BEWITCHED: SEASON EIGHT
1971-197226 episodes
And we have reached the final season of Bewitched. It's a theme I'll repeat below, but this show is such a shell of what it was when it started. It almost doesn't seem like the same show as it has now devolved into such silly plots. Half of the plots are ones that would never have been done in the early seasons and the other half are inferior remakes of those early episodes. Bewitched has lost all creativity at this point and can only muster up a strong episode every once in awhile. This graded out to be the worst Bewitched season for me, which is not a surprise. Everyone on the show seems like they were done before this season even started. It's a good thing that Elizabeth Montgomery wanted to call it quits because a season nine could have been even worse.
Starring
Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (26 episodes)
Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens (26 episodes)
Agnes Moorehead as Endora (13 episodes)
David White as Larry Tate (15 episodes)
Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens (14 episodes)
David and Greg Lawrence as Adam Stephens (8 episodes)
Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda (4 episodes)
Maurice Evans as Maurice (3 episodes)
Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay (3 episodes)
Elizabeth Montgomery as Serena (3 episodes)
Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (3 episodes)
During a visit to Europe, a witch gets angry with Samantha for saving a man trapped in a painting and sends Samantha back to the time of King Henry VIII.
Bewitched begins its final season with a trip to Europe that is less compelling than the Salem trip that kicked off season seven. They also kick things off with a plot that was famously used in the great season five episode "Samantha Goes South for a Spell" and it pales in comparison here. One of the things apparent here and throughout this season is Elizabeth Montgomery seems to have completely lost interest in the part and is definitely going through the motions. I feel like I'm going through the motions a little bit watching it at this point.
RATING: 3/10
230. How Not to Lose Your Head to King Henry VIII Part 2 (9/22/71)
Darrin and Endora both go back in time to try to save Samantha from King Henry VIII and bring her back to the present, but they have to deal with no witchcraft and Samantha not recognizing them.
Part two of the Henry the VIII saga is better than part one because the action moves a little better and there's more plot with less exposition. However, there is a very long Batman-esque recapping of the first part at the beginning of this episode. I think one of the problems here, as usual, is Dick Sargent. His Darrin seems annoyed to have to do it all whereas Dick York seemed to frantically want his wife back in the similar season five episode I mentioned above. The addition of Endora to the events back in time helps Sargent's wooden performance.
RATING: 4/10
231. Samantha and the Loch Ness Monster (9/29/71)
While in Scotland, Samantha and Darrin run into the Loch Ness monster, who turns out to be a warlock and friend of Serena's.
I know I might sound like a broken record about the direction of this show, but I look at this episode and think how sad season one and two Bewitched would be looking at this mess. This is no better than a 70s children's Saturday morning show. The Loch Ness monster looks ridiculous and the plot is so outlandish and outrageous, it doesn't even seem like the same show I've been watching for the past 230 episodes. Other shows get broader as their runs go on, but this one takes that to another level. Bewitched hits a lot of low points in season eight, but this is the lowest point of the entire season and series. A time where the show doesn't even seem remotely like the show it started as.
RATING: 0/10
232. Samantha's Not So Leaning Tower of Pisa (10/6/71)
Esmeralda visits the Stephens in Pisa and reveals that she is the reason the leaning tower is leaning.
The worst episode of Bewitched is followed up by a far more interesting and clever premise even if it's still a little bit silly. It's a more interesting interaction with the past than Bewitched's typical approach of bringing historical characters to the present. It was a funny idea to make this very famous historical structure be the result of Esmeralda and it's certainly one of Alice Ghostley's better episodes. Though I can't help but think how much funnier this would have been if it had been Aunt Clara.
RATING: 8/10
233. Bewitched, Bothered and Baldoni (10/13/71)
While in Rome, Endora brings a statue of Venus to life in order to tempt Darrin.
This is a pretty tired premise even if they're trying to make it more interesting by setting in Italy. How many times have we seen a sexy young woman try to tempt Darrin whether under a spell by Endora or not? Dick York always made it interesting, but Dick Sargent doesn't find any comedy whatsoever when being tempted by Venus. A drawn out conclusion where Samantha and Endora bicker about the solution just keeps the episode plodding along and feeling as tired as the premise. There is a nice guest appearance by future Happy Days co-star Al Molinaro in the first scene.
RATING: 3.5/10
234. Paris, Witches Style (10/20/71)
While Samantha and Darrin are in Paris, Maurice finds out that they didn't visit him while in London and seeks revenge.
