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The Honeymooners: Head of the House (1956)
Season 1, Episode 27
5/10
Weak writing makes a somewhat funny but rather stupid episode.
25 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is somewhat funny because of what would be viewed today as a chauvanistic attitude of Ralph Kramden's regarding women's contributions to,and their supposed place in,1950's society. As rough as it may sound to today's ears,most of what Ralph did say about work was pretty-much the truth back then and it still is true today. The problem is,Ralph left out or discounted nearly all of the hard work and important contributions of women in running of the households and the work of the women that were in the regular workforce back-then. Most women were mothers and housewives in the 1950s,but some did indeed work outside the home. Back then in the 1950's,and still today,almost all of the hardest jobs,the dangerous and unpleasant jobs,the strenuous physical jobs that involve manufacturing things,mining things,construction of any type,moving freight by sea,air,or land,maintaining and fixing things of all and any sort to help keep our society running,almost all of these jobs were (in the 1950's) and still today,are,done by men. He was correct. That being said,the work that women do,being mothers and housewives,is equally necessary and equally important which is the point that Ralph's wife,Alice was trying to make. That was the gist of the episode's point.

The other part of the plot is simply stupid,because everyone but a maybe a ('slow') preschooler knows that nobody gets drunk drinking grape juice just because someone says it is wine. You either have an alcohol buzz or you don't,no amount of 'the power of suggestion' will give someone an alcohol buzz from plain-old grape juice. That part of the episode is annoyingly dumb,it is not the least bit funny here. Experienced adults thinking that they are drunk from drinking plain grape juice is something that belongs in a cartoon,not this show.

I really hate to say it,but overall this is a weak,forgettable episode.
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Mama's Family: Guess Who's Going to Dinner (1990)
Season 6, Episode 17
8/10
Silly and fun episode that is well-worth a watch!
23 March 2024
This is a worthwhile and humorous episode. It shows the hapless son Vinton in a classic 'no-win' situation involving his mother Thelma and his newly-pregnant wife Naomi.

We are reminded that "Mother's day" has always been a rather important holiday in the Harper household,which isn't a surprise considering Mama Thelma's borderline obsessive need for attention.

The story itself is pretty simple. It is a tug-of-war between Thelma and Naomi for Vinton's undivided attention on Mother's day. Vinton wins 2 tickets for a free Mother's day dinner at a newly-opened restaurant. 2 tickets are all that Vinton has,so presumably Vinton must pick either Mama OR his wife Naomi to accompany to the Mother's day dinner. As the dinner-day approaches,both women try their best to get on Vinton's good side and resort to selfish emotional blackmail to 'win' the guest-of-honor seat at the Mother's day dinner.

Vinton is in an impossible spot here. Making it worse is the fact that all of them live together in the same house,so the situation must be handled very carefully or Vinton will surely never hear the end of it. How in the world will Vinton handle this impossible situation? Watch and see for yourself,and let us know what you think about it !
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Mama's Family: Psychic Pheno-Mama (1989)
Season 6, Episode 8
8/10
A decent episode that has it's moments.
20 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This was a pretty humorous episode that showcases a talented guest actress,Liz Torres. She portrays a psychic mind-reader/fortune-teller 'Madame Rita',who has seemingly amazing results when working with or for the wacky Harper family. Mama and family hire the delightfully funny Madame Rita for a psychic seance at the Harper house. Madame Rita goes into a ridiculously exaggerated 'trance' and 'returns' as a 'gateway to the unknown'. Several family secrets seem to be known by the psychic,which is surprising and convinces Mama Thelma that the psychic just may be for-real.

Soon after the psychic piques everyone's interest,she suddenly comes out of the trance and collects her $20 fee.

Naturally,Thelma wants the psychic to return for another session. At the next session, Mama Thelma continues to ask questions about her deceased husband and gets some more interesting replies. Is the wacky Madame Rita for-real? Watch and see for some good laughs!

8/10.
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Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Alibi Me (1956)
Season 2, Episode 7
7/10
Over the top throughout
8 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The basic story here is a good one. It is the details that are a bit shaky and downright silly in spots. The idea is that there are two young,long-time rival gangsters in what seems to be a small city or town. It is repeated several times that the police are quite aware of the ongoing gangster rivalry and they will know who to blame if either of the two rivals disappear or end-up dead. If one of them dies,the other criminal will be blamed,automatically.

