1974-75: The BB Season That Never Was

[Novus]

Lately, I've been thinking about how I would have handled the series if (1) I had been alive at that time, and (2) had the ability to write the episodes--that is, if (3) Robert Reed and the others had stayed on. (Perhaps I could have placated Reed--not to mention Eve--by taking the show in a more serious direction. I would have tried to help the show grow up along with the characters, while still maintaining the BB's signature dialogue and environment.

Here are some of the ideas I came up with in constructing Season 6, "the season that never was".





BRADY BUNCH, SEASON 6 (Sept. 20, 1974-Mar. 7, 1975)
(24 episodes)



Episode 118--You Can't Always Get What You Want
September 20, 1974

This year's high school Homecoming Dance is a major issue in the Brady household. Jan becomes increasingly worried, as she is unable to find a date for it. Peter talks to Greg on the phone and, inspired by how great his brother's homecoming dances sounded, tries to work up the courage to ask Kerry Hathaway. (Marcia, of course, found a date easily.) In the subplot, Carol has become an aspiring seamstress, and is disappointed when both Jan and Marcia decline her offer to make dresses for them. (TBC)



Episode 119--The Next Best Thing
September 27, 1974

A mortified Jan fails to find a date, and to Peter's horror, Kerry goes home sick on the day he was planning to ask her to the dance. (No, she's not faking it.) But for the first time in their lives, both middle children defiantly bounce back from a major disappointment; even though they have no dates, they decide to go to the dance together. This represents a major turning point in their lives (although not the kind they were expecting), and Jan and Peter become closer from that point on. Meanwhile, Alice manages to persuade Carol to take up a new hobby without hurting her feelings in the process.



Episode 120--Like Father, Like Daughter
October 4, 1974

Cindy is hurt when, in the midst of an argument, Bobby loses his temper and insists that she's a baby who couldn't grow up even if she tried. She sets out to prove him wrong by secretly observing Mike--the most grown-up person she knows--and imitating everything he does (dressing more formally, constantly working, drinking coffee, etc). She soon learns how hard being grown up really is. In the amusing subplot, Mike develops an uneasy feeling that someone is always watching him. Eventually, Mike realizes what's going on and tells Cindy that no matter how young or old she is, it's important to be herself. However, Bobby's words will stay with Cindy for a long time to come.



Episode 123--Where Credit is Due
October 25, 1974

Determined to improve in a shop class he is currently failing, Peter dedicates himself to a complex and seemingly impossible extra credit assignment--designing a light bulb from scratch. Impressed by his motivation, Jan agrees to help him with it. (Not directly, since it's his assignment and he can only do it inside the classroom; mostly she watches, providing him with encouragement and advice.) Peter successfully completes the assignment, bringing up his grade. But he also remembers that he owes Jan a big favor. In the subplot, Marcia is convinced that the rafters in her bedroom (the attic) are infested with spiders, and Mike installs a drop ceiling to alleviate her fears.



Episode 124--To Make the World Go Away
November 1, 1974

Marcia is heartbroken when the boy she has gone steady with since the beginning of summer breaks up with her. Depressed, she shuts out the rest of the family. Carol finally gets through to her by relating some sad stories of her own, convincing Marcia that no matter what happens to you, it's best to move on.



Episode 130--
December 13, 1974

Alice goes to the hospital for minor back surgery, and the Bradys must do without her for at least a few days. In order to prove a point to her mother, Marcia insists on taking over all of Alice's cooking and cleaning duties. It's a lot to juggle all at once, but somehow she manages it, impressing everyone else in the family.



Episode 134--Brotherly Love
January 10, 1975

Peter finally achieves his goal of going steady with Kerry Hathaway. However, the situation is complicated when Bobby ends up falling for her as well. When his constant hanging around and flirting with Kerry upsets Peter, Bobby ends up calling Greg at college for advice. Greg responds wisely, telling him that he should keep his feelings under control and is too young to have a girlfriend anyway. Surprisingly, Bobby takes the advice to heart and makes up with Peter. In a subplot, Mike realizes that Carol owns too many pairs of shoes, and insists that she get rid of half of them. But she chooses to interpret his exact words, which were "Please, get at least half of those shoes out of the closet by Sunday", and simply hides the shoes in various places throughout the house.



Episode 138--The Man for the Job
February 7, 1975

Jan is still the assistant manager at the ice cream shop, and when one of the employees (who is moving to another state for college) quits, Peter asks if he can fill the position. Jan is unsure of what to say, remembering how Peter goofed off and didn't take the job seriously the first time he was there. But Peter has grown up quite a bit since then, and the store hires him back. In the subplot, Marcia is embarrassed that they both have jobs while she (the oldest sibling in the house) does not, and compulsively searches for employment.



Episode 139--Cindy's Valentine
February 14, 1975

Cindy gets her first kiss from a boy she likes, and spends the next few days talking to him on the phone or wandering around the house in a daze. Unfortunately, Cindy's lovesickness couldn't have come at a worse time, as she is one of the finalists in her school's upcoming Spelling Bee. In the subplot, Bobby is confused by his sister's behavior and tries to find out who the boy is.








I'll come up with the rest of them later; what do you think? What would you have done if you were in charge of a Season 6?

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Novus

Lately, I've been thinking about how I would have handled the series if (1) I had been alive at that time, and (2) had the ability to write the episodes--that is, if (3) Robert Reed and the others had stayed on. (Perhaps I could have placated Reed--not to mention Eve--by taking the show in a more serious direction. I would have tried to help the show grow up along with the characters, while still maintaining the BB's signature dialogue and environment.

