I originally wanted to wait until I had more reviews written to start posting these. But it’s taking me longer to write these than I anticipated because of other writing projects such as starting up a blog. Any way I figure I’ll get to the reviews when I can.
To start things out let me explain some things. I was inspired to write episode reviews from this incredible book which is now well known among Monkees fans.
If you are interested then you can check it out and get yourself a copy here.
I really liked the way Melanie wrote her reviews and i wanted to capture a similar feel to mine. I took a couple aspects such as tying in the episode title to a line in the show. I also came up with a comical and often nonsensical rating system which includes the Episode MVP and the Show Stealer, and gave an overall rating for the episode.
The Episode MVP is pretty much whatever character I choose from the episode, it may be a main character or a minor character that may have only been mentioned once. If the character did, said, or otherwise contributed to the episode in a comical way at all, then they get a special note. It’s usually whatever I choose on a whim while writing the review.
The Show Stealer will be either a character or a moment that I found to stand out above the rest of the episode. It may just be whatever made me laugh the most.
The Episode rating is simple. There are 4 Sweathogs. Each episode gets a number rating out of 4 Sweathogs.
I broke my reviews into different sections. Since Welcome Back Kotter episodes are unique in the way that they follow a certain formula, I broke my reviews down according to that formula. it begins with the opening joke, then there’s Act I and Act II then the closing joke. Not all episodes follow this formula, but most of them do.
I also have sections for the best quotes of each episode, I also point out the impressions since they are a big part of the show. I have a section called the ups and downs, where I point out my favorite and least favorite parts of the episode.
Finally, I also include a small section where I point out the running jokes of each episode. Not all episodes will have a running joke though.
Ok now that I’ve broken down how my reviews are going to work, let me get down to my actual first review.
Did I ever tell you what happened to my uncle in Miami? He and his secretary went to a convention and wrote the episode review for The Great Debate
Season One, Episode One
Title: The Great Debate
Original Air Date: September 9, 1975
Production # 104
Director: Bob LaHendro
Episode summary: Kotter wants to prove to the English teacher, Mr. Welles, that the Sweathogs are just as good as any other student in school. Mr. Welles then challenges the Sweathogs to a formal debate against his debate class.
This is the first appearance of Judy Borden, Todd Ludlow and Rosalie “Hotsie” Totsie
It also guest stars James Woods as Mr. Welles.
The Opening Joke
This is the first aired episode, so this makes the following joke to be the first opening joke that the TV audience hears. It is also the first appearance of the home life for Kotter and his wife Julie. His first uncle joke of the show’s run is a fairly good one. Kotter tells the tale in which his unnamed uncle and his uncle’s secretary go to a convention in Miami and have to share a hotel room. During the night, secretary is cold and asks uncle to shut the window. The uncle asks secretary if she would like to pretend to be Mrs. Kotter for the night. She happily agrees. Uncle then tells her to shut the window herself. The joke and Kotter’s delivery pay off well, even Julie laughs. However, the scene opens with Kotter and Julie kissing on the couch in their dimly lit apartment. He stops kissing her to tell a joke about his uncle. Though she appears amused, this is not a very romantic move. It is not a good first impression of him or their relationship. This scene also is not a great way to introduce these characters, since the audience can hardly see them.
Act I
The act begins with Kotter entering his classroom to see that his students have painted a mural on the wall. It is supposed to be a telling of the Sweathogs history, but winds up being mostly about a random date Kotter had while in high school. While delighted over the artwork, Kotter tells them to clean it off the wall. The Sweathogs then reveal that they have also painted the top of Kotter’s desk, thus revealing that Kotter now has paint on his jacket. Now I have a small nitpick. The Sweathogs painted the desk. They knew the paint was wet. But they put their hands on it anyway and act surprised that they now have paint on their hands.
The scene switches to show Kotter in the teacher’s lounge cleaning his jacket. Another teacher, Mr. Welles, enters the room. They begin talking about their students, especially the Sweathogs. Kotter defends them by saying they are just as good as Mr. Welles’s students. Mr. Welles then challenges the Sweathogs in a debate against his debate students.
Next we see Kotter return to class and he tries talking them into doing a debate. They’re not into it until Kotter says it will be against the debate class, which the Sweathogs refer to as “the turkeys.” This nickname becomes sort of a running joke for the rest of the episode. But, sadly, it’s the only time anyone mentions “the turkeys” during the show’s run. The class gets excited, fully agreeing to a formal debate.
