A Televisual Feast

It’s amazing how much gets done in this first episode. Every major character gets established, every major character relationship gets established and even a supporting one (if Lionel counts as supporting, I can’t remember how big a character he is in the first season).

Besides the very smart setup for the episode–Archie and Edith’s wedding anniversary–Lear manages to turn every detail, no matter how small, into fuel for an argument. I think only the flowers go without comment.

It’s incredible how, by the end of the episode, after Archie has managed to be terrible to everyone, he manages to get the sympathetic close. Because it’s affecting when Archie shows some vulnerability, some weakness in the jerk armor.

Lear takes the one set–wait, the kitchen is in there for a second–episode and makes it something exciting. There’s no movement or action or suggestion of either, but–and the lead-in with absent Archie and Edith–it’s impossible not to watch.

An outstanding pilot (maybe the best pilot I can think of, since it establishes the series without introducing anything into the element–just the viewer–we don’t see, for instance, Mike moving in).

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