TV and Movies

[Tique]

@twinsister  you made excellent observations in your summary. I also liked this episode and wouldn't hesitate to watch it again.

[Pearlee]

@Tique  😄Not worthy! You always make such interesting comments! 

This is an epi that had a lot of potential but failed IMO because of a lot of the dialogue and Susan's flibbertygibbet character.

Let me start by saying I hated the Vienna costume, which looked ridiculous.  And what's with Susan whose solution to everything seemed to be "Do you want a cup of coffee?   

It puzzled me why Gary, who was afraid of Kimble whom he recognized as a killer and didn't want anything to do with him, would go off alone with him to the movies? (I think it was the movies, I watched Thursday so forgot some details already). And then when they return, Susan asks Kimble how it went. He says not so good but Susan doesn't ask why. Instead she asks if Kimble wants coffee. 🤪

Even as a teenager watching this I cringed at Kimble's abrupt departures and Susan's reactions. The first was when he spent money on all that deli stuff but when things don't go well with Gary he leaves abruptly and Susan just smiles and that's fine. That happens a couple of more times, he leaves after a few minutes and, oh, OK, whatever.   I also disliked her terrible attitude towards Gary at first, until they warmed up to each other.  That shouldn't have sat too well with Kimble either, the child-loving pediatrician. 

As @twinsister will no doubt remember, back in those days kids did play outside unsupervised (from kidnappers and perverts) until dark when we were called back home. Nevertheless, Susan's routine of leaving Gary alone to fend for himself  the entire day while she was at work struck me as odd.

@Oznell   Yes, I think the social worker was interested in Susan, but it was much more subtle than in Season 4 when Steve Ihnat, in a similar "oversight" position,  is interested in Janice Rule in The Walls of Night.

Lastly -and I can't say much about this due to board rules - it was very interesting how a hot topic political issue about the mail ordered item is still going on 60 years later.  

[Pearlee]

@twinsister   Once again we posted at the same time!! I was writing mine when you posted!

[Oznell]

Ha, ha, @Tique ,  love your tongue-in-cheek take on Susan's 'unworthiness' with that one, burning question!

Seriously, I actually found her question surprising, but actually refreshing.  It seemed consistent with her transparent, rather forthright personality. 

I liked the evolution that Susan showed in her attitude toward Gary.  She went from "what am I going to do with this kid", to maternal affection and attachment, all very believably.

Me three for liking the episode, @twinsister and @Tique .  Despite the gun stuff which you make an excellent point about, @twinsister .

Another good point, @Pearlee , about Gary's fear of Kimble-- those inconsistencies, and others, are pretty glaring.  (For some reason I still like the episode).

Thank you for answering my spoiler question!  Wholeheartedly agree with you, Shaw's interest in Susan was more subtle than your other example. 

[Tique]

@Pearlee   the number of times Susan asked about coffee reminded me of how Hallmark uses product placement in their series. The only difference was Susan didn't have a brand to promote.

I was wondering about Gary's attitude toward Kimble. I think initially he was afraid because seeing Kimble was a surprise. After he realized Kimble was a friend of Susan's and Gary had promised he woldn't reveal Kimble's identity for two weeks he made the appropriate adjustment. Also they were going to a public place. It wasn't like Kimble was taking him some place which would have been relatively deserted like going fishing/hunting.

Kimble had already started to suspect he was going to need to leave soon which may account for his unusual behavior toward a minor and why he didn't make more of an effort to bond with Gary. Possibly because of his former profession Kimble knew someone would be checking on Gary regularly and eventually that would mean looking into him. He also knew Susan needed to start to spend some of her free time with Gary.

I remember being outside with no one "watching" me but someone was in the house and would periodically check on me. Certainly no one left me alone to my own devices for hours at a time.

Don't want to forget to mention the one thing the social worker did that endeared him to me. He confessed their agency made a mistake with the former placement of Gary. He could have allowed Susan to continue her misguided thinking that Gary was removed from the home because of his behavior but he didn't. He stepped up. Once Susan learned her first impression of Gary was wrong, her treatment of him along with her feelings changed.

[twinsister]

@Pearlee - LOL with Susan and the cup of coffee!!!  I really did laugh out loud.   Yes, I remember playing outside without supervision, and as @Tique said, someone in the house would periodically check on me.  I agree @Pearlee that it was odd how Susan left Gary on his own, since he had just gotten there and didn't know anyone.

@Tique - It was kind of Shaw to be honest with Susan on why Gary was taken from his foster parents and it did shift Susan's feelings for Gary.

@Oznell - I don't read the spoilers before I watch the episode, and I forgot to read your spoiler today after watching, but agree that Shaw did like Susan.

[Oznell]

Glad you think that too, about Shaw/Susan interest, @twinsister .  I was thinking while watching, hmmm, Shaw would make such a nice Dad for Gary, ha.  (Since Kimble wasn't available!)

[Pearlee]

@twinsister  Like Tique, I enjoyed your comments/observations on this epi and am glad you and Tique both liked it enough to watch it again. @Tique   Interesting and persuasive comments in response to my post about the epi.  Yes to both you and twinsister, Susan felt better about Gary once Shaw revealed he'd made a mistake. Nevertheless, her attitude about him before that was so bad that I still think she shouldn't have taken him feeling that way about him. 

Twinsister, I agree Kurt R didn't really fit in with the other boys. He just seemed older.

As for Susan who stated she had fallen in love with Kimble, I do think no woman wouldn't be upset after looking forward to a date with Kimble ❤ that he left right away, more than once! Rather than feel rejection, she just stayed perky and didn't seem to care! Whaaaat? We knew he had good reasons for leaving abruptly a couple of times but she didn't until the end. And I'll repeat a point I made earlier: when she asked Kimble how it went with Gary at the movies and he says not too well, why didn't she ask why? Any woman would before offering coffee!  All that, and leaving Gary alone while she worked made her goofy IMO and so I agree she was not worthy of Kimble.

So, as I also said earlier, it's the writing and dialogue that makes me not like this one, which had the potential to be so much better.

[twinsister]

@Pearlee - thanks.  I think there may be two reasons why Susan didn't question Kimble on why things did not go well with him and Gary.

First - At that point, Susan still thought Gary was a troubled kid and it was his fault he had to leave his foster parents.  She assumed that Gary was not receptive to Kimble's friendliness.

Second - Because of her feelings for Kimble/Bob, Susan didn't want to "upset the apple cart" since things seemed to be going well between them.  Her focus was on him, not Gary, so she just let it go.  

On another point - I would be very upset if I had a date with Kimble and he left early - LOL!!!

[Pearlee]

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@twinsister wrote:

@Pearlee - thanks.  I think there may be two reasons why Susan didn't question Kimble on why things did not go well with him and Gary.

First - At that point, Susan still thought Gary was a troubled kid and it was his fault he had to leave his foster parents.  She assumed that Gary was not receptive to Kimble's friendliness.

Second - Because of her feelings for Kimble/Bob, Susan didn't want to "upset the apple cart" since things seemed to be going well between them.  Her focus was on him, not Gary, so she just let it go.  

On another point - I would be very upset if I had a date with Kimble and he left early - LOL!!!

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@twinsister   LOL! 😄

All great points. 👍  Esp that last one ! 😂