Who's the Boss?: Savor the Veal, Part 3
ABC
April 25, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This covers several (at least three) months, and it feels like there are missing scenes*, including the one where Angela decides to move to Iowa to be with Tony.  She does her best to adjust, even taking up beer and bowling, but she misses her old life on the East Coast.  When Tony's one-year contract is changed to three, she insists he stay but she must go home.  It's painful for them to be apart, so, in an ending that deliberately evokes their ending, he returns and they kiss.  The question of when or if they get married, or when and where he finds a new job, is left up in the air.

Charmaine Charles's third and final WtB role and Colette Duvall's fifth and final are as Party Guests, while Rosie Taravella is a Party Guest named Rosie, and it's unclear if she's still the Flight Attendant character.  Frances Bay, Jerry Hardin, and Pat Millicano are back as respectively Candy, Dr. Graham, and Ned.

Who's the Boss? in its final season ranges from C- to B+, averaging out to a B-.  Obviously, the season could've and probably should've been done differently, but that's true of the whole series.  For the most part, the quality and the chemistry were sustained for a very long time, and that's still something to be proud of.


*Even on the original, unedited version, which I've seen on Youtube.

Who's the Boss?: Savor the Veal, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: Savor the Veal, Part 2
ABC
April 25, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

The second and third parts were originally a one-hour special, but I'm going with how they're packaged in syndication, and I think there is a different feel to the two halves.  Doran, Fink, Kallis, and Rosenfarb are again the writers.  Part 2 is about Tony moving to Iowa and trying to maintain a long-distance relationship with Angela, so there's a lot of coming and going, and not quite connecting, even when they're in the same state.

Nick Toth, who was Mr. Powell on A Very Brady Christmas and The Bradys, is a nameless Businessman here.  This is the last episode with Rhoda Gemignani; although Mrs. Rossini doesn't appear in every episode, she's referred to a lot in her absence, and she's definitely the most important second-tier character.  Charmaine Charles makes her second but not last appearance on WtB, as Flight Attendant #2, while Rosie Taravella is back as Flight Attendant #1.  Frances Bay makes her first of two appearances as Tony's elderly secretary Candy, while Pat Millicano makes his first of two as Ned the phone repairman.  And Jerry Hardin returns as Dr. Graham of course.

Who's the Boss?: Split Decision

Who's the Boss?: Split Decision
ABC
March 21, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
C

Teverbaugh & Va Salle wrote this episode that almost overcomes its contrived premise.  It begins with Tony being competitive playing doubles with Angela on the tennis court, which is in character, but her not being competitive isn't.  And then he's rude to the waiter at her country club, which is out of character for him.  (He'll be rude if others are rude first.)  So she agrees to go away to a spa for the weekend with Mona and Sam, to get a break from Tony.  She runs into a man who's his lookalike, plus a mustache.  But the man is much mellower than Tony, which she likes at first and then dislikes.  Meanwhile, Tony gets suspicious when he finds a pair of tall men's slacks on the floor of Angela's closet.  Jonathan tries to be the voice of reason, to no avail.  There are some cute moments along the way, including Taxi references, but not enough to suspend disbelief entirely.

This is the 192nd episode and it aired in '92, a milestone that only M*A*S*H had achieved among my shows to this point (and that was over a decade ago).

Who's the Boss?: Tony and the Honeymooners

Who's the Boss?: Tony and the Honeymooners
ABC
February 29, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Gene Braunstein wrote this good episode with a flawed resolution.  Sam and Hank return from their one-week honeymoon (we don't know where) and want to stay overnight until they can move into married student housing, since they've been kicked out of the dorms for being married.  Tony and Angela lose their togetherness time (including watching their favorite movie The Way We Were), especially as Tony and Hank start to bond.  Sam resents Hank taking Tony to see a potential apartment, which Tony rejected.  When she speaks of her frustrations, Angela goes off on her in a very Angela way.  And we get our first glimpses of Hank's puppet Little Tony.