Well,you guessed it,one of the gangsters shoots the other in a fit of anger. Now,the shooter needs an alibi,and a solid one at that. Several people he asks waffle or straight-up tell him 'no'. His on and off girlfriend is willing to help until she finds a photo of a stripper in the shooter's pocket. This exchange is particularly ridiculous,the young girlfriend flips in a split-second right-after declaring endless love for the gangster. At last,a perfect alibi is finally offered but it falls-apart in a sad way.

A decent episode despite some weak points. 75/100.
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Hot Stuff (1979)
8/10
Lightweight,silly and fun entertainment !
3 March 2024
I read most of the previous reviews right before watching this movie today,on a rainy and dreary Saturday morning.

I wasn't expecting much,for a few reasons. Firstly,I've never really found Dom Deluise to be particularly funny or talented. Everything I've ever seen Deluise in would have done just fine (or even better) without him. In my book,he's no comedian,and not much of an actor. I don't dislike the guy,I am simply mystified as to how he got so-much work in Hollywood. (He must have had some major dirt on several people ?) With all of this in mind,plus the fact that this movie was Deluise's debut at directing,how could I expect very-much? I tried my best to keep an open mind and watched it.

I was quite pleasantly surpised! The movie was actually not bad. It was a decent,rather fun bit of lightweight humor,and (yes!),comedy!

The movie is busy,silly,and funny. It does have a few flat spots but they don't prevent things from moving-along or prevent the movie from being entertaining. I liked this movie and I gained some honest respect for Mr Deluise. Overall 77/100.
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Dragnet 1967: The Interrogation (1967)
Season 1, Episode 4
9/10
Kent McCord earned his spot on Adam 12 with his performance here!
16 February 2024
Kent McCord does a great job with his part in this episode. Here he portrays a new policeman,"Paul Culver" that has been accused of a liquor store robbery while on the job working undercover. He is put through the proverbial wringer by the always-tough Joe Friday and Friday's trusty partner Bill Gannon. New officer Culver is questioned over and over again until he starts to get confused,which only increases Joe Friday's suspicions. Accused officer Culver offers to take a polygraph test,and he does indeed take the test. The whole time officer Culver denies robbing the liquor store,and starts to become angry and disgusted that his word as an officer means no more than the word of a regular citizen. As a side plot Culver's girlfriend has recently left him over Culver's job as a policeman,which is also stressing the new officer. Kent McCord did a very good job with his part in this episode,I'm sure that his performance here helped greatly to earn him his later spot on Adam 12 with actor partner Martin Milner. Jack Webb was a generous and loyal friend to many people in Hollywood,it seems that if you made a good impression on him you were assured to be offered steady work on his many shows and productions. This was a strong 4th episode of Dragnet that held my interest throughout the entire episode. The final verdict on officer Paul Culver remains up in the air until the very end. 9/10 solid episode.
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Leave It to Beaver: Beaver Won't Eat (1960)
Season 4, Episode 1
10/10
Ward needs to get a grip and he needs to tell June to get a grip too !
3 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is a rather ridiculous,annoying,and crummy episode. Mother June Cleaver acts like a petty and neurotic 'dinner-table dictator',and the usually-solid Father,Ward Cleaver,is strangely weak and 'out to lunch' in this episode. Instead of simply putting his foot down and nipping a small problem in the bud,Ward instead allows this small problem to fester and to get much larger than is even remotely reasonable.

Youngest son Beaver is served Brussel sprouts at dinner and he makes it very clear that he doesn't like them. Instead of just making him something else to eat as a vegetable,or telling Beaver it was OK to not eat them,June turns it into a 'tug-of-war','fight-to-the-finish' situation. Beaver is told to eat the Brussel sprouts,like them or not,or he cannot go to a sporting event that the family had planned. Beaver says he'd rather stay home than eat the Brussel sprouts. In any reasonable household,an offer to stay home from a fun sporting event instead of eating Brussel sprouts would put an end to expecting that person to eat Brussel sprouts. Beaver isn't just trying to be difficult,he really doesn't like the Brussel sprouts. A last-minute compromise is pushed on Beaver so he can still go to the planned event,and Beaver half-heartedly agrees,under pressure,to eat the Brussel sprouts the next time they are served. This was a bad idea,a bad deal,and it is completely unlikely for father Ward to go along with it. This agreement solves nothing,and it only kicks the can down the road until the next time Brussel sprouts are served. Kicking any problem down the road is something that Ward Cleaver never does,it is completely out of character for him.

The family then goes to eat at a nice restaurant on the way to (or from) the sporting event,and guess what vegetable is served...Brussel sprouts ! (Of course..) Beaver doesn't want to eat them,despite the hasty agreement that he was buffaloed into making earlier. The restaurant staff,and a lady customer dining at a nearby table,all take Beaver's side in the dispute. The restaurant staff then offer some alternatives to the Brussel sprouts,ie.corn,carrots,peas,etc.

