Friends: "The One Where Underdog Gets Away"

Premiered November 17, 1994.

It’s Thanksgiving week in mid-1990s Manhattan, and holiday plans are in process.

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) needs money so she can go to Vail with her family and hopes to earn it from her job at the coffee shop.

Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica (Courtney Cox) are upset when they learn their parents are spending Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico.  Monica volunteers to do her best to replicate the family Thanksgiving meal, promising to include “the lumps” in their mother’s mashed potato recipe.  

Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) plans to visit to her grandmother and her boyfriend for Thanksgiving, however,  they won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving until December because the boyfriend is “lunar.”  Monica invites Phoebe to her place for Thanksgiving dinner.

Actor Joey (Matt LeBlanc) has recently gotten a job as a poster model for a free clinic.  Unbeknownst to him, his image is being used on the poster about venereal disease.  His family now thinks he has VD so he’s on his own for the holiday, and he’s going to be at Monica’s as well.

Chandler (Matthew Perry) does not celebrate the occasion due to a Thanksgiving childhood trauma, and he he plans to have a “feast” of grilled cheese, tomato soup and Funions.

Thanksgiving expectations and tensions begin to mount.  Monica is getting frazzled about meal preparation, especially since everyone expects her to prepare potatoes for the meal in different styles (with lumps, whipped with peas & carrots, as tater tots, etc).

Rachel is thrilled to learn that her friends have taken up a collection to get her a plane ticket to Vail.

Then Chandler arrives with news that the Underdog balloon has “escaped” from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.  Everyone runs to the rooftop of the apartment building to witness Underdog’s unscheduled flight.

Unfortunately, Monica and Rachel miscommunicate about keys to the front door, and find themselves locked out of their apartment, which means that Monica’s feast is overcooking and Rachel’s plane ticket and baggage are inaccessible.  

Is Thanksgiving ruined?

RigbyMel says:

This is a solid Thanksgiving episode with many of the expected tropes that have come to be associated with turkey day TV including the requisite cooking disaster and time spent with friends and/or family and the attendant tensions holiday expectations bring.

There is a subplot involving Ross (my least favorite character on the show because he is awful and entitled and self-centered) spending some time with his pregnant ex-wife and competing with her girlfriend for the affections of their unborn baby.  This subplot and some of the jokes (like one about Joey wearing makeup for his modeling job) haven't aged particularly well in my estimation.

That being said, it's nice to see actual Macy's Thanksgiving parade footage from 1993 including the Underdog and Smokey Bear balloons.   The national TV broadcast of the Macy's parade makes it a Thanksgiving touchstone for people all across the US and watching old footage from the parade provides interesting views of various moments in pop culture.     The unexpectedness of Underdog's "escape" from the parade and Joey's modelling woes add zest to the proceedings.

If you're a fan of the show and want to enjoy some 1990s nostalgia over your Thanksgiving weekend, this episode is recommended, even if it's not quite a classic.

RigbyMel's rating:

3 pumpkin pies

J.A. Morris says:

"The One Where Underdog Gets Away" is a solid Thanksgiving episode. I've written here before about how the Macy's Parade is as important to Thanksgiving as pumpkin pie, turkey and candied yams. This episode is another example of the parade's importance. The Smokey Bear balloon made its last appearance in the 1993 edition of the parade, footage of which is shown here.

The only problem I have with this episode is Ross' subplot mentioned by Rigbymel. It has nothing do with Thanksgiving and feels phoned in from another episode (it's also not particularly funny).

I found myself identifying Monica.  I've been in scenarios where I felt like I was doing all the work to make others happy (as I imagine a lot of us have).  Her breakdown felt genuine, nice work by Courtney Cox.  As Phoebe and Chandler had the funniest lines in this episode.  

If you were a big fan of Friends, it will provide a nice trip back to the 90s where you can pay a holiday visit to your old TV "friends."  Hardcore fans of the Macy's Parade may also enjoy it.

J.A. Morris' rating:

2 and a half pumpkin pies.

Pluto's Christmas Tree

Premiered November 21, 1952.

Mickey Mouse (James McDonald) and his dog Pluto (Pinto Colvig) go out to the woods to chop down a Christmas tree. 

Unbeknownst to them, the tree happens to be the home of chipmunks Chip (James McDonald) and Dale (Dessie Flynn). 

When the tree is brought home and decorated the chipmunks are very taken with their new surroundings.  They play with lights and wreck ornaments, which attracts the attention of Pluto. 

The dog is determined to protect the tree from Chip and Dale.   

Can Pluto stop the chipmunks from destroying the Christmas tree?

J.A. Morris says:
That's a pretty short summary, because to say any more about this seven minute short would give away too much.  It's just a beautifully animated Christmas cartoon filled with great slapstick comedy.  Pluto is also depicted lots of cool poses.

I first saw Pluto's Christmas Tree when it aired on one of Disney's anthology series in the early 1980s and I've been a fan ever since. 

I always feel bad for Pluto because he's simply trying to be a good guard dog.  Chip 'n' Dale come off as jerks in this short, even if the tree was their home. 