Maurice returns in a decent episode in the Europe canon. Maurice Evans always allows for some good moments, but I feel like if Bewitched only had one episode to spend in Paris, there's a whole lot more they could have done. The better Paris episode was way back in season one when Endora and Samantha dined there in "Witch or Wife." Aside from a so-so executed sight gag of Darrin on the Eiffel Tower, this episode stuck to the hotel room with Maurice doing his usual angry Maurice things like breaking things around him. It's not terrible, just uninspired.
RATING: 5/10
235. The Ghost Who Made a Spectre of Himself (10/27/71)
When the Stephens and Tates visit an old castle in England, a ghost inhabits Darrin's body and makes him act very out of the ordinary.
The Europe episodes conclude with a pretty decent ghost episode. In some ways, this is the sixth and final Halloween episode though it is not as clearly a Halloween episode as the other five. Still, Bewitched didn't really deal with ghosts much so it's nice to see a different other-worldly creature getting some attention and it's not as derivative as many episodes already have been this season. Dick Sargent actually manages to pull off a couple funny moments as a man inhabited by a ghost. The resolution in the final scene has always struck me as a little obnoxious however.
RATING: 7/10
236. TV or Not TV (11/3/71)
Tabitha puts herself in a TV show that she and Adam are watching, and she catches the eye of a client of Darrin's who wants to put her on TV regularly.
This is sort of an older Tabitha version of season 3's "Ho Ho the Clown." I would qualify this as a "fine" episode. Erin Murphy has continued to grow into the role of Tabitha and she does a decent job, especially by 1960s kids on TV standards. It doesn't feel as much like a retread of other episodes despite the inspiration from the season three episode and that helps too. The witchcraft solution was a little bit too easy and a little bit too convenient but the episode kept me interested enough.
RATING: 5.5/10
237. A Plague on Maurice and Samantha (11/10/71)
Samantha loses her powers and when Maurice visits, he loses his powers as well after greeting Samantha with a kiss.
We've seen many witches and warlocks in Samantha's family without their powers and now it's Maurice's turn. While he's not as funny as Endora without her powers, it's still a pretty good showcase for Maurice Evans and his interaction with Darrin, Larry and the client in the office is pretty funny. I could have done without the Bernie Kopell scene as his witch doctor character felt especially cringe-inducing in the 21st century. I'm not one to judge shows too harshly for being from their time, but it just felt a little uncomfortable to watch and Kopell is basically doing a less funny version of his already grating Siegfried character from Get Smart.
RATING: 6.5/10
238. Hansel and Gretel in Samanthaland (11/17/71)
Tabitha brings Hansel and Gretel out of a storybook and then goes into the storybook herself to find their father, but gets caught by the witch.
I have a soft spot in my heart for this episode. It was one of the first color Bewitched episodes I saw and it lived on one of my VHS tapes that I re-watched many times long before I saw most of the rest of the color episodes. I may be a little biased, but I think it holds up pretty well and one of the most entertaining episodes of season eight. It is a pretty clever plot that plays better than "Samantha and the Beanstalk" did to open season six. Some strong performances from guest stars also help. Dick Sargent brings his scenes down as usual and the Tates being involved basically bides time, but it's a fun episode nonetheless.
RATING: 8.5/10
239. The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit (12/1/71)
After an argument with Darrin, Endora enlists a hippie warlock to try to get Darrin to lose his job.
This is the Bernie Kopell show and it's a little bit too much as is so often the case with Kopell. I think he can be funny at times, but he frequently takes things too far. That is certainly the case here with his portrayal of hippie Alonzo. It seems like the writers thought he was a lot funnier than I did because they let him just kind of "go" for awhile and it lasts far too long. Larry is pretty grating in this episode too. Maybe it didn't feel this way watching it over eight years, but over a few months it just feels like we watch the same tropes over and over again and there are two here: Endora's spells after an argument and Larry firing Darrin.
RATING: 2/10
240. The Eight-Year Itch Witch (12/8/71)
Endora turns a cat into a beautiful model for an advertising campaign to prove that Darrin is suffering from the "seven year itch."