The resolution, after the couples, including Joe and Fran, have made up is Tony, without discussing it with anyone, giving Mona's apartment to the newlyweds.  This is stupid and short-sighted and I can't believe that someone as self-centered as Mona would end up just going along with it after the initial surprise wears off.  When Tony initially suggested Mona move in, no one was living above the garage, but she's been there for seven years now.  Of course, by the end of this season, there would be even bigger shake-ups in the living arrangements.

Gary Lieberthal, who was a Messenger on the show before, is Rey here.

Who's the Boss?: Better Off Wed, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: Better Off Wed, Part 2
ABC
February 22, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

Doran, Graham, Kallis, and Rosenfarb wrote this second part, too, in which the potential in-laws, plus Mrs. Rossini, race to stop the wedding.  Sam overcomes all of her father's objections, but he's still sad to be losing his "little girl," and we get a montage of Sam from the early seasons.  There's a bittersweetness to Angela telling Sam, "I knew you'd get married first."  Note that Jonathan is the voice of reason when the two fathers argue.  And Tony makes a very timely reference to President Bush (Sr.) vomiting on the Japanese Prime Minister, which had happened that January.

Richard Paul, who was Capt. Bainbridge on M*A*S*H, more often got typecast as a Minister, like here, including as Jerry Falwell a couple times.

Who's the Boss?: Better Off Wed, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: Better Off Wed, Part 1
ABC
February 15, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

Staff writers Doran, Graham, Kallis, and Rosenfarb collaborated on this entertaining, if ultimately frustrating game-changer.  With three months till the wedding on May 14th, Tony is still planning a big event, although stressing about it less.  Angela would prefer a small wedding in a chapel, but Tony eloped last time and wants a big wedding.  Showing that they've changed each other over time-- and that gender role reversal is still one of the themes of this series-- Angela watches the Knicks while Tony looks at a bridal magazine.

Meanwhile, Sam and Hank have been seeing each other every day for a couple months and have decided to get married, even though they know it's crazy.  Sam is hesitant to tell her father, especially when he reacts negatively to Hank giving up med school to become a puppeteer.  And then Hank causes an accident, with Tony falling off the roof.  (They may be the last of my TV families to still have a TV aerial.)  And then Hank's parents, Joe and Fran (Polizos and Azzara, whom we've seen elsewhere, including her on Soap), show up and there's some farcical confusion.  Hank's parents are OK with them marrying young, but they're just as upset as Tony about puppetry.  Sam and Hank sneak off to the chapel that they saw in Angela's brochure.  And the episode ends on a cliffhanger, with no scenes from next week.

Note that this episode contains references to Operation Desert Storm and Nancy Reagan.  And that some WtB fans hate it because it torpedoed the promise of Tony and Angela getting married, with this substitution of a couple that no one had any emotional investment in.  While I ship T & A, I also just watch this show to be entertained, and I find this episode funnier and more interesting (including about Tony and Angela's characters) than some of the episodes this season that are actually focused on that couple.

Who's the Boss?: Allergic to Love

And Mona's dating a hand model

Who's the Boss?: Allergic to Love
ABC
February 8, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
C+

If by now you're getting the feeling that the characters and/or writers-- Adam I. Lapidus this time-- were ambivalent about Tony and Angela getting married, you're correct.  Here, Tony seems to be, yes, allergic to love, and the more he insists he wants to get married, the less she believes him.  At some point in this season, there was a switcheroo, with some, including Light, still in favor of having a wedding, and others, most notably Tony D and ABC, feeling that marrying off Tony M and Angela would be a mistake, either because that wasn't what the show was supposed to be about and/or because it would harm the series in syndication.  In any case, the dilemma here is "solved" in that it turns out that Tony is only allergic to the glue in the wedding invitation envelopes, but there's still an unsettling feeling about the proceedings.

A few other things to note: Mona says that Angela was at her wedding, implying she was pregnant at the time; Sam, despite her relationship with Hank, is only inviting Bonnie, whom we haven't seen in about a year; Tony worries about whether Angela snores, even though he's literally slept with her a few times; and Tony looks like his mother, while Angela looks like his father!

Alf's Max Wright plays Dr. Wormser.  Bruce French and Eileen Barnett return as Ted and Elaine Braddock.

