March 28, 2016
Writer: Blake Hunter
Director: Will MacKenzie
Original Air Date: November 26, 1979
The most important thing to Arthur Carlson is to be a good father. Not just to be SEEN as a good father, but to actually make an impact into the lives of his children. We saw this in the episode "Young Master Carlson," when Arthur jr. visits the station. The episode ends with Arthur senior admitting he had not been a great father and vowing to change.
Carlson sees himself as the father figure of WKRP. He defended Venus against the Army in "Who Is Gordon Sims?", with Venus even identifying Carlson as his father. Herb says "I'm like a son to him!" in "Turkeys Away." It probably has something to do with having such a remote, demanding mother that Carlson himself values being a loving, present father. (Not to psychoanalyze this character too much. Far be it for me to over analyze this show).
In this episode, we also get to see him striving to be a good husband. We had only seen brief glimpses into his marriage before this, in telephone conversations or one-off "ball and chain" type jokes. But the insinuation had always been of Arthur Carlson: respected community member; caring business leader; husband and father. He would probably think of himself as the Average Ohioan.
Now according to Bailey, average means 2.96. That is the number of times a married couple has sexual relations - no matter what Herb thinks about it. For Johnny's sake, let's round that up to three. What has "being average" gotten the Carlsons?
A chance for Arthur to be a father all over again!
The New Superman?
We know the character of Mr. Carlson so we know that he wants to seize this opportunity. It's what his life is all about. But we are finally introduced to Carmen Carlson (played by character actress Allyn Ann McLerie) and we are introduced to a peculiar element of their relationship - they never want to hurt the other's feelings. It's a delightful quirk that comes up whenever Carmen is in a future episode too.
The funniest piece of this entire episode (it's so good, it might be the whole reason for the episode) is the wonderful backwards fight to two characters have in which each blames the other for only thinking about each other and never being selfish. "Just once, why don't you think about yourself!?!"
Hubba Hubba!
If you've read my other posts, you might be wondering why I didn't start this one by discussing the major cultural taboo that contributes the conflict of the episode: Abortion! Should it be considered, given Carmen's age, and the question of if she really wants another baby? I didn't start with the issue of abortion because, at no point, did I feel it was seriously being considered by anyone other than Mama Carlson. We know Arthur wants the baby. We think Carmen wants the baby. Mama is always the evil to be fought off. It might have been edgy saying the word, but the Carlsons were always going to have this baby.
I was more impressed with the conversation Arthur and his mother had about the possible risks of an older woman having a child. Mama says the child could have problems and Arthur says "It's called Down's Syndrome, mother! We know all about it." Even today, issues like Down's Syndrome, and the question of having an abortion rather than risking having a child with Down's Syndrome are rarely discussed on television. It comes across as more daring than the abortion discussion.
You might not realize from what I just wrote, but this is a very funny episode! Beyond the backward argument I mentioned, Herb's misery over what is "average" sex just gets dragged out to its most embarrassing ends. Even Les takes a jab at Herb's sexuality! Jennifer and Bailey describing the physical attractiveness of the Big Guy must have been a lot of fun for Gordon Jump during the first table read. Carlson discussing boys and girls with Venus, who hasn't heard about the pregnancy, lets Tim Reid's comic timing shine. This episode is full of long pieces allowed to roll out with as much time as they need to be their funniest.
Not the face of listening to the Carpenters
Other Notes: Allyn Ann McLerie was married to George Gaynes, from Police Academy and Punky Brewster fame.
That song subsitution has always been a bone of contention with me about this series. I saw the episode when it orginally aired, and, yes, it was Thank Heaven For Little Girls. It was replaced early in the syndication cycle. So I imagine that MGM put the kibosh on it. Of course it was a reference to pedophilia, which was rearing its ugly head at the time. Groups like NAMBLA were marching in Gay Pride Parades, and child porn magazines, disguising, as nudist magazines were openly sold on magazine stands.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very strange time indeed, and, WKRP In Cincinnati, was there to capture it.
I saw this episode again tonight for the first time in years. I, too, was greatly confused by the music substitution at the end. Another bone to pick is that it didn't sound like they used the Carpenters' version of It's Only Just Begun. I know some shows haven't been able to use the original music once it goes to DVD due to copyright/money issues but I can't imagine that's the case with this change. I think it's the perceived inappropriateness of the original music. That was the whole joke and it was a great part of the original episode.
ReplyDeleteNow I understand why the last scene was so confusing. I had figured it wasn't the original song; I had just thought that maybe it was supposed to be We've Only Just Begun, but not from The Carpenter's, which made it awkward. Now I see it was a totally different song altogether. That definitely would have made Venus in shock.
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