We meet Pig AKA Peggy. She is a very cute gal friend of Robbie's. She helps him fix his engine. (What is he fixing in that engine? How is he spending months replacing things in it? Well, I'm not a gearhead.) One day, she arrives at the garage dressed as a woman, rather than as a greasy guy. Robbie doesn't know how to take it and, interestingly enough, Peggy doesn't quite seem to know why she's doing it. But, it is the first stirrings of young love.
And, the episode is about the hilariously awkward Robbie trying to work through something that, as Steve tells him, a man must go through alone (like going to the dentist). In fact, Steve keeps trying to talk to Robbie about it but the boy clearly doesn't know what it is he's feeling. The conversations are awkward and stilted and, I'm pretty sure, Steve wouldn't be able to help. (Bub isn't much help either.)
Robbie shows off in front of her (and gets beaten up). Then, he takes her on a date (which seems to be going badly but, in the end, he's thrilled). There is so much glorious awkward here. Robbie has to reassess the fact that one of his absolute best pals, Pig, is now Peggy, and that he's attracted to her. (I do like when Steve mentions that Peggy is pretty. Robbie says "Yeah, for a girl." As oppose to whom Robbie? One of your football buddies? It's a natural reaction but, when actually looked at, it's an odd one.) I'm sure hoping that they don't let this plotline go. I'd like to see this evolve a little further.
I recognized a lot of this from my first loves. Although, I wasn't fifteen. I was more like 12. Well, it is 1960-ish. That awkward not-feeling-like-you-can-tell-anyone-when-really-you-can-tell anyone feeling. The strange thought that you know you have to do something but what? At least, Robbie has some support. I wandered into it by myself and screwed up a bit before I got anything right.
This is a very good episode. It feels like the first part of something, though. As I said, I hope they continue with this later.
One thing that confused me: We had the Thanksgiving episode a little while ago. But, they mention that "Spring has sprung" for Robbie in the autumn. Aren't we past autumn? Has a year passed between Johnny Squanto and Pig?
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
1.10.: Lonesome George
George Gobel stays at the house for a night. He wants to escape from the hectic world of being a celebrity. And, Bub, by a stroke of luck, has told the boys that that he knows George. But, he doesn't. But, he arrives at the hotel right when George needs to get away from a crowd. So, George is an overnight guest while Steve is out of town.
George is the focal point of the show. Everyone is awkward around him, including Bub and the boys. All George wants is to rest and, eventually, he gets the chance...but, it's not until after Steve arrives home unexpectedly in the middle of the night and some wackiness ensues.
Much like the second episode, we are seeing the Douglases from someone else's point of view. And, much like Ragpicker, it doesn't completely gel. Bub is far too stiff and formal and the boys never get to be boys around this well-known celebrity. Part of the charm, sure. George is far more interesting than the lady from The Atomic Brain. He's tired but funny. He's exhausted but ready to please but wanting to nap.
It's when Steve arrives home that the episode becomes a fine one. Much like the Lady Engineer, Steve and George keep missing one another. George is up for a midnight snack. Steve is strolling through the house turning off lights and putting away midnight snacks. They finally meet up in Steve's bed and...Hallelujah!...I laughed out loud. When the two men introduce themselves, in the bed, in the dark, it is laugh-out-loud funny. Excellent.
I actually don't know if this is a great episode. I think it's just a fun one. The focus is on George, rather than the actual main characters. It's a bit odd but there was probably a reason for it at the time. Maybe Gobel was there to boost ratings? Maybe Peter T. was good friends with him? Who knows? Gobel was big at the time (Look him up. I knew who he was, vaguely, but I still had to look him up.) so I imagine there was a boost. The odd thing is the show hits its height when Steve arrives home. Before that, it seems like a showpiece for a comedian. When Fred MacMurray arrives, it becomes My Three Sons again.
I can't fault the show for not trying new stuff. Was there another American show with a regular cast that had as much variety as this? It's the anthology show of sitcoms. Next up...Chip goes to outer space by sneaking into a rocket Steve designed? Maybe.
