# Best/Worst "Very Special Episodes"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694 "2003-12-13T00:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/42 "2003-12-17T01:05:07Z")
Another for the above: Hawkeye’s sudden realization that Nurse Kellye is cute and sweet and sexy on MASH in spite of her non Nordic features and round figure and that she has great depth and tenderness besides. True to form, though, next time he’s seen with a starlet type (who’s 25 years too young for Alan Alda). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/43 "2003-12-17T02:05:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by widdershins \* > **I would say the Who/“festival seating” _WKRP_ episode was one of the worst. The dialogue was so ham-handed, I couldn’t take it seriously even as a kid. "It’s that damn festival seating!"** I don’t really remember much of that episode. How about the payola one? “There’s a monkey on my foot!” ---
**Author:** ![HomerIU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HomerIU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomerIU)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/44 "2003-12-17T02:55:10Z")
Odinoneeye, ``` I thought you were going to say the ST : TNG episode where all the crew gets hooked on some game where they put on headgear and do...something. The goal was to get to such and such level. Wesley ends up saving the day in the end. Truly dreadful. It was their own version of the drug addiction episode. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/45 "2003-12-17T06:55:33Z")
I always liked the **Family Ties** episode where Alex gets hooked on speed. His manic behaviour was just done so well by Michael J. Fox. “Alex, it’s three in the morning! What are you doing? Painting?” “Yeah. Want me to paint your room? I’ll throw a drop cloth over you and mom.” “No, and… Good god, what are those trenches in the yard?” “Underground sprinkler system!” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/46 "2003-12-17T14:25:07Z")
I remembered an even better WKRP special episode. Venus teaching the concept of the atom to some hoodlum. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/47 "2003-12-17T17:10:51Z")
**Sam Stone:** I love that episode. They also mention that Alex installed a skylight, which became a household joke for us. Ever after, anytime I was a little too caffinated or fidgety, I’d announce that I was going to put in a skylight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/48 "2003-12-17T17:31:13Z")
These are all great, especially sampiro’s comments on the special dates subgenre. Worst: How about the Nancy Reagan/just-say-no episode of Different Strokes? I haven’t seen that mentioned yet. Also, I have to agree with previous poster that the Happy Days where Richie almost dies is pretty awful, especially when Mr. C. makes his speech: "Now, Richard’s been in an accident … " and then Leather Tuscadero plays the piano. Was it the first time they used that “slow Happy Days theme” at the end to show they were being serious? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/49 "2003-12-17T18:55:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*That brings up a really irritating sub-genre of VSEs: the “special” date. Alex Rieger from TAXI has a blind date with a woman he’s fallen in love with over the phone and learns she weighs 300 lbs., but he’s not put off by her even though she has major bitterness about it. Fonzie dates a deaf girl and finds she’s normal, Zack dates a “geek girl” in addition to the wheelchair girl and finds she’s really a nice person, Jack Tripper inadvertently asks out a really fat woman who lives in the same complex as his beautiful intended and finds out she’s really cut and charming, Charlene from DE’WHINING WOMEN dates a fat guy and Suzanne a blind guy and both turn out all wonderful and stuff etc etc etc… then, after proving that all these people as well as the conjoined twins or retarded midgets or whatever other class of “non 90210” abnormality of the week people are just like everybody else and that relationships should be based on more than just superficial physical appearances, these characters > **ARE NEVER SEEN AGAIN!** \*\* Well, even though it was one of the lamest t.v. series ever, I say we have to give credit to **The Facts of Life** for actually having a real disabled person as a recurring character. I can’t remember the actress’ name, but she played Blair’s sister with Cerebral Palsy. The actress actually did have c.p. She was never a regular, but she was one the series more than once, and even appeared pretty frequently for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/50 "2003-12-17T22:47:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Art Vandelay, Architect \* > \*\*Well, even though it was one of the lamest t.v. series ever, I say we have to give credit to _The Facts of Life_ for actually having a real disabled person as a recurring character. I can’t remember the actress’ name, but she played Blair’s sister with Cerebral Palsy. The actress actually did have c.p. She was never a regular, but she was one the series more than once, and even appeared pretty frequently for a while. \*\* I remember her! She was also a stand-up comic, as was the actress who played her. [Geri Jewell](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0422434/) is her name. Then there was the wheelchair-bound secretary on **Night Court**. I don’t remember if that was a recurring character, though. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694/51 "2003-12-18T18:37:07Z")
**Dignan** , you are correct, I seem to have combined two very lame VSE _Saved By The Bell_ episodes into one. Your memory of them is better than mine. It was the PSA at the end that I remembered the most, so we have two bad VSEs there instead of one. As for “special date” episodes, Blanche on _The Golden Girls_ once dated a blind man, but she was the love 'em and leave 'em type anyway. And one of the _Facts Of Life_ girls (I think Blair) went out with the goofy guy who helped set up the audio equipment who had, gasp, acne! I realize teen acne on sitcoms is usually shown as one big red dot on a main character’s nose or forehead before a big date, but they got no karma points for that one. The show acted like that was the only kid in town with zits. Pretty much any sitcom’s “let’s get a gun for security after we’ve been robbed” episode sucks. They all have the same overheated gun control message, and every character turns into a frightened version of Curly from the Three Stooges when **the gun** is around. The two that stand out for me are the _Family Ties_ and _WKRP_ episodes. Two _WKRP_ VSEs I did like: The one about Venus and his military record from Vietnam was fairly well done. The tornado episode was worth putting up with the serious moments just for the part where Les reads the Emergency Broadcast System message for if the Soviets invade and substitutes the word “tornados” for “communists”. Classic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-very-special-episodes/218694.md?page=2)