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Original Air Date: October 6, 1985 Review completed June 25, 2006 "Baby Buddies, Inc." After an unsuccessful attempt at making a dress for Betty's birthday, Punky and Cherie decide that they're going to have to buy one. Their idea for making money is a babysitting business that Henry opposes from the first mention. Betty (not knowing about the real reason for the side venture) decides to help out to keep Henry off of their backs. Their first customer (complete with a worry-wart mother) gives them a quick introduction to the fun world of baby fusiness, and a trip to the park is necessary to calm him down. Unfortunately, they don't come back with the right baby. After some bluffing by Henry to distract the mother, the real baby is returned, and Baby Buddies Inc shuts down. The first scene sets a tone for this episode, and I'm not talking about PUNKY AND CHERIE SHOUTING ALL OF THEIR DIALOGUE FOR WHATEVER REASON. Rather, it's the really good sight gags that show that this should be a pretty fun one. The three-pillow lady and the "stick in your arms" jokes are fun to watch. It also has the effect of making the colour scheme have about three rainbows' worth of hues in it. I've got one part of the scene on pause that would give Photoshop a small meltdown in trying to process the colour information. As the first scene progresses, though, you may notice that something's slightly different about the way Punky and Cherie are talking. They get dang snippy with each other at a couple of points, and it seems oddly out of character for Punky especially. Yeah, they're upset about the dress being a mess, but jeez. Fortunately, it's only really for the beginning of the episode, but it's odd to see. Especially with the state that the rest of the proceedings are in. Heh. I like the spat about the pipes. Even if they are SHOUTING REALLY LOUD AGAIN! This is the third time I've turned down my TV in about three minutes of episode. Maybe the stage director was having an off day? Anyways, aside from the volume, this is a really good scene. There's nice jokes ("We're eighteen!"), and Henry gets to actually be authourative without looking like a plot device. That, and Betty gets to go toe-to-toe with him, which is always fun after Henry gets going. This would be a good time to mention that this is very much Betty's episode, not just for the bookend birthday scenes, but for the fact that she gets a