0212  -  Earth Angel


"Please. Stay. Forever!" (Peg)

This is a slightly weird episode; one which had all the makings of a classic
right up to a certain point but which, for me, never quite managed to 'gel'.
Part of the reason, I think, is the character of Tiffany. The actress (Dawn
Merrick, was it?) just didn't do a very good job overall - vacant, yes, but
a little *too* vacant. It came across as false. As with "Buck Can Do It",
this is an episode revolving around a single character but where that
character is found wanting in the end. Tiffany's effects on the family are
curious and not quite convincing. Why doesn't Kelly appear until right at
the end, for example, and why is her reaction so odd - I would have expected
her to be as bitchy with Tiffany as Marcy, since Kelly and Tiff are of
similar mien and yet Tiffany herself seems to have no sex drive whatsoever.
In normal land they would have competed, and it would have added so much to
the episode to see Kelly outclassed. A missed opportunity there. 

"There are so many things we want to know. Where are you from? What are your
plans? And when did you stop wearing a bra?" (Al)

Predictably Al gets obsessed with Tiffany. This isn't funny. What is much
more hilarious is the way he then transfers all this sex drive right to Peg,
thereby causing a completely different reaction to what we might have
expected. It's extremely funny seeing Peg do a complete reversal in her
attitude to Tiffany, although I would have expected her to be slightly cross
that Al must surely be thinking of Tiffany when busy with her (so to speak).
Still, what do I know? Over to a married newsgroup person - I was so tempted
to write 'member' - to make a comment on that one. Al running an observation
booth on Tiffany is also funny....up until the point of introducing Steve. 

"Steve won't touch me!" (Marcy)
"Do what the girls do. Go shopping, get bonbons & readjust the shower
heads." (Peg)

At the risk of letting my Jeffie sentiments show, this is an episode which
does nothing for either David Garrison or Amanda Bearse. Steve being
obsessed about art is both new as of this episode, and difficult to credit
given his sex drive only days ago in "The Razor's Edge", say. As a result of
course Marcy gets nothing, and hence this is the plot device to remove
Tiffany by the end of the episode. Again, difficult to credit - their
relationship, at this stage, is still based largely upon talking to one
another and mutual honesty. As someone pointed out a fortnight ago when I
was reviewing 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', the actors have to be in a
certain amount of episodes to fulfill their contracts, and yet again this
shows. A waste of both people in my opinion.

Nonetheless, however, the episode is fun to watch and once I nearly choked
on the sandwich I was eating whilst watching it. Must've been good at some
point to do that. 


Rating: 7.