Ep. 18 - Who is Gordon Sims?

February 22, 2015

Writer: Tom Chehak
Director: Rod Daniel
Original Air Date: April 2, 1979
***VERY IMPORTANT***

WKRP in Cincinnati may be best remembered for dropping turkeys and mascots fights, but if you were to ask the cast and crew, they will tell you that "Who Is Gordon Sims?" is what they want to be remembered for. This is among a handful of the most important episodes the show ever produced. It might be Tim Reid's finest moment as Venus Fly Trap.

In 1979, America is only four years out of the Vietnam War and its is a topic only being touched by dramatic movies of the week, or cloaked in euphemism, say on "M*A*S*H." The term PTSD is brand new and not widely understood. Desertion from the Army is a topic hidden from the world, as Venus does, and a shameful act. as Carlson reacts to it. For a first year sitcom to tackle it head on was crazy, but courageous. It is another reminder why anyone would bother to read a blog about WKRP.

Just broaching the subject was difficult enough, so it's easy to forgive that Gordon Sims's part of the story is pretty mild in retrospect. The war was over for Sims; he didn't go AWOL until he was back in the US. He didn't leave because he killed anyone but because he saw people dying in terrible ways. Also, because we already know this character, we don't want to see him punished or sent to jail. We have already seen that he is a good man.

It's also why the B and C stories are so over the top. Bailey trying to find everyone's address is a ridiculous task for a college graduate in charge of the station's paperwork. But Mr. Carlson, who turns out to be the moral key to the story, inflating a life raft in his office is nothing but a sight gag. It's a good sight gag but it exists to give the audience the laughs they won't be getting for the next ten minutes.

The story Venus tells about his chopper ride to Saigon lasts exactly three minutes - three uninterrupted minutes of Tim Reid delivering this monologue. That my not sound like much, until you remember the entire episode, including opening and closing credits, lasts just 24 minutes. In those three minutes, no one else speaks. There are no laughs. Just Venus talking, painting the picture in your mind's eye of Weird Larry giggling and dying.

The show is depending on the writing and acting to keep the audience interested without laughs. It works.

The writer for this episode was Tom Chehak, He would go on to write and produce for many shows, such as "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" and "Diagnosis: Murder." (Thanks, IMDB) He is also white, and that's important to note. Several times this episode makes reference to a dirty little secret of the Vietnam war (at least to mainstream white America in the late '70's) - that black soldiers were put in more combat positions, more frequently than their white comrades. It is central to Venus' distrust of the Army. This would have been a huge hurdle in getting this episode to air and Chehak was brave to include, and bring light, to this issue.

The other major player in this story is Mr. Carlson, a wealthy, privileged white man who immediately trusts that the Army (and the law) to act fairly with all people including Venus. Gordon Jump really takes Carlson through a range of emotions in helping the person at the station he has the least in common with. He moves from disgust to anger to confidence and finally compassion. When Venus refers to him as his "father," it's funny but Carlson nods and excepts that moniker with defiant pride, He will stand by Venus, and stand up against the Army, to get justice for a friend. At the start of the episode, they may have been to the two characters with the least in common but by the end, they have become a father and son.

That is a lot to say about one episode of a sit-com set in a rock station in Cincinnati. You may believe I'm over thinking things. I'm certain the creators of this episode consider each of these points and more. This episode is worth it.

Other notes: In Ep. 5 "The Hold-Up", one police officer is Hugh Wilson. I've mention that before. The other was the writer of that and this episode, Tom Chehak. You'll see I am correct about his whiteness.

Roy