A pretty much complete re-do of season one's "It Takes One to Know One" except this episode features Julie Newmar in the cat/woman role, which is fitting since she played Catwoman on Batman a few years earlier. Despite feeling oh so reminiscent of season one, except for the inferior substitution of Dick Sargent, this episode doesn't fail completely thanks to Newmar. The perfect choice to play the "sex kitten" role, Newmar is also a capable comedienne and that elevates the role and the entire plot. I would have loved to see her play off of Dick York. It is super annoying to see the same exact joke used from a previous joke for Endora's apology at the end of the episode. So annoying that I knocked it down a point just for that. Ugh, Bewitched was so tired at this point.
RATING: 5/10
241. Three Men and a Witch on a Horse (12/15/71)
Endora puts a spell on Darrin that makes him obsessive about horse racing.
This episode uses a couple Bewitched tropes that are very tiring by episode #241. First of all, we have a spell on Darrin for no real good reason other than getting a premise of an episode going. There was a time where Endora's spells would grow more organically out of the story. Then there's the whole turning an animal into a human situation, which I didn't even find enjoyable early in the Bewitched run. Throw in the fact that Larry threatens to fire Darrin and we're spinning all the tired hits. The scene at the tracks though is pretty decent so it's not a complete waste.
RATING: 5/10
242. Adam, Warlock or Washout? (12/29/71)
Maurice visits just as the Witches Council meets to determine if Adam has warlock powers or not.
This is the last Bewitched episode that feels like an event or major milestone of the show. It's a pretty solid and much more inspired episode than a lot of the season eight episodes though it is very easy to see the wires in the scene where Adam is flying around the house. I like that this process is quite different than it was with Tabitha in season three. There's some truths explored about the biases the witches have about a "mixed marriage." Not that Bewitched hasn't done that before, but it became increasingly rare in the Dick Sargent years. Speaking of Sargent, any episode where he spends half of it playing golf and another part barking instead of speaking is a good one.
RATING: 8/10
243. Samantha's Magic Sitter (1/5/72)
A client of Darrin's has Esmeralda babysit for their son and then becomes angry when their son starts telling people he believes in witchcraft.
Here's one of the problems with Bewitched as it exists in season eight. We have a decent plot where a young kid sees Esmeralda doing witchcraft and the parents get upset when he tells them about it. Fine. We've seen that before. The problem is the resolution where we have Esmeralda openly doing ridiculous magic tricks like changing a client into a monkey right in front of mortals like Larry Tate and the clients. There's no sleight of hand or explaining that away. Bewitched used to be so much clever about it - Gladys would see witchcraft but no one else would or something odd would happen and they would explain it away. But now we have mortals actually watching witchcraft happen and the show doesn't seem to take that seriously enough. It should never have gone there.
RATING: 3/10
244. Samantha is Earthbound (1/15/72)
Samantha suffers from a disease that causes her first to be extremely heavy and crashing through floors and then extremely light and floating up in the sky.
This episode at least gets points for its clever premise. In a season where so many Bewitched episodes were recycled plots, this was a completely original one and that felt refreshing. On the other side of the coin, Elizabeth Montgomery only seems half committed to the bit so that hurts its standing (not to mention some obvious wires). Can you imagine if Lucille Ball got to do this comedy bit? It would go over much better, I think. I will say with only a handful of episodes left to go, Dick Sargent has started to find his way a little bit more. He was never anywhere near Dick York and he's not here either, but he isn't as glaringly bad as when he started.
RATING: 6.5/10
245. Serena's Richcraft (1/22/72)
Serena loses her powers and then falls for a very wealthy client of Darrin's.
This is sort of an odd episode with the fact that a huge part of it deals with a guest star Peter Lawford and a supporting character (Serena). Samantha and Darrin feel pretty incidental to the story and neither one is seen for large stretches. While Lawford is charming and an interesting guest star and Serena is better here than in some episodes, the show (as usual at this point) meanders somewhat through the episode and introduces the major plot point of bringing Pirhana into the episode awfully late for the resolution to work in a satisfying way. This episode was filmed for season seven but delayed which explains Samantha's hair.
RATING: 4.5/10
246. Samantha on Thin Ice (1/29/72)
Tabitha tries to learn how to skate and Endora uses witchcraft to make her a prodigy.
The "Tabitha Becomes a Prodigy" storyline has been used before, but this benefits from the fun setting of an ice skating rink, where they spend the majority of the episode. I wish the show had a funnier angle to take because this was pretty predictable from start to finish. We know Endora will put on a spell then someone will take note then they'll talk Endora out of it by playing on her fear of not spending time with Tabitha. It's all pretty formulaic even if the ice skating rink is unique. I wish the show had a better and more original way to tell this story.
