The Six Best LAVERNE & SHIRLEY Episodes of Season Eight

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https://jacksonupperco.com/2021/11/2...-season-eight/

This final season of Laverne & Shirley is notorious, as one half of the series’ titular duo departed after just two episodes, leaving the rest of the year an automatic failure on behalf of the show’s proclaimed premise as a buddy comedy. I don’t have to tell you why all of the entries without Laverne and Shirley together are unideal based on the series’ terms, especially because we’ve already covered that ground last week, when it started to become rare to find the two leading ladies sharing story, if appearing at all. In fact, if there’s one good thing about this season — and I say this facetiously, for there’s nothing good about this season — it’s that fans of Penny Marshall can celebrate her having more to do here than in the year prior, as she has to anchor about three quarters of the episodic output, sometimes with a blatant Shirley stand-in (like Vicki Lawrence or Carrie Fisher) but usually with a random guest-of-the-week, as Eight naturally has to pull out all the gimmicky stops (some absolutely ridiculous!) in order to sustain enjoyment as a situation comedy that’s essentially lost its situation. Yet all of this is even more troubling now as there’s less peripheral support; Michael McKean — who appeared, with David Lander, in only half of Seven — now has his count down to just four appearances, necessitating a vague standby in the form of Chuck (Charles Fleischer), Laverne’s new colleague (at an unbelievable space company), whom the show is plugging into the Lenny spot, just as it’s cycling in people to replace Shirley. Meanwhile, plans to give Laverne a new love interest were dropped when the chosen actor, Larry Breeding, died after only shooting two episodes — another stroke of bad luck that seemed to further condemn the show. That said, no matter if his character, or even a maternal Shirley, had made it to the finish line, if this collection was unable to regularly offer star-focused slapstick for the central twosome, it would have always been a dud. The fact that Shirley exits early is merely a “checkmate” — as now there’s no way the series can fulfill its objectives, short of a whole new roommate and title. (And for such an aging show… why bother?) For that reason, I think you’ll agree I’m being generous in even picking six episodes to highlight. By definition, there could be no more than two. But I’ve really stretched myself to accommodate this series and meet it where it’s at (as best I could), and that continues…

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For once, Laverne's latest relationship is going well. Her beau, Mike Bailey (Larry Breeding), is a fashion photographer who likes her and connects with her. The two of them share their romance in a comfortable, healthy, mature way. But, there's one problem - Laverne's jealousy flares up as she sees how close Mike is to the models he photographs. She decides to go to a big internationally- themed fashion show Mike has been commissioned to put on for an airline company, and causes one of the lead models to quit on the spot. Laverne, realizing her mistake, bails her Bailey out by walking the runway herself. But will her presentation of some Gondola-based headwear save the event? Or shall the master of ceremonies' drunken shenanigans and the narcissism of one of the other models sabotage this event, AND this relationship?

On pod, we talk the chemistry between Penny Marshall and Larry Breeding and the way in which callbacks are utilized in the episode.

Laverne's nursing an ulcer with an awful diet and doctor's orders to rest. At work, her colleague Chuck (Charles Fleischer) tries to cheer her up with playing his harmonica and introducing her to his own love of music. Realizing he's actually pretty good, Laverne encourages him, bringing up how much Bob Dylan makes. What ends up happening is Chuck dreams big, getting his science buddies together to form a band, quit their jobs, and become successful. But Laverne and Carmine realize immediately that these nerds do not know the ins & outs of rock & roll. They set about teaching them. Can Chuck and his bugs scare up a performance that will knock the kids' socks off? Will Laverne suffer Carmine's food torture?!

On pod, we talk the anachronistic use of Jack Mack & The Heart Attack as the band in the episode, Lisa reflects on her mother's rock n roll fandom history, and Chris figures out that guy managing the stage in the third act is not Tom Trbovich.

Night After Night Podcast