Who's the Boss?: Requiem

Who's the Boss?: Requiem
ABC
December 18, 1984
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Sternin & Fraser wrote the teleplay with Paul Robinson Hunter (who would do three more for WtB), based on a story by Hunter & Cohan.  It's an interesting episode for many reasons, including that it crosses from Three's-Company-like farce into dramedy and then into a light-hearted tag that is both shipping fodder and "family" bonding.

Tony is working at Pizza Playland, which was mentioned on a previous episode.  Angela and Mona wonder why he's moonlighting, but he says it's personal.  Mona, who has been writing a detective novel (not the first time someone in the household will try their hand at fiction), trails Tony to Brooklyn and reports that he has a love nest.  In fact, he's paying the rent on his father's apartment.  Mona suggests that Angela invite Tony's father for Christmas, but Sam tells them that her Grandfather Micelli is dead.  Angela finds out that Tony isn't ready to let go of his father's memory, but she helps him through this.  Some things to note:

• Light would later recognize this episode as the first one where Danza got to show what he could do dramatically.  True it was inspired by the death of Matty Iadanza, but that doesn't mean it was easy for his son to play.
• Matty Micelli died shortly before Christmas of the previous year.
• He left his son a watch, and Time is one of the themes of the series.
• Although not a romantic episode, this is very significant for Tony and Angela's relationship, as she provides support and empathy in his grieving process, remembering how hard it was when her own father died.  (We'll learn more details about Mr. Robinson later.)
• They also bond over their love of big band music, planning to annoy their children with it.
• In the tag, with Mona and the kids by the Christmas tree, Angela puts on one of Matty's records and she and Tony dance for the first time, a swinging, lively dance, very different from their more romantic dances later, and yet symbolizing how the barrier between employer and employee is starting to break down.
• Tony and Angela have a talk in the kitchen about how their "not living together" is working out, both glad that he works there, but not thinking of it as living together in the less innocent sense.

Thanks to her stint on Soap, this is Helmond's 100th show I've reviewed.  The rest of the cast will take awhile to get to that milestone.