RATING: 6/10
247. Serena's Youth Pill (2/5/72)
Larry stops by while Serena is babysitting and Serena gives him a youth pill that makes him rapidly age in reverse.
A "Benjamin Button" episode of Bewitched long before that movie, this is one of the best episodes of season eight. What makes this episode stand out among the dreck of season eight is that it has really good storytelling. While the set up to Larry taking the youth pill is a little forced, this is a different type of spell than anything we've seen on Bewitched and it's actually pretty fascinating to see Larry in different states of life. The frantic attempt by Samantha, Darrin and Louise to try to figure out what's going on in the ever changing state of Larry is pretty funny too. This is proof that Bewitched was still capable of good stories even though they were few and far between. This is also the final appearance of Serena..3.
RATING: 8.5/10
248. Tabitha's First Day of School (2/12/72)
Samantha and Darrin are forced to have Tabitha go to school and she turns a little boy into a frog on her first day.
One episode after a very original one, this is such a redux of season five's "I Don't Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly" right down to the same exact teacher being used. This is such lazy storytelling that it makes me angry. Just switching the location from a nursery school to a grade school is nothing. They could have easily made a good episode with the premise of Tabitha going to school, but they chose to be completely redundant. I have to think even back in 1972 when reruns were not as prominent, Bewitched fans had to be thinking "haven't I seen this episode before?"
RATING: 2/10
249. George Washington Zapped Here Part 1 (2/19/72)
Trying to help Tabitha with a school project, Esmeralda accidentally zaps George Washington to the Stephens' house.
It seems a little bit like Bewitched is trying to torture us here with another historical figure episode this close to the end (and a two part one at that!) This is basically a carbon copy of the Ben Franklin two-parter from season three except with a different founding father. And while the Ben Franklin was very gentle and believable, this Washington as played by Will Geer, seems to go more for laughs with his arrogance. The addition of Martha Washington at the end of the episode is a nice twist to set up part two though.
RATING: 5/10
250. George Washington Zapped Here Part 2 (2/26/72)
George and Martha Washington are stuck at the Stephens and get involved with a client of Larry's as well as a judge.
I enjoy part two of this episode much more than part one and the reason is the addition of Martha Washington. While Jane Connell's performance is serviceable, the bigger reason is it makes the plot more unique and less a copy of the Ben Franklin episode. It also softens Will Geer's Washington and makes HIS character better. The episode unfortunately moves away from the George/Martha relationship later in the episode, but at least it has an interesting plot with a client followed by a judge instead of a courtroom seen as in the Franklin episode conclusion.
RATING: 7/10
251. School Days, School Daze (3/4/72)
Endora turns Tabitha into a genius before a school test to see if she can skip a grade. While visiting the Stephens, her teacher sees her using witchcraft.
This is a fun episode at first that turns into an entirely different episode. They start with a good storyline about Endora making Tabitha a genius and it seems like it's heading down that path but then they turn it into an episode where her teacher sees her using witchcraft and comes after the Stephens, Charlie Leach (from season 2) style. I'm not sure whether to be impressed by this episode's ability to pull and bait and switch or annoyed that it meandered off course and didn't really develop either plot fully, Surprisingly, I think I lean towards the former as it seems less predictable than your average season eight Bewitched episode.
RATING: 7.5/10
252. A Good Turn Never Goes Unpunished (3/11/72)
Samantha helps out Darrin with an account and he becomes convinced the new ideas were conceived using witchcraft.
This episode is very similar to season one's "Help, Help, Don't Save Me" right down to Samantha drawing over Darrin's designs with her own (non-witchcraft infused) ideas and the same resolution. That automatically knocks an otherwise decent episode down a few notches. The best part is what's original about this episode and that's primarily the argument between Darrin and Samantha with a funny scene where Tabitha is the go-between for Darrin and an invisible Samantha.
RATING: 5/10
253. Samantha's Witchcraft Blows a Fuse (3/18/72)
After having a drink with a client, Samantha quickly develops an illness that involves red stripes appearing on her face.
One last "witch illness" episode, this has elements of basically every previous illness episode. There's stripes on Samantha's face (as opposed to spots in season two), there's a dodo bird involved (similar to season four's episode), and Bernie Kopell's creepy apothecary returns for a fourth time. The tiredness here is just annoying. Other long-running shows did not so overtly copy themselves later in their run and it's one of Bewitched's most obvious flaws from being one of TV's greatest of all time like it was on track to be early in its run. The best thing about this episode is Reta Shaw as Hagatha, a welcome character who didn't appear nearly enough. I would have preferred her to Esmeralda in the post-Aunt Clara years.