This offer is completely reasonable and should be just fine if it was actually Beaver's diet and nutrition that Mother June was worried about. As long as Beaver is eating a vegetable,any reasonable mother would be satisfied. Not June Cleaver, because she isn't being reasonable,and Ward lacks the backbone to set her straight in this episode. This is really all about June getting her way,Beaver's thoughts and feelings be damned. It is not about June's concern for Beaver's diet or his health,at all. June just HAS to be obeyed,even if it is ridiculous and unreasonable. It was disgusting,the entire dynamic of the situation and Ward's odd lack of leadership. Making it worse was father Ward allowing this to go on to begin with and then not putting a stop to it at the restaurant. The icing on the cake was the episode ending which was far too cliché and too lame to believe. Beaver is pressed to 'just try' the Brussel sprouts. (which he has obviously been forced to do on countless previous occasions with bad results). You can probably guess by now what happens. Golly,gee-whiz,Beaver likes the Brussel sprouts,after-all!

What a lame episode,I wanted to scream. Make sure you don't have anything small around you,you might throw it at the tv! 3/10.
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The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Hi! (1971)
Season 1, Episode 20
8/10
Taking a hint is not Mary's strong suit.
24 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The Mary Richards character is nothing if not a chipper,cheerful,and happy soul almost all of the time. Which is just great,for Mary that is. Most people around Mary do react positively to her happy and upbeat demeanor,almost all of the time. The thing is,every single person around her is not always in the mood for Mary's perky good-cheer,all of the time. Different people have their own different moods and issues and they aren't always ready or in the mood themselves to deal with Mary's chatty and perky cheerfulness. Someone that doesn't know Mary very-well could easily find Mary's perkiness to be forced,phony,or even condescending and rather annoying,despite Mary's good intentions.

The problem is,Mary lacks the self-awareness to realize that some people do indeed get annoyed with her chronic,effusive and excessive perkiness and cheer.

Mary is in the hospital for a couple of days for a minor tonsil operation. She has a hospital room that she shares with another lady. The room-mate is just not very happy with Mary's endless good cheer and she is rather gruff towards Mary.

Mary,for her part,cannot or will not take some clear and increasingly-obvious hints of the room-mate's aggravation,and simply tone it down a bit ! Even better,Mary could,and should,try something really new,and just be quiet for awhile and not speak until spoken to by her aggravated and annoyed hospital room-mate. Expecting Mary to 'put a lid on it' however is like wishing on a star ! It's not going to happen,or if it does it won't last very-long.

Mary's room-mate at the hospital,'Loretta' is just a few years older than Mary but the two of them don't have much in common besides sharing a hospital room. Loretta is living a troubled life that is seemingly chock-full of problems and worries both big and small. Some of Loretta's problems are self-inflicted and some of them are caused by other people,but either way she has a lot on her mind and has little time or patience with or for Mary's carefree bubbly enthusiasm.

Mary on the other hand just doesn't seem to notice her roommate is steadily becoming aggravated with all of the forced conversation and good cheer. Mary also doesn't miss a beat while she continues full-speed-ahead with the constant chit-chat.

All in all this is mildly aggravating but it is still a pretty funny episode. 8/10.
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Barnaby Jones: Wipeout (1976)
Season 4, Episode 22
8/10
Unintentially funny episode...
23 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is a ridiculously silly episode that is actually rather funny despite the grim subject matter. Jeff Conaway,the blonde-haired guy that later portrayed 'Bobby' on Taxi,is the main character in this wacky episode. Conaway's character is named Taylor and he is a surfer with an odd relationship with his sister. Apparently something happened to their parents and the brother and sister are both a bit strange. The sister raised Taylor and he has a real problem with his temper amongst other problems. Surfer Taylor is a good-looking guy that has no trouble with attracting women admirers. Apparently,the problems start as soon as Taylor is alone with these young women and things start to get heated. Taylor doesn't seem to know exactly what to do when women start to get physical with him and he ends up getting quite flustered. When a young woman gets rejected by Taylor she doesn't take it well. She says several rude things to him and he loses his temper and kills her. Things get more complicated from this point. Stories don't add-up,and others start to die. The crime is eventually figured out by Barnaby Jones,but as is usual on this show,it is solved on the flimsiest of evidence of a sort that would be laughed out of any courtroom. The whole episode is pretty silly and rather unintentionally-funny throughout. For believability I rate the episode low,but for overall entertainment it is pretty high for being unintentionally funny and silly despite the grim topic 8/10 overall.
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Mama's Family: Harper Versus Harper (1984)
Season 2, Episode 18
4/10
Way overdone by the Mama character.
17 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is another one of the few 'dud' episodes of this show. The plot and story here were both good,but several aspects of the show were simply WAY overdone,mainly by the Mama character.(The whole episode is basically one long,tiresome0 argument.) Vint's wife Naomi has a vacuum cleaner that she received as a wedding present. Vint brings it upstairs from the basement and Mama starts to use it on the living-room carpet. Naomi gets a bit miffed over this because the vacuum cleaner was supposed to be saved for when Naomi and Vint get their own house in a few years. (What exactly happened to Mama's vacuum cleaner isn't clear,it sounds like it died of old age.) Mama starts vacuuming and picks-up something too-big for the vacuum cleaner (Naomi's keychain) and the vacuum cleaner starts making terrible noises.

