A Televisual Feast

The Jeffersons–with a twist–guest on the first season finale, which has a lot more potential than payoff. The problems have a lot to do with the developments to fill a full twenty-five minutes. When he finds out about the dinner, Archie calls to cancel–giving Edith a sprained ankle–so then Edith’s presence is diminished throughout the […]

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This episode might be the first of the affecting “All in the Family” episodes. Gloria gets pregnant, complications ensue and Archie experiences an actual emotional reaction. It’s also the first episode I can remember with background music (it just feels wrong, like a soundtrack going during a play). It’s a good episode, a […]

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With the series still enjoying its sudden (and staying) excellence, this episode stands out in a few significant ways.
First, the direction. I don’t think I’ve ever been particularly impressed (or unimpressed) with an episode’s direction, but Jackie Cooper does something phenomenal here. I’m not sure if the camp exteriors (walking around the 4077th) were filmed […]

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