RATING: 3/10
254. The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam (3/25/72)
Endora puts a spell on Darrin that causes any mortal near him to tell the complete truth.
In an era where shows rarely had a defined final episode, Bewitched's eight season run comes to an end in a particularly uninspired fashion. This episode is almost a word-for-word remake of
While in Scotland, Samantha and Darrin run into the Loch Ness monster, who turns out to be a warlock and friend of Serena's.
I know I might sound like a broken record about the direction of this show, but I look at this episode and think how sad season one and two Bewitched would be looking at this mess. This is no better than a 70s children's Saturday morning show. The Loch Ness monster looks ridiculous and the plot is so outlandish and outrageous, it doesn't even seem like the same show I've been watching for the past 230 episodes. Other shows get broader as their runs go on, but this one takes that to another level. Bewitched hits a lot of low points in season eight, but this is the lowest point of the entire season and series. A time where the show doesn't even seem remotely like the show it started as.
RATING: 0/10
Esmeralda visits the Stephens in Pisa and reveals that she is the reason the leaning tower is leaning.
The worst episode of Bewitched is followed up by a far more interesting and clever premise even if it's still a little bit silly. It's a more interesting interaction with the past than Bewitched's typical approach of bringing historical characters to the present. It was a funny idea to make this very famous historical structure be the result of Esmeralda and it's certainly one of Alice Ghostley's better episodes. Though I can't help but think how much funnier this would have been if it had been Aunt Clara.
RATING: 8/10
233. Bewitched, Bothered and Baldoni (10/13/71)
While in Rome, Endora brings a statue of Venus to life in order to tempt Darrin.
This is a pretty tired premise even if they're trying to make it more interesting by setting in Italy. How many times have we seen a sexy young woman try to tempt Darrin whether under a spell by Endora or not? Dick York always made it interesting, but Dick Sargent doesn't find any comedy whatsoever when being tempted by Venus. A drawn out conclusion where Samantha and Endora bicker about the solution just keeps the episode plodding along and feeling as tired as the premise. There is a nice guest appearance by future Happy Days co-star Al Molinaro in the first scene.
RATING: 3.5/10
234. Paris, Witches Style (10/20/71)
While Samantha and Darrin are in Paris, Maurice finds out that they didn't visit him while in London and seeks revenge.
Maurice returns in a decent episode in the Europe canon. Maurice Evans always allows for some good moments, but I feel like if Bewitched only had one episode to spend in Paris, there's a whole lot more they could have done. The better Paris episode was way back in season one when Endora and Samantha dined there in "Witch or Wife." Aside from a so-so executed sight gag of Darrin on the Eiffel Tower, this episode stuck to the hotel room with Maurice doing his usual angry Maurice things like breaking things around him. It's not terrible, just uninspired.
RATING: 5/10
When the Stephens and Tates visit an old castle in England, a ghost inhabits Darrin's body and makes him act very out of the ordinary.
The Europe episodes conclude with a pretty decent ghost episode. In some ways, this is the sixth and final Halloween episode though it is not as clearly a Halloween episode as the other five. Still, Bewitched didn't really deal with ghosts much so it's nice to see a different other-worldly creature getting some attention and it's not as derivative as many episodes already have been this season. Dick Sargent actually manages to pull off a couple funny moments as a man inhabited by a ghost. The resolution in the final scene has always struck me as a little obnoxious however.
RATING: 7/10
236. TV or Not TV (11/3/71)
Tabitha puts herself in a TV show that she and Adam are watching, and she catches the eye of a client of Darrin's who wants to put her on TV regularly.
This is sort of an older Tabitha version of season 3's "Ho Ho the Clown." I would qualify this as a "fine" episode. Erin Murphy has continued to grow into the role of Tabitha and she does a decent job, especially by 1960s kids on TV standards. It doesn't feel as much like a retread of other episodes despite the inspiration from the season three episode and that helps too. The witchcraft solution was a little bit too easy and a little bit too convenient but the episode kept me interested enough.
RATING: 5.5/10
237. A Plague on Maurice and Samantha (11/10/71)
Samantha loses her powers and when Maurice visits, he loses his powers as well after greeting Samantha with a kiss.