Who's the Boss?: Tony Micelli, This Is Your Life

Who's the Boss?: Tony Micelli, This Is Your Life
ABC
February 1, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Michele J. Wolff wrote this episode, which is certainly an improvement over the previous one.  Tony has a It's a Wonderful Life-like dream where he never injured his shoulder and is a very successful baseball player.  Unfortunately, he's also a jerk, or at least he has been to this point, but he tries to make amends.  Angela doesn't have her own agency, but she can't be doing that bad if she owns the same house.  Sam has written a thinly veiled novel about her father, which she promotes on The Phil Donahue Show.  The equivalent to Clarence the angel here is Tony's late Coach (Brandon Maggart, who would be Harry on Ellen).  It feels a little gratuitous to have Tony wake up with a ditzy blonde, who appears in a towel later, but even when Tony is committed to Angela, his eye still wanders.  At least there's a very sweet T & A moment in the penultimate scene, where he asks if she loves him and she says of course, which is all that matters to him.

I'm guessing the character Mike Va Salle takes his last name from the WtB writer Linda Va Salle.

Who's the Boss?: Who's the Boss?

Curnal Aulisio on Married with Children

Who's the Boss?: Who's the Boss?
ABC
January 25, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
C-

This Teverbaugh & Va Salle episode isn't as bad as I remembered, but that's not saying much.  When Tony's friends tease that he's henpecked and he himself feels like Angela's ordering him around, he ends up lying to her and his friends.

Cheerleaders Lisa Cohen, Colette Duvall, and Ria Giullani had recently appeared as characters with their own first names.  Robert Briscoe Evans's third and last WtB role is as the Announcer.  Vinny Argiro returns as Vinnie (yes, with that spelling). while Walter Olkewicz is back as Tiny.  And Curnal Aulisio is introduced as Sam's new boyfriend, Hank Thomopolous.

Who's the Boss?: Mrs. Al

Who's the Boss?: Mrs. Al
ABC
January 11, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this Va Salle & Teverbaugh story, Sam tries to help Al get an apartment by posing as his wife.  Tony encourages Al to tell the truth, but Al loses the apartment and has to temporarily move in with Tony et al.  Tony is disappointed in Sam, but they eventually resolve it.  Meanwhile, Angela tries to market an unappetizing drink called Le Fizz.  Al's potential landlord, Mr. Chomsky, is played by William G. Schilling, who was Sgt. McFarland on M*A*S*H but is probably most recognizable for his role as Dr. Samuels on Head of the Class.

Who's the Boss?: Tony, Can You Spare a Dime?

Who's the Boss?: Tony, Can You Spare a Dime?
ABC
January 14, 1992
Sitcom
DVD
B

Braunstein & Wolff wrote this story that ranges from broad comedy (including huge props) to sweetness between T & A.  Although the Recession obviously didn't hit the Bower Agency with the kind of realism you'd see on Roseanne, this episode does acknowledge "the economic slump," including its impact on consumers.  Angela has Tony take over the household finances but doesn't like him managing her credit cards and preventing shopping therapy.  He's very supportive when she tells him how her identity is connected to her job, bringing up how he had to rebuild his life after his baseball injury.  Robert Mandan returns as Reed Hamilton, who gets along a lot better with Mona this time, wink wink.

Who's the Boss?: This Sold House

Who's the Boss?: This Sold House
ABC
December 7, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Graham & Wolff wrote the story that Teverbaugh & Va Salle based the teleplay on, and while in a way it's sweet that T & A first want to buy a new house together and then decide that they already have a home with a lot of memories, this episode feels like it could be better.  I do like some of the details about the house, like Tony being jealous of the "graffiti" behind the refrigerator: Michael loves Angela.  I think one problem I have is how quickly houses are bought and sold on this show, like with the Harpers' house next door.

Julianne Michelle, who plays Katie Havlock here, would be a nameless Child on Roseanne a few weeks later, while Lenny Wolpe, who's playing her father Garry, would be Frank Denvers in a later season of Roseanne.  And, yes, that's Love Boat's Lauren Tewes as Lavonne the realtor.

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.

