Who's the Boss?: It Happened One Summer, Part 1

Who's the Boss?: It Happened One Summer, Part 1
ABC
September 24, 1985
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Creators Cohan & Hunter wrote this Season Two opener that would have an unexpected impact on the rest of the season and indeed the series.  Tony and Sam return from three weeks in Florida.  (I think they drove down in the van but it's unclear.)  They've missed Mona and Angela, and vice versa, although of course Angela and Tony have trouble expressing this. Jonathan is at summer camp but feeling homesick, so the four of them drive up (in the station wagon) to see him.  Along the way, Tony and Angela reminisce about their camp experiences and Sam points out the suspicious similarities between their "first kiss" stories.  Angela attended Jonathan's camp the summers between '63 and '66, while Tony thinks he went to his Y Camp in '64 or '65.  Tony has forgotten the name of the first girl he kissed, while Angela remembers her first kiss as being from "Anthony."

They arrive at camp, where we get a memorable performance by WKRP's Richard Sanders as Dr. Bob Wormser, the camp counselor who seems to think he's a psychological counselor.  Jonathan is thrilled to see everyone.  He, Sam, and Mona ride horses (yes, the budget is pretty good here, with believable outdoor sets and live animals), while Angela and Tony talk to Dr. Bob.  Then Tony and Angela decide to go to Kissing Rock/ Make-Out Rock to find the names Tony carved after that moonlit night of his first kiss.

At first he finds a lot of "Mary Lou," which I suspect is an in-joke about Marilu Henner, who dated much of the Taxi cast, including Danza.  Then he spots "Anthony & Ingrid."  Angela is surprised and perhaps disappointed.  Tony says this proves that there is not, as Mona contended, a mysterious force drawing them together.  But then a storm breaks out and Angela rushes into his arms.

The camp road is flooded so they seek shelter in a motel with only one room available.  There are two beds, so Tony thinks it isn't a big deal.  But Angela reveals that she was "Ingrid," having chosen the name (inspired by Casablanca) so the boy wouldn't kiss and tell with her real name.  This copy, from Nick at Night, omits the flashback where we see "Young Tony" and "Young Angela" from the earlier flashbacks kiss, although a moment does appear in the credits.  Tony realizes it was her.  Angela says, "It was us!"  And the episode ends.


I'll talk more about this when we get to Part 2, but I need to note now that unlike the previous "first kiss," which is mentioned here (and Tony again insists she initiated it), the events of both parts are never officially recognized in future episodes.  And yet, they hang like a ghost over the course of the series.  If only Dr. Bob knew!

Vincent Schiavelli, who's the creepy Motel Manager here and in Part 2, played Dimitri in Rescue from Gilligan's Island.  Christopher Burton, who plays Jonathan's campmate Steven, would return in the role not only in Part 2 but back in Connecticut, suggesting he's also a neighbor and/or classmate.  Troy W. Slaten, who's David here and in Part 2, would be Martin on Roseanne.