On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of Happy Days! For Part 1, click here!
104. Joanie's First Kiss (1/17/78)
Joanie goes on her first date, despite Howard's objections, at a party Ralph and Potsie throw at their apartment.
Happy Days seems to have realized they were doing too many Fonzie-themed episodes during this season because other ensemble members get a chance to shine in several different episodes. This one is Joanie's turn and it's a sweet story about young love. Richie can be a little insufferable in this episode but the most generous interpretation would be that he is just trying to be a good big brother. There are also some funny moments from Howard.
RATING: 7.5/10
After a friend of hers gets divorced, Marion worries that the spark is going out of her marriage with Howard.
Now it's Marion's turn to have a story and it's a good one even if it's a sitcom trope - a woman feels like the spark has gone out of her marriage. This episode is famous for Marion's attempts to spice things up as an Arabian dancer and Marion Ross is absolutely hilarious in that scene. There's also an extended dream sequence in this episode too that works to an extent thanks to a strong commitment from Tom Bosley. Leather Tuscadero returns in this episode and does better when she has to sing more and act less. And Chachi has joined Richie's band, replacing the female drummer who never had any lines.
RATING: 9/10
106. Richie Almost Dies (1/31/78)
Richie buys a motorcycle but then gets in a life-threatening accident with it.
I remember watching this episode as a kid on Nick at Nite and being very moved, practically to tears, by this episode. Now I realize how much I was manipulated by this episode and how it's much more of a grating "very special episode" than a good episode of Happy Days. The episode starts decently and there are some funny moments when Richie and his parents argue about the motorcycle (with some funny interjections from Fonzie). The melodrama hits a ridiculous level twice. Once is when Leather performs a song (which was changed on the DVD to generic piano music) and we see clips of Richie's life. The other is Fonzie's prayer, which is the show taking itself way too seriously.
RATING: 3.5/10
107. Spunkless Spunky (2/7/78)
Fonzie's dog, Spunky, seems depressed and Fonzie looks for help in getting him back to his old self.
We haven't seen Spunky for quite awhile as the dog seemed to exist when he was needed for the plot. This episode works pretty well for a large part of it but then they make a dumb choice eat the end of the episode. They bring it Dr. Joyce Brothers basically playing herself. Not only does it start to veer towards an "after school special" direction, it also is a shameless celebrity appearance. She's playing a version of herself but she was a famous psychologist in the 1970s and not the 1950s so it takes the audience out of the illusion of the time period that is already dissipating in later seasons.
RATING: 4/10
108. Be My Valentine (2/14/78)
On Valentine's Day, Joanie imagines each of her family and friends singing Valentine's songs about their significant others.
I'm a big fan of musicals, but I am not a big fan of musical episodes of TV shows. They are always so self-serving and seem to be more about the creators and cast than the audience. This episode is absolutely excruciating. The camp value is at an all-time high with a bizarre stage for each of the dream sequences. Though it's hard to pick a "worst" performance because they're all so bad, that trophy would have to go to Scott Baio. Not only can Baio not sing, but he attempts to sing a super creepy song about "Little Girls" complete with "wah wah wah" interjections. As is always the case with these kind of episodes, some of the cast seems very annoyed to be participating. Ron Howard had to know he was better than this, right? And Henry Winkler clearly refused to sing. It's a terrible episode.
RATING: 0/10
When Chachi wants to join a gang, Richie tells him about when he first met Fonzie, who was still in a gang.
After the worst episode of the series to date, Happy Days recovers with a really interesting plot that goes back in time to when Richie and Fonzie first met. These sorts of "origin" stories are often interesting and have become a pretty conventional plot now though it wasn't quite as common back in the 70s. There's also not as much interest in really making the characters look like they did at the beginning of the show's run. It's especially obvious here when Happy Days looked so different in its first couple seasons. There is a nice nod though with the return of Beatrice Colon as Marsha and it's a pretty ambitious episode in a much better way than the previous one was.