Everyone tells her to shut-off the vacuum cleaner but naturally Mama doesn't. Anyone else there nearby could have,should have and in real-life would have simply pulled the plug out of the wall immediately.

The vacuum cleaner motor burns up,and the carpet gets a hole burned through it as well. There is a big commotion,and Naomi and Mama end up in court,of all places,to sort it all out. This is where the episode really gets bad. Mama's behavior in court is way overdone until it is just plain annoying,a real judge would have jailed Mama for contempt of court!

The whole dysfunctional family is on their worst behavior in court,but Mama is off the charts obnoxious. Eventually the court scene ends and everyone goes home. At home,Mama and Naomi start arguing again,and for once,Vinton puts his foot down and manages to quiet the arguing women! It is a surprising and nice end to an overdone and tiresome episode.
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Mama's Family: No Room at the Inn (1984)
Season 2, Episode 15
5/10
How do they do it ?
12 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I honestly don't know HOW Vinton and Naomi manage to avoid strangling Mama Thelma in this episode. It is all pretty hard to stomach to be honest. There is no denying that Thelma's selfishness and rudeness are off the chart in this episode. Let me try to explain. Vint and Naomi have their 1 year anniversary coming up and for privacy they decide to spend a romantic night at a 'honeymoon hotel' that is quite aways out of town. The day they are about to leave,a rarely-heard-from Aunt calls-up needing 'help' of some sort from Mama Thelma. The Aunt lives in the same general-area as the honeymoon hotel so Thelma catches a ride from Vint and Naomi.

The happy couple are about to enjoy their time together and who knocks at the door but Thelma ! She's gotten into an argument with the Auntie and leaves the Aunt's house in a huff to come and stay with Vint and Naomi at the hotel,ruining the romantic getaway as only Thelma can. She imposes upon the couple to stay and then makes a complete nuisance of herself on top of everything else. Thelma was insufferably selfish and annoying,so much that I wanted to reach through the tv and throttle the old bat Thelma! This episode was funny to a point but that point was exceeded by a long,long-way until the entire episode was just plain aggravating ! This series is almost always much better than this episode,I really didn't like it. 5/10.
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Mama's Family: Mama Learns to Drive (1984)
Season 2, Episode 11
3/10
A rare dud episode.
10 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is a pretty weak and lame episode.

Mama Thelma Harper wants to learn to drive a car.

She has so much trouble learning how to drive that you might think she is learning to fly a helicopter or perhaps learning to pilot a submarine. It is funny to a point but it is way overdone until it is just annoying. I've known several ladies in real-life that knew how to drive a stick-shift car with manual brakes and manual steering in the 1950's with no trouble at all,so seeing all the trouble Mama has learning to drive a car with an automatic transmission,power steering and power brakes in the 1980's is kind of hard to believe or to be very-sympathetic about. Mama wrecks 2 cars before this episode is halfway-over! Even with car insurance,this has to be a serious unplanned and unnecessary financial hit for the family !

Next,there is a manufactured crisis that involves Mama getting a phone call from a store about a hat of some sort that Mama wanted.

Apparently another lady is interested in this one hat that the store has so Mama Thelma is now under pressure to go pick up the hat at this store before the other woman does. Mama goes and gets the hat,then after getting the hat,for some unexplained reason Mama has to go to the DMV and get her driver's license before the DMV closes.(?!) When I finally saw the hat that all this fussing and rushing-around was about I wanted to scream! This has to be the ugliest,most hideous hat I've ever seen. It looks like a cheerleader's pom-pom for heaven's sake! Yuck. I don't think any woman would be caught dead in this hat,it fits almost like a bathing-cap!

