Sam Leaps Into:
David Basch, a rabbi.
Objective:
Save his brother's marriage by preventing his brother's wife from having an affair. Help the family come together and heal from the wounds of a lost son.
Date:
2-2-74
Location:
Los Angeles, California
Memorable Quote:
Oy vey, I'm the rabbi. ~Sam
Oy vey, I'm the rabbi. ~Sam
Highlight:
The memorable quote above, one of the most memorable quotes in the series (and a Sweedo family favorite).
The memorable quote above, one of the most memorable quotes in the series (and a Sweedo family favorite).
Lowlight:
I didn't care for the "husband suspects brother of fooling around with his wife" subplot -- it didn't seem necessary, and the husband moved on from it pretty quick after punching Sam a few times.
Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
- I just learned what gefilte fish was last year and so it was cool to hear Al mention it. I'm fairly unadventurous when it comes to food and thus you won't see me trying gefilte fish anytime soon.
- Fun moment when Sam promises God that he won't have an affair with Irene and then stands around with a silly smile hoping to leap.
- I like the encounter with "Dr. Heimlich," but what kind of guy just runs off and doesn't even say thank you after being saved like that?
- Maybe they could have gotten Holly Fields to play the daughter having the Bat Mitzvah -- after all, she is the right age...
- Good plot twist where we learn that Bert is posing as a widower in order to hook up. But I am surprised that when confronted by the rabbi, Bert immediately cops to it and doesn't try even a little bit to keep up the lie.
- Interesting that the first 7 episodes of QL had MacGyver guest stars but the next 8 did not. The odds of it breaking down like are in the googols.
Final Analysis:
Not a huge fan of this one. It's a slow open, and despite some of my semi-positive comments, I didn't really enjoy it much at all. I'm slotting it as 2nd from the bottom in the rankings.
I... don't remember a lot about this one. I remember the 'I'm the rabbi' line, but little else. And I just watched it last week. So, clearly not all that memorable. :/
ReplyDeleteIt was a pretty slow episode. I wasn't as bored with it as was "How the Tess was Won" but it's closer to the bottom for me than the top, and I had more or less the same takeaways as you. Irene's husband was convinced "David" was having an affair with his wife and catches them in mid-embrace, but requires next to no explanation that David and Irene weren't involved beyond that.
ReplyDeleteI thought the episode decently captured the raw grief of having recently lost a child and the impact it has on the sibling of the deceased, a storyline similar to the movie "Stand by Me". And thus, I also liked that Sam didn't leap until he talked David's brother into making things right with the daughter that he was ignoring. Pretty somber stuff though and given how you don't seem to like anything remotely "depressing" I can see how it wasn't a favorite of yours.
As for Dr. Heimlich, it was a clever touch that this show nicely weaves in to the main story, and ultimately I think someone who was choking would be unable to speak for a while after getting something dislodged from his or her throat. Of course, that doesn't explain why the gal with Dr. Heimlich was interrogating him with questions as they walked away from Sam. Again, just minor rewards for this episode. It's a well done show but the mellow and frequently somber tone of the episodes makes it easier to see why it never took off in the ratings.
While it's true that I prefer the non-somber fare, I can get behind somber and emotional but it has to be done really, really well -- Passages and The Madonna are two examples that come to mind.
DeleteInteresting point you make about the ratings -- that's probably true, and if they ever wanted to reboot QL in today's day and age it would be even harder to keep the same tone and have any hope of ratings.
Not too much to comment on this one that has not already been said. Your are correct the "Oy Vey, I'm the Rabbi," is a classic.
ReplyDeleteLocomotion was a remake in 1974 by the Grand Funk Railroad. Always a good song.
I like the reference to year 5734, the Jewish year for 1974.
When Sam says, "Why aren't a leaping?" Al replies, "Click your heels three times and say, there's no place like home." A little Wizard of Oz humor.