On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show. This year, I will be splitting full seasons into two posts. Here's a look at Season 3 (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers! For Part 1, click here!
Balki accidentally delivers the wrong story to Larry's publisher so they have to break in during the night to switch it and encounter a suicidal co-worker.
This episode is packed with plot, which is quite a contrast to the previous episode. It takes awhile to get going though as the early scenes in the office are not anything special and we get some serious overacting from Mark Linn-Baker when he realizes the mistake that's been made. I'm glad the show handled the suicide scene with some humor instead of being heavy-handed as some 80s sitcoms were prone to do with serious topics (and Perfect Strangers was at time). I will admit that I actually had an audible chuckle at Balki's line at the end of the conversation about the window being closed.
RATING: 7/10
40. To Be or Not To Be (1/6/88)
Balki and Larry get picked to do a TV commercial for the Chicago Chronicle.
Oh boy, Larry is super annoying in this one. And it frustrates me because he basically just gets rewarded for his bad behavior. I know it's the point, but ugh I just wanted to slap him and his smug face during the shooting of the commercial. A major flaw in Perfect Strangers, which I know I've harped on before, is making him just a little too unlikable and wrong all the time. And then you have Balki who is as endearing as ever throughout this episode.
RATING: 3/10
41. My Lips Are Sealed (1/13/88)
Larry wants to buy a car but needs to know if he got a raise and Balki won't break his mailboy's code to tell him.
This is another "Larry learns a lesson" episode but it actually gives the chance for Larry to be a little more reflective about his flaws than he sometimes is. Although I would prefer to see more depth for Larry than just learning lessons over and over again, at least this episode has Larry learn it and make a decision when his back is not against the wall. One thing I think the show has failed at more than halfway through season three is finding distinct personalities for the office staff. They come and go pretty randomly and aside from Jo Marie Payton, they don't have much of a personality and even Payton doesn't have much to do.
RATING: 6.5/10
42. The Pen Pal (1/27/88)
Balki welcomes ex-con Vince Lucas, who he and Larry helped put in jail, to their apartment after he is paroled.
John Del Regno's appearance in season two was my least favorite episode of the season and he's back again in this one. Sigh. This episode is a little better than the second season episode though and I think it's mainly because Del Regno is less cartoonish. He's still not a likable character though so this episode doesn't really work. As someone who is watching Perfect Strangers through for the first time as I do these blog entries, I have to say I hope he doesn't return again. But I guess I will find out!
RATING: 3/10
Larry loves a dessert that Balki makes and tries to get him to mass produce them for profit.
This is a good "Larry gets what's coming to him" episode because the show doesn't really redeem Larry as much as it tries to sometimes. He gets proven wrong and Balki, while sympathetic as always, can't completely save the situation for him. The actual baking scene could be funnier however. I thought there was a lot of comedy left on the table in a setting that seems to so naturally lend itself to physical comedy. I realize that wasn't the story that they were telling but it was still a missed opportunity.
RATING: 5.5/10
44. Better Shop Around (2/10/88)
Balki wins a shopping spree at a grocery store but Balki and Larry fight about how to tackle the spree.
Why does Balki stay so loyal to Larry when he's such a terrible person? That's one thing I continue to wonder into season three. This is another episode where the differences are on full display. There are other buddy sitcoms with characters that can be infuriating (Felix on The Odd Couple, Shirley on Laverne & Shirley for example). But they're not always the ones wrong and they're not so unlikable. Also, their counterparts (Oscar and Laverne) certainly have their flaws too. The scales are tipped too much towards Balki in this show. But the run through the grocery store was fun (though it was done better on Laverne & Shirley).
RATING: 5.5/10
45. Pipe Dreams (3/4/88)
Balki wins a shopping spree at a grocery store but Balki and Larry fight about how to tackle the spree.
Why does Balki stay so loyal to Larry when he's such a terrible person? That's one thing I continue to wonder into season three. This is another episode where the differences are on full display. There are other buddy sitcoms with characters that can be infuriating (Felix on The Odd Couple, Shirley on Laverne & Shirley for example). But they're not always the ones wrong and they're not so unlikable. Also, their counterparts (Oscar and Laverne) certainly have their flaws too. The scales are tipped too much towards Balki in this show. But the run through the grocery store was fun (though it was done better on Laverne & Shirley).
RATING: 5.5/10
45. Pipe Dreams (3/4/88)
Larry decides to fix Mary Anne and Jennifer's shower all on his own while they are away.
Unlike the recent "Just Desserts" episode, this one does a much better job at the physical comedy even if the end result is similar (guess what, Larry is an idiot again!) I feel bad for the set decorators for this one if they had to do multiple takes because that shower scene when everything was going wrong was a complete mess. It was also such a very 80s looking bathroom which was funny to see. The only downside in a pretty funny episode is once again how insufferable Larry is. And he never gets better.
RATING: 7.5/10
46. The Defiant Guys (3/11/88)
After an argument, Balki handcuffs Larry to him right before Larry has an important lunch meeting.
Ah handcuffs. A premise that was used on I Love Lucy 36 years before this episode. Perfect Strangers is really digging deep into the sitcom tropes now isn't it? To be honest, I'm not a big fan of that Lucy episode, it makes me feel a little claustrophobic and that is true with this episode too. There's also the tendency to be out of character by exaggerating hand gestures just for an attempt at comedy. There are some funny sight gag moments though when they get to the restaurant and at least it leans a little more into the humor.
RATING: 6.5/10
After an argument, Balki handcuffs Larry to him right before Larry has an important lunch meeting.
