EPISODE GUIDES: Perfect Strangers Season Five (Part 1)

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 5 (Part 1) of Perfect Strangers!

PERFECT STRANGERS: SEASON FIVE
1989-1990
24 episodes

The fifth season of Perfect Strangers saw the series move to Friday nights as part of the inaugural TGIF lineup along with its spinoff, Family Matters, among other shows. Perfect Strangers never gets to a point of just high level of excellence but this is probably its most consistently solid season as evidenced by it grading out to my highest score for a full season. The show is very comfortable at being what it is and though it rarely takes chances or rises to a level where it could be considered ambitious or special, it at least is consistently doing a good job at what it is trying to do.

Starring
Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous (24 episodes)
Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton (24 episodes)
Melanie Wilson as Jennifer Lyons (19 episodes)
Rebecca Arthur as Mary Anne Spencer (18 episodes)

Sam Anderson as Sam Gorpley (13 episodes)
Belita Moreno as Lydia (10 episodes)
F.J. O'Neil as Mr. Wainwright (4 episodes)

73. Good Skates (9/22/89)
Larry and Balki try to learn to roller skate so Larry can impress Jennifer at a roller skating marathon.

Season five kicks off with Balki making a silly misunderstanding twice in the first couple minutes. Seems like we should be past that now but this is a sitcom that never has ambitions of growing and evolving. That seems a little harsh to be kicking off a season review. This is not a bad episode, it's just nothing surprising or different. Balki and Larry skating allows Mark Linn-Baker to do some decent physical comedy but the episode follows a pretty predictable path.
RATING: 5.5/10

74. Lie-Ability (9/29/89)
After Larry and Balki are in a car accident, Mr. Gorpley convinces Larry to sue the other driver.

This is a classic "Larry in the wrong" story with Larry doing something that typically is reserved for sitcom villains - pretending to be more injured than the actually are (I'm thinking of The Brady Bunch fender bender episode specifically). This episode also features a joke that would probably face some backlash today when Balki says "it's not over until Roseanne Barr sings" - an obvious fat joke at the expense of the person who was the network's biggest star at the time. As usual, Balki comes across as the one who was right all along and Larry has to be the one to learn the lesson. After some more inventive storytelling in season four (at times), the first couple episodes of season five seem to revert back to the standard Perfect Strangers stories.
RATING: 5/10

75. The Newsletter (10/6/89)
Balki writes a gossip column newsletter, after getting tips from Larry, that ends up getting him in hot water at the office.

Perfect Strangers makes an ESP/ESPN joke 15 years before Mean Girls made it famous in this episode! Aside from giving them credit for that joke, this was not a very strong entry. I think there was a lot of potential comedy from the premise but it just didn't pan out because there wasn't much repercussions for what Balki did. I also think it's notable that Jo Marie Payton is missed more than I thought she would be. Her character was never given a lot to do, but she was a good presence in the office scenes and they are noticeably lacking without her in Season Five.
RATING: 4/10

76. Tooth or Consequences (10/13/89)
Balki has a cavity and fears going to the dentist but Larry ends up needing dental work when they go.

This is a good showcase for the Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker relationship at its best. The two of them getting high off the laughing gas is pretty funny and they both (surprisingly) play it really well without overplaying it. It's probably the funniest moment between just the two of them since they were fixing Jennifer and Mary Anne's bathroom back in season three. Perfect Strangers is never one to shy away from sitcom tropes but in this case, I'm actually surprised going to the dentist is not a more common one for other sitcoms.
RATING: 8.5/10

77. Dog Day Mid-Afternoon (10/20/89)

Larry assists in writing an article that exposes a criminal but the subject shows up at the newspaper while Balki and Larry are there with a bomb strapped to him.

This is sort of an intense episode that is treated mostly as comedy. I guess I'm glad they don't make it a "very special episode" because that would have been worse, but this still seems to be an awfully low stakes plot when there's a character with a bomb strapped to his chest. I wonder if this kind of episode would fly today. Even though TV allows a lot more in some ways now, other things like this probably would cause executives to think twice in a sitcom environment. Maybe not though. There are some funny moments with Balki and Larry and guest star George Wyner does a nice job.

RATING: 6.5/10

78. Poetry in Motion (11/3/89)

Larry and Balki figure out that their apartment may have a lost poem hidden in it worth $25,000 so they try to find it.

This is an unusual episode because Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker are the only two actors, regulars or otherwise, to appear. It's a great showcase for their characters even though Larry is his usual frustrating self. He again regrets his actions at the end of the episode - boy, Balki is patient. We also get a glimpse into Balki's bedroom, which is a funny reveal. The show also does a nice job when Larry gets soot all over himself in the chimney with a funny sight gag as he turns back and forth. While this season isn't always firing on all cylinders, there does seem to be a renewed focus on the two main characters.

