The short of it, Fred is faking being ill so he doesn't have to work.
A fortune teller has told Lamont he must find peace with his father, so Lamont does nothing to upset Fred.
Only later does Lamont learn that the time of birth on the day he was born greatly affects the previous prediction and that he is cleared of having to compensate his father's wishes.
So Lamont goes home to confront his father and set him straight.
In the meantime, . . . ! Esther and her Sunday morning worship service have shown up at the Sanford, Bibles in hand, to pray for Fred.
In undeniably one of the funniest and truly most brilliantly staged scenes on any TV show from the seventies and perhaps beyond, heathen Fred is terrorized as five women kneel at his bedside and begin praying for him and singing gospel hymns.
Aside from LaWanda Page (Esther), only one of the women looks like an actual actress (think I saw her on the Jeffersons once, but that may be about all she did, maybe Good Times too), but the other women vanished from sight.
Esther actually seems to refer to the small woman as Pastor when she enters, and the woman in glasses truly seems like her heart just isn't in the mockery.
However Page lived her life (going to church on Sundays and foul-mouthed comedy routines the rest of the week?) the assumption at one time was these were actual women she brought from her church.
They, like Page, seem incredibly authentic.
Without a doubt, the funniest aspect has to be Fred, usually ready to tangle with Esther, now realizes he is outnumbered when the entire Lady's Auxiliary comes at him.
Priceless.
A fortune teller has told Lamont he must find peace with his father, so Lamont does nothing to upset Fred.
Only later does Lamont learn that the time of birth on the day he was born greatly affects the previous prediction and that he is cleared of having to compensate his father's wishes.
So Lamont goes home to confront his father and set him straight.
In the meantime, . . . ! Esther and her Sunday morning worship service have shown up at the Sanford, Bibles in hand, to pray for Fred.
In undeniably one of the funniest and truly most brilliantly staged scenes on any TV show from the seventies and perhaps beyond, heathen Fred is terrorized as five women kneel at his bedside and begin praying for him and singing gospel hymns.
Aside from LaWanda Page (Esther), only one of the women looks like an actual actress (think I saw her on the Jeffersons once, but that may be about all she did, maybe Good Times too), but the other women vanished from sight.
Esther actually seems to refer to the small woman as Pastor when she enters, and the woman in glasses truly seems like her heart just isn't in the mockery.
However Page lived her life (going to church on Sundays and foul-mouthed comedy routines the rest of the week?) the assumption at one time was these were actual women she brought from her church.
They, like Page, seem incredibly authentic.
Without a doubt, the funniest aspect has to be Fred, usually ready to tangle with Esther, now realizes he is outnumbered when the entire Lady's Auxiliary comes at him.
Priceless.