On Thursdays, I take a critical look at a TV show by season. Here's a look at Season 11 (Part 2) of Happy Days! For Part 1, click here!
Marion's high school boyfriend comes to visit and Howard prepares to be jealous but then turns angry when he starts dating Joanie.
I don't know why the show felt the need to do so many gross Joanie storylines in the final season, especially in the last stretch of episodes. From her "shower screaming" recurring gag to the student hitting on her to the much older man dating her, the show is really doing some icky things with the character. And surprise, surprise, it requires Fonzie and Howard to attempt to save her. The show spent basically the entire second half of its run with Howard treating Joanie like a helpless little girl who can't make any decisions on her own and, like most things with Happy Days at this point in its run, it's tiresome.
RATING: 1.5/10
246. Social Studies (1/31/84)
Fonzie tries to get Chachi back into the dating world after realizing how long it has been since he dated a girl other than Joanie.
This episode feels like it should have aired earlier in the season, soon after Joanie and Chachi broke up. Maybe it was supposed to? I like that this episode focuses on the core characters - Chachi, Joanie, Howard, Marion and Fonzie. In fact, they're the only ones who appear in this episode besides a quick appearance from Bobby. The show seemed to realize in its final season (with the return of Joanie and Chachi) that all the extra characters were dragging the show down. So many of them are gone or barely seen (along with original character Potsie who does a vanishing act yet again this season). The episode is fine, but it's back to basics and I like that.
RATING: 7/10
247. The Spirit is Willing (4/24/84)
Fonzie restores a 1955 Chevy and is unaware that the vehicle is haunted by a woman named Nancy Haley.
This is a bizarre episode but it takes itself a little more seriously than some other fantasy/surreal episodes like "My Favorite Orkan" and "Fonzie's Funeral" did. I rolled my eyes when I realized what the episode was about, but I actually ended up liking it more than I thought I would. It was an interesting look into Fonzie being a little bit stuck in the past (1955 to be specific) and was another faint but still notable examination on Fonzie as an aging character. The episode had a fair amount of suspense too. It worked better than most other Season Eleven episodes and that really surprised me.
RATING: 8/10
248. Fonzie Moves Out (5/1/84)
When Fonzie finds out about the Cunninghams' plan to move to New York, he realizes he will have to move out of his apartment.
Happy Days heads towards its finale with this episode. The show was placed on hiatus for several months and returned with just a few episodes to lead up to the finale while some others were held back and aired after the finale in the summer. This episode is another example of some stunted growth from Fonzie as we have a 30ish year old man (played by a man nearing 40) who is mad about losing his small apartment above the Cunningham house. But we also do get some insight into some of Fonzie's psychoses when he talks about how everyone left him - his parents, Ashley and Heather, Richie, etc. It at least gives a little sympathy to the character for acting childish.
RATING: 5/10
Fonzie has plans to adopt a child he's bonded with but the adoption agency won't let him because he is not married. Joanie and Chachi decide to get back together and then decide to get married.
The finale of Happy Days aired in May 1984 before a few unaired episodes aired for the first time in the summer so this and the following episode mark the official end of the series even though they're not listed last. There are some really nice moments in this episode with Joanie and Chachi and Scott Baio in particular does a really nice job with the proposal scene - a good mix of sincerity and humor. He really was the strongest performer in the show's later years. Fonzie adopting Danny is a story that doesn't really earn its stripes because we just met Danny and it feels like a rushed close to Fonzie's story.
RATING: 7.5/10
250. Passages Part 2 (5/8/84)
Joanie and Chachi get married. After Fonzie runs away with Danny, the Cunninghams step in to help him adopt Danny.
And we reach the end of Happy Days with this episode. Of course I'll still have commentary on the episodes listed below that aired after the finale but this is a proper finale for a show that was excellent at times but went on years past its expiration date. Some of the stories feel a little hurried, particular the continued adoption story for Fonzie which attempts to have some sweet emotional moments that are unearned. The Joanie and Chachi finale is much more earned so that feels genuine. I know it's cheesy but I really do like Howard's speech at the end and I love the "Memories" montage that aired. I'm also glad Ron Howard returned even for a very brief moment. He needed to be there at the end. It's not one of the best series finales ever but not one of the worst. It's a solid goodbye.