What’s so great about this first act is the dynamic between Kotter and his students is already established. They clearly like him as a teacher, but they have to give him a hard time because he’s a new teacher. Kotter isn’t afraid to make a fool of himself in front of the class while trying to win them over. Kotter tries to get through to them and inspire them like one would with regular students. The trouble is, these are not “regular” students by any means. And with this being the first aired episode, you get a great look into the different characters. You get to see who they are and where their strengths are etc. You also get to see the relationship the Sweathogs have with Kotter. He is one of them but still an authority figure, but a beloved authority figure. It is a real tight knit group, and a lovable one to boot. As a hypothetical member of the first time TV audience, I would be pleased with what I see displayed before me. The scenes in the classroom alone would be enough to pique my interest and get me to continue watching the rest of the episode. I am now hooked with these characters and I want to see more.
The Ups:
· Kotter coaching Mr. Welles on how to talk to Mr. Woodman. “Don’t worry Mr. Woodman.”
· Kotter is not afraid to make a fool of himself in front of the class.
· Horshack’s “Yes!” argument and Epstein’s “No argument.”
· Epstein intimidating Horshack into agreeing that people aren’t naturally aggressive.
· Everyone calling the debate team “the turkeys.”
· Horshack failing to clap along on beat.
The Downs:
· Mr. Welles. He is annoying and arrogant.
· Rosalie slutting it up for no reason.
· Epstein saying words to say that he uses words. It just didn’t land well.
Favorite quotes:
“I’m not depressed. But I don’t know how long I can hold out with you in the room.” –Kotter
“D also stands for dingaling.” –Rosalie
“Hey man, I’ll beat the words out them birds.” –Freddie
“That’s it! That’s our topic!” –Kotter
“Plucking turkeys?” -Epstein
Act II
Now the first act got my attention. The second act got me to fall in love. It opens on the day of the debate. Mr. Woodman and Kotter talk in Kotter’s classroom while Kotter sets up for the debate. Mr. Woodman is concerned about how the Sweathogs will do, but he’s laughing at them at the same time. In the end, he doesn’t want any part of the debate to become a mockery of the whole school. He departs to get “the turkeys.”
The class enters the room, with the Sweathogs entering in a comical manner. The Sweathogs and Rosalie are dressed in outfits, they claim are meant to psyche out their opponents. It comes across as humorous. Epstein even shows up with a sword! Kotter takes a few moments to discuss with the Sweathogs their outfits and has a funny interaction with each Sweathog individually. He then tells them they are to take the debate seriously. One of these interactions also gives a great line from Barbarino in regards to his suspenders. “If you want me to lose the suspenders, I’ll lose the suspenders. But there’s no dignity in a pair of pants falling to the floor.” Every time I hear him say this, I laugh. That is because the pants he is wearing are so tight that there is no way they would fall to the floor from the lack of suspenders.
These interactions also begin a running gag of Rosalie in a cheerleading uniform. She makes attempts to start a cheer for the Sweathogs. But Kotter stops it each time by telling her to “give it to me later.” I am torn on how I feel about this. It is a funny running gag for this act because it brings on a funny interaction between Kotter and a student in his class who isn’t necessarily a member of the Sweathogs. This interaction and the repeated line of “Give it to me later” is also creepy. That is because there are clear sexual tones to this gag between a student and her teacher.
Moving on to the rest of the scene, the real comedy gold begins after the “turkeys” enter the class. The debate begins, with the Sweathogs trying to prove that people are naturally aggressive. They essentially win the debate in their own unique and unconventional ways, but mainly by provoking Todd to losing his temper. After the “turkeys” Mr. Welles and Mr. Woodman leave in frustration, Kotter and his class are left to celebrate their victory.
One thing I love about the debate is the fact that the Sweathogs start out trying to play along and do things the way the “turkeys” are doing. But it all goes out the window when Freddie gets up to give his speech in only the way that Freddie can do. After he finishes, Judy stands up and annoyingly claims “he isn’t following the rules! He isn’t following the rules!” To this, Kotter uses the “give it to me later” line on Judy. This is the only time the line doesn’t land as well as it did previously. Kotter even says it while laughing, showing that even he knows how ridiculous it is.
Throughout this scene there are quite a few gems to speak about. But it would take me too long to discuss each of those points. The main thing the audience would get from this is how funny the Sweathogs can be, both individually and as a team. That’s another thing, this second act really shows how well they act as a team. Their methods are unconventional and comedic, making them come across as a comedy group. But these methods are ones that the audience will come to love. Even though this was not the first episode filmed, I’d say it was the perfect first episode of the show’s run. It gives the first time viewers a great look into what the show is about, as well as who these characters are and their special dynamic. The second act alone is the perfect one to gain repeat viewers.
