On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Part 1 of Season 2 of Happy Days!
HAPPY DAYS: SEASON TWO
1974-1975
23 episodes
Season Two of Happy Days is a better version of the same style show it was in the first season before the live audience joins and the show gets much broader. When I was a kid I used to like the later seasons more with the big applause entrances for Fonzie and things like that but as I've gotten older, I've grown to appreciate the gentle and sweet, nostalgic approach of the early seasons. This season also contains not one, but two of the all time greatest holiday episodes in TV history.
Starring
Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (23 episodes)
Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (23 episodes)
Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (23 episodes)
Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (23 episodes)
Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (23 episodes)
Don Most as Ralph Malph (23 episodes)
Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (23 episodes)
Beatrice Colen as Marsha Simms (9 episodes)
Misty Rowe as Wendy (8 episodes)
Neil J. Schwartz as Bag Zombrowski (5 episodes)
Randolph Roberts as Chuck Cunningham (2 episodes)
Richie moves in with his brother Chuck after feeling stifled at home by his family but all his friends want to use the apartment.
A new season of Happy Days begins with a new actor as the soon to disappear big brother Chuck. This is the most prominent Chuck episode in the entire series and I think (name) is a little more comfortable in the role than Gavin O'Herlihy. This episode also features the first appearance Linda Purl as Richie's girlfriend years before she became a series regular as Fonzie's girlfriend. The show feels a little broader as it begins season two with the friends and Fonzie becoming broader characters. But it certainly still has the gentle feel of the first season with no live audience yet.
RATING: 6/10
18. Richie's Car (9/17/74)
Richie convinces Howard to help him buy a car but then worries it may have been stolen after buying it from Fonzie.
Although they do reference the season one episode, it seems a little soon to be doing another "car" episode though it may not have felt that way back in 1974 when this aired months and months later. I wasn't super impressed with the car episode in season two and this one isn't that much better. It's a little slow moving and doesn't really have a pay off. This episode also feels out of order because Richie and Gloria seemed to be more of a couple in the previous episode. Maybe this was the first filmed episode of season two but they realized it wasn't that strong?
RATING: 2.5/10
19. Who's Sorry Now? (9/24/74)
An old girlfriend of Richie's returns to town and Richie attempts to rekindle things.
This episode is a callback to the original pilot of Happy Days on Love, American Style complete with clips. That pilot apparently took place three years prior to this episode but that makes me wonder how old Richie is really supposed to be in this series. The math doesn't quite add up. It was a nice way to show clips from the pilot that probably hadn't been seen by a ton of Happy Days fans. Only select clips could be used though as Harold Gould was the father in the pilot instead of Tom Bosley. This episode has a lot going on as there's also a pretty solid Fonzie impression by Richie. It's stronger than the first two installments of the season.
RATING: 8/10
Richie becomes convinced he needs to see a psychiatrist after being interested in a very smart girl.
This episode has a moment early on where Fonzie gives tips to Richie with girls ala James Dean, but the way he demonstrates seems completely out of character for Fonzie, a character who doesn't need to resort to tricks to get dates with girls. I still think even in season two, the writers and Henry Winkler didn't have a firm grasp on the character still. Aside from that, this is actually a pretty interesting episode and it is pretty honest in how a teenager and his parents might approach psychiatry in the 1950s. It's also a really nice showcase for Ron Howard.
RATING: 8.5/10
21. R.O.T.C. (10/8/74)
Richie becomes a squad leader for his R.O.T.C. but has trouble getting control of his friends.
Although military themed episodes and shows are not usually my thing, this is a pretty decent episode until towards the end when there's a truly bizarre dream sequence. For a show that was pretty grounded through its first 20 episodes, this really felt out of left field. It brings down the whole episode as this is not the type of show, especially in its early years, that needs something like that. The general idea of Richie trying to get his R.O.T.C. squad is a generally decent plot but it's hard to look past that dream sequence.
RATING: 2/10
22. Haunted (10/29/74)
On Halloween, Richie tries to face his fears when Ralph throws a Halloween party at a house that's supposedly haunted.