Here are some of the ideas I came up with in constructing Season 6, "the season that never was".





BRADY BUNCH, SEASON 6 (Sept. 20, 1974-Mar. 7, 1975)
(24 episodes)



Episode 118--You Can't Always Get What You Want
September 20, 1974

This year's high school Homecoming Dance is a major issue in the Brady household. Jan becomes increasingly worried, as she is unable to find a date for it. Peter talks to Greg on the phone and, inspired by how great his brother's homecoming dances sounded, tries to work up the courage to ask Kerry Hathaway. (Marcia, of course, found a date easily.) In the subplot, Carol has become an aspiring seamstress, and is disappointed when both Jan and Marcia decline her offer to make dresses for them. (TBC)



Episode 119--The Next Best Thing
September 27, 1974

A mortified Jan fails to find a date, and to Peter's horror, Kerry goes home sick on the day he was planning to ask her to the dance. (No, she's not faking it.) But for the first time in their lives, both middle children defiantly bounce back from a major disappointment; even though they have no dates, they decide to go to the dance together. This represents a major turning point in their lives (although not the kind they were expecting), and Jan and Peter become closer from that point on. Meanwhile, Alice manages to persuade Carol to take up a new hobby without hurting her feelings in the process.



Episode 120--Like Father, Like Daughter
October 4, 1974

Cindy is hurt when, in the midst of an argument, Bobby loses his temper and insists that she's a baby who couldn't grow up even if she tried. She sets out to prove him wrong by secretly observing Mike--the most grown-up person she knows--and imitating everything he does (dressing more formally, constantly working, drinking coffee, etc). She soon learns how hard being grown up really is. In the amusing subplot, Mike develops an uneasy feeling that someone is always watching him. Eventually, Mike realizes what's going on and tells Cindy that no matter how young or old she is, it's important to be herself. However, Bobby's words will stay with Cindy for a long time to come.



Episode 123--Where Credit is Due
October 25, 1974

Determined to improve in a shop class he is currently failing, Peter dedicates himself to a complex and seemingly impossible extra credit assignment--designing a light bulb from scratch. Impressed by his motivation, Jan agrees to help him with it. (Not directly, since it's his assignment and he can only do it inside the classroom; mostly she watches, providing him with encouragement and advice.) Peter successfully completes the assignment, bringing up his grade. But he also remembers that he owes Jan a big favor. In the subplot, Marcia is convinced that the rafters in her bedroom (the attic) are infested with spiders, and Mike installs a drop ceiling to alleviate her fears.



Episode 124--To Make the World Go Away
November 1, 1974

Marcia is heartbroken when the boy she has gone steady with since the beginning of summer breaks up with her. Depressed, she shuts out the rest of the family. Carol finally gets through to her by relating some sad stories of her own, convincing Marcia that no matter what happens to you, it's best to move on.



Episode 130--
December 13, 1974

Alice goes to the hospital for minor back surgery, and the Bradys must do without her for at least a few days. In order to prove a point to her mother, Marcia insists on taking over all of Alice's cooking and cleaning duties. It's a lot to juggle all at once, but somehow she manages it, impressing everyone else in the family.



Episode 134--Brotherly Love
January 10, 1975

Peter finally achieves his goal of going steady with Kerry Hathaway. However, the situation is complicated when Bobby ends up falling for her as well. When his constant hanging around and flirting with Kerry upsets Peter, Bobby ends up calling Greg at college for advice. Greg responds wisely, telling him that he should keep his feelings under control and is too young to have a girlfriend anyway. Surprisingly, Bobby takes the advice to heart and makes up with Peter. In a subplot, Mike realizes that Carol owns too many pairs of shoes, and insists that she get rid of half of them. But she chooses to interpret his exact words, which were "Please, get at least half of those shoes out of the closet by Sunday", and simply hides the shoes in various places throughout the house.



Episode 138--The Man for the Job
February 7, 1975

Jan is still the assistant manager at the ice cream shop, and when one of the employees (who is moving to another state for college) quits, Peter asks if he can fill the position. Jan is unsure of what to say, remembering how Peter goofed off and didn't take the job seriously the first time he was there. But Peter has grown up quite a bit since then, and the store hires him back. In the subplot, Marcia is embarrassed that they both have jobs while she (the oldest sibling in the house) does not, and compulsively searches for employment.



Episode 139--Cindy's Valentine
February 14, 1975

Cindy gets her first kiss from a boy she likes, and spends the next few days talking to him on the phone or wandering around the house in a daze. Unfortunately, Cindy's lovesickness couldn't have come at a worse time, as she is one of the finalists in her school's upcoming Spelling Bee. In the subplot, Bobby is confused by his sister's behavior and tries to find out who the boy is.








I'll come up with the rest of them later; what do you think? What would you have done if you were in charge of a Season 6?

If it was still up against sanford and son on Friday i don't think nothing could have been done

[Novus]

Even so, using our imaginations here is not out of the question.

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by Novus

Even so, using our imaginations here is not out of the question.

I think your plot descriptions were superb, I was cracking up as I read them..they were great! And I can picture all of that stuff happening!

Glad you worked Kerry Hathaway back into the show...she was the cutest girl ever to appear on the BB, and that includes Marcia and Jan!

On the one episode when Mike asks Carol to get rid of half of her shoes, I thought she'd end up discarding (or hiding, actually) all of her left shoes, and only have right shoes left...that way Mike would be embarrassed whenever they went out, or entertained guests, since Carol was only wearing one shoe ("Mike, you told me to get rid of half of my shoes, you never said WHICH half"). Then she'd get all of her right shoes from the mystery room at the top of the stairs, after Mike had been taught a lesson...

