Kasey
03-31-2018, 10:58 AM
I just finished Season 8 and thought I’d share my observations as I work my way through the later years.
I last watched Seasons 6 and 7 when TV Land first aired them in 1998 (yikes—that was TWENTY years ago). S6 had the Ernie adoption arc going for it, but I found S7 so dull that I am hard pressed to even remember a single episode plot from that year. Thank goodness the producers decided to overhaul the show for the 1967-68 season.
The move to Hollywood and the addition of Katie breathed new life into MTS. The series NEVER would have made it to 1972 without Tina Cole. She was the perfect addition to give the Douglas household the feminine touch and I liked how a recurring theme throughout the season was Katie being afraid of crossing Uncle Charlie. I especially enjoyed the high number of Ernie-centric episodes this season, since he’s my favorite character. Also, the suburban setting and the time period are exactly how I imagined my family’s life to be at the time before I was born (I wasn’t around in ’67 but it seemed like such an idyllic time to be a kid and I’ve always romanticized it since the 1980s). Everything seemed so relatable, unlike the fantasy sitcoms like Bewitched or Jeannie or the ones set in NYC like Family Affair or That Girl. There is a real ‘normalcy’ to this era of MTS that I find appealing.
Lastly, I never really cared for the episodes that revolved around Steve’s work life--the exception being “Gossip, Inc”. This may well be my pick for MVE of the season. A great script full of misunderstandings, a superb guest cast that boasts not only the fabulous Shirley Mitchell as Charley’s squeeze Sally but also Abby Dalton (The Joey Bishop Show, Falcon Crest), Marvin Kaplan (Alice), Jane Dulo and Gail Fisher (Mannix) in a small part. Ending the episode with a framed picture of Steve replacing the old boss was a nice touch.
All in all, I highly recommend this as one of the best seasons!
I last watched Seasons 6 and 7 when TV Land first aired them in 1998 (yikes—that was TWENTY years ago). S6 had the Ernie adoption arc going for it, but I found S7 so dull that I am hard pressed to even remember a single episode plot from that year. Thank goodness the producers decided to overhaul the show for the 1967-68 season.
The move to Hollywood and the addition of Katie breathed new life into MTS. The series NEVER would have made it to 1972 without Tina Cole. She was the perfect addition to give the Douglas household the feminine touch and I liked how a recurring theme throughout the season was Katie being afraid of crossing Uncle Charlie. I especially enjoyed the high number of Ernie-centric episodes this season, since he’s my favorite character. Also, the suburban setting and the time period are exactly how I imagined my family’s life to be at the time before I was born (I wasn’t around in ’67 but it seemed like such an idyllic time to be a kid and I’ve always romanticized it since the 1980s). Everything seemed so relatable, unlike the fantasy sitcoms like Bewitched or Jeannie or the ones set in NYC like Family Affair or That Girl. There is a real ‘normalcy’ to this era of MTS that I find appealing.
Lastly, I never really cared for the episodes that revolved around Steve’s work life--the exception being “Gossip, Inc”. This may well be my pick for MVE of the season. A great script full of misunderstandings, a superb guest cast that boasts not only the fabulous Shirley Mitchell as Charley’s squeeze Sally but also Abby Dalton (The Joey Bishop Show, Falcon Crest), Marvin Kaplan (Alice), Jane Dulo and Gail Fisher (Mannix) in a small part. Ending the episode with a framed picture of Steve replacing the old boss was a nice touch.
All in all, I highly recommend this as one of the best seasons!