Dobie's dilemma: Attend the Xmas party of his best pal Maynard, or take Zelda's advice and rub elbows with the rich and influential at Chatsworth's swanky soiree?
Not as funny as Season 1's Xmas show, this one opens with Dobie, Chatsworth and Zelda performing "A Christmas Carol" in front of Mr. Pomfritt's class. Maynard arrives just as class is ending - of course. There is a funny sight gag of Maynard peeling off layers and layers of winter clothing of which there seems to be no end.
Zelda pressures Dobie into going to the fancy party, but guilt takes over and Dobie keeps hallucinating and sees Maynard no matter where he looks. There is a cute flashback to when they were young boys (Maynard failed Nursery School three times) and it shows Maynard was just as clueless back then and in need of Dobie's help. A look into the future shows Dobie and Zelda as a rich, married old couple.
At the party, Dobie eventually passes out from the stress and when he awakes and Zelda suggests they go see Maynard, Dobie blurts out "I love you" to her. Zelda's ecstatic reaction is one of the best parts of the whole episode.
There is a quick clever edit that switches from caviar to hot dogs as we go from Chatsworth's mansion to Maynard's pitiful garage party. Dobie sings a Ricky Nelson-type ballad but it's not an Xmas song. Dwayne Hickman had released a record album around this time. Maybe they were trying to promote that.
The layers-of-clothing gag is repeated at the end and we see a nice shot of a smiling, content Maynard - whose friends came through for him after all.
This is the second-best of the DOBIE Xmas episodes and worth seeing at least once. 7/10.
Not as funny as Season 1's Xmas show, this one opens with Dobie, Chatsworth and Zelda performing "A Christmas Carol" in front of Mr. Pomfritt's class. Maynard arrives just as class is ending - of course. There is a funny sight gag of Maynard peeling off layers and layers of winter clothing of which there seems to be no end.
Zelda pressures Dobie into going to the fancy party, but guilt takes over and Dobie keeps hallucinating and sees Maynard no matter where he looks. There is a cute flashback to when they were young boys (Maynard failed Nursery School three times) and it shows Maynard was just as clueless back then and in need of Dobie's help. A look into the future shows Dobie and Zelda as a rich, married old couple.
At the party, Dobie eventually passes out from the stress and when he awakes and Zelda suggests they go see Maynard, Dobie blurts out "I love you" to her. Zelda's ecstatic reaction is one of the best parts of the whole episode.
There is a quick clever edit that switches from caviar to hot dogs as we go from Chatsworth's mansion to Maynard's pitiful garage party. Dobie sings a Ricky Nelson-type ballad but it's not an Xmas song. Dwayne Hickman had released a record album around this time. Maybe they were trying to promote that.
The layers-of-clothing gag is repeated at the end and we see a nice shot of a smiling, content Maynard - whose friends came through for him after all.
This is the second-best of the DOBIE Xmas episodes and worth seeing at least once. 7/10.