Ah handcuffs. A premise that was used on I Love Lucy 36 years before this episode. Perfect Strangers is really digging deep into the sitcom tropes now isn't it? To be honest, I'm not a big fan of that Lucy episode, it makes me feel a little claustrophobic and that is true with this episode too. There's also the tendency to be out of character by exaggerating hand gestures just for an attempt at comedy. There are some funny sight gag moments though when they get to the restaurant and at least it leans a little more into the humor.
RATING: 6.5/10
Larry is nervous about the arrival of his very successful brother, Billy, so he comes up with a plan to make his job look more important and trick Balki into going along with it.
We just had a relative about an impending arrival of a relative of Balki's and now we get the arrival of a relative of Larry's. Not surprisingly, Larry is pretty pathetic in this episode though the show is clearly trying to get us to sympathize with him. It's a good thing the show didn't make Billy a regular character since he's played by noted show killer Ted McGinley. Also not surprising - Balki is a saving grace. He has a very funny line about PMS at the beginning of the episode and his complete frustration with Larry has some really good moments. The resolution, while predictable, is at least not all that sappy when it appears it's heading that way.
RATING: 7/10
48. You Gotta Have Friends (3/25/88)
Balki claims to have made friends with Olympian Carl Lewis but Larry doesn't believe him.
This is a little bit of a gimmick episode featuring Olympian Carl Lewis. This episode aired during an Olympics year back when both Winter and Summer games were the same year. The Winter Olympics had just ended while the Summer Olympics (where Lewis won more golds) happened a few months after this episode aired. Lewis does fine in his small appearance but is pretty typical for an athlete's attempt at acting. The episode is pretty predictable, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by talking about Lewis showing up. At least I'm not spoiling it to anyone who knows sitcom conventions. But at least Larry gets his comeuppance.
RATING: 4/10
Balki claims to have made friends with Olympian Carl Lewis but Larry doesn't believe him.
This is a little bit of a gimmick episode featuring Olympian Carl Lewis. This episode aired during an Olympics year back when both Winter and Summer games were the same year. The Winter Olympics had just ended while the Summer Olympics (where Lewis won more golds) happened a few months after this episode aired. Lewis does fine in his small appearance but is pretty typical for an athlete's attempt at acting. The episode is pretty predictable, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by talking about Lewis showing up. At least I'm not spoiling it to anyone who knows sitcom conventions. But at least Larry gets his comeuppance.
RATING: 4/10
48. The Graduate (4/29/88)
Larry tries to help Balki graduate from night school at the top of his class.
This is an episode that falls into the category of episodes where Balki and Larry "fight for what's right" and it's almost as nauseating as the serious "very special episodes" in part because Larry getting on his high horse is pretty grating. Fortunately this episode does move past that plot fairly quickly and Balki's speech is pretty decent with some funny moments. Bronson Pinchot is so often able to elevate mediocre material.
RATING: 6/10
50. Bye Bye Biki (5/6/88)
Balki is excited to welcome his 106 year old grandmother to America, but she passes away on her trip there.
As Perfect Strangers ends its third season, they seem more and more inclined to do "heartwarming" or "very special" episodes. I'm not sure this episode goes deep enough that we need to categorize it as that, but the whole idea of Balki being unable to accept his grandmother's death certainly brushes up against the line. Even as the episode stayed funny for awhile and there were a few good moments with Bronson Pinchot, I was sort of dreading when the inevitable serious moment would occur. Sure enough it did at the end of the episode in a lengthy monologue from Pinchot. While it was well delivered by Pinchot, it was still taking itself too seriously.
RATING: 5.5/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON THREE:
5.3/10
The Best Episodes
1. "Future Shock" (#37) - 8.5/10
2. "The Horn Blows At Midnight" (#34) - 7.5/10
3. "Pipe Dreams" (#45) - 7.5/10
4. "The Break-In" (#39) - 7/10
5. "Night School Confidential" (#36) - 7/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Sexual Harassment in Chicago" (#31) - 1.5/10
2. "The Karate Kids" (#35) - 1.5/10
3. "The Pen Pal" (#42) - 3/10
4. "To Be or Not to Be" (#40) - 3/10
5. "Weigh to Go Buddy" (#30) - 3/10
Larry tries to help Balki graduate from night school at the top of his class.
This is an episode that falls into the category of episodes where Balki and Larry "fight for what's right" and it's almost as nauseating as the serious "very special episodes" in part because Larry getting on his high horse is pretty grating. Fortunately this episode does move past that plot fairly quickly and Balki's speech is pretty decent with some funny moments. Bronson Pinchot is so often able to elevate mediocre material.
RATING: 6/10
Balki is excited to welcome his 106 year old grandmother to America, but she passes away on her trip there.
As Perfect Strangers ends its third season, they seem more and more inclined to do "heartwarming" or "very special" episodes. I'm not sure this episode goes deep enough that we need to categorize it as that, but the whole idea of Balki being unable to accept his grandmother's death certainly brushes up against the line. Even as the episode stayed funny for awhile and there were a few good moments with Bronson Pinchot, I was sort of dreading when the inevitable serious moment would occur. Sure enough it did at the end of the episode in a lengthy monologue from Pinchot. While it was well delivered by Pinchot, it was still taking itself too seriously.
RATING: 5.5/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON THREE:
5.3/10
The Best Episodes
1. "Future Shock" (#37) - 8.5/10
2. "The Horn Blows At Midnight" (#34) - 7.5/10
3. "Pipe Dreams" (#45) - 7.5/10
4. "The Break-In" (#39) - 7/10
5. "Night School Confidential" (#36) - 7/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Sexual Harassment in Chicago" (#31) - 1.5/10
2. "The Karate Kids" (#35) - 1.5/10
3. "The Pen Pal" (#42) - 3/10
4. "To Be or Not to Be" (#40) - 3/10
5. "Weigh to Go Buddy" (#30) - 3/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - A look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Next Thursday: A look at Season Four (Part 1) of Perfect Strangers!
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