Plot twists that made little sense

[GentlemanJim]

In the episode where Barney get's caught cooking in his room and thrown out of his boarding house, he has to go live in the back room of the courthouse.

Thelma Lou comes to visit him at the courthouse, at night, and Andy arrives to discover the two of them and Barney is all covered with lipstick.

HELLO? Thelma Lou has a house!! Seems like she could cover him with lipstick at her own house at least as well as she could at the court house

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

In the episode where Barney get's caught cooking in his room and thrown out of his boarding house, he has to go live in the back room of the courthouse.

Thelma Lou comes to visit him at the courthouse, at night, and Andy arrives to discover the two of them and Barney is all covered with lipstick.

HELLO? Thelma Lou has a house!! Seems like she could cover him with lipstick at her own house at least as well as she could at the court house

Good point. One of the oddities of the Mayberry universe was the fact that single women all seemed to live in houses. Thelma Lou, Helen, Peggy, Mary and I think even Ellie resided in a house. Why would they need all that space? And keep in mind that with the exception of Thelma Lou, these women were new in town.

Another girlfriend issue for Barney, he was obviously gun shy with respect to marriage, he had a girlfriend who was no spring chicken, why would he get everyone (especially his girlfriend) excited about the prospect of Andy getting married? He had to know whatever goes around comes around, and he wanted no part of that topic coming around to him!

[TSMIV]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

In the episode where Barney get's caught cooking in his room and thrown out of his boarding house, he has to go live in the back room of the courthouse.

Thelma Lou comes to visit him at the courthouse, at night, and Andy arrives to discover the two of them and Barney is all covered with lipstick.

HELLO? Thelma Lou has a house!! Seems like she could cover him with lipstick at her own house at least as well as she could at the court house

When this episode aired, had it been established that Thelma Lou lived in a house alone? I always thought it was farfetched for a young woman of that era to be living in house alone unless maybe she inherited the home. We never knew what type of work Thel did, but most women's jobs at that time were lowing paying.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by TSMIV

When this episode aired, had it been established that Thelma Lou lived in a house alone? I always thought it was farfetched for a young woman of that era to be living in house alone unless maybe she inherited the home. We never knew what type of work Thel did, but most women's jobs at that time were lowing paying.

Absolutely established, Thelma Lou's home was featured in many episodes prior to the episode discussed in Jim's post.

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by TSMIV

When this episode aired, had it been established that Thelma Lou lived in a house alone? .

I recall in particular from the season 3 , episode 16 "Man in a Hurry", the three way dialog on Andy's front porch:


Barney Fife: You know what I think I'm gonna do?
Sheriff Andy Taylor: What?
Barney Fife: I'm gonna go home, have me a little nap, then go over to Thelma Lou's and watch a little TV... Yeah, I believe that's what I'll do. Go home, have a nap, then over to Thelma Lou's for TV... Yep, that's the plan, go home, little nap...
Malcolm Tucker: For the love of Mike, do it! Do it! JUST DO IT!
Barney Fife: What's the hurry?

While The episode where Barney get's booted from his room didn't come along until season 4, episode 9

[GentlemanJim]

I'll admit that I too often wondered about Thelma Lou's means to affording a house.

[GentlemanJim]

Another aspect of the general plot that makes little sense to me is Barney and Andy's reluctance for Skippy and Daphne.

I mean I can understand Andy not wanting to make Daphne into Opie's replacement mom, but that gal obviously adores Andy. What's the use of living at the lake if you don't take a swim once in a while?

[TSMIV]

Andy probably thought the fun girls would have been detrimental to his re-election campaign.

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

In the episode where Barney get's caught cooking in his room and thrown out of his boarding house, he has to go live in the back room of the courthouse.

Thelma Lou comes to visit him at the courthouse, at night, and Andy arrives to discover the two of them and Barney is all covered with lipstick.

HELLO? Thelma Lou has a house!! Seems like she could cover him with lipstick at her own house at least as well as she could at the court house

Maybe Thelma Lou RENTED her house and her landlord/landlady had it written in the lease that she could be thrown out if she had any men other than her male relatives linger on the premises for any reason. Some leases for unmarried women WERE that restrictive back then (and it wasn't easy for a single woman to check in solo into a hotel either).

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

I'll admit that I too often wondered about Thelma Lou's means to affording a house.

House rent in the South might have been really low back in 1960?

Even by 1978 and into the 80s, when I was out on my own, rental prices were amazingly low compared to nowadays.

What was Thelma Lou's job, by the way?

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by Will Dockery

House rent in the South might have been really low back in 1960?

Even by 1978 and into the 80s, when I was out on my own, rental prices were amazingly low compared to nowadays.

What was Thelma Lou's job, by the way?

Thelma Lou as a character was really a bit of an enigma. She's a single woman living in a house all by herself, she has no last name that I'm aware of and no visible means of support. She wanted to get married, she and Barney had gone to school together so at this point she had known him for almost 20 years, it didn't make any sense that she wasn't pushing him pretty hard to pop the question.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Duster76

Thelma Lou as a character was really a bit of an enigma. She's a single woman living in a house all by herself, she has no last name that I'm aware of and no visible means of support. She wanted to get married, she and Barney had gone to school together so at this point she had known him for almost 20 years, it didn't make any sense that she wasn't pushing him pretty hard to pop the question.

Inherited the house and money from her parents, I suppose?

[icecream]

Originally Posted by GentlemanJim

Another aspect of the general plot that makes little sense to me is Barney and Andy's reluctance for Skippy and Daphne.

I mean I can understand Andy not wanting to make Daphne into Opie's replacement mom, but that gal obviously adores Andy. What's the use of living at the lake if you don't take a swim once in a while?

I don't like the fun girls, especially Daphne if she is the one with the low voice. That alone is a big turn-off, I wouldn't want to be with someone who sounds that awful.

[SarahBellum]

Originally Posted by Will Dockery

What was Thelma Lou's job, by the way?

I believe Man in the Middle is the only episode where an occupation for Thelma Lou is mentioned. When Barney is trying to get her and Helen to reconcile, she says, "I have to get back to the office".

[GentlemanJim]

Originally Posted by icecream

, especially Daphne if she is the one with the low voice. That alone is a big turn-off,.

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