At Mama's next stop,the DMV,Mama gets flustered and is very rude towards the man behind the counter. Mama is having problems following the very-same directions that everyone else at the DMV is managing to follow without problems,and she handles it like an angry 4 year-old. It is way-overdone and it is just not funny,in my opinion.

Now I must say that I really do like this whole tv series,as most of the episodes are well-written,funny,and well-done by everyone involved. Just the law of averages will give us an occasional dud episode and I am afraid that this episode here is one of the duds. The character 'Mama Harper' has her limitations just like everyone-else does and those limits are on-display front-and-center here for all to see in this episode.

This episode has it's moments but overall it is way-overdone and not believable or very-funny in my opinion. A rare dud episode. 3/10.
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Cheers: Old Flames (1983)
Season 2, Episode 7
4/10
Wake up already,Sam !
7 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Ted Danson and Shelly Long put in some good effort and do a good job with their parts of Sam and Diane. The real problem is with the writing. In this episode,the Sam and Diane circus continues and the big question is WHY ! ? Sam and Diane have nothing in common. She is a delusional,condescending snob that thinks she is a worldly and cultured genius. She thinks Sam is a moron and treats him as such. Sam is a guy that can supposedly have almost any woman he wants,anytime,anywhere. There is no earthly reason for Sam to end his happy and carefree lifestyle with as many different women as he wants,and trade it for a life of constant headaches,arguments and embarrassments with the neurotic,needy and endlessly-aggravating Diane. It doesn't make the first bit of sense and it isn't even remotely believable. In this episode Sam has a chance to go out carousing and prowling for women with an old running-buddy. Naturally Diane expects Sam to stay home with her and watch Masterpiece Theater. Sam and Diane aren't married,there is no actual commitment,so obviously the choice of a boring night at home arguing with the never-satisfied Diane vs a wild night of fun and adventure with an old pal should be a no-brainer. Sam may as well just go out with his pal,because other than bringing each other a lot of headaches and complications,it is a mystery exactly what positive or good things Diane and Sam are doing for each-other. Sam and Diane simply don't make a good couple,and the writers' constant focus on these two is draining all the life out of the rest of the show. 4/10.
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Cheers: Sumner's Return (1983)
Season 2, Episode 5
3/10
Sam the masochistic moron can't get enough..
5 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is yet another episode that is all about Sam and Diane. I do think that Ted Danson and Shelly Long did a fine job with their Sam and Diane characters. The problem is with the obsession that the writers had with the relationship between these two characters,which is sucking the life out of the rest of the show. Far too-many episodes might as well just be called,'the Sam and Diane circus'. In this episode,an old flame of Diane's,a college literature professor,appears at the bar and talks Diane into going out to dinner with him and his new girlfriend,to supposedly show Diane how great his new lady is.(?!) Diane agrees to go but Sam catches wind of it so Sam ends-up getting invited for what is now apparently a double-date. When the time for the date comes,the professor's new girlfriend supposedly cannot make it for some reason. It seems at least possible that the professor was trying to get a one-on-one date with Diane from the get-go,and Sam is an unfortunate and unanticipated complication for 'professor hotpants'.

The 3 of them go out. Diane and the prof spend the whole date speaking in French and discussing obscure literary minutiae that flies right over Sam's head. They all return to the bar and naturally Sam is disgusted. He tells Diane to just get back together with the prof,because she and the prof are a much better match.

The stage is now set for a simple,clean and easy break from the endlessly annoying Diane,and a fresh start for Sam.

The show is written as though Sam can have pretty-much any woman he wants, anytime,so what is up with Sam's obsession with the arrogant and pompous Diane? It's not realistic,at all.

The moronic Sam squanders yet another perfect opportunity for some long-overdue peace,happiness and freedom,away and apart from the insufferable Diane.

However,our guy Sam just cannot seem to get enough of a bad thing,so any hopes for an end to the 'Sam and Diane circus' are put to rest indefinitely. What a drag. 3/10.
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Leave It to Beaver: Wally's Haircomb (1959)
Season 2, Episode 34
4/10
Ridiculous,even for leave it to beaver.
5 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
June Cleaver really needs a hobby. She,and people like her,are the reason Valium was invented and it became so popular in the years following the cancelling of this tv series.

All parents worry about their kids,and want the best for them. Parents also need to have a good sense of perspective and a lot of common sense. June Cleaver comes up rather short in these departments sometimes,and in this episode especially.