George is the focal point of the show. Everyone is awkward around him, including Bub and the boys. All George wants is to rest and, eventually, he gets the chance...but, it's not until after Steve arrives home unexpectedly in the middle of the night and some wackiness ensues.
Much like the second episode, we are seeing the Douglases from someone else's point of view. And, much like Ragpicker, it doesn't completely gel. Bub is far too stiff and formal and the boys never get to be boys around this well-known celebrity. Part of the charm, sure. George is far more interesting than the lady from The Atomic Brain. He's tired but funny. He's exhausted but ready to please but wanting to nap.
It's when Steve arrives home that the episode becomes a fine one. Much like the Lady Engineer, Steve and George keep missing one another. George is up for a midnight snack. Steve is strolling through the house turning off lights and putting away midnight snacks. They finally meet up in Steve's bed and...Hallelujah!...I laughed out loud. When the two men introduce themselves, in the bed, in the dark, it is laugh-out-loud funny. Excellent.
I actually don't know if this is a great episode. I think it's just a fun one. The focus is on George, rather than the actual main characters. It's a bit odd but there was probably a reason for it at the time. Maybe Gobel was there to boost ratings? Maybe Peter T. was good friends with him? Who knows? Gobel was big at the time (Look him up. I knew who he was, vaguely, but I still had to look him up.) so I imagine there was a boost. The odd thing is the show hits its height when Steve arrives home. Before that, it seems like a showpiece for a comedian. When Fred MacMurray arrives, it becomes My Three Sons again.
I can't fault the show for not trying new stuff. Was there another American show with a regular cast that had as much variety as this? It's the anthology show of sitcoms. Next up...Chip goes to outer space by sneaking into a rocket Steve designed? Maybe.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
1.9.: Raft On The River
One of the joys of The Simpsons is the way that you think the show is going to be about one thing but then it becomes something else. Sometimes very quickly. This is very quickly becoming something I really enjoy about My Three Sons. Now, My Three Sons goes much slower than The Simpsons but, c'mon, immerse yourself! This is good stuff.
Mike and Robbie are going camping. Chip builds a makeshift raft in the backyard and plans on spending the night out there. It sounds pretty Leave It To Beaver-y, I know. It's only when Steve agrees to spend the night with Chip and the dog in the raft that the episode shifts from charming to awesome. They try to get to sleep and assorted noises and bothers get in their way. At this point, I checked the time and was surprised that we were only halfway in. I said (to no one in particular) "Wouldn't this be awesome if the rest of the episode was them trying to fall asleep?" And...it is. Classic comedy stuff. And, as it gets darker and windier, things become nice and spooky.
The show without a proper format continues to impress me. There are (as always) no real big laughs here. Just a few smiles. But, the content is so good that laughs are only missed if you're demanding them.
Right now, I'm getting a great joyous feeling of discovery with this show. Maybe you know the feeling? There is so much there, so many episodes. And, contrary to what I had thought, the show is becoming a weekly event. I look forward to the evening when I watch the next one. It comes up to0 quick and it's gone too fast.
Mike and Robbie are going camping. Chip builds a makeshift raft in the backyard and plans on spending the night out there. It sounds pretty Leave It To Beaver-y, I know. It's only when Steve agrees to spend the night with Chip and the dog in the raft that the episode shifts from charming to awesome. They try to get to sleep and assorted noises and bothers get in their way. At this point, I checked the time and was surprised that we were only halfway in. I said (to no one in particular) "Wouldn't this be awesome if the rest of the episode was them trying to fall asleep?" And...it is. Classic comedy stuff. And, as it gets darker and windier, things become nice and spooky.
The show without a proper format continues to impress me. There are (as always) no real big laughs here. Just a few smiles. But, the content is so good that laughs are only missed if you're demanding them.
Right now, I'm getting a great joyous feeling of discovery with this show. Maybe you know the feeling? There is so much there, so many episodes. And, contrary to what I had thought, the show is becoming a weekly event. I look forward to the evening when I watch the next one. It comes up to0 quick and it's gone too fast.