[Novus]

Hey, great shoe idea!! I would definitely do that instead. ^^


(Edited Version) Episode 129--Brotherly Love
December 6, 1974

Peter finally achieves his goal of going steady with Kerry Hathaway. However, the situation is complicated when Bobby ends up falling for her as well. When his constant hanging around and flirting with Kerry upsets Peter, Bobby ends up calling Greg (who is away at college) for advice. Greg responds wisely, telling him that he should keep his feelings under control and is too young to have a girlfriend anyway. Surprisingly, Bobby takes the advice to heart and makes up with Peter. In a subplot, Mike realizes that Carol owns too many pairs of shoes, and insists that she get half of them out of the closet. Irritated, Carol interprets his words literally and moves all of her left shoes into Marcia's room (the attic), and spends most of the episode wearing only one shoe ("Mike, you told me to get rid of half of my shoes; you never said WHICH half."). Mike gives up at the end, and Carol resumes wearing both right and left shoes.




I thought a few more cameos by Kerry Hathaway would be nice, as she was very cute. While not a great actress, she wasn't from "Sea-ATTLE", either.

Still, to keep the show from tanking in a sixth season, some adjustments would have to be made.



1. Satisfy Eve Plumb's desire for more serious subject matter in the episodes, as well as Robert Reed's frustration about the obvious limits of the Mike Brady role. That could be done by toning down the slapstick and making it more of a dramedy than a sitcom in some ways, and as for my methods there, see #2.


2. Have the characters grow up and deal with their issues already! Or some of them, at least. I don't want to see another episode about Jan or Peter losing opportunities and ideals they have worked for. Those two have suffered enough. I know learning lessons is important, but it's about time they started really succeeding in life (and the desire to do so would inevitably bring them closer together). Plus, they need to stop typecasting Cindy and Bobby (who would be like 13 by that time) as kids! They are not. The solution here isn't to inject younger characters into the mix (we all saw how that worked out). To remain compelling, the original characters must be allowed to mature, and the show itself with them.


3. Not as many one-liners. Those just got tiresome after a while. (Except for Alice's, probably because she used more dry humor than anyone else.) The dialogue would always retain plenty of Brady elements, but the characters are not comedians, either. Let's get some good scriptwriting up in here. ^^


4. Remember where the show came from. Remember that Mike is a widower and Carol a divorcee; the girls and the boys are not biologically related. They may act and feel like a typical family, but technically they aren't.


5. Try never to allow any of the characters to come off as merely frivolous or one-dimensional. They have to maintain consistent and believable personalities in their roles, regardless of which episode it is or whether they are the focus of that episode.


6. That brings us to consistency, one of the show's most glaring weaknesses. It's tough to make it last through five seasons, but they could have done a better job than they did. And I think it's possible to establish quite a few standard conditions and common themes in character dynamics throughout a single season. Why should all of the Bradys' problems be solved in 30 minutes? No real-life problems work that way. Real-life problems can last for quite a while, and you'll often find yourself addressing them multiple times before they are resolved (if at all). They don't change from week to week. The unsettling optimism and naivete of the Bradys could remain intact, of course, but this lack of consistency has to change.




I don't know why I'm doing this, but currently I'm working on the entire season, and I think I'll have the plot of every single episode down fairly soon. Comments from Tweety, or any other member, would be much appreciated when that happens. ^^

[julian bozo]

Novus those were great. Wonderful imagination. Here's 4 more:
1)Goodbye Oliver - In the 6th season opener Oliver is shown leaving with Mike to go to the airport with Mike to meet and return with his parents.
Marsha and Peter have battle over the attic as Greg is still on the show but only home on weekends.

2)Tomorrow - Cindy gets the lead role of Annie as Annie in the school play.Peter still with the school paper writes a great review and both Peter and Cindy deal with teasing from other students saying that Peter showed favortism. We see Cindy in the red wig and dress.


3) Advantage friends- as novus said Jan and Peter work at the Malt shop.
Soon there friends start taking advantage of them wanting free malts.

4) Sam and Alice- Sam and Alice get engaged.

[Novus]

Great stuff! I needed just a few more ideas to complete the season, so I might use those. ^^ The ice cream shop could become a two-parter. But I already used one "goodbye" episode on Greg, and I thought it was best to forget about Cousin Oliver altogether.

The one about Sam and Alice getting engaged could definitely happen. The Annie idea might work, although I'm generally trying to tone down Cindy's "cute little girl" role and give additional meaning to her character.

[mykel]

Here's the grid:

[Novus]

GAAAAAH! (covers eyes)

That was after the show ended. There's no guarantee they would have looked like that had it gone on to a sixth season.


--Marcia's hair doesn't need to be that dark. The dirty blonde style was perfect for her; auburn or platinum blonde just looks bizarre.

--Don't get me started on Eve Plumb's hairstyle in that picture. The long blonde hair suited her perfectly. I couldn't imagine Jan Brady any other way.

--Cindy looks perfect. But how old is she is that picture, anyway? No way could she have looked like that in 1975. ^^

--Carol would have been fine with longer hair, although I liked it best in Season 4; that was such a cute style. It made her look young.

--Alice looks all right.

--Mike's mustache must die a horrible death. The curly hair I can deal with, but not that.

--Greg looks perfect, too.

--Get a haircut, Peter. Season 4 was reasonable for the times, but Season 5 was really pushing it. There will be no mullets on the Brady Bunch, for the obvious reason that they are the epitomy of evil. ^^

--As for Bobby...see above.