I don't think I'm spoiling the toon too much when I tell you that, in the spirit of Christmas, Mickey and Pluto become friends with the chipmunks by the end of the short. 

For added fun, Donald, Minnie and Goofy make a cameo as carolers. 

Pluto's Christmas Tree is a lot of fun and highly recommended to audiences of all ages.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

The Star Wars Holiday Special Turns 40!

Greetings Holiday Film Fans, today marks a milestone of sorts in pop culture history.  It was 40 years ago today that The Star Wars Holiday Special aired on CBS for the 1st and only time!  We "celebrated" this special on its 35th anniversary in 2013, you can read that review HERE.

In the five years since we reviewed it, the Star Wars franchise has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts.  We've seen the release of three theatrical films, two animated series and a live-action series is in the works.  Yet we still haven't seen an official release of  The Star Wars Holiday Special!  

We think it's way passed time for Disney and Lucas to get over it and release it on blu-ray or at least give us an "official" streaming edition.  No, my views on the special haven't changed, but I still enjoy the animated segment that introduced Boba Fett.  Doesn't that deserve to be remastered!

If nothing else, today the special feels like an interesting relic of TV's past.  Variety specials that featured stand-up comedy, sketches and musical guests were all over television in the 1970s.  The Star Wars Holiday Special is basically a variety special in outer space!  Which makes it worth of preserving, beyond bootlegs and youtube videos.  Its status as the first "sequel" to Star Wars makes it even more historically significant (even if it isn't very good!).

Also, it's really not much worse than Star Wars Episode I:The Phantom Menace, which is officially available in multiple formats.

While even at age 7 I knew it wasn't very good, I will always enjoy remembering how excited I was about watching it back then.  And I still have some "sentimental attachment" to the first "new" Star Wars content that was released after the original movie.

So come on Disney!  Please Release The Star Wars Holiday Special officially before its 45th anniversary rolls around in 2023!

Happy Life Day everyone,

J.A.

Bewitched: "Trick Or Treat"

Premiered October 28, 1965.
"Mother, when I married Darrin, it was for better or for worse. Halloween is part of the worse."
-Samantha Stephens
On the morning of Halloween, Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) is visited by her mother Endora (Agnes Moorehead).

It's an annual tradition for witches like them to gather at the "sacred volcano" every Halloween.  Endora doesn't want her daughter to have to deal with trick or treaters' "barbaric" customs.

Samantha's husband Darrin (Dick York) is hosting a Halloween dinner for his boss Larry (David White) and an important advertising client and he needs Samantha's help that night.  Endora thinks Darrin is bigoted against witches.  Her argument is bolstered when they receive a  gift package from Darrin filled with brooms and witch hats.

We learn that the witch gear was sent by Larry as party favors (they're sold by one of their ad client's companies).  This angers Darrin, but he can't explain why without revealing that Samantha is a witch.  He tells Larry that witches hats don't fit into Samantha's "decorating scheme."

Endora blames Darrin for Samantha's unavailability and pays him a visit at the office.  She tells Darrin that she wants to take Samantha to the sacred volcano, but Darrin doesn't want his wife to participate in any "weird rites."  So Samantha will stay at home on Halloween night.

Later, when trick or treaters begin arriving at the Stephens' house...

...Endora turns into a little girl in a "gypsy" costume and joins them.

She puts a curse on Darrin...

...which causes him to grow facial hair at a rapid pace. Endora's curse on Darrin will turn him into a werewolf!  Endora is the only one who can remove the curse.  Darrin and Samantha freak out because their dinner guests are about to arrive.  Endora says she's not sure she knows how to reverse the spell.  To make matters worse for Darrin, there's a full moon in the sky!

Can the Stephenses get through an important business dinner without their guests realizing that Darrin is a werewolf?  Or will their Halloween (and Darrin's career) be ruined by Endora's witchcraft?

J.A. Morris says:
This is basically a typical episode of Bewitched (Samantha's witchery collides with Darren's job, Endora meddles in the Stephens' life, something magical happens that isn't easily fixed, someone comes close to discovering that Samantha is a witch, etc, a and hilarity ensues!).  However, in "Trick Or Treat," the witchcraft is dialed up a bit for the Halloween setting.

It's interesting to see how much gender politics have changed since 1965.  Darrin forbids Samantha from partaking in the ceremony at the volcano.  There's no discussion about it, he just says it's not happening.  This would likely (thankfully) not happen in a comedy series today.

Darrin's werewolf makeup looks pretty good, especially when you consider the limits of 1960s TV makeup budgets.  It's very reminiscent of Lon Chaney Jr.'s makeup from The Wolfman, which I'm sure was intentional.

When Endora turns into a little girl, she's played by Maureen McCormick.  Four years later, McCormick would become TV icon when she played Marsha on The Brady Bunch.

"Trick Or Treat" is no classic, but it's an enjoyable Halloween episode.  If you're a fan of Bewitched, you'll like it.  If you've never watched this series, I believe "Trick Or Treat" could serve as a good introduction to the world of Samantha, Darrin and Endora.

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 jack o'lanterns.