It is nearly impossible to believe that this episode is,at heart,about boys' hairstyles and the way they comb their hair. This is the topic that drives the entire episode here. I really wish I were joking. Wally Cleaver tries out an odd new hairstyle and his mom June practically has a nervous breakdown over it. She actually goes to the high school principal to whine and worry to him about the way her son is combing and wearing his hair. I was waiting for the principal to tell June to go see a psychiatrist. It's unbelievable,one of the worst episodes in fact.

3/10.
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Cheers: Personal Business (1983)
Season 2, Episode 3
4/10
The Sam + Diane thing is getting old.
4 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Rewatching this show again so many years after it first came out,I am struck by how downright annoying the whole Sam and Diane relationship is. The problem is,it is so overdone,and so overplayed that it pulls all of the life out of the rest of the show. Ted Danson and Shelly Long are both quite talented and do a great job with their parts,the problem is with the writing. Diane and Sam just recently started 'dating' (to put it gently). Sam as a boss starts showing obvious favoritism towards Diane at the bar and Carla calls Sam out on it. This blows up and Diane quits her job at the bar. This is the perfect clean break that Sam and the bar need. It doesn't last long. Diane does indeed find a job in another field of work but her new boss has the same illicit intentions towards her as Sam does. What (who🤡) will she do ? 4/10.
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Cheers: Power Play (1983)
Season 2, Episode 1
3/10
Pomposity thy name is Diane...
3 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I suppose some might find this episode funny but I thought it was pretty aggravating. Shelly Long is a very good actress and she plays the Diane character as quite a Jekyl+Hyde character indeed. On some episodes Diane is sweetly charming and fun. On other episodes Diane is maddeningly pompous,annoyingly self-centered and lacking any self-awareness or humility.

The long-running back and forth between Diane and Sam is somewhat entertaining but it is overdone,overplayed and it gets old. In this episode it is ridiculous. According to the plot of the series,Sam can have almost any woman he wants,anytime. It is simply not realistic that Sam would be that interested in the flaky and neurotic Diane. It is even harder to believe that Sam would employ her at his bar and have her around almost all the time.

After several months of flirting Sam and Diane decide to possibly become intimate. Sam suggests the office couch and then his apartment but they finally settle on Diane's place.

Instead of simply being discrete about it like anyone else they announce their tawdry intentions to the entire barroom,as if it is a royal wedding (or anyone else's business).

From there things only get worse. At Diane's house,she gets cold feet and begins stalling. Sam is treated to a name by name introduction to Diane's large stuffed animal collection. When Diane runs out of stalling material she starts an argument with Sam and throws him out before anything has a chance to happen. Sam leaves and goes back to the bar,undoubtedly disgusted.

At this point,anybody else would write Diane off and ask her to please find another job. Not our Sammy. Sam goes back to Diane's for even more mind-numbing nonsense.(from both of them) Eventually it appears that Sam and Diane do spend some intimate time together but it's such a long and rocky road there that it is almost impossible to believe it was worth the trip.

This episode surely sets the stage for future episodes of sorry nonsense between Sam and Diane. This episode makes Sam look like a complete fool and does Diane no favors either. It also serves as a warning for what is surely to follow in the upcoming episodes. 3/10.
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The Fugitive (1963–1967)
3/10
A good idea presented badly...
2 January 2024
I had heard so-many good things about this show before I finally managed to watch it for the first time. Since that first viewing I have probably seen every episode at least once.

What did I see? Geez,where do I start?

This was a show with a good and interesting premise. The main problem is with the downright unlikelihood of the basic plots of almost all of the episodes. There are so many things about the show that are simply ridiculous. The fugitive is being chased by a lawman that we are told is obsessed with capturing him.

The fugitive goes from town to town where nobody knows him. Wherever he goes,within a very-short time,somebody is onto his identity,in every single darn episode.(If this guy was that easy to spot he'd have surely been caught long ago). Eventually,it always goes something like this: the police corner the fugitive in a building. The police enter the building through the front-door. The fugitive exits the building by the back door,and disappears into the darkness,until next week's episode. The policeman that is supposedly obsessed with capturing the fugitive never seems to figure-out how to capture him in 120 episodes.

The show isn't completely bad or without entertainment value but it definitely strains credibility and it is quite often laughably silly and/or hokey. 5/10.
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Fish (1977–1978)
2/10
A well-intended but poorly-executed cringefest.
1 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This tv series surely must have looked much-better on paper than it does on the actual tv screen. The problem is that the overall premise of the series just isn't very plausable or likely.