RATING: 8/10
251. So How Was Your Weekend? (6/28/84)
Marion and Joanie go visit Marion's mother for the weekend. The guys stay back and get into arguments while playing poker.
The first episode to air after the finale as a summer burn-off is actually a really strong one, one of the better episodes of the season. The show splits up the guys and the girls, a technique the show doesn't usually use because it was always so male-heavy among the lead cast. Here, Marion and Joanie have one storyline and the guys (except poor MIA Potsie) are in another one. The guys storyline has some funny moments even if Roger has become completely insufferable. The show really leaned into him being a super nerd in its final season, probably because they realized his character wasn't working. Marion Ross does a really nice job in the story with her mother.
RATING: 8/10
With his singing career not going anywhere, Chachi takes a job as a dance instructor. Howard takes away Potsie's salary at the hardware store after a screw up.
There's a rare Potsie sighting in this episode, only the fourth episode he's appeared in this season which is odd for an actor credited in the opening credits. This is a Chachi-centric episode that has some funny moments but is ultimately pretty slight. There are a few funny scenes at the dance hall and as Chachi tries to hide what he's doing. Scott Baio is game for what he's asked to do in this episode but there ultimately just isn't much there. I do appreciate the show balancing a couple different storylines to help the episode feel a little more full but the Howard/Potsie story really doesn't go anywhere or have much of a point either.
RATING: 5/10
253. School Dazed (7/12/84)
Joanie tries to help a 15 year old student kick her drug habit so she doesn't get kicked out of school.
This was a summer burn-off episode but it seems more fitting as an after-school special because it is a Happy Days episode that attempts to deal with drugs. By now we're in the mid-80s and we were starting to see sitcoms try to tackle serious topics with very earnest attempts that ultimately seem pretty ridiculous years later. Joanie bringing the student to the house is ridiculous as is the Cunninghams paying a visit to the student's house and then being shocked that she comes from a normal family. That is Reverend Camden type stuff to do. It's all well-intentioned but silly.
RATING: 3/10
254. Good News, Bad News (7/19/84)
Chachi is excited when he gets asked to tour with The Beach Boys but a routine physical reveals that he has diabetes.
Another "very special episode" - it's easy to see why they buried these episodes in the summer and this was the last original episode to air on ABC during the original run. This one does a little bit of diabetes education to its audience but it's done a little bit better than the previous one. There is another ridiculous moment where Fonzie makes it all about himself. The things that made Fonzie cool in earlier episodes really play as lame as Fonzie ages. Scott Baio pulls the diabetes stuff off decently but the whole premise is just the show grasping for straws.
RATING: 3.5/10
Fonzie, Howard and Chachi try to help Howard in his role as Grand Poobah without realizing their pledge master is Potsie.
This episode never aired in the first run of Happy Days, making its debut in syndication. It also must have been held over from earlier in the season because it has a scene that was used in the Season 11 credits. It actually sort of works as a "last episode" considering the real last episode already happened. That's because there's a nice scene between Howard and Fonzie towards the end of the episode that involves some reflection on their relationship. The rest of the episode is pretty ridiculous with one last hurrah for Potsie and Fonzie being put in a bunny suit. But it shouldn't be considered the last episode. "Passages" should.
RATING: 5/10
AVERAGE RATING FOR SEASON ELEVEN:
5.3/10
The Best Episodes:
1. "Welcome Home Part 2" (#238) - 9.5/10
2. "Welcome Home Part 1" (#237) - 9/10
3. "Passages Part 2" (#250) - 8/10
4. "The Spirit is Willing" (#247) - 8/10
5. "Passages Part 1" (#249) - 8/10
The Worst Episodes:
1. "Like Mother, Like Daughter" (#245) - 1.5/10
2. "Vocational Education" (#240) - 2/10
3. "You Get What You Pay For" (#242) - 2/10
4. "Arthur, Arthur" (#241) - 2.5/10
5. "School Dazed" (#253) - 3/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Next Thursday: A recap of Happy Days including my favorite and least favorite episodes!
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