Mork & Mindy: Long Before We Met

Mork & Mindy: Long Before We Met
ABC
November 19, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This Raznick & Collins story doesn't live up to its potential.  Mork and Mindy attend her tenth high school reunion*, while Grandma (really Great-Grandma) babysits Mearth.  There's no reaction moment in this or any other episode of Cora finding out the existence and maturity of her great-grandson (who now is learning fractions).  They interact a little but not much is done with it, beyond that she's his favorite and only babysitter.  (Understandable, considering how his parents are keeping his identity a secret.)

As for the reunion, Glenda Faye (Wilzak in her last appearance) is there, and she knows about Mork and Mindy being married, and yet there's no line here or elsewhere indicating that she minds not having been invited to their wedding.  (It's not like they eloped.)  Two others in attendance are Paul Rubens as geeky Dickie Nimitz (of course the best part of the episode) and Mindy's boyfriend for her last two years of high school, Steve Sanders (Robin Strand, who'd be Steve Stepanowicz on Square Pegs).  Mork becomes jealous of Steve, so after they return home, Mork (using ruby slippers) time travels back to Mindy's senior prom.


Fred is there, with more hair, but he's not given much to do.  Mork, anticipating Moscow on the Hudson, pretends to be a Russian exchange student.  He hits it off with Mindy, including supporting her dreams of becoming a journalist, while Steve comes across as a jerk.

The episode isn't bad, but like I said, it seems like all these elements ought to add up to more.


*Sic!  Mindy was 21 when the series began three years ago.  I can understand that they might not want to do a sixth-year reunion a la Bosom Buddies, but a fifth-year reunion would've been more plausible than tenth.  And, yes, I spotted this error at the time.