1.8.: Chip's Harvest
A Thanksgiving episode. And one which, I think, should be a perennial for the holiday.
At Thanksgiving, everyone is allowed to invite along one friend. Chip is in the title; Chip gets the friend who forms the crux of the show. So far, everything is pretty white bread on this show. Is that bad? Of course not. It's about a white guy, with three white kids, who lives in a nice house because he has a nice job. This episode introduced more to the world. In a different way from Adjust or Bust and it's dancing Eastern Europeans.
Chip is going to invite Johnny Squanto. (Yeah, I know.) Johnny is a gentleman who lives down by the railroad tracks. He's a man who seems to be a bit of a Tall Tale Teller. He claims he is Native American, along with a lot of other things. Mike and Robbie don't believe his claims. Even Bub seems a bit put off by the man.
So, Steve heads to the man's small shack to rescind the invitation...but of course he does not. And, in that scene, My Three Sons trumps the shows around it once again. Steve goes out of the safety of their neighborhood and into this loud, slightly dangerous place. And, although one can feel that he will take back the invitation if need be, he is going with an open mind. Johnny Squanto doesn't say a word during the conversation but Steve knows that this man must come to their dinner.
And, luckily, he does. When the morning of Turkey Day hits, the stove breaks. Steve goes on a journey all around the neighborhood to get someone to fix it. (I believe he ends up at the house of a man who did some work for them earlier in the season.) Meanwhile, Johnny and the other guests show up. Quietly but assuredly, Mr. Squanto sets up a fire and spit in the backyard. The cooking of the turkey will get done. But, Mike and Robbie put their foot in it and Johnny leaves.
I won't ruin the end. As with the past episodes, part of the joy is watching the way the episode moves and shifts and becomes something worthwhile when it could have easily gone down a very sitcom route. The ending scene is possibly a little too literal for what it is but this is 1960 and, back then, subtlety may not have been enough. It closes with great charm and all I could think is: What would a Christmas episode be like?
Eight episodes in and the show continues to surprise.
At Thanksgiving, everyone is allowed to invite along one friend. Chip is in the title; Chip gets the friend who forms the crux of the show. So far, everything is pretty white bread on this show. Is that bad? Of course not. It's about a white guy, with three white kids, who lives in a nice house because he has a nice job. This episode introduced more to the world. In a different way from Adjust or Bust and it's dancing Eastern Europeans.
Chip is going to invite Johnny Squanto. (Yeah, I know.) Johnny is a gentleman who lives down by the railroad tracks. He's a man who seems to be a bit of a Tall Tale Teller. He claims he is Native American, along with a lot of other things. Mike and Robbie don't believe his claims. Even Bub seems a bit put off by the man.
So, Steve heads to the man's small shack to rescind the invitation...but of course he does not. And, in that scene, My Three Sons trumps the shows around it once again. Steve goes out of the safety of their neighborhood and into this loud, slightly dangerous place. And, although one can feel that he will take back the invitation if need be, he is going with an open mind. Johnny Squanto doesn't say a word during the conversation but Steve knows that this man must come to their dinner.
And, luckily, he does. When the morning of Turkey Day hits, the stove breaks. Steve goes on a journey all around the neighborhood to get someone to fix it. (I believe he ends up at the house of a man who did some work for them earlier in the season.) Meanwhile, Johnny and the other guests show up. Quietly but assuredly, Mr. Squanto sets up a fire and spit in the backyard. The cooking of the turkey will get done. But, Mike and Robbie put their foot in it and Johnny leaves.
I won't ruin the end. As with the past episodes, part of the joy is watching the way the episode moves and shifts and becomes something worthwhile when it could have easily gone down a very sitcom route. The ending scene is possibly a little too literal for what it is but this is 1960 and, back then, subtlety may not have been enough. It closes with great charm and all I could think is: What would a Christmas episode be like?
Eight episodes in and the show continues to surprise.
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