Rewatching "Family Scrapbook"

[MichaelMartinD]

Last night I rewatched the series finale episode, "Family Scrapbook." I think this was an excellent idea to conclude the series, esp. in view of the fact that many series never even bothered to have a proper conclusion.

As viewers have pointed out, the "scrapbook" concept was a bit clumsily carried out in that most of the "snapshots" represented scenes that would not actually have been photographed. What they should have done is simply had generic photos of the various characters (a photo of Eddie, a photo of Larry, etc.) and spun the reminiscences out of that (they actually did to this for a few of the reminiscences), instead of starting with a still photo of the specific scene.

The episode is interesting in that it shows us what the series' creators considered its highlights as they looked back over its run. Some of the choices are surprising, like "Wally's Election" with Ward's poignant speech about parents living variously through their kids. It is startling to see Beaver's transformation from the little kid of "Beaver Gets Spelled" to his current teenage self.

The explanation of how Beaver got his nickname is a bit overdone, and it's not plausible that Beaver would not already know this story. It is a bit too transparent as an explanation to benefit curious viewers of the show.

But altogether the episode is a sweet way to conclude the series. Many of the old shows occasionally relied on "flashback episodes." LITB avoided this, but here the flashback format totally works as a way to wind up the show and remind viewers of its high points. The final image of Beaver and Wally playing with the windup toy is unforgettable and the perfect way to come full circle on this great series.

[stevea]

Many series also use silly dream sequences during their runs--I dislike those, and I'm glad LITB did not use those.

There were enough memorable moments to have made the final episode an hour, or split into two episodes.

[MichaelMartinD]

Originally Posted by stevea

Many series also use silly dream sequences during their runs--I dislike those, and I'm glad LITB did not use those.

There were enough memorable moments to have made the final episode an hour, or split into two episodes.

Ditto on both counts. The only show that used fantasy sequences successfully was Father Knows Best (some of the fantasies were actually quite gripping).