RATING: 9/10
110. My Favorite Orkan (2/28/78)
After thinking he saw a flying saucer, Richie has a dream where he is visited by an alien named Mork.
Robin Williams. That's all that needs to be said about this episode. He is a comedic force in this episode who brings an insane amount of energy, hilarious line deliveries and so much more. This is probably the most outright hilarious episode of the entire series and it's all thanks to Williams. The other thing that's impressive is this episode could have so easily gone off the rails. It could have been utterly stupid and been more shark jump worthy than the actual shark jump episode. But instead, Williams makes it hilarious, endearing and purely comedic instead of stupid. His showdown with Fonzie is a great throw down between two different types of powers. A classic and of course one that led to Mork & Mindy.
RATING: 10/10
111. The Fourth Anniversary Show (3/23/78)
Lori Beth interviews others for her term paper about middle class families. This is primarily a clip show so no rating will be given.
When a girlfriend of Fonzie's might have to close her ballet studio, Fonzie enlists the gang to help her out.
This episode relies a little too much on Fonzie's relationship with a girl we have never met before but that was typical of episodic television in the 70s. It just doesn't feel earned because we don't have any established relationship between the two characters to get why Fonzie would be so insistent on getting all his friends to join her dance company. Leslie Browne is a talented dancer and gets an extended dance sequence in the episode. But this just seems to be more of the writers thinking "what unique situation can we put Fonzie into this week? How about ballet?!"
RATING: 5/10
113. Second Wind (5/16/78)
When Al prepares to receive an award from the community, Richie tries to find him a date for the event.
This is the first Al-centered episode and it's nice to see one focused on the underrated Al Molinaro. He often is there to make some commentary on the action but every once in awhile, he gets a time to shine and Molinaro makes Al such a lovable character that it works well. It's also interesting that this entire episode takes place during what appears to be some type of monsoon-like weather. I'm not really sure why because it doesn't really lend itself to the plot, but I like it nonetheless. He's a very sympathetic character and brings a different sensibility to episodes where he takes the lead.
RATING: 7.5/10
114. Rules to Date By (5/23/78)
Richie and Lori Beth fight about her friendships with other guys as the whole gang plans to spend a weekend at the Blue Ox Inn.
This episode is a fun setting, taking the action out of Milwaukee and to a snowy cabin. I know shows back then didn't pay attention to the calendar year as much but it's weird this episode aired in May. I always enjoy episodes in settings like that even if the main plot of the episode gets a little frustrating with both Richie and Lori Beth being pretty insufferable throughout the episode. As the show starts to include Lori Beth more, it makes sense that they need to create some conflict. Leather's performance is fun (though is music only on the DVD - thanks music rights!) with a fun sight gag of Richie getting covered with snow.
RATING: 6.5/10
Fonzie and Howard are both summoned to serve on the same jury.
Every sitcom episode that ever has had to do with a jury has one of the main characters voting against the rest of the jury (and usually voting not guilty). It's one of the worst sitcom tropes because it's literally the exact same story every time a show does it and it's happened throughout sitcom history all the way back to the 50s. The only question is this episode was whether it would be Fonzie or Howard who would go against the grain once we knew they were both on the jury. The plus side is every episode featuring Fonzie and Howard is good because they make a good pairing.
RATING: 6/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON FIVE:
6.4/10
The Best Episodes
1. "My Favorite Orkan" (#110) - 10/10
2. "Marion's Misgivings" (#105) - 9/10
3. "Our Gang" (#109) - 9/10
4. "Hard Cover" (#92) - 8.5/10
5. "Bye Bye Blackball" (#99) - 8/10
The Worst Episodes
1. "Be My Valentine" (#108) - 0/10
2. "Hollywood" Part 3 (#91) - 3/10
3. "Richie Almost Dies" (#106) - 3.5/10
4. "Spunkless Spunky" (#107) - 4/10
5. "Do You Want to Dance?" (#112) - 5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
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