Although they had flirted on "The Munsters" prior to this with the reaction of the normal folks in their suburban neighborhood to the unusual starring family, this is the first episode that exposes a Munster to a large number of citizens.
In fact, the exposure is so widespread that Herman makes it to the newspaper, as a "Monster" attacking people in Midcity Park--there's been a spate of purse snatchings there. Herman's been taking walks in the park late at night because it's the only thing that will cure his insomnia, which is caused by financial worries, and that's being caused primarily by Grandpa, who is using massive amounts of electricity for his latest experiment in the dungeon. Grandpa's experiment provides a secondary plot for the show.
Of course, Herman and family do not realize that Herman is the supposed monster seen in Midcity Park, since they don't think that Herman _is_ a monster. At one point, Herman thinks he sees the monster in the park, and he's just as frightened as anyone else.
The writers are able to play with a lot of fun ideas, including a policeman whom the commissioner increasingly thinks is crazy (this isn't helped by events such as the policeman being in drag at one point). The episode opens with one of the most traditional horror sequences of the series as Lily creeps down a staircase holding a candelabra only to find Herman grunting/growling and making disturbing faces, all in very heavy shadows, but quickly moves to various explorations of the Munsters as a typical sitcom family--making breakfast and sending the kids off, shaving, etc. The Munsters as a metaphor for ethnic folks invading a homogenous neighborhood isn't really present here as it was in episode number 2, but the Munsters as more literal monsters in a milieu of intentionally silly humor is just as fun.
In fact, the exposure is so widespread that Herman makes it to the newspaper, as a "Monster" attacking people in Midcity Park--there's been a spate of purse snatchings there. Herman's been taking walks in the park late at night because it's the only thing that will cure his insomnia, which is caused by financial worries, and that's being caused primarily by Grandpa, who is using massive amounts of electricity for his latest experiment in the dungeon. Grandpa's experiment provides a secondary plot for the show.
Of course, Herman and family do not realize that Herman is the supposed monster seen in Midcity Park, since they don't think that Herman _is_ a monster. At one point, Herman thinks he sees the monster in the park, and he's just as frightened as anyone else.
The writers are able to play with a lot of fun ideas, including a policeman whom the commissioner increasingly thinks is crazy (this isn't helped by events such as the policeman being in drag at one point). The episode opens with one of the most traditional horror sequences of the series as Lily creeps down a staircase holding a candelabra only to find Herman grunting/growling and making disturbing faces, all in very heavy shadows, but quickly moves to various explorations of the Munsters as a typical sitcom family--making breakfast and sending the kids off, shaving, etc. The Munsters as a metaphor for ethnic folks invading a homogenous neighborhood isn't really present here as it was in episode number 2, but the Munsters as more literal monsters in a milieu of intentionally silly humor is just as fun.