EDIT: And now...allow me to introduce the entire lineup for Season 6. The dates and numbers are all completely accurate. I don't know how many weeks the show would have ran for that season, so I made a conservative estimate based on the others. Enjoy. ^^










BRADY BUNCH, SEASON 6 (Sept. 20, 1974--Mar. 7, 1975)
(24 episodes)


118. Goodbye, Greg
119. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
120. The Next Best Thing
121. Like Father, Like Daughter
122. Out of Place
123. Where Credit is Due
124. To Make the World Go Away
125. Jennifer’s Revenge
126. Hail to the Chef
127. Road to Success
128. The True Confessions of Alice Nelson
129. Brotherly Love
130. The Substitute
131. Groovy Holidays
132. Vote for Brady…Again
133. Reality Checkers
134. The Man for the Job
135. Sink or Swim?
136. Return of the Cursed Statue
137. Dream Within a Dream
138. Jan, Jan, Jan
139. Cindy’s V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E
140. All Aboard
141. Getting There is Half the Fun
142. End of the Line







Episode 118--Goodbye, Greg
September 20, 1974

The final season of the Brady Bunch begins with Greg going away to college. He is the first Brady child to leave the house for a significant period of time, much less move out. The realization hits his parents hard; Carol is so distraught that she starts compulsively sewing, and Mike is unable to focus on his latest drafting plans. Greg's impending departure also affects his brothers and sisters. All of them talk to him at some point as he packs up. What Greg says to them will subtly affect their behavior for the rest of the season; he tells Jan and Peter to stay focused and that they can do whatever they put their minds to. He tells Marcia she's a great person and a great sister, and to stay that way, because she'll be at college with him next year. He wishes Bobby and Cindy luck with growing up, because it's one of the hardest things they'll ever have to do. In an emotional final scene, he says his goodbyes in the yard. A subplot involves the rest of the family rushing to finish a surprise graduation present for Greg before he leaves.



Episode 119--You Can't Always Get What You Want
September 27, 1974

This year's high school Homecoming Dance is a major issue in the Brady household. Jan becomes increasingly worried, as she is unable to find a date for it. Peter talks to Greg on the phone and, inspired by how great his brother's homecoming dances sounded, tries to work up the courage to ask Kerry Hathaway. (Marcia, of course, found a date easily.) In the subplot, Carol's still trying to be a seamstress, and is disappointed when both Jan and Marcia decline her offer to make dresses for them. (TBC)



Episode 120--The Next Best Thing
October 4, 1974

This is the sequel to Episode 119. A mortified Jan fails to find a date, and to Peter's horror, Kerry goes home sick on the day he was planning to ask her to the dance. (No, she's not faking it.) But for the first time in their lives, both middle children defiantly bounce back from a major disappointment; even though they have no dates, they decide to go to the dance together. This represents a major turning point in their lives (although not the kind they were expecting), and Jan and Peter become closer from that point on. Meanwhile, Alice manages to convince Carol she isn't a great seamstress, and Mike adds that she's only doing it because she's still anxious about Greg’s departure.



Episode 121--Like Father, Like Daughter
October 11, 1974

Cindy is hurt when, in the midst of an argument, Bobby loses his temper and insists that she's a baby who couldn't grow up even if she tried. She sets out to prove him wrong by secretly observing Mike--the most grown-up person she knows--and imitating everything he does (dressing more formally, constantly working, drinking coffee, etc). She soon learns how hard being grown up really is. In the related subplot, Mike develops an uneasy feeling that someone is always watching him. Eventually, he realizes what's going on and tells Cindy that no matter how young or old she is, it's important to be herself. However, Bobby's words will stay with Cindy for a long time to come.



Episode 122--Out of Place
October 18, 1974

Carol truly gets her spirit back for the first time since Greg left. Acting on a whim, she buys a creepy and reportedly cursed Sumerian statue (long curly hair, beard, rigid pose, and huge staring eyes) from an auction. Unfortunately, it's easier to move than it looks; Bobby and Peter secretly manuever it into the kitchen one dark night, scaring the daylights out of Alice (who was getting her usual midnight glass of water). This is the impetus for a chain reaction of various members of the family (except for Mike and Carol) all playing innocent while simultaneously plotting ways to freak each other out with the statue. (As soon as one kid moves it into a certain place for his or her own devious purposes, another one will come out of hiding and move it somewhere else, etc.) The statue seems to be “moving” around the house so frequently that Bobby, Cindy, and Alice start to believe the curse is real before Mike and Carol finally get to the bottom of things. When they decide to sell the statue to a relative, everyone else is secretly disappointed.



Episode 123--Where Credit is Due
October 25, 1974

Determined to improve in a shop class he is currently failing, Peter devotes himself to a complex and seemingly impossible extra credit assignment--designing a replica of his house with only popsicle sticks and glue. He is given only two days after school to do this (a two-hour period on each day). Impressed by his motivation, Jan agrees to help him with it. (Not directly, since it's his assignment and he can only do it inside the classroom; mostly she watches, providing him with encouragement and advice.) Peter successfully completes the assignment, bringing up his grade. But he also remembers that he owes Jan a big favor. In the subplot, Marcia moves into the attic. However, she believes the rafters are infested with spiders, and Mike installs--or, more accurately, tries to install--a drop ceiling to alleviate her fears.



Episode 124--To Make the World Go Away
November 1, 1974

Marcia is heartbroken when the boy she has gone steady with since the beginning of summer breaks up with her. Depressed, she shuts out the rest of the family. But finally, Carol gets through to her woman-to-woman, relating some sad stories of her own relationships that ended (including a strong hint about her previous marriage), and convincing Marcia that no matter what happens to you and how bad it makes you feel, perseverance is the best medicine.



