"Edith's Fiftieth Birthday is a two-parter, and it isn't funny. It's disgusting. A rapist captures Edith, and how the audience could laugh at the "jokes" is beyond me. But when Edith slams a burning cake into the rapist's face, it was one of the greatest scenes in TV history. My wife and I started cheering and shouting, although if she had castrated him, it would have been even better. (Can't do it, family television, that sort of thing).

Archie and Michael team up for true stupidity when they search the house with a baseball bat, knowing the rapist has a gun.

In part 2, Edith shows what true heroism is: being afraid to do your duty, but doing it anyway.

THAT'S LEMON PLEDGE!

:brent


http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/uploaded_images/P1080655-702934.jpg

I get it. It isn't funny, but I get it.

For those of you who don't get it, the unfunny episode "Edith's Fiftieth Birthday" can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBwwVTPWSzI&feature=related

I get it. It isn't funny, but I get it.

That episode was a classic and that line was hysterical IMO. I still crack-up everytime I hear it.

This specific episode has its own article in Wikipedia! But I disagree with the statement "The episode closes on a comedic moment, where Gloria loudly whines from the pain of her slap."

Uhm, I thought that Gloria was crying because of her own stress over an attempted rape on her three years earlier, when she did NOT press charges. She had just ripped into her mother for not pressing charges, and I thought that she was crying over her own stress and guilt. Either way, I did not consider the closing scene to be funny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith%27s_50th_Birthday

The Wikipedia article stated that the episode was used as an educational and counseling film, It was shown to the entire New York City police department to make them more sympathetic towards rape victims, and it was also shown in several rape counseling centers.

I agree Vince, it was not a funny episode, in fact, I find it difficult to watch because although Edith gets away, it's terrifying and sad to think that the writers could have wrote it the other way. Even though it was just a TV show, I think we can all agree that we come to love our characters and wouldn't want harm to come to them, but I guess that's what makes TV.