A very interesting episode.
Here's the plot: Is Mike going to elope with his girlfriend, Jean? They've gone down to the courthouse...there's a wedding license application in Jean's room...Oh boy...
There's a second plotline: Robbie told his teacher that he collected clocks. Now, he has to bring 12 of these clocks to a Ladies Club thing by 4PM. But...he doesn't have any clocks!
So, we have these two plots weaving around one another and occasionally meeting up. The Mike plotline is rather serious. Bub overhears some things. Connections are made. Then, Steve, Bub and Jean's dad drive to the courthouse to stop the marriage. Although it has its absurd moments, their attempts to stop it are presented with a certain urgency. Steve and the Other Dad wind up in the marriage license line getting heckled by couples who seem to treat marriage as "something to do on a Saturday". It's slightly amusing but we don't want Mike and Jean getting married so it's more harrowing than anything.
We want the Dads and Bub to stop the elopement but they keep getting held up. In the end, when the kids have taken care of business, the dads sit in the car discussing (in a parallel fashion) how to help out the kids. Jean's dad is very nervous about telling his wife. And, she is definitely not treating this as a joke. Her response to all of this is worry and sadness.
Robbie is very single-minded wacky, collecting his clocks. I'm trying to find a way to describe the scene. The Mom is trying not to lose it. As she remains composed-ish, Robbie is spazzing around like crazy for clocks. At one point, he goes next door and collects a clock from Jean's mom. It's an interesting scene because she is very worried and Robbie only cares about the clocks.
(In the end, when the Dads think that the marriage is final, Robbie dashes out with a suitcase, talking about ladies. That's the other point where the two plots latch up.)
Now, the odd thing...
Robbie has a standard sitcom plot. Mike does not. Up until...
SPOILER!!
They didn't get married. They are doing a sociology project on Teen Marriages. Bub and Steve and the other Dad jumped to conclusions (although there was some pretty good evidence).
The Mike plotline is presented rather seriously, completely unlike the sitcom of Robbie's antics. But then, in the end, the twist is a good one and a relief but...it makes everything a sitcom again.
Steve puts himself down for jumping to so many conclusions but...he loves his sons. He's worried about what Mike might be doing. I would have done the same thing. If I was wrong, I'd apologize.
It's a very strange episode because it runs in a slightly absurd, slightly serious vein...up until the end. Then, it flips and the whole thing has had a sitcom plot all along. It's not bad. In no way. It has a nice pace. There is a bit of an uncomfortable feeling as Mike and Jean draw closer to what looks like marriage. The Dads frustration is good drama. And, there are a few laughs.
I guess my confusion is...The final twist is perfectly in keeping with Mike's character and is satisfying because of that. But, at the same time, when it turns out to be a sitcom misunderstanding, it's slightly unsatisfying. I applaud the writer and director, however, for keeping us guessing until the end. That's what makes the sitcom twist a bit strange.
Ahh...this is very good. It was just that I was let down and satisfied at the same moment in the end. That's what got me thinking. That's a good thing. Thank you, My Three Sons.
Monday, October 19, 2009
1.12.: My Three Strikers
The boys want more allowance money. But, they won't do more work for it and they're shabby with the chores they do. As diplomatic as they try to be, Steve is not up for it. Everyone goes to bed unhappy. Nightmares flood the place. Luckily, calmer heads prevail in the end.
A plotline as old as the hills but handled with a measured maturity that makes this episode a wonderful piece of drama. There is very little sitcom-style goofing off. Bub and Chip get some moments. As does Robbie. But, at its base, this is smarter than an average sitcom script. It is more about Steve trying to run his house fairly. A man still working through how to raise his sons. Who wants to be their friend but doesn't want to be too soft? The boys are taking advantage. They aren't doing their chores and they are demanding more money.
The scene where Steve blows up and refuses the allowance hike and sends them packing is another (as if we needed another) example of why this show is so good. He blows up in a more considered fashion than the average dad and, as he is sending the boys to their rooms, he apologizes and says that he's had a rough day.
One of the continuing joys of My Three Sons is that the kids can go sitcom-wacky but they are always reigned in. There's no one here who is going to become Gary Coleman or any other sitcom kid who gets away with murder as everyone laughs uproariously. Chip and Robbie can be annoying, legitimately annoying. Mike can be far too earnest in the way that teens can get when they think they are being adult but don't fully know everything that's happening. Bub is still the closest to regular sitcom stuff but he is always extra coloring on the sides, rarely upfront.
And, as always, Fred MacMurray carries it. Just like the episode with Mike and Robbie arguing, he is trying to be as fair and as good as he can...but he's finding that it's not as easy as that. Mike presents his allowance hike proposal in the true naive fashion of someone who believes that if it makes sense, than it must be the most sensible way. Steve almost freezes at points because it may make sense but it's not always realistic. He's trying to please everyone and there are times when he can't get any of it quite right. (He's not a steamroller, like Bub.)
The continuing story of a good man trying to be a good father to three sons. It isn't easy. The fact that the show acknowledges this is one of its main strengths. And, after saying all this, I haven't even mentioned the nightmares the boys have after Steve sends them to bed.
I guess there's another review in here. Maybe I'll write about that some other time.
A plotline as old as the hills but handled with a measured maturity that makes this episode a wonderful piece of drama. There is very little sitcom-style goofing off. Bub and Chip get some moments. As does Robbie. But, at its base, this is smarter than an average sitcom script. It is more about Steve trying to run his house fairly. A man still working through how to raise his sons. Who wants to be their friend but doesn't want to be too soft? The boys are taking advantage. They aren't doing their chores and they are demanding more money.
The scene where Steve blows up and refuses the allowance hike and sends them packing is another (as if we needed another) example of why this show is so good. He blows up in a more considered fashion than the average dad and, as he is sending the boys to their rooms, he apologizes and says that he's had a rough day.
One of the continuing joys of My Three Sons is that the kids can go sitcom-wacky but they are always reigned in. There's no one here who is going to become Gary Coleman or any other sitcom kid who gets away with murder as everyone laughs uproariously. Chip and Robbie can be annoying, legitimately annoying. Mike can be far too earnest in the way that teens can get when they think they are being adult but don't fully know everything that's happening. Bub is still the closest to regular sitcom stuff but he is always extra coloring on the sides, rarely upfront.
And, as always, Fred MacMurray carries it. Just like the episode with Mike and Robbie arguing, he is trying to be as fair and as good as he can...but he's finding that it's not as easy as that. Mike presents his allowance hike proposal in the true naive fashion of someone who believes that if it makes sense, than it must be the most sensible way. Steve almost freezes at points because it may make sense but it's not always realistic. He's trying to please everyone and there are times when he can't get any of it quite right. (He's not a steamroller, like Bub.)
The continuing story of a good man trying to be a good father to three sons. It isn't easy. The fact that the show acknowledges this is one of its main strengths. And, after saying all this, I haven't even mentioned the nightmares the boys have after Steve sends them to bed.
I guess there's another review in here. Maybe I'll write about that some other time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