Episode 125—Jennifer’s Revenge
November 8, 1974

This episode is all about Greg and how he's doing in college. So far, it's been a fun experience, although he's still somewhat homesick. The problems start with the reappearance of the infamous Jennifer (Tannis G. Montgomery), the extremely hot and manipulative girl who tried to use Greg to become head cheerleader in Season 4. When they bump into each other, Jennifer insists that she got over the incident long ago. She asks him if he's seeing anyone, and in fact he is--an outgoing tennis player named Sally. ("Oh, well...that's okay. I couldn't imagine you staying single for long...Greggy.") However, Greg suspects Jennifer is messing with his relationship when Sally finds a rather intense love letter on the floor of his dorm room, addressed to him from a "secret admirer". Greg confronts Jennifer about it, and she does a pretty bad job of playing innocent. When Greg mentions this in a phone call to Marcia, she demands to talk to Sally (having lost her own significant other, she doesn't want the same thing to happen to Greg) and explains what Jennifer is trying to do. Sally begins to watch Jennifer closely, and spots her writing another so-called "love letter" the next day after a class. She proceeds to chase Jennifer down the hall with her tennis racket, and Greg's relationship is saved.



Episode 126--Hail to the Chef
November 15, 1974

Cindy challenges Bobby to a cooking competition; with a little help from Alice, they both make chicken noodle soup from scratch. Mike, Carol, and the other kids are put on the spot when Cindy and Bobby appoint them as judges to determine whose cooking is better. Although Carol is worried about complimenting one child over the other, Mike believes they're old enough to handle honesty from their own family members. He encourages everyone to vote on whichever stew is the best, plain and simple. The resulting taste test is tense, yet amusing, and Cindy's soup wins by a vote of four to three.



Episode 127--Road to Success
November 22, 1974

Peter and Jan are both scheduled to take their driver's tests very soon. Unlike Greg and Marcia, who competed to find out who was the better driver, they are far too nervous about it to argue. Instead, they again work together and study for the test exhaustively. This greatly amuses Marcia, while it just confuses Cindy and Bobby. They both nail the written tests, but when it comes to the real test with an instructor, Jan passes while Peter fails (mostly out of nervousness). Once again, he bounces back after practicing with Mike and proudly passes the test on the second try. In the subplot (and a playful jab at the network censors), Carol hires a plumber to look at their pipes, and he keeps asking her where the heck the toilet is.



Episode 128--The True Confessions of Alice Nelson
November 29, 1974

Finally, Sam the butcher (Allan Melvin) asks Alice to marry him, and she intends to accept. However, Alice is finally forced to reveal some concrete information about her shaky lovelife. In a rather realistic twist, she admits that she and Sam cannot be legally married, because her previous marriage technically never ended. Unfortunately, she separated from the man (referred to as "Henry") ten years ago, and hasn't seen him since. The Bradys agree to help her track him down so she can end her previous marriage. In the end, they succeed; Henry turns out to be a lawyer who has himself remarried (which means that marriage was never legitimate, either). He quickly agrees to finalize the divorce proceedings and make amends with Alice. At the end, Sam pops the question again, and Alice is able to say "yes".



Episode 129--Brotherly Love
December 6, 1974

Peter finally achieves his goal of going steady with Kerry Hathaway. However, the situation is complicated when Bobby ends up falling for her as well. When his constant hanging around and flirting with Kerry upsets Peter, Bobby ends up calling Greg (who is away at college) for advice. Greg responds wisely, telling him that he should keep his feelings under control and is still a little too young to have a girlfriend anyway. Surprisingly, Bobby is mature enough to take his advice and makes up with Peter. In a subplot, Mike believes that Carol owns too many shoes, and insists that she get at least half of them out of the closet. Irritated, Carol interprets his words literally and moves all of her left shoes into Marcia's room (the attic). She spends most of the episode wearing only one shoe ("Mike, you told me to get rid of half of my shoes; you never said WHICH half."). Mike gives up in the end, and Carol resumes wearing both right and left shoes.



Episode 130--The Substitute
December 13, 1974

Alice goes to the hospital for minor back surgery, and the Bradys must do without her for at least a few days. In order to prove a point to her mother, Marcia insists on taking over all of Alice's cooking and cleaning duties. It's a lot to juggle all at once, but through lots of trial and error she somehow manages it, impressing everyone else in the family.



Episode 131--Groovy Holidays
December 20, 1974

The final Christmas episode of the series. After a number of mishaps, Greg is still able to make it home from college in time for the holiday. Sherwood Schwartz guest-stars as a shopping mall Santa. Having already done most of his Christmas shopping, Peter realizes he has forgotten Jan. Incidentally, Jan also realizes she has forgotten Peter, and they end up frequently ducking each other at the mall, seeking the "right" gifts for each other; in a stroke of bad luck, they stay past the early holiday closing time and discover that they've been locked in. Back at home, Mike and Carol wonder why they haven't come back yet. Greg goes to the mall to look for them, discovers the doors are locked, and looks for a guard. Meanwhile, Peter and Jan are unable to find any guards inside, and when calling for help doesn't work, they sit on a fountain together and joke about the irony of the situation. Even though it's too late to buy any gifts now, they both agree the grooviest present anyone could get is a brother or sister who would go to this much trouble just for them. Finally, they are found by Greg and a mall guard who let him in. They all go back home, and (as the old saying goes) a good time is had by all.



