Three's Company: Secret Admirer

Three's Company: Secret Admirer
ABC
March 11, 1980
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Mark Tuttle worked on this episode with Joyce Gittlin and Steve Clements, who'd co-written a couple for Welcome Back, Kotter, but unfortunately it's a weak remake of Man About the House's "Somebody Out There Likes Me."  My main gripe (as it was on my blog five years ago) is with Jack's behavior, how he insults Janet, Chrissy and the secret admirer, Gilbert Larwin (former child star Barry Gordon, at this point in his career in between Fish and Archie Bunker's Place).  Jack also jumps to conclusions and gives bad advice.  Janet is guilty of this, too, but less so.  What I do like is the wardrobe (from Chrissy's springtime dress to Larry's zebra print robe), and that Chrissy and Gilbert actually hit it off.  If they were going to go in a different direction than the MAtH original (where SA actually fancies Jo but doesn't know her name), then why not just pursue Chrissy/Gilbert?  And have Jack be nicer.

David Himes, who plays Brad, had two roles on The Bob Newhart Show.  Stephen Johnson, who's Phil Durkin, would return as one of the many Police Officers on this show.  This is Paul Ainsley's last appearance as Jim the Bartender.

M*A*S*H: Back Pay

M*A*S*H: Back Pay
CBS
March 10, 1980
Dramedy
DVD
C-

I didn't feel the slightest bit invested in this episode written by Mumford, Wilcox, and Koenig.  The title is a pun on Charles throwing his back out while Hawkeye hopes to be compensated in the way that doctors are back home for their "war work."  Note that Charles is as bigoted as Frank in some ways, although presented as capable of becoming enlightened.

Peter Kim, who plays Po, would be a nameless Korean Man on Ellen.  G.W. Bailey (Rizzo), Jerry Fujikawa (this time as Wu), Roy Goldman (as Roy Goldman), and Sab Shimono (this time as Jin) return.

Soap: Episode 66

Soap: Episode 66
ABC
March 6, 1980
Dramedy
DVD
B-

In this Harris & Silver episode, Roscoe Lee Browne joins the cast as Saunders, the new butler.  (I'd forgotten that there was such a big gap after Benson.)  Billy makes the mistake of breaking up with Leslie in a fancy restaurant and she threatens suicide for the rest of the episode.  It's not yet stale (the spoon thing is funny), but it is more shark-bait, as is Chester continuing to plead to come home.  Meanwhile, Mary and Burt want Danny to move home with Polly (into Grandma's old room in the attic, presumably Grandma Dallas), because the neighbors keep attacking their new house, but the young couple figure they can change people's minds if they stay.  And no one wants Wendy to move out.  (Bob keeps crying about it.)  The audience aws when they see Crystal with the baby, and I think it was a deliberate move to win over the home audience as well by showing this baby on camera, while we've only seen Timmy once.

I also get the feeling that a month or more passes during this episode because, one, Mary looks more pregnant in the last scene than the first, and two, the last scene is set on Election Night.  Everyone (except Jodie, who's presumably home with the baby) gathers at the Tates' to watch the returns, and then Jessica passes out.

Waiter John Medici would be Len Pudney on Who's the Boss?  Eunice is of course still absent.

Three's Company: The Root of All Evil

Three's Company: The Root of All Evil
ABC
March 4, 1980
Sitcom
DVD
B

This first of two 3'sC stories written by Howard Albrecht and Sol Weinstein is a solid contribution.  The regular cast work very well together (it's actually one of my favorite Larry episodes) and Brooks makes a welcome return as Dr. Prescott.  I'm not sure why it's not a B+, considering how much I (and my ex-husband) used to quote it all the time, e.g. "We killed the money!", but it just doesn't feel quite great on this viewing.

Note that Chrissy has an Aunt Tilly who once lived in Chicago.  (In contrast to all of Chrissy's relatives, Janet and Chrissy didn't even know Jack had a brother till Lee showed up.)  Also note that Janet suggests putting aside three months' rent ($900 I believe) out of the $1600 something Chrissy wins, but I don't think they actually do this.

M*A*S*H: War Co-Respondent

M*A*S*H: War Co-Respondent
CBS
March 3, 1980
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Farrell wrote and directed this episode where journalist Aggie O'Shea (33-year-old Susan Saint James, roughly at the midpoint between McMillan & Wife and Kate & Allie) pursues him very obviously.  (Hey, it's not like Alda never wrote or directed anything to stroke his own ego.)  BJ this time resists, and there is a reference to his adultery back in "Hanky Panky."  The story here feels a bit forced, although Saint James of course is a good enough actress to almost make it work, and I do like how BJ explains that Peg and Erin are a lifeline for him in the insanity of the war.  Also, the bits about art are good.  Note that Aggie says she covered the death of George VI of England, which was on February 6, 1952.  Kellye Nakahara returns as Yamato and again gets a few lines.

(In rereading what I wrote about "Hanky Panky," it looks like I generally preferred that episode, except for Margaret's "shrillness," so it got a B-, too.)

Soap: Episode 65

Soap: Episode 65
ABC
February 28, 1980
Dramedy
DVD
C+

This Harris & Silver episode has what must be one of the longer (and not all that necessary) recaps of the series, and then the Burt-almost-but-not-really-dying thread leads to an even worse and unfortunately longer thread: Burt's campaign to be sheriff.  Luckily, there's a nice scene with Jessica and Mary at the dentist's.  And as always I like the Jodie thread, although Mallu (whom Jodie is hiring for the custody case) is seriously deluded if he thinks that Jessica might be interested in him after all this time, when she never was to begin with.  In fact, she has Dr. Posner over for dinner and she kicks out Chester when he tries to crawl back to her (yet again).  Leslie shows up looking for Billy and seems a bit upset but not yet proto-Fatal-Attraction.

John Fujioka, who's Mr. Teshamado here, had made his first M*A*S*H appearance in '75 but the other two wouldn't be till '82.  Eunice and Billy are both understandably absent.

Mork & Mindy: Clerical Error

Mork & Mindy: Clerical Error
ABC
February 28, 1980
Sitcom
DVD
C-

This is another episode where I don't question the sincerity but I do question the execution.  Mork is unsuccessfully looking for a job.  (Confusingly, his experience at daycare is horrific, but maybe this April Kelly script was written before the previous episode.)  He meets a priest and decides that he wants to be one, so he can help people.  Soon he's dressing like a priest, in a church, and people are coming to him with their problems, including a suicidal man.  Mork suggests "50 Ways to Meet Your Maker."  Luckily, this is just what the man needed to hear, to realize he was being foolish.  The "advice" scene is mostly played for laughs, so we're not supposed to worry about the man until Mindy does.  But not much of the episode is funny, with the low point actually when Mork meets a bride and wonders why she's not invisible.   (As in, you can't see the bride before the wedding.)  I suppose there's a way this episode might've worked a little (like C+ level), but this ain't it.  I might've gone with a D+ but I do like Remo's wedding cake and the naughty line about the pickle.

Paul Willson makes his first of two Mork appearances, as the Suicidal Confessor; later in the decade he'd be Leonard Smith on It's Garry Shandling's Show.