Three's Company: Triangle Troubles

Three's Company: Triangle Troubles
ABC
May 15, 1979
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This Gordon & Mendelsohn episode remains one of my favorites.  Not only does it have the return of Peter Mark Richman as Chrissy's visiting father, but it also features the marvelous Barrie Youngfellow as Debbie.  I don't have her in any of my other shows, but I watched most if not all of It's a Living/Making a Living, where she played Jan Hoffmeyer in all the incarnations.  Both guests blend seamlessly in with the trio, who are also at the top of their game, Ritter in particular.  Not only does Ritter have romantic chemistry with Debbie (I could totally see her replacing Linda, no offense to Anne Schedeen), but they play off each other very well, like the scene in her kitchen where she's trying to get rid of one of her two male roommates, telling Tripper-like lies, and he's doing things like very carefully wiping spaghetti sauce onto her apron, not realizing it's her roommate's shirt.  Another great moment is when Jack comes out of the kitchen and finds out that Debbie has just met his roomies, who are pretending to be his maids, so he crawls back into the kitchen on his knees, continuing to stir a bowl.  The "When does lightning strike?" sequence with Jack, Debbie, and the reverend is also everything it should be and more.  This is farce at its best.

If I have a quibble, maybe Janet and Chrissy could have more to do, and the dates and male roomies as well.  Still, how wonderful it was then and now to see Jack's reaction to a supposedly old-fashioned girl in a similar set-up to his.  I think they could've got a lot more episodes out of this situation.

Daniel Trent, who plays Elliott, I think Debbie's tall blond roommate, would return in a larger role as Chrissy's policeman cousin Jay Garfield.  Alan McRae, who was Corporal Nessen on M*A*S*H, also has his first of two 3'sC roles, as Phil, probably the brunet roomie.  Roger Machray, who's Doug, I think Janet's date, would be a customer on Roseanne.

Three's Company in its third season, with the exception of this episode, ranges from C+ to B, so the average is a B-.  Under the direction of Dave Powers, it becomes a more cartoonish show, particularly with Chrissy's character but to some extent with Jack's.  I loved that as a kid, and there were enough warm, sweet moments as well that I enjoyed.  I still definitely like it as an adult, but I don't think the show could've stayed like this another five years without fresh blood, whether or not Somers had stayed on.  We'll see what impact Don Knotts in particular would have when we take a look at Season Four.