If you've read this blog over the years, you might know by now that this episode is not only my favorite Halloween episode of all time but also one of my favorite Classic TV episodes in general. I just love everything about this episode. It's such a throwback to what I imagine a 1950s Halloween was like. It has so much spirit and it's also a great plot. It's got all the hallmarks of a great Halloween episode: a party, fun costumes, a haunted house and a few thrills. But more importantly, it's a slice of Americana and the celebration of a holiday in a bygone era.
RATING: 10/10
Richie wins the chance to take a movie star to the dance but worries because he already has a date for the dance.
I've always enjoyed this episode because it has so many fun elements to it - young and confused love, a high school dance, a throwback to an era of glamorous movie stars and more. It's a pretty developed story. You don't see sitcoms today having that much time devoted to one plot. When it works, like it does in this episode, it's great. There's a very strong performance by future Charlie's Angel Cheryl Ladd as the movie star Cindy Shea. She exudes warmth and personality and has a great connection with Ron Howard. The scene in the hotel room is funny and a little bit cringey but mostly sweet.
RATING: 9/10
24. Not With My Sister, You Don't (11/19/74)
Richie becomes concerned when he finds out that Joanie's first date is with Fonzie's nephew.
Happy Days has a stretch of great episodes here but this isn't one of the stronger ones of the bunch. It's the first episode featuring Spike, Fonzie's nephew who's just like him. I think that's a joke that could be funny for a few minutes but not for an entire episode or multiple episodes. That being said, there's a really great scene between Marion and Joanie when Marion tries to talk to Joanie about the birds and bees. The rest of the episode just doesn't land though.
RATING: 3/10
25. Big Money (11/26/74)
Richie becomes a success on a local quiz show but then finds himself in a moral dilemma when the producers offer him the answers because he's a popular contestant.
This is a great episode that pays tribute to the quiz show craze and their scandals of the 1950s. I love the classic quiz show music and there's a nice guest appearance by The Partridge Family alum Dave Madden. Giving the squeaky clean Richie Cunningham a moral dilemma like cheating is a good opportunity for character development and plot. Similar to "Wish Upon a Star," there's just so much depth of plot in this episode. It doesn't feel rushed or barely explored, it feels like they did everything they could with the plot and it makes it quite satisfying.
RATING: 8.5/10
26. A Star is Bored (12/3/74)
Richie, Potsie and Ralph get Fonzie to play the lead in a "Hamlet" play so they can make money for new baseball uniforms.
It's ironic that Fonzie (the character) is such a bad actor considering Henry Winkler was a graduate of the Yale Drama School. This is one of the first real Fonzie-centric episodes, but it's also somewhat of a mess. It become smore of a problem in later years but the show sometimes got a little too heavy handed with Fonzie stories and there's a glimpse of that here. The bigger problem is it just sort of drags on. The play scenes are not funny or interesting and the resolution that Fonzie provides doesn't seem quite worthy of the accolades he receives.
RATING: 1.5/10
Richie discovers that Fonzie has nowhere to go for Christmas and invites him to spend Christmas with the Cunninghams.
The absolute sweetest episode of the entire series. This doesn't feel heavy handed with Fonzie like I mentioned in the previous episode perhaps because of the Christmas spirit of the episode. Just like with the "Haunted" episode, there's an element of a throwback feel to a 50s Christmas. But more importantly, this episode is a great character development for Henry Winkler and he gives a great performance here. I think this is really the episode where Fonzie becomes a beloved character. It's one of the best Christmas episode of all time.
RATING: 10/10
28. Open House (1/7/75)
Richie and his friends plan to play poker all night while Howard and Marion are out of town but there plans are changed when three college women show up after having car troubles.
This is a little bit of a sleazy episode. I know it's sort of the point, but boy do Richie and Potsie seem pretty pathetic in this episode. I have given a lot of credit to some Happy Days episodes for having great and well developed plots in some episodes. But this one seems to be really lacking on plot and it drags on and on. It was basically "these girls are hot" and "Richie and Potsie don't really know how to get taken seriously." And then it just happened over and over again. The one funny moment was Howard and Marion's return.
RATING: 2/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Next Thursday: A look at Season 2 (Part 2) of Happy Days!
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