RATING: 7.5/10

79. Father Knows Best??? Part 1 (11/10/89)

Larry's very critical father visits and the two of them end up locked in the basement with Balki.

James Noble guest stars as Larry's father for a two part episode and he brings a lot of strength to the episodes and elevates them with his strong performance (it's also a quite different role than his most famous role on Benson). I'm not sure this was the show's intention but I do think presenting Larry's father is a little bit of a glimpse into why Larry he is the way he is with his. Maybe the intention was to give Larry haters like me some sympathy. I became a little less interested in the plot when it shifted towards the "locked in the basement" trope but that wasn't the bulk of the episode even if it's the "cliffhanger" for the two parts.

RATING: 8.5/10

80. Father Knows Best??? Part 2 (11/17/89)

Larry, Balki, Larry's father and others are trapped in the apartment basement and try to escape before it floods or they get electrocuted.

All the nice character work that was done in the first part is not necessarily erased in Part Two but it definitely gets a lot sillier with the whole "escaping the basement" plot. It then also has the requisite sappy moment between Larry and his dad, which is entirely predictable and too saccharine (though it does have a funny moment with Balki). What does help this episode is another solid performance from James Noble, who could have easily been a more regular presence on this show but was not. He makes Larry a more interesting character.

RATING: 5.5/10

81. Hello, Ball (11/24/89)

Larry and Balki go golfing with Jennifer's father and Jennifer asks Larry to lose on purpose.

After meeting Larry's father in the last two episodes, we meet Jennifer's father in this one. I have mentioned with other series that for some reason, I'm a sucker for golf episodes. I just always enjoy that setting for a sitcom. This episode is sort of a twist on Larry's usual arc and the show even comments on that. When Larry says he's actually good at golf, no one believes him. It's nice to see the other characters sometimes react to Larry the same way I do as a viewer. Of course Larry does revert back to form, but still. My only complaint about this episode is I wish more of it took place at the golf course.

RATING: 8/10

82. Almost Live From Chicago (12/1/89)

Lydia is asked to do a TV show based on her column so Larry tries to help her overcome her fear of cameras.

This is a Lydia heavy episode, which is pretty uncommon. She's not too bad here but I just don't think Belita Moreno is that good of an actress. But this episode is really more about just how terrible Larry is (like usual) with his insistence on making Lydia do something she obviously cannot do. There's a funny and meta line from Mary Anne about TV ratings and short orders eventually turning into syndication deals, which is exactly what happened to Perfect Strangers. Though I'm sure that joke goes over the head of most people who aren't TV nerds.

RATING: 5.5/10

83. Home Movies (12/8/89)

Larry offers to help Balki make a video to send home to his mother but ends up taking over the project.

Man, Larry is just the worst. I have to wonder back when this show was being filmed, were they aware of just how obnoxious Larry can be? We've had other characters who mess everything up but they are much more lovable than Larry. But I'm not going to spend this summary rehashing how terrible Larry can be. I also want to know something about Mary Anne. I think Rebecca Arthur is actually quite a capable actress and can have some funny delivery but I think the writing lets her down sometimes. It seems like it would be quite easy to write for a dumb blonde stereotype but they don't always seem to reach that low bar.

RATING: 3/10

84. Everyone in the Pool (12/15/89)

Balki wins a football pool at work five weeks in a row and wants to quit but Larry won't let him and then tries to copy his picks.

This is a "Larry gets his comeuppance" episode, which is always enjoyable for me given my feelings about Larry. I just think Mark Linn-Baker doesn't know how to play likable most of the time. For example in this episode, his screaming "the Browns or the Packers" to Balki doesn't come across as funny or like he's a lovable loser. He comes across as an insane psycho. Overall, this episode is just fine. It could be better and could be worse. It's one of those middle in the road episodes.

RATING: 4.5/10

85. Because They're Cousins (1/5/90)

Balki's identical cousin Bartok comes to visit and convinces Balki to invest in an investment scam.

Whenever I see an episode like this, with a character playing a dual role, I always think how much of a pain it must have been to shoot. Look at how many times they had back and forth shots between Balki and Bartok. That being said, this is a good episode for Bronson Pinchot, who is very effective at playing the surfer dude Bartok and quite a departure from his Balki character. Although it's a strong episode, it is one of the few this season that does veer too much on the sappy side with the final scene between Balki and Bartok. Still a good entry.

RATING: 8/10

Tomorrow: The Friday Five - a look at the Top 5 TV news stories of the week!

Next Thursday: A look at Season Five (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers!