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 7 (Part 2) of Perfect Strangers! For Part 1, click here.
Balki's inspiration for his Dimitri drawing goes missing when he has to complete a cartoon on a deadline.
This is a rare episode where all the main and recurring characters appear. It's a pretty silly premise but it's not quite as predictable as you might think. Larry and Balki on a stakeout (yet again) has some funny moments. Ultimately though this is just sort of a middle of the road episode. It sort of has the opposite problem of some other episodes where they is a pretty decent resolution but the path to get there isn't all that funny or interesting. The other way around seems to happen more often in Perfect Strangers.
RATING: 5/10
135. Going Once, Going Twice (2/1/92)
Balki and Larry accidentally buy a very expensive bottle of wine at an auction.
Hmm an auction episode, what do you think will happen? Like the jury plot two episodes ago, pretty much the same thing happens every time. But that first scene is not the problem (which, by the way, the auction is the belongings of Howell Thurston in a Gilligan's Island nod). It's the rest of the episode. There's an absolutely stupid scene between Balki and Larry when they get home from the auction and try to keep the bottle from breaking. Like completely stupid. Then they go back to the auction and basically do the first scene all over again. It's a bad episode.
RATING: 1.5/10
136. Yes Sir, That's My Baby (2/8/92)
Larry and Balki suspect Jennifer is pregnant and imagine what baby versions of themselves would be like.
Oof this is a stupid episode. I've praised Perfect Strangers in the past for breaking form and doing ambitious episodes. I guess you could say they did that here too so maybe I won't give it a notorious 0 for its rating. But yikes. It gives into Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker's worst instincts as actors. They are so hammy that they are certainly not funny or clever or anything like that. This seems like one of those dumb ideas shows get late in their run when they just think their characters are so funny they can do anything with them. Spoiler alert, they can't.
RATING: 0.5/10
137. Wayne Man (2/29/92)
While in Las Vegas, Larry scrambles to get tickets to Wayne Newton by pretending that Balki is about to go deaf.
This is obviously a little bit of a stunt episode to get a guest appearance by Wayne Newton but Perfect Strangers is hardly the first show to do that, look at almost every episode of the later seasons of The Lucy Show. Bronson Pinchot has some funny moments as the very starstruck Balki. Newton himself is pretty awkward as is often the case with celebrity guest appearances of non-actors. This episode is definitely an improvement over the last stretch of episodes even though it's more of a typical episode. I just wish Newton had been a stronger celebrity performer.
RATING: 5.5/10
Larry offers to move a couch up to Mr. Wainwright's office to try to impress him but he and Balki run into lots of problems when they try to do it.
You can tell this is Season Seven of Perfect Strangers because this is basically a retread plot of season four's "Piano Movers." Although it's far from an original story, it is the show doing what it does best - putting Balki and Larry in a situation that seems almost impossible and allows for some physical comedy. The one difference is there's definitely a lot more pushback from Balki than there was in earlier episodes, which I think is an improvement in the scripting. I don't think this is as funny as the piano episode though.
RATING: 6.5/10
139. The Play's the Thing (3/21/92)
Larry has a play he's written being performed but after antagonizing the people working on it, he and his friends have to perform in it.
It's surprising that Perfect Strangers hadn't done a "play" episode by this point in their run. It seems like a pretty natural plot to show off some hammy performances, which we know the show loves to do. I think there are some elements that work here and the episode tees itself up to have a very funny conclusion when the play is actually performed. But when it is, it's a little bit of a letdown. I think there was a lot more they could have done with the performance and the "bad acting" from all the characters. Oh well.
RATING: 4.5/10
140. Stress Test (3/28/92)
Balki and Larry are forced to go through a stress test by their company's psychologist.
One thing I really really hate is when Larry grabs his fist in his mouth to show that he is stressed or upset. It's so juvenile and stupid and a bad choice by Mark Linn-Baker. Besides that, which happened for the second time in three episodes, this episode has some funny moments. Bronson Pinchot still has some good instincts and moments but I feel like by this point in the series, he was getting a little bit tired of the character. I feel like he could have been funnier in a scene like this earlier in the run of the series.
RATING: 5/10
Mary Anne is becoming impatient with Balki not committing to getting married but Balki misinterprets the conversation and thinks Jennifer wants to be with him.
This episode finally moves the Balki and Jennifer story forward about a year after the show moved Larry and Jennifer's story forward. It has a little bit more drama though and actually ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. The episode is of course a series of Balki's misunderstandings which have gotten pretty tiring by this point in the season. At least there are some real consequences this time and the episode isn't resolved easily. I like that the series finally gave Mary Anne some character depth because it did seem like their relationship had gone nowhere for a long time.
RATING: 6/10
142. Chicago Suite (4/11/92)
Balki goes a single bar after breaking up with Mary Anne and brings the first girl he talks to home as well as her drunk friend who falls asleep in Larry and Jennifer's bed.
While the conceit for the comedy of this episode - Larry trying to hide the drunk girl from Jennifer - is a little flimsy (I think Jennifer would understand the situation), it still allows for a funny episode that has a madcap race to keep Jennifer from finding the girl. Yes, there is still a little bit of Mark Linn-Baker overacting but that's to be expected in any episode like this. I don't know if others saw it by this point but once again I feel like Bronson Pinchot's effort is half-hearted compared to earlier episodes. While Baker is still annoying but tempered his character more, Pinchot is still less annoying but also less endearing. Ah later season struggles.
RATING: 7/10
143. It Had to Be You (4/18/92)
Despite trying to move on, Balki and Mary Anne both start dating people who look just like each other.
Only in sitcomland do characters date lookalikes to exes. I mean, is that a thing that actually happens in real life? I can't think of any time that's ever happened with someone I know. Anyway, Perfect Strangers makes a smart call by casting lookalikes rather than having the actors pull double duty. It works much more effectively this way. I must admit I'm a little surprised that Perfect Strangers went for the less gimmicky approach but I'm glad they did and the two actors they cast (including Bronson Pinchot's brother, Justin) were effective at getting the point across without stealing the show.
RATING: 7.5/10
On Balki and Mary Anne's wedding day, Larry loses the important necklace needed for a Myposian wedding and they have to go to the dup to retrieve it.
Season Seven was not always strong for Perfect Strangers but this four episode arc leading on to Balki and Mary Anne's wedding was a good way to close the season. It's a throwback to earlier episodes in some ways with Larry being completely insufferable early on as he feels left out. However, the bulk of the episode is fun with both the dump scene and the actual wedding. Despite airing in the same season as Larry and Jennifer's wedding episode, it felt very different and is a fitting way to close the final full season of the show. The show also tees up the final season with Jennifer's pregnancy announcement at the end but it's done in a pretty awkward way.
RATING: 8.5/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON SEVEN:
5.1/10
The Best Episodes:
1. "Get Me to the Dump on Time" (#144) - 8.5/10
2. "The Wedding" (#122) - 8/10
3. "Weekend at Ferdinand's" (#124) - 8/10
4. "It Had to Be You" (#143) - 7.5/10
5. "Car Tunes" (#131) - 7.5/10
The Worst Episodes:
1. "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" (#136) - 0.5/10
2. "Fright Night" (#125) - 1/10
3. "Citizenship" Part 1 (#127) - 1.5/10
4. "Going Once, Going Twice" (#135) - 1.5/10
5. "Door to Door" (#132) - 2.5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week!
Next Thursday: A look at the Eighth and Final season of Perfect Strangers!
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