We've seen many witches and warlocks in Samantha's family without their powers and now it's Maurice's turn. While he's not as funny as Endora without her powers, it's still a pretty good showcase for Maurice Evans and his interaction with Darrin, Larry and the client in the office is pretty funny. I could have done without the Bernie Kopell scene as his witch doctor character felt especially cringe-inducing in the 21st century. I'm not one to judge shows too harshly for being from their time, but it just felt a little uncomfortable to watch and Kopell is basically doing a less funny version of his already grating Siegfried character from Get Smart.
RATING: 6.5/10
Tabitha brings Hansel and Gretel out of a storybook and then goes into the storybook herself to find their father, but gets caught by the witch.
I have a soft spot in my heart for this episode. It was one of the first color Bewitched episodes I saw and it lived on one of my VHS tapes that I re-watched many times long before I saw most of the rest of the color episodes. I may be a little biased, but I think it holds up pretty well and one of the most entertaining episodes of season eight. It is a pretty clever plot that plays better than "Samantha and the Beanstalk" did to open season six. Some strong performances from guest stars also help. Dick Sargent brings his scenes down as usual and the Tates being involved basically bides time, but it's a fun episode nonetheless.
RATING: 8.5/10
239. The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit (12/1/71)
After an argument with Darrin, Endora enlists a hippie warlock to try to get Darrin to lose his job.
This is the Bernie Kopell show and it's a little bit too much as is so often the case with Kopell. I think he can be funny at times, but he frequently takes things too far. That is certainly the case here with his portrayal of hippie Alonzo. It seems like the writers thought he was a lot funnier than I did because they let him just kind of "go" for awhile and it lasts far too long. Larry is pretty grating in this episode too. Maybe it didn't feel this way watching it over eight years, but over a few months it just feels like we watch the same tropes over and over again and there are two here: Endora's spells after an argument and Larry firing Darrin.
RATING: 2/10
240. The Eight-Year Itch Witch (12/8/71)
Endora turns a cat into a beautiful model for an advertising campaign to prove that Darrin is suffering from the "seven year itch."
A pretty much complete re-do of season one's "It Takes One to Know One" except this episode features Julie Newmar in the cat/woman role, which is fitting since she played Catwoman on Batman a few years earlier. Despite feeling oh so reminiscent of season one, except for the inferior substitution of Dick Sargent, this episode doesn't fail completely thanks to Newmar. The perfect choice to play the "sex kitten" role, Newmar is also a capable comedienne and that elevates the role and the entire plot. I would have loved to see her play off of Dick York. It is super annoying to see the same exact joke used from a previous joke for Endora's apology at the end of the episode. So annoying that I knocked it down a point just for that. Ugh, Bewitched was so tired at this point.
RATING: 5/10
241. Three Men and a Witch on a Horse (12/15/71)
Endora puts a spell on Darrin that makes him obsessive about horse racing.
This episode uses a couple Bewitched tropes that are very tiring by episode #241. First of all, we have a spell on Darrin for no real good reason other than getting a premise of an episode going. There was a time where Endora's spells would grow more organically out of the story. Then there's the whole turning an animal into a human situation, which I didn't even find enjoyable early in the Bewitched run. Throw in the fact that Larry threatens to fire Darrin and we're spinning all the tired hits. The scene at the tracks though is pretty decent so it's not a complete waste.
RATING: 5/10
Maurice visits just as the Witches Council meets to determine if Adam has warlock powers or not.
This is the last Bewitched episode that feels like an event or major milestone of the show. It's a pretty solid and much more inspired episode than a lot of the season eight episodes though it is very easy to see the wires in the scene where Adam is flying around the house. I like that this process is quite different than it was with Tabitha in season three. There's some truths explored about the biases the witches have about a "mixed marriage." Not that Bewitched hasn't done that before, but it became increasingly rare in the Dick Sargent years. Speaking of Sargent, any episode where he spends half of it playing golf and another part barking instead of speaking is a good one.
RATING: 8/10
243. Samantha's Magic Sitter (1/5/72)
A client of Darrin's has Esmeralda babysit for their son and then becomes angry when their son starts telling people he believes in witchcraft.
Here's one of the problems with Bewitched as it exists in season eight. We have a decent plot where a young kid sees Esmeralda doing witchcraft and the parents get upset when he tells them about it. Fine. We've seen that before. The problem is the resolution where we have Esmeralda openly doing ridiculous magic tricks like changing a client into a monkey right in front of mortals like Larry Tate and the clients. There's no sleight of hand or explaining that away. Bewitched used to be so much clever about it - Gladys would see witchcraft but no one else would or something odd would happen and they would explain it away. But now we have mortals actually watching witchcraft happen and the show doesn't seem to take that seriously enough. It should never have gone there.
