Ep. 2 - Pilot. Part Two

November 7, 2014

Writer: Hugh Wilson
Director: Michael Zinberg
Original Air Date: September 25, 1978


Going through the newly released WKRP box set, I'm happy to have the restored series. But I do wish there were commentaries or a booklet explaining some of the history from the show. For example, why is this called "Pilot, Part Two" and not "A Small But Determined Fringe Element." There's no way this episode could have been a replacement pilot - only the first episode introduces everything.

This is the first episode where we see Jennifer Marlowe as "miracle worker." This time it's played for laughs as Mr. Carlson asks more and more for her to get Andy and Herb into his office right away. She agrees but doesn't move, frustrating Mr. Carlson more and more, until he finally goes into his office, where both Andy and Herb have been waiting all along.

As well, we see Jennifer in her most common role as Mr. Carlson's confidant, helping him plan an escape route and graciously accepting his ham-fitted compliment. It's quite a change from the pilot in which she called him "The jerk who runs this place." This will become one of the sweetest relationships on the show.

Two particularly great scenes I want to focus on with this episode. The first is when Wayne R. Coe (in his facist-signaling Col. Sanders tie) goes to see Mr. Carlson at his office, but is confronted by Herb, who Carlson has said is him so he (Carlson) could get out of the confrontation... get all that? It makes way more sense in the scene. However, the wonderful thing to watch here is how Herb acts when he thinks he is the boss, even if just for a minute. He's rude, dismissive and insulting but won't back down, completely unlike the real boss. One episode earlier, he was almost named Program Director. Now he gives the great kiss-off line "Up your nose, Mr. Coe!"

The second great scene finds Johnny in the DJ booth, having just given a wonderfully overblown introduction to "Old Time Rock and Roll," closing his eyes to rest. At that moment, two protesters sneak in and one of them (actress Nedra Volz who would later become a regular on "Diff'rent Strokes") beats the turntable with an umbrella! Johnny calmly jumps on the air to apologize for the technical difficulties, then turns and screams at the old couple like a cop breaking up a grow-op. The best part is his next reaction when he says "I don't know what you want, but I should tell you, I've killed a lot of old people in my time." The terrified old timers run away, but moments later, he's calling the lady "Ma'am" and apologizing for not finding her cat.

The only thing that has always bothered me about this episode is the very final gag, Having teased all episode that the lady's cat is lost, at the very end, after an exhausting day, Mr. Carlson sits in his chair, only for us to hear the cat scream. What bothers me is how fake this one shot looks. There is obviously no cat in the chair. The scream sounds like a needle on a record. It just looks sloppy have a well run machine of an episode like this end on such a cheap note.

Roy