Ep. 26 - Bad Risk

August 29, 2015

Writer: Gene Fournier and Tom Joachim

Director: Will MacKenzie

Original Air Date: October 22, 1979

How does a sit-com explore the extisential dilemma of peering into the gapping maw of mortality, observing the hardships and injustices of this waking life and overcome the inevitable blackness such questions drape across the fragile human soul?

You get Herb Tarlek to sell life insurance.

Nobody likes the conversation behind buying insurance. You are placing a bet that something is inevitably going to go wrong in your life and you want to be protected for when that day comes. We spend most of our days avoiding the questions of our mortality by doing things like watch TV and write blogs. Everyone in the station isn't running away from Herb because he's going to sell them life insurance; Herb is the worst salesperson in Cincinnati! They are all running and hiding because they don't want to have that conversation: "What happens when...?"

Into this mix, we throw Les Nessman. We have seen him in very depressive states before. In the THIRD EPISODE he was suicidal! In this episode before this one, he was sadly remembering childhood violin lessons. We have watched and laughed at Les' paranoia and standoffishness. But this is the first time WKRP has ever asked "Is Les okay?" "Does Les have depression?"

Mental illness in the 1970's was still a source of tremendous shame in the United States. Les would certainly have known the story of vice-presidential candidate Thomas Eagleton, who was forced to withdraw his candidacy when the word was leaked that he had been treated for depression. Mental illness still wasn't seen as an illness, but a form of weakness; a moral failing. Les imagines himself as the torchbearer of Edward R. Morrow - tough, man's man journalism, facing down the terrors of the world to bring out the news. For Les, there can be no moral failing. So for him, it's "Newsman's Syndrome," seeing so much horror in the news must be what makes him depressed. He doesn't realized that Morrow smoked and drank to deal with the pressures and didn't live to be sixty.

It is a real progressive move for the show to have Andy confront Les about his behaviour and suggest he speak to a "psychiat... ummmm!  or at the very least a therap... ummm!" But the best argument he can come up with is "it's not so bad anymore" which really isn't going to help Les overcome his fears.

Andy has got Les' back

Herb knows what to do. Les needs to take action against his depression and an acceptable action is to buy insurance! Lots of insurance! More insurance than six guys! That'll teach depression who's in control! And if Herb can make a little money along the was, so be it.

Of course, this is "WKRP in Cincinnati" so it's no gamble when Les buys insurance... it's a sure thing!

This is another great episode for Richard Sanders to use the theatre of the mind to describe something that is so much funnier in our imaginations than it would be to show. Of course, the classic example is the turkey bombing. But his slow burn detailing of the mobile news scooter crash is just as good. Frank Bonner sells the storytelling, writhing to hear the final details of the accident Herb's new company just agreed to cover. His reactions to Les' growing tale are delicious, ending with his collapse at the very dry detail the scooter struck "Mr. and Mrs. J. Garrent Hopkins as they were having tea."

This scene works so well it is replayed again almost beat for beat at the end of the episode as Les details the fate of Herb's boat. That end with Herb collapsing at the detail of the boat's "little flag fluttering out behind."

But now let's go back to the hospital scene. Herb is actually very sweet here. He originally went to try and get Les and the station out of trouble with victims but he ends up defending Les just on the basis of being his friend. As much as Herb does take advantage of Les (in this and many other episides), in the end they are each other's best friends.

In the Hopkins, Les finds matching souls, a depressed couple for whom life has been one disappointment after another. Misery loves company as each side hears the other's tales of woe and draw closer together. Watching this strangely becomes very funny, again mainly from watching Herb's reactions.

So in the end, the episode is teaching us that generousity and community can overcome depression. In reality it's a little harder than that, but you can definately be put in a better mood by watching Herb get his upcomance.

Other notes: No Bailey.