RATING: 3/10
244. Samantha is Earthbound (1/15/72)
Samantha suffers from a disease that causes her first to be extremely heavy and crashing through floors and then extremely light and floating up in the sky.
This episode at least gets points for its clever premise. In a season where so many Bewitched episodes were recycled plots, this was a completely original one and that felt refreshing. On the other side of the coin, Elizabeth Montgomery only seems half committed to the bit so that hurts its standing (not to mention some obvious wires). Can you imagine if Lucille Ball got to do this comedy bit? It would go over much better, I think. I will say with only a handful of episodes left to go, Dick Sargent has started to find his way a little bit more. He was never anywhere near Dick York and he's not here either, but he isn't as glaringly bad as when he started.
RATING: 6.5/10
Serena loses her powers and then falls for a very wealthy client of Darrin's.
This is sort of an odd episode with the fact that a huge part of it deals with a guest star Peter Lawford and a supporting character (Serena). Samantha and Darrin feel pretty incidental to the story and neither one is seen for large stretches. While Lawford is charming and an interesting guest star and Serena is better here than in some episodes, the show (as usual at this point) meanders somewhat through the episode and introduces the major plot point of bringing Pirhana into the episode awfully late for the resolution to work in a satisfying way. This episode was filmed for season seven but delayed which explains Samantha's hair.
RATING: 4.5/10
246. Samantha on Thin Ice (1/29/72)
Tabitha tries to learn how to skate and Endora uses witchcraft to make her a prodigy.
The "Tabitha Becomes a Prodigy" storyline has been used before, but this benefits from the fun setting of an ice skating rink, where they spend the majority of the episode. I wish the show had a funnier angle to take because this was pretty predictable from start to finish. We know Endora will put on a spell then someone will take note then they'll talk Endora out of it by playing on her fear of not spending time with Tabitha. It's all pretty formulaic even if the ice skating rink is unique. I wish the show had a better and more original way to tell this story.
RATING: 6/10
247. Serena's Youth Pill (2/5/72)
Larry stops by while Serena is babysitting and Serena gives him a youth pill that makes him rapidly age in reverse.
A "Benjamin Button" episode of Bewitched long before that movie, this is one of the best episodes of season eight. What makes this episode stand out among the dreck of season eight is that it has really good storytelling. While the set up to Larry taking the youth pill is a little forced, this is a different type of spell than anything we've seen on Bewitched and it's actually pretty fascinating to see Larry in different states of life. The frantic attempt by Samantha, Darrin and Louise to try to figure out what's going on in the ever changing state of Larry is pretty funny too. This is proof that Bewitched was still capable of good stories even though they were few and far between. This is also the final appearance of Serena..3.
RATING: 8.5/10
Samantha and Darrin are forced to have Tabitha go to school and she turns a little boy into a frog on her first day.
One episode after a very original one, this is such a redux of season five's "I Don't Want to Be a Toad, I Want to Be a Butterfly" right down to the same exact teacher being used. This is such lazy storytelling that it makes me angry. Just switching the location from a nursery school to a grade school is nothing. They could have easily made a good episode with the premise of Tabitha going to school, but they chose to be completely redundant. I have to think even back in 1972 when reruns were not as prominent, Bewitched fans had to be thinking "haven't I seen this episode before?"
RATING: 2/10
249. George Washington Zapped Here Part 1 (2/19/72)
Trying to help Tabitha with a school project, Esmeralda accidentally zaps George Washington to the Stephens' house.
It seems a little bit like Bewitched is trying to torture us here with another historical figure episode this close to the end (and a two part one at that!) This is basically a carbon copy of the Ben Franklin two-parter from season three except with a different founding father. And while the Ben Franklin was very gentle and believable, this Washington as played by Will Geer, seems to go more for laughs with his arrogance. The addition of Martha Washington at the end of the episode is a nice twist to set up part two though.
RATING: 5/10
250. George Washington Zapped Here Part 2 (2/26/72)
George and Martha Washington are stuck at the Stephens and get involved with a client of Larry's as well as a judge.
I enjoy part two of this episode much more than part one and the reason is the addition of Martha Washington. While Jane Connell's performance is serviceable, the bigger reason is it makes the plot more unique and less a copy of the Ben Franklin episode. It also softens Will Geer's Washington and makes HIS character better. The episode unfortunately moves away from the George/Martha relationship later in the episode, but at least it has an interesting plot with a client followed by a judge instead of a courtroom seen as in the Franklin episode conclusion.
RATING: 7/10
Endora turns Tabitha into a genius before a school test to see if she can skip a grade. While visiting the Stephens, her teacher sees her using witchcraft.
This is a fun episode at first that turns into an entirely different episode. They start with a good storyline about Endora making Tabitha a genius and it seems like it's heading down that path but then they turn it into an episode where her teacher sees her using witchcraft and comes after the Stephens, Charlie Leach (from season 2) style. I'm not sure whether to be impressed by this episode's ability to pull and bait and switch or annoyed that it meandered off course and didn't really develop either plot fully, Surprisingly, I think I lean towards the former as it seems less predictable than your average season eight Bewitched episode.
RATING: 7.5/10
252. A Good Turn Never Goes Unpunished (3/11/72)
Samantha helps out Darrin with an account and he becomes convinced the new ideas were conceived using witchcraft.
This episode is very similar to season one's "Help, Help, Don't Save Me" right down to Samantha drawing over Darrin's designs with her own (non-witchcraft infused) ideas and the same resolution. That automatically knocks an otherwise decent episode down a few notches. The best part is what's original about this episode and that's primarily the argument between Darrin and Samantha with a funny scene where Tabitha is the go-between for Darrin and an invisible Samantha.
RATING: 5/10
253. Samantha's Witchcraft Blows a Fuse (3/18/72)
After having a drink with a client, Samantha quickly develops an illness that involves red stripes appearing on her face.
One last "witch illness" episode, this has elements of basically every previous illness episode. There's stripes on Samantha's face (as opposed to spots in season two), there's a dodo bird involved (similar to season four's episode), and Bernie Kopell's creepy apothecary returns for a fourth time. The tiredness here is just annoying. Other long-running shows did not so overtly copy themselves later in their run and it's one of Bewitched's most obvious flaws from being one of TV's greatest of all time like it was on track to be early in its run. The best thing about this episode is Reta Shaw as Hagatha, a welcome character who didn't appear nearly enough. I would have preferred her to Esmeralda in the post-Aunt Clara years.
RATING: 3/10
Endora puts a spell on Darrin that causes any mortal near him to tell the complete truth.
In an era where shows rarely had a defined final episode, Bewitched's eight season run comes to an end in a particularly uninspired fashion. This episode is almost a word-for-word remake of
season two's "Speak the Truth." While Bewitched
was recycling storylines quite a bit in the later years, this is by far the most blatant rip-off of an earlier episode and it's a terribly lazy way to do an episode. It's so sad that this was the final episode shown of a show that could be so imaginative and creative, but lost all of that towards the end.
RATING: 2/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON EIGHT:
5.0/10
The Best Episodes
1. "Hansel and Gretel in Samanthaland" (#238) - 8.5/10
2. "Serena's Youth Pill" (#247) - 8.5/10
3. "Samantha's Not-So Leaning Tower of Pisa" (#232) - 8/10
4. "Adam, Warlock or Washout" (#242) - 8/10
5. "School Days, School Daze" (#251) - 7.5/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Samantha and the Loch Ness Monster" (#231) - 0/10
2. "The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit" (#239) - 2/10
3. "Tabitha's First Day of School" (#248) - 2/10
4. "The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam" (#254) - 2/10
5. "How Not to Lose Your Head to King Henry VIII" (#229) - 3/10
RATING: 2/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON EIGHT:
5.0/10
The Best Episodes
1. "Hansel and Gretel in Samanthaland" (#238) - 8.5/10
2. "Serena's Youth Pill" (#247) - 8.5/10
3. "Samantha's Not-So Leaning Tower of Pisa" (#232) - 8/10
4. "Adam, Warlock or Washout" (#242) - 8/10
5. "School Days, School Daze" (#251) - 7.5/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Samantha and the Loch Ness Monster" (#231) - 0/10
2. "The Warlock in the Gray Flannel Suit" (#239) - 2/10
3. "Tabitha's First Day of School" (#248) - 2/10
4. "The Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Sam" (#254) - 2/10
5. "How Not to Lose Your Head to King Henry VIII" (#229) - 3/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week!
Next Thursday: A wrap-up on Bewitched!
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