Episode 132--Vote for Brady...Again
December 27, 1974

Vaguely remembering how Greg and Marcia competed for student body president of their middle school years ago (in the first season), Bobby runs for the position himself and appoints Marcia as his unofficial campaign manager. But when things get off to a discouraging start, Bobby starts doing the opposite of everything she tells him to, and actually ends up winning the election! Naturally, Marcia isn't happy when she finds out about this, but Bobby points out that she inspired him either way, and "you can't argue with results". In the subplot, Cindy tries to publish a poem she wrote in a teen magazine.



Episode 133--Reality Checkers
January 3, 1975

One of Cindy's classmates, Steve Reardon, claims to be the greatest checkers player in the neighborhood (i.e. Santa Monica), and that he hasn't lost a single game in at least a year. Cindy gets tired of his bragging and decides to challenge him herself. Although Steve beats her easily, she refuses to give up and challenges him three more times with more practice and motivation from the other Bradys. Their rivalry becomes more intense and she plays better each time, until she finally defeats him in the fourth game and ends the infamous streak. Ironically, Steve actually comes to respect her after losing. (At first I was going to name this one "Cindy Gets Jumped", as a pun about the checkers theme. And I probably could have gotten away with it in 1975...but today the word “jumped” implies a number of negative situations that have nothing to do with the show, and it creeps me out, so..."Reality Checkers" it is.)




Episode 134--The Man for the Job
January 10, 1975

Jan is still the assistant manager at the ice cream shop, and when one of the employees (who is moving to another state for college) quits, Peter asks if he can fill the position. Jan is unsure of what to say, remembering how Peter goofed off and didn't take the job seriously the first time he was there. But Peter has grown up quite a bit since then, and Mr. Haskell agrees to hire him back. When Peter’s friends from school find out about it, they start conspicuously hanging around the shop and trying to get free ice cream out of him. Even a year or so ago, Peter would have yielded to the peer pressure, but evidently something about him has changed since then; he insists that this job means a lot to him and refuses to give ice cream away for free. After that, Peter's friends start giving Jan a hard time at school, complaining that thanks to her "Peter is no fun anymore". Peter angrily comes to her defense and tells them off. This episode reinforces a Brady ideal (that friends come and go, but family is forever) while still being true to the real world. In the subplot, Marcia is embarrassed that they both have jobs while she, the oldest sibling in the house, does not, and compulsively searches for employment.



Episode 135--Sink or Swim?
January 17, 1975

A community pool is finally opened (which saves the Bradys the trouble of installing one on their astroturf lawn), and the community itself couldn't be happier. Featuring a few dozen extras and an actual pool, all the excitement causes the Brady kids to forget about their schoolwork. Peter insists that they can enjoy the pool and still complete all of their respective assignments in time. For the most part, they pull it off, but they also learn that it's better not to mix business with pleasure. (This isn't the best plot I came up with, but it features the Brady girls in bikinis. The thought of how hot Marcia and Jan would have looked by this time makes it a brilliant idea by default.)




Episode 136--Return of the Cursed Statue
January 24, 1975

Alice is practically frightened out of her socks when she goes to get her midnight drink of water and finds the freaky Sumerian statue (from Episode 122) standing next to the kitchen table. Her scream wakes up Carol and Mike, who come out to see what's going on. To their knowledge, they sold the statue to a relative weeks ago, and have no idea what it's doing back in the house. But the practical jokes with it begin anew; Jan is about to go to bed only to find the statue lying right beside her (thanks to Marcia), Bobby finds it waiting for him in the bathroom (thanks to Peter), and finally Carol finds it standing inside her closet (courtesy of Mike). Alice takes it upon herself to investigate how the statue reappeared in the first place, suspecting an elaborate practical joke by one of the kids. It turns out that Greg orchestrated the entire thing from college when Peter told him about last year's hijinks. This time, they decide they'll never be rid of the statue and might as well keep it anyway.



Episode 137--Dream Within a Dream
January 31, 1975

Bobby has become so used to his vivid, extraordinary dreams that when he doesn't have them, he wonders if something is wrong with him. He becomes so anxious that he eventually has a dream about never being able to dream again. This bothers him even more. Peter persuades him that he's letting the whole thing go to his head—and that he stopped remembering a lot of his dreams when he got older, too, and it may be a natural part of growing up. After that, Bobby of course has a dream about what he's like as an adult--but he likes what he sees, and happily stops worrying about the dream issue altogether. (The entire episode is both a coming of age thing for Bobby and an excuse to poke fun at his overlong dream sequences from the previous seasons.)



Episode 138--Jan, Jan, Jan
February 7, 1975

At first, this episode appears to be a perfectly normal day for the Bradys, but it soon develops into a final collision between Marcia and Jan. After a major argument, they end up competing (not by accident) not only for a date with Clark Tyson (Mark Gruner), but for captain of the high school debate squad. Thanks to Marcia's overconfidence, Jan sweeps her and wins both. This is a defining moment, when Marcia is forced to realize that her younger sister's shadow is at last eclipsing her own. (And yes, Marcia actually says the "Jan, Jan, Jan" line; it slips out of her mouth somehow when she's complaining to her mother.)



Episode 139--Cindy's V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E
February 14, 1975

Cindy gets her first kiss from a boy she likes called Brian Sheldon, and spends the next few days talking to him on the phone or wandering around the house in a daze. Unfortunately, Cindy's lovesickness couldn't have come at a worse time, as she is one of the finalists in her school's upcoming Spelling Bee. She nearly messes up her first word ("valentine") when she sees Brian in the audience, but is determined to impress him; and as a result, she actually wins first place. In the subplot, Bobby is increasingly confused by his sister's behavior and tries to find out "who the heck this guy is, anyway".