Who's the Boss?: Grandmommie Dearest

Who's the Boss?: Grandmommie Dearest
ABC
November 23, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Gene Braunstein wrote this episode where Mona's mother shows up (after seven or eight years) and intimidates her.  Mrs. Reynolds (not Mona's maiden name, which was Rockwell) also tries to break up Tony, till Mona stands up to her.  There's a lot that's hard to swallow here, including that the actress playing Nanna is less than a year older than Helmond.  Still, there are some nice T & A moments, and Mona's James Earl Jones story is a little gem.  Dick Christie returns as Angela's lawyer Ben.

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 2

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 2
ABC
November 16, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Doran, Kallis, and Rosenfarb drop the ball on the second part, although there are definitely moments I like, from Ernie the water-man playing Hugh Hefner to Jonathan's monotone delivery of a lie about going to see a movie.  I somewhat like Angela confiding in Sam and Mona about her fears of marriage.  But I have issues with the way that Angela has issues, so that her understandable fears of getting remarried are dismissed, while Tony is let off the hook for his manipulations, not just his scheme to get her to go to the football game with him, but his "Rain Man" act.  When, in a role reversal, he accepts her proposal, I should be cheering with the studio audience.  Instead, I'm wondering if maybe these two shouldn't get married, and I don't think that's the intention.  But such is the schizophrenia of the show's final season, and believe me, it'll get worse.

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: Death and Love, Part 1
ABC
November 9, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This is another Doran, Kallis, & Rosenfarb story, as Part 2 would be.  Tony's childhood buddy who played the accordion (but not Bobby Governale) dies and launches Tony into a midlife crisis.  Angela tries to be supportive, although she suffers a series of mishaps and accidents, especially when he decides, with nudging from Mona, Sam, and Jonathan, to propose to her.  The studio audience is understandably very vocal this episode.  Angela accepts, until she finds out that it wasn't Tony's idea.  It's another funny, farcical episode, but with a bittersweet undercurrent because Angela has wanted Tony's proposal for so long, but not under these circumstances.

Tom Troupe makes his third and last appearance as Father Marconi.

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.

Who's the Boss?: Tony Bags a Big One

Who's the Boss?: Tony Bags a Big One
ABC
October 26, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Michele J. Wolff wrote this episode which I would give a C+ if it, one, didn't have some sweet (if over the top) moments between Tony and Angela, and two, didn't reunite Helmond and Mandan.  In an in-joke, Mandan is "the soap guy," Angela's new client Reed Hamilton, who owns a detergent company.  Despite Mona and Reed's bickering, they would be on better terms in his later appearance.  Robin Jameson again plays Angela's employee Lisa.

Who's the Boss?: Selling Sam Short

More moments like this please

Who's the Boss?: Selling Sam Short
ABC
October 19, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Teverbaugh & Va Salle story has Tony becoming obsessed again, but this time with the stock market, thanks to Sam's new boyfriend, a 27-year-old stockbroker named Pierce (Dan Gauthier, who would be Paige's boyfriend on Ellen four seasons later).  There are some T & A moments, as when she distracts him with a kiss when they shoot hoops, and Sam's romance is interesting, but I just don't buy someone as practical as Tony falling for the stock market in this way.  Note that not only Donald Trump but Ivana and Marla are mentioned.

Who's the Boss?: Misery

Who's the Boss?: Misery
ABC
October 12, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C

Clay Graham wrote this episode where Tony overdoes expressing his affection for Angela, to the point that she feels smothered and has a Stephen-King-like nightmare.  They do talk things out in the end, although he then has a nightmare that she's become fat.

In some ways, this episode is a mess, and yet there are funny and/or insightful moments, especially from Sam and Jonathan.  A more realistic approach to Tony and Angela's comfort levels of expressing affection would've been welcome at this point, particularly since she seemed just fine being demonstrative in the previous two episodes.  Having Tony stalk her, even if it is presented as a nightmare, leaves a bad taste.

Lois Foraker, who played various nurses on M*A*S*H, here is Kelly at the diner, while Blake Clark, who plays her husband Hoyt, was 2nd MP in the M*A*S*H finale, as well as Blake Cumbers in the "Mr. Smith Goes to Nam" episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show.  (His gruff voice is distinctive.)  Robin Jameson would return as Angela's employee Lisa.