The Ups:
· The Sweathogs are dressed to kill, and clearly have a killer plan to boot.
· The names of Freddie’s father and brother.
· Rosalie’s cheerleader act “Give it to me later.”
· The Sweathogs push Todd to blow it.
· The debate is essentially won by the Sweathogs for proving people are naturally aggressive.
The Downs:
· The debate team were just as annoying and arrogant as Mr. Welles.
· Mr. Welles.
· Rosalie’s cheerleader act “Give it to me later.”
· The other guy on the debate team just says one word. He is never heard from again.
Favorite quotes:
“I’ll run down and get the turkeys, ah um, I mean the debate team.” –Mr. Woodman
“They’re not people, Kotter!” – Mr. Woodman (first use of this line)
“Epstein, close your mouth, sit on your sword.” –Kotter
“You look like you come with a 95 dollar funeral.” –Kotter
“This debate is called on a count of dumbness!” –Mr. Woodman
“In your socks with a pound of locks!” –Mr. Welles
The Closing Joke
Much like the previously seen opening joke, the Kotters are shown in their dimly lit apartment. This time they are seated at their dining table. As a hypothetical first time viewer, I have some questions. Is it always night time in their apartment? If so, can’t they afford better lighting? Also, is Julie there just to be an ear for Kotter’s corny jokes? At this point, this is all she is to the audience. Anyway, this technically is not an uncle joke, since it’s about Kotter’s friend. Kotter tells a story about how he saw his friend carrying a toad down the street. Upon questioning, his friend says he’s taking the toad to the zoo. The next day, Kotter sees his friend carrying the toad down the street again. When asked, his friend says today he’s taking the toad to the movies. This is a cute joke, and one suitable for the closing of an episode. Although, this hypothetical first time viewer in 1975 would not think this joke was enough to get me to watch the next episode. However, the overall episode was strong enough to make me want to watch more. All-in-all it was a decent joke and one of the few uncle jokes that I enjoy.
Running Jokes
Calling the debate team the “turkeys”
Rosalie the cheerleader and “Give it to me later”
The Show Stealer
Freddie taking everyone to church with his speech on aggression. Can I get an Amen!
Episode MVP
Murray the horse for lending Horshack his top hat.
If I were to re-watch Welcome Back Kotter, I would do it to write reviews of each episode. But I would want to do it in the style of this great book: Monkee Magic by Melanie Mitchell.
Here's a link to Zilch podcast episode #24. An interview with Annabel Jones, and the Colorcast Commentary for the episode Success Story.
In the course of the interview with Annabel Jones, the topic of my pledge of 20 copies of Monkee Magic to support Davy's horses came up. That was way, way back in June, and I've long since finished selling those 20 copies and sent the money to the DJEMF. But in gratitude for the shout out, I've pledged another 10 copies of Monkee Magic to the herd. Buy a personalized copy of the book from me for $20, and I'll donate the $15 price to DJEMF. (The remaining $5 is to cover postage and a box.)
Drop me a message if you're interested. I've already sold three, but there are seven more to go!
It's time for Round 1 of the Monkee Magic Monkees Trivia Contest!!! All correct and/or funny reponses will be included in the week's random draw to win a copy of Bluemoonalto's incredible book, ditto anyone who Reblogs this post. use Reply or Reblog to give your answer, and share widely! I'll be doing this every week (or so) between now and the convention on March 14-16th. If you don't trust your knowledge, wit, or random luck, you can also just click here or on the photo above to score a copy immediately! (Available in Kindle and Paperback--note that this is an affiliate link so if you buy from me I'll get about 50 cents which I'll probably blow at a booth on one of the Dolenz' girls report cards or something)
Round 1's winner will be announced on Sunday, February 9th. And coincidentally enough...
Tonight's Question:
As anyone not living under a rock is aware, this Sunday, February 9, is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ American debut on the Ed Sullivan show. Why is that night’s show also a red-letter day in Monkees (well, proto-Monkees) history, aside from being the inspiration for Bob and Bert’s theft adaptation of the Boy Band phenomenon?
I was very surprised to recieve this in the post this morning, especially as the US Amazon told me it wouldn't be here until the 27th of January at the very earliest, so this was a nice treat!!
I am so happy to have this book in my hands at last. It doesn't feel like long ago Melanie ( bluemoonalto ) was toying with the idea of this project and we were all encouraging her, and I'm so happy - and proud of her - that this has finally come to life! Congratulations!
