A Televisual Feast

Archie’s old Army buddies come to visit–one in particular–in a really downbeat episode. Not only is it downbeat, it’s not very funny (even when it’s trying to be funny, before it goes serious), it’s also very fast. The pacing is off. It’s hard to explain, but the episode is so subtle in its message–and it has a definite message–it’s a passive twenty-five minutes. What the viewer is supposed to get is Mike knows Archie’s friend better than Archie does. Mike and Archie’s friend understand what Archie doesn’t–money doesn’t buy happiness.

Well, la de da. So what? I’ve never seen an “All in the Family” episode give up so totally before and this one does. It ushers Edith and Gloria away to make room for the guest stars, then it gives Archie no narrative arc, then it cops out on the pre-end credits tag too. It’s kind of inexplicable how ineffective the episode is… I couldn’t believe when it finished. I thought there had to be more, but no.

The three act “All in the Family” episode isn’t here. This episode has, at best, acts one and two. It might not even have all of act two. It’s a strange episode in the failings, even though the acting is good and the dialogue is fine. Archie and Mike argue at each other a little, but they barely say anything. A lot of the problem might be Rob Reiner’s acting, actually. Maybe he was supposed to register being effected by his experience. But he doesn’t.

2.5