ALL IN THE FAMILY-the rest of season four and the start of season five

 ALL IN THE FAMILY-the rest of season four and the start of season five

“Louise, we can have another.”

“You better call parcel post. I’ve stopped delivering.”

“I don’t want to hear this!”

 

“Listen to that. I ain’t used that word in three years!”

 

“So long there, Wheezy.”

So, I am tired of doing these one ep at a time or even two or three at a time and may end up stopping all reviewing anyway as no one seems to appreciate, want, or like them anyway. I binged the rest of season four over a few nights and couldn’t help but start season five as I think AITF gets far better as the seasons move on. I think five through eight are some of the best. Nine and all the rest afterward should NEVER have been made. They’re not funny at all really, maybe mildly and GLORIA was comfort TV or IS now but boring. ARCHIE’S PLACE was a waste of time. I won’t even mention 704 HAUSER STREET or the total POS that was the recent live remake episodes with Woody Harrelson. Ewl.

EDITHS’ CONVERSION is mildly amusing but kind of forced. ARCHIE IN THE CELLAR should be funnier but again, despite some iconic moments (“Thank you, A-rabs” and “The Jeffersons was right.”), is also forced, especially with Archie hallucinating the others in the basement where he is locked up. ARCHIE IS CURSED (Archie thinks men do things better), ET TU ARCHIE, THE TAXI CAPER, and ARCHIE FEELS LEFT OUT (aging) also have some laugh out moments but also feel forced as they are about how Archie is so very wrong all the time and gets the consequences of his own beliefs. That’s fine but it does not always make for funny episodes. 

Many of these episodes, probably all of them, gave TV viewers things never before seen or discussed on TV before…and sometimes after (including the justice system and our reactions to it). 

GLORIA’S BOYFRIEND may never be one of my favorite episodes but it says something important. I also love love love when the mentally challenged (and at that time, as Mike states the word retarded, it was acceptable to call the mentally disabled retarded) grocery store boy say something and Edith credits it to David Carradine on KUNG FU! Archie even finishes with, “You know, I think she’s right.”

While EDITH’S CHRISTMAS STORY is warm and touching, SECOND HONEYMOON is as well but HONEYMOON is also funny (“Oh, Archie!”). Also funny are both Mike and Gloria on their own “fight” episodes BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE’S WIG and MIKE AND GLORIA MIX IT UP. GLORIA SINGS THE BLUES can be added to that. None of these episodes does Mike’s likeability factor a favor but they make for real life issue discussion AND lots of laughs.  

ARCHIE EATS AND RUNS is sort of just there with some funny moments.

PAY THE TWENTY DOLLARS is one of the funniest episodes of the entire series and I feel as if any time the Bunkers mix it up with the Jeffersons a funny, fun, and dialog bright episode ensues. The whole dollar moving scheme in the end is worthy of Abbott and Costello. 

As funny as that and MIKE’S GRADUATION (“Going back to school! Staying in school!?” and “Hello, there Michael, my favorite son in law!”) are, perhaps the funniest episode of the entire series IS LIONEL’S ENGAGEMENT. Everything works in this episode. George even gets to say his first N word (my least favorite word in the multi verse) and he says it again in another VERY funny episode early in season five, LIONEL THE LIVE-IN. In any case, the scenario of Lionel engaged to a girl who has a white father presents a series of hilarious jokes and events that started earlier but are intensified in ENGAGEMENT and fuel the fire fights of LIVE-IN. It’s hard to say that one is funnier than the other but I think ENGAGEMENT is funnier but LIVE-IN in season five, is fantastically funny. It might have the faster pace and the funnier jokes, though. 

In any case, ENGAGEMENT saves the season from being just okay and turns it all around to make us laugh at Archie AND George. Sherman was a real find for this show and AITF lost a great deal when Louise and George and Lionel left. For a mediocre, boring series THE JEFFERSONS, which was just not funny. 

The only other season five eps I have watched on this go around is THE BUNKERS AND INFLATION parts one to three and they are funny but also the undercurrent of worry and the problems of poverty, unemployment, finding a job and strikes also make it---the entire four part storyline(s) worrisome. 

In any case, season four is not a total wash, and season five is set to be as entertaining as I first saw it. The first few in season five have Archie calling Edith dingbat again, which he seemed to ease up on toward the end of season four. 

A major highlight is when George asks Archie to tell Mike, “I love you.”  

Still, a phenomenal show, this balances the real world issues with belly laughs better than any series after it and many try to emulate it. And while MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, HOME IMPROVEMENTS, FAMILY GUY, MODERN FAMILY, LAST MAN STANDING, and others have their seasons and their moments and merit, none have accomplished it better than AITF.