Three's Company: Eyewitness Blues

Three's Company: Eyewitness Blues
ABC
November 24, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Baser & Weiskopf story finally manages to use Cindy's clumsiness for good.  Janet's flower shop is robbed while Jack is there.  They're not eyewitnesses per se, since the man wore a mask, which they don't see him take off as he leaves, although the audience does.  Jack lets the police talk him into making the press think he saw the face of the robber (Alan McRae, who was Corporal Nessen on M*A*S*H, Airman McFarland on Mork & Mindy, and Phil on this show, although the mustache makes him less recognizable).  This slightly resembles a Diff'rent Strokes episode, although Arnold actually did see the criminal.  Anyway, a plainclothes detective is assigned to the apartment in case the robber shows up.  But the cop has the same tattoo on the back of his hand as the thief.  (When Mr. Furley hears that Jack was in the Navy, he seems surprised, although he knew about Jack's Navy buddy BJ.  It's just a set-up for a "fairy boat" joke.)  So Jack and Janet, who seem to be undergoing more stressful situations since Terri moved in, team up to knock the guy out.

Meanwhile, Cindy fixes Terri up with a seemingly great guy, although it's never explained why, as Janet wonders, Cindy isn't going out with him herself.  We never see him or hear anything further about the blind date, but when the robber shows up, Terri assumes it's her date.  It takes Cindy coming in typically exuberantly and hitting the robber with the door to save the day.