Here we have a freshly-retired NYC cop that is downright worn-out-tired,cynical,and disgusted. He needs, and certainly deserves a pleasant,peaceful and enjoyable retirement, maybe in the country someplace. So what does the guy do? We are asked to believe that instead,this guy Fish decides to adopt 5 ! (Five!) rotten kids of various ages from the juvenile detention center and agrees be responsible for them 24/7. All 5 of these kids,their school attendance,every aspect of their behavior,their health,all of this is going to be the responsibility of Fish and his wife from now on. None of this is even remotely believable. So,how about the kids? The kids are some cringeworthy creeps that are obviously going to be nothing but major headaches and trouble for the Fish family. None of the kids are at all likeable except for maybe the young Todd Bridges.

The 2 older boys appear to be nearly 20 years old. The girl characters are given practically nothing to work with,at times they could almost be mistaken for mannequins. The show appears to have had some good intentions but overall it was pretty bad. 2/10 BAD.
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Cheers: Any Friend of Diane's (1982)
Season 1, Episode 6
5/10
Annoying episode
23 December 2023
I hadn't seen the earlier episodes of Cheers in quite awhile when I recently watched this 6th episode of the 1st season of Cheers. To be honest,I really didn't like it. Why not? The Diane Chambers character. Now I do like Shelly Long,she is a fine and talented actress. I sure didn't remember her Diane character being SO obnoxiously annoying ! I found her to be so absolutely insufferable in this episode that I almost quit watching it. Diane isn't funny in this episode,she is annoying. Very annoying. The writers really did over-do her Diane part in too-many of the episodes,this here is just one example. The writers could have toned-down Diane's snobbish and neurotic edge and made her character a lot-less obnoxious,it surely would have been much better. I also think it is impossible to believe that the Sam character would employ this pretentious, snobbish and phony Diane in his bar to begin with. He may have possibly hired her,but she couldn't have lasted longer than a day or two at Cheers,regardless of how well she can remember the orders of the customers. To then ask the viewer to also believe that Sam is romantically interested in this woman is absolutely ridiculous. The plot of this episode is pretty bland and the whole episode is below average. Watch it if you must,perhaps you will like it but I sure didn't. 5/10.
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Leave It to Beaver: Wally's Present (1959)
Season 2, Episode 14
7/10
Ward and June missed the boat here.
20 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This was mostly a good and funny episode but it had one rather serious flaw in it. The major flaw is that Beaver was pretty rotten here and there was a serious lesson that should have been impressed upon the young Beaver but unfortunately his parents Ward and June dropped the ball here,big-time.

What in the world am I talking about? Let me try to explain. Older brother Wally has a birthday coming up and a small party is being planned. The whole situation turns into a major disaster. The thing that gets the ball rolling is Beaver getting the idea that his big brother Wally is going to go to the movies with his pals but Beaver isn't going to be invited. This sets the stage for Beaver selfishly spending most of the money that was earmarked for Wally's present,on something for himself instead.

While Beaver is out shopping for Wally's birthday present, Beaver gets egged-on by his pal Larry to spend most of Wally's birthday-present money on himself. Beaver buys his brother Wally a cheap toy that would be better-suited for a younger child. Then,the expensive item that Beaver buys for himself ends-up getting broken before it is ever used. Next,the cheap toy Beaver gives to Wally looks particularly chintzy compared to the great gifts that everyone else gives to Wally,so Beaver looks and feels pretty silly. The parents start to piece-together the actual facts and confront Beaver. The Beaver admits to most of what happened, leaving out the part about him breaking the expensive item he bought for himself. The matter is eventually settled but Beaver ends-up getting very-little punishment for what he did. Beaver was sneaky, dishonest,he lied,he was selfish,and he was irresponsible.

For all of this,Beaver suffers practically no consequences.

Most of the basic story here was good,it was funny,and it was pretty-believable. The only problem was with the odd lack of punishment,and not even a stern lecture from the parents. This lenient, nonchalant parental dynamic seems oddly out of character for the typically staid and solid Ward and June Cleaver. Beaver surely had a serious lecture coming to him and some sort of a meaningful punishment-but he somehow received very-little of either.

This is a good episode with a believability problem. 7/10.
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Taxi: Nardo Loses Her Marbles (1979)
Season 2, Episode 4
7/10
Too much Elaine is a bad thing...
16 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
In small doses,the Elaine Nardo character is somewhat sweet,reasonably interesting, and she cannot help but elicit some sympathy for her difficult role as a single parent. To a point,that is.

Unfortunately,this point is all-too often exceeded throughout the series. Such as in this episode here.

