Three's Company: Janet's Promotion

Three's Company: Janet's Promotion
ABC
September 27, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This is Alan J. Levitt's first of four Three's Company scripts, in this case based on a Wayne & Burditt story.  Even as a child I had issues with it, and as an adult I find that not just sex-politically but tonally it's a bit of a mess.  It wants to be a message episode, but its message isn't well thought out.  It criticizes Janet's sexist boss Mr. Compton (JJ Barry, who was Man in Market on The Bob Newhart Show) for passing Janet up for a promotion and instead picking new hire Chloe (Sandra deBruin, who was Joan on That Girl) because of her large and well-displayed bust.  He assumes Chloe will sleep with him, and she quits.  (The idea of legally fighting sexual harassment in the workplace is not yet a concept on television, or indeed in much of mainstream life in the late '70s, as we'll see with what secretary Chrissy has to put up with.)

The problem is that Jack is also shown leering at Chloe (and a sock-stuffed Janet), as well as making unintentionally offensive remarks.  Furthermore, Jack can in one breath tell Chrissy to shut up and insist that Janet have more confidence.  And of course there's the martial arts lesson that Jack offers Chrissy to protect herself from sex maniacs, which Janet says is useful while they're living with one.  The discussion of plastic surgery is similarly schizophrenic.  Still, the episode is entertaining and I would've gone with a B-, but it bugs me that Mr. Roper is in the bathroom and somehow doesn't hear any of the conversation among the roommates, not even about whether Jack notices large chests, but let Mrs. Roper say she's getting plastic surgery and, after an inexplicable delay, Mr. Roper comes storming out.