Episode 140--All Aboard
February 21, 1975

While cleaning out his closet, Mike comes across a beautiful jeweled brooch that he hasn't seen since they all moved into the house. According to him, his first wife (who died in a car accident) always used to wear it. Now that he's finally found the trinket again, Mike is haunted by memories and doesn't feel right keeping it around. He becomes determined to go to a small town in Colorado (where his first wife is buried) and "give it back". He also wants to show his family this chapter of his life that has always been partially closed to them (Greg, Peter, and Bobby were too young to remember much about their biological mother, and obviously Mike never talks about her). Instead of going by car or plane, Alice recommends an antique passenger train that still runs from California through Colorado. Greg drives home from college to accompany them. The next morning (which is a Saturday), the Bradys take the warmest coats they have and board the train. But the conductor (guest star Burgess Meredith) is hardly friendly, and nobody else seems to be riding. (TBC)



Episode 141--Getting There is Half the Fun
February 28, 1975

As the train leaves California for Colorado, there's nothing much for the Bradys to do except talk. Many of the Brady children have their final conversations in this episode. Jan and Marcia settle their issues; Jan expresses her frustration about being the middle child and having to fight for every important thing she wanted, while Marcia explains the kind of pressure that her role has put on her to set an example for her sisters. Cindy talks with Peter, asking him what he wants to be when he grows up. Peter admits he has no idea; he just wants to be a good and responsible person, and finally seems to have reached that goal. Cindy then talks with Bobby. She has been driven to stand out, spending months trying to prove that she isn't the baby of the family anymore. In light of how much they are both growing up, Bobby takes back his words (from Episode 121). Greg and Mike talk about how lucky they've been to experience so many good things in their lives, when there are so many bad things just outside their world. Rich green grasses are giving way to snow-covered fields as they near their destination. (This marks the first time we have ever seen cold weather on the Brady Bunch.) (TBC)



Episode 142--End of the Line
March 7, 1975
The Bradys get off the train in a small, chilly Colorado town called Leeds, where Mike and his first wife grew up. Almost awestruck to finally be back here, where so many of his memories still linger, he tells his family all about it. He shows them the houses he and his first wife lived in as children, the old restaurant in the center of town where they used to date, and finally the cemetery, where he places the brooch on her grave. Back in the restaurant, some final words are said, but their journey is over. There's nothing left for us to see the Bradys do; they will go on with their lives, as we go on with our own. They hear a whistle blow, which means the train is back; they shoulder the few bags they've brought along and rush to get on before it leaves. Peter takes Jan's hand and helps her on as it starts moving, but Mike is the last one aboard. The last thing we see is him and Carol standing quietly on the back of the caboose as the train rolls off into the snowy fields, and the Brady Bunch finally comes to an end.

[Johnny be good!]

You could do alot better, because the ending sucked. It should have ended with Mike and the boys saying a prayer for the original Mrs. Brady. Alice, Sam, Carol and the girls join in and talk to the first Mrs. Brady and tell her how happy they were being friends with her before she died. It ends with "Amen", and there is not one dry eye at the cemetary. After hours of comforting one another, they head back to California and tell there friends and neighbors how much they enjoyed the trip. Mike's parents come back with them, and introduce themselves to everybody, as well as spending time with the kids. In the end, everyone has good and happy memories.

[Johnny be good!]

Now this is an ending I like.

[Johnny be good!]

Come on reply already.

[KenanKel]

WHERE THE KIDS WILL BE:
Season 6:
Greg = Freshman in College
Marica = Junior in High School
Peter = Freshman in High School ?
Jan = Last year in Middle School ?
Bobby = 2 More years left in Middle School ?
Cindy = 3 More Years left in Middle School ?
Cousin Oliver = 2 years left in Elementary ?

Season 7:
Sophmore
Senior
Sophmore
Freshman HS
1 Year left
2 Years left
1 Year left

Season 8:
Junior
Freshman College
Junior
Sohpmore
Freshman HS
1 Year left
3 Years left Middle S









SEASON 6:
1.Our Educated Son Part 1 (Episode 118)
DESCRIPTION: Greg gets into college.

-Guest Star:
1.Cousin Oliver
2.Sam the Butcher
3.Greg Brady

2.Moving Out Part 2 (Episode 119)
DESCRIPTION: Greg packs up and moves out.

-Guest Star:
1.Cousin Oliver
2.Greg Brady

3.Settling In Part 3 (Episode 120)
DESCRIPTION: Greg settles into his new dorm room.

-Guest Star:
1.Greg Brady

4.The Brady Five Sing Again (Episode 121)
DESCRIPTION: Leaving Greg behind, the rest of the Brady's sing again, and they try to replace Greg by using Oliver when all goes wrong, on national television!

-Guest Star:
1.Cousin Oliver

5.Their Plan (Episode 126)
DESCRIPTION: Bobby, Cindy, and Oliver try to win Greg back when they miss him while he is at college.

-Guest Star:
1.Cousin Oliver
2.Sam the Butcher
3.Greg Brady

6.Greg's First Return (Episode 127)
DESCRIPTION: Its a free weekend for Greg, and he comes home for a visit.

-Guest Star:
1.Greg Brady
2.Cousin Oliver
3.Sam the Butcher

7.College Party (Episode 128)
DESCRIPTION: Greg invites some friends to his big party he is having

-Guest Star:
1.Greg Brady

8.Arrested in Development Part 1 (Episode 129)
DESCRIPTION: Greg gets arrested for driving drunk, again.

-Guest Star:
1.Greg Brady
2.Sam the Butcher
3.Cousin Oliver

9.Grounded for Life Part 2 (Episode 130)
DESCRIPTION: Greg gets bailed out and is grounded for life.

