On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 3 (Part 2) of Happy Days! For Part 1, click here!
52. They Call It Potsie Love (12/2/75)
After Potsie sings to her at Arnold's, Joanie develops a crush on Potsie.
This is one of the first Joanie-centric episodes and it's a good plot because I think many families can relate to a younger sister falling for the friend of an older brother (or vice-versa). It suffers some from a bizarre dream sequence. Happy Days is very hit and miss when it comes to dream sequences and this is a miss. The rest of the episode is solid though with a good exploration of puppy love and Erin Moran proving she was up to the task of taking on bigger stories. Anson Williams does a nice job in the climactic scene too.
RATING: 6.5/10
Ralph is upset after breaking up with his girlfriend and decides to join the Marines.
One episode after a Potsie/Joanie episode, we get a Ralph-centric episode. This episode makes Ralph a more sympathetic character especially when he's trying to win girls back and failing so pathetically. This is also the first episode where we learn that Fonzie can't admit he was wrong and Henry Winkler does a good job at not being able to say the dreaded "w" word. The episode seems to lose some momentum as it goes on though.
RATING: 5/10
54. Dance Contest (1/6/76)
Marion decides to enter a dance contest with Fonzie but Howard suspects she is having an affair.
This is a fun episode that has a lot of great comedic moments throughout. Arnold spilling the beans about Fonzie and Marion, Ralph and Potsie attempting to confront Fonzie and the climactic scene at the TV studio are all very well done. The actual dance between Marion and Fonzie could play pretty cheesy (and probably would have in later years) but it's actually quite endearing here. I think it's also worth noting that Fonzie and Marion are an underrated pair who don't get a ton of time one on one in the series.
RATING: 8.5/10
55. The Second Anniversary Show (1/12/76)
On Fonzie's birthday, the gang look back at memories they had with each other. This is primarily a clip show so no rating will be given.
56. Fonzie the Salesman (1/13/76)
Fonzie quits his job at the garage after it gets a new owner and gets a job as a door-to-door salesman.
Happy Days was really making up for lost time with Fonzie in the third season. After very few storylines for the character in the first two seasons, he is at the center of almost every episode in the third season. This episode has some fun moments but I wouldn't call it one of the stronger entries of the season. There is a nice guest appearance by Dick Van Patten as a very stuffy loan officer. The door to door sales have some funny moments but seem a little bit of forced Fonzie humor. Anson Williams barely appears in this episode.
RATING: 3.5/10
Richie, Potsie and Ralph start a babysitting service to earn money to pay for football tickets.
This episode aired one week before the premiere of Laverne & Shirley and those characters make a cameo appearance in this episode. In fact, they are the best part of a so-so episode and add a lot of energy to their scene. They are similar to their personalities in their first appearance, the dynamics between them is different on their actual series. I think there's some comedy with the children but it could have been stronger. I also want to know why the characters here are rooting for the Chicago Bears at the beginning of the episode when they live in Packers country?
RATING: 5.5/10
58. Fonzie the Superstar (1/27/76)
When Potsie is unable to sing with the band, Ralph and Richie recruit Fonzie to be their replacement singer.
ABC was really pushing Laverne & Shirley as Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams pop up again in this episode right before the premiere of their series. It's another episode where they bring a great energy to the episode. They also seem more like they do on their show, probably they had filmed several Laverne & Shirley episodes by that point. Of the many showcases for Henry Winkler in the third season, this is a good one and it's fun to see The Fonz feeling a little vulnerable. Of course it doesn't last long and there's a really funny moment with Fonz impersonating Richie at the end of the episode. There is a really unfortunate blackface line though.
RATING: 7.5/10
59. Two Angry Men (2/3/76)
Howard and Fonzie go to court against each other after Fonzie's pigeon coop on the roof of the apartment causes it to cave in.
For a show set in Wisconsin, it doesn't seem to be winter very often in Happy Days but this is an episode that takes advantage of its setting. I'm a sucker for blizzard episodes so this episode already gets bonus points from me. The first half of the episode hums along really nicely but it loses some of the fun when it goes to the courtroom. Contrary to winter episodes, I often don't like courtroom episodes of sitcoms because so many of the same jokes happen in all of them. This is no exception even with a very funny moment from Marion.
RATING: 6/10
Richie, Potsie and Ralph come up with a phony beauty contest to get themselves out of a dating rut.
After the season started with almost exclusively Fonzie-themed episodes, the second half of the season has more Richie, Potsie and Ralph scheme episodes. It's almost like they had to plant their foot with the Fonzie character and they could start re-integrating the character better than they did in the first two seasons. This episode has some fun moments as Richie, Potsie and Ralph get increasingly mired in their scheme and have to find their way out.
RATING: 7/10
61. Bringing Up Spike (2/17/76)
Fonzie struggles with disciplining Spike after he tries to assist with robbing Arnold while visiting Fonzie.
This is another Spike episode and I find him to be a pretty insufferable character. Even though Chachi annoys me sometimes, I'm glad he eventually takes the place of Spike as far as a relation to Fonzie and love interest for Joanie. The episode isn't a total loss though. There's a nice scene between Fonzie and Howard towards the end of the episode that has some sweetness without being too sappy. Happy Days really found that line effectively so often in its first couple seasons but it started to veer much more towards sappy when it got the opportunity in later years.
RATING: 4.5/10
62. A Sight for Sore Eyes (2/24/76)
Fonzie is upset after going to the eye doctor and told he has to get glasses.
This episode is a second straight episode that is missing Ron Howard for a large portion (he must have been working on another project). It's a problem because they force Fonzie into scenes with characters that are clearly standing in for Richie like Ralph and Potsie and that doens't make a whole lot of sense. It is also based on the incredibly flimsy premise that Fonzie doesn't think getting glasses is cool. That might be a decent plot for Jan Brady but not for someone like The Fonz. And also, Fonzie and glasses are never dealt with again. So nothing really works here.
RATING: 1.5/10
Arnold has a bride arrive from Japan and asks Fonzie to be his best man but then Fonzie worries about a Fonzarelli curse when he is the best man.
This is an odd episode thanks to the sort of icky premise of a mail-order bride though the "ick" factor is tempered a little bit by Arnold being the one getting married. It's still a very episode all the way through that seems to try to get its laughs from Japanese culture. It's interesting because as a kid, I never found episodes like this all that funny just because it seemed like forced jokes. I still feel that way as an adult but it's even more due to the cringe element of it all. Happy Days ended its first live audience season on a couple low notes after many high points.
RATING: 2/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON THREE:
5.9/10
The Best Episodes:
1. "A Date with Fonzie" (#49) - 9.5/10
2. "The Other Richie Cunningham" (#44) - 9/10
3. "Dance Contest" (#54) - 8.5/10
4. "Fearless Fonzarelli" Part 1 (#42) - 8.5/10
5. "Fonzie Moves In" (#40) - 8/10
The Worst Episodes:
1. "A Sight for Sore Eyes" (#62) - 1.5/10
2. "Fonzie the Flatfoot" (#48) - 2/10
3. "Arnold's Wedding" (#63) - 2/10
4. "Three on a Porch" (#50) - 3/10
5. "Fonzie the Salesman" (#56) - 3.5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV News Stories of the Week!
Next Thursday: A look at Season 4 (Part 1) of Happy Days!
Next Thursday: A look at Season 4 (Part 1) of Happy Days!
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