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Original Air Date: December 9, 1984 Review completed January 15, 2006 "Bye Bye My" After a messy midnight search, Punky's favourite doll (named "My") is missing its head again. Henry grudgedly decides to try one more repair, but Betty convinces him that Punky needs a new doll. Punky is quite upset that her old doll has hit the trash chute, and Henry doesn't realize his mistake until she points out that the doll was given to her by her mom. Henry is quite disappointed with himself, but Punky forgives him. Some of the jokes that do work are some rather odd ones for Punky, but whatever works. The appearances of My without her head are played with a deadpan humour that almost makes those scenes seem bizarre. (Although I'm surprised a Hamlet 'homage' didn't pop up.) Similarly, Punky's revenge, revealed at the very end of the show, will get great laughs from anyone who's every had a favourite toy or a card collection disposed of. And I'm pretty sure that's almost anyone who lived in the 80s, am I right? Yeah. And the name of the doll could have been beaten like a dead horse, but they get the obvious joke out of the way right from the start before anyone can take bets on when it's going to come up. That, friends, is timing. Also, the episode starts strong on the side of humour. Punky makes a delightful mess in looking for her doll, we get a great back-and-forth about the urgency of the missing head, and there's a great send-up of a hospital's surgery, complete with Allan (!) as the doctor. Why anyone would trust Allan with miracles of modern surgery is beyond me, but it makes for a funny enough scene. Heck, we even cruise through an extended Eddie scene without much harm...how many episodes can seriously boast that? I've remarked on the concept for the episode, so... I'm sure every kid has experienced this, I'm sure every adult has done this, and I'm sure impressed that there's a small twist to it that helps tailor the scenario to Punky. Since it's small, though, it changes nothing about what you know about the situation, and just why Miss Brewster is getting so mad over this. And, oh, is she mad. It always amazes me how well a three-foot-nothing actress radiates rage when required. Some of the jokes that don't work are ones that break with the familiarity of the scenario and just become a "laugh, darn you!" kind of scene. For instance, I'm still trying to figure out how on earth Henry could possible think that a robot vocabulary doll would appeal to anyone, much less Punky. Someone on the writing team liked the idea, though, because we're stuck with it for a full minute and having Henry look like a used-car salesman throughout the whole thing; one trying to sell a sporty red number with nothing special under the hood. It's almost preachy, and we all know how I feel about that. Another odd moment is the joke setup around Punky and Henry's big confrontation, which involves Punky storming in during a impromptu meeting with a potiential client for Henry. Do I really need to point out that Henry wouldn't have gotten himself in so much trouble if he wasn't lying through his teeth in the first place? Do I need to point out that if Henry had handled the situation with a liitle more calm, it actually might have helped? Do I need to point out that Punky's line is obviously written to make the principal freak out instantly? You could argue that Punky's trying for that effect, knowing that person to be a customer, but if I didn't get that vibe from the first six...seven, whatever it's been...viewings, then I'm sure as heck not giving out points for that. Actually, let me broaden that last paragraph; Henry is on stupid pills this episode. He must be, because it took him an incredibly long time and a straight-out statement from Punky to realize that the doll could be special because she got it from her mother. Are you serious, writers? This is a doll that Punky probably had in her bag right from the beginning, and it's definitely not one Henry bought. Where does he think it came from? Give me one good reason that it's not just an artificial excuse for Henry to believe that he's in the right until the end of the episode. That should be a point that they teach in those writing courses; that if your story relies so much on a padding device, it needs a couple more rewrites. The odd thing about this episode is that while I can't recommend it, I can't really trash it either. There's plenty of good jokes, and Henry being willing to dig through a dump hits a sweet note. Also, as much as Henry gains a nasty streak of dishonesty in the episode, you have to admit that George Gaynes is a good sport, especially given how much time he spends talking to dolls. And Soleil Moon Frye, as noted, just acts natural throughout. She does rely on a few obvious cued lines (like the reaction to Henry's odour after his dump trip), but that's nothing major. It's no acting stretch or anything, but it's not like you're watching this and thinking, "She's reading lines." On the whole, I guess it's an alright episode, but I just can't give it major props because I find too many annoying little things in it. I can laugh at it well enough, but then it gets serious and shoots itself in the foot. So, Bye Bye My. You didn't go out spectacularly, but we had some laughs. - Jimmy Vibes Do the click |