10.8 Simple Rules Part 3 (Episode 131)
DESCRIPTION: Greg has to listen to 8 simple rules forced by his parents.

11.What I Like About Marcia (Episode 132)
DESCRIPTION: Marica gets a new boyfriend, one that turns into a disaster.

12.A Very Brady Halloween (Episode 133)
DESCRIPTION: Halloween visits the bradys.

13.Cousin Oliver Moves Out (Episode 134)
DESCRIPTION: Oliver Moves out.

14.Greg's Child (Episode 135)
DESCRIPTION: Greg beileves he has a child.

15.The New Neighbors (Episode 136)
DESCRIPTION: The Bradys get new neighbors that they beileve or aliens from outer-space.

16.Oliver is Back? (Episode 137)
DESCRIPTION: Cousin Oliver comes back, as his parents head to austrailia

17.Jan in the Middle (Episode 138)
DESCRIPTION: Jan is stuck in the middle of 2 other girls trying to get a date with the dreamy new british student.

18.Identity Crisis (Episode 139)
DESCRIPTION: Marica gets struck with a sudden dose of amnesia and forgets everything!

19.Sam's Fiance (Episode 140)
DESCRIPTION: Sam finally asks Alice to marry him.

20.Outasight Friday Night with Bobby Brady! (Episode 141)
DESCRIPTION: Bobby Brady, the newest member of the hit tv show "You Wanna Sing?", while their he finds a girl he likes and tries to become boyfriend and girlfriend.

21.Divorce Court (Episode 142)
DESCRIPTION: Carol is upset with Mike's lazy behavior and files for divorce.

22.Cindy, the Babysitter (Episode 143)
DESCRIPTION: Cindy is forced to baby sit, who she thinks is a little 5 year old boy, when she sees the person who she is baby sitting, she goes all out and tries to go out on a date with him.

23.Marcia and Kel (Episode 144)
DESCRIPTION: Marica gets a new boyfriend.

------------------------------

SEASON 7:
1.Peter's Cowboy Movie (Episode 145)
DESCRIPTION: Peter wants the Dallas Cowboys to come to Los Angles so he sets off to make a great video why they should come!

2.Jan's Band (Episode 146)
DESCRIPTION: Jan gathers friends at school to make her own little band after the brady kids break up.

3.Hospitalized (Episode 147)
DESCRIPTION: Greg gets hospitalized in a drunk driving accident. Yes Greg was driving drunk.

4.Sam Moves In Part 1 (Episode 148)
DESCRIPTION: Sam moves in looking forward to his wedding with Alice.

5.The Commitment Part 2 (Episode 149)
DESCRIPTION: Sam and Alice get married.

6.The Aftermath Part 3 (Episode 150)
DESCRIPTION: Find out what happens after Sam's and Alice's wedding.

7.Bobby, Shes mine! (Episode 151)
DESCRIPTION: Peter and Bobby fight over a girl, when they suddenly find she already has a boyfriend.

8.I'm too Old for Love (Episode 152)
DESCRIPTION: Carol is sadden by her true age, and does everything to try and look younger.

9.Greg's Horrid New Friend (Episode 153)
DESCRIPTION: Greg gets a letters in the mail asking for him to meet them at the park, he declines because he thinks it is Picky ZooZag, the geeky classmate. It turns up to be the girl of his dreams, and they end up dating. Her name is Susie and she is now a guest star.

10.Cindy in Hollywood (Episode 154)
DESCRIPTION: Cindy gets invited to be a guest star in a new movie in hollywood.

11.Mike, the Failure (Episode 155)
DESCRIPTION: Mike fails to sell any prints and is fired, and the bradys could become homeless.

12.Bobby's Power (Episode 156)
DESCRIPTION: Bobby suddenly is struck with a power that can heal pain, and becomes famous.

13.Marcia Commits (Episode 157)
DESCRIPTION: Marcia finds a new boyfriend, but this one works out all right! Her boyfriend's name is Josh, and he will now be a guest star.

14.Carol gets a Job (Episode 158)
DESCRIPTION: Carol decides she should get a job, at the newspaper place.

15.Susie, oh Susie (Episode 159)
DESCRIPTION: Greg and Susie help raise money for their college and do a play that gets all sort of attention, just not in a good way.

16.160
17.161
18.162
19.163
20.164
21.165
22.166
23.167
24.Marica's Graduation (Episode 168)

SEASON 8:
1.169
2.170
3.171
4.172
5.173
6.174
7.175
8.176
9.177
10.178
11.179
12.180
13.181
14.182
15.183
16.184
17.185
18.186
19.187
20.188
21.189
22.190
23.191
24.192
25.193

SEASON 9:
1.194
2.195
3.196
4.197
5.198
6.199
7.200
8.201
9.202
10.203
11.204
12.205
13.206
14.207
15.208
16.209
17.210
18.211
19.212
20.213
21.214

SEASON 10:
1.215
2.216
3.217
4.218
5.219
6.220
7.221
8.222
9.223
10.224
11.225
12.226
13.227
14.228
15.229
16.230
17.231
18.232
19.233
20.234
21.235
22.236
23.237
24.238

[Johnny be good!]

Stupidest titles I have ever heard of. Sam would now be a regular, Oliver and his parents would be recurrring characters, Greg would be in college, Marcia would have the attic, Peter would be in high school, Jan would no longer be self-concious, Bobby would go on dates, and Cindy would stop tatteling. Also, Carol would be starting a new job, Mike would still be an architect, Alice would still be the housekeeper, and Sam would move into the Brady house and sleep with Alice in her bedroom.