Because,for as often as the 'single parent' trope is trotted-out on this show,the actual facts behind Elaine's domestic situation aren't ever explained much beyond her being 'divorced'. Why Elaine and hubby divorced,what led-up to it,whose fault it is and so-forth are never-once explained,which inevitably leads to more questions and loose-ends. Just for one example,If Elaine is divorced and has custody of the kids,she surely is entitled to child-support and alimony from her ex-husband,right? So what,then,is the deal with Elaine having to work endless hours as a cab-driver?

In this episode,Elaine has seemingly stretched herself way-too-thin between her work and family life. The kids are being short-changed timewise,her work quality is slipping,and she is acting pretty wacky wherever she is. That,right there,is a basic synopsis of this entire episode.

Any sympathy that the Elaine character might have coming is squandered by her obnoxious behavior and the rather weak overall story.

A little Elaine goes a long way,and she is just way-too-much here I'm afraid.
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Highway Patrol (1955–1959)
7/10
A rarely-seen gem.
8 December 2023
This is a very-good to excellent tv series. It is a well-written,well-made show that will hold your interest from start to finish.

The cases are gritty,unvarnished and the writers pulled no punches. The crimes are usually pretty serious,the criminals are pretty callous. The highway patrol relies on methodical, logical procedures firstly,but they often end-up in shootouts with armed criminals before it is over-with.

The crimes presented are almost always rather serious,there is no time spent on expired license plates or burned-out tail-lights for example.

Of course the show isn't perfect but it really is a standout for it's time and it still holds up today as a solid show. 9/10.
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Bonanza (1959–1973)
5/10
Has it's moments,but thoroughly wears out it's welcome.
7 December 2023
This is a tv show that I must confess to having mixed feelings about. On one hand,it is a reasonably wholesome show. On the other hand,there are plenty of things about the show that are downright annoying. The bad thing is,once you start to notice these annoying things,you cannot un-see them. As time goes on,and you watch more and more episodes,the list of annoyances steadily builds and builds until you reach a tipping-point. Once you've passed that tipping-point there is no going back.

I could probably write a book full of complaints about the show in fact,but I'll try to be brief while still fulfilling the silly 600-word requirement that imdb recently came up with,out of the blue.

Most of the plots and stories are either lame,silly,or stupid,and none of them are ever realistic. All of the characters are always spiffy-clean and wearing clothes that are brand-new and freshly laundered. Tiresome social propaganda is clumsily mixed in with far too many episodes and it is always with the subtlety of a sledgehammer on an egg.

The characters are ridiculous and the acting is very weak with possibly the exception of Dan Blocker as Hoss.

The pompous Lorne Greene overdoes everything .

Michael Landon's "little Joe" character is an annoying pipsqueak punk that surely would have been on the wrong end of several beatings in town had there been any realism to the show.

Pernell Roberts felt that playing "Adam Cartwright" was so far beneath his skills as an actor that he quit Bonanza to concentrate on his imagined Shakespearian talents. When this didn't pan out in 20 years he settled for being "Trapper John MD" on tv for a short while before doing us all a favor and disappearing for good.

The show has it's moments and there are a few decent episodes but most of them are annoyingly bad.

Watch it if you must,but stick to the first few years of the show,as they get worse and worse over time. 5/10.
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The Rockford Files: The Competitive Edge (1978)
Season 4, Episode 19
9/10
Worthwhile,humorous,interesting episode.
6 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is a good,entertaining and rather amusing episode of the Rockford Files. As far as the actual story goes,I suppose it is really up-to the viewer to decide how believable or likely all of this is. I would say that none of it is impossible to believe but some of it is indeed a bit of a stretch. The story covers quite a bit of ground and it is not clear what will happen until the very-end. The story involves a greedy/dishonest insurance salesman that has had an apparent falling-out with his colleagues. All of them belong to an elite gym-healthclub that is dispensing some rather questionable (and probably illegal) 'energy supplements' to it's high functioning, corporate-executive clientele.

When our man Jim Rockford starts getting a bit too-close to the truth about the crooked insurance-man and the shady gym,he is packed-off for a hellish 'vacation' at a crooked mental hospital in podunk,deep-south,USA ! The man that is running the crooked mental hospital is a brother of one of the gym/healthclub kingpins.

Mr. Rockford has to make the best of the bad situation while he relies on his wits to try to get out of the mess he's in. It certainly doesn't help that the crooked doctor is trying to keep Mr. Rockford as a tranquilized zombie. This episode is a wild and busy ride from start to finish,and pretty-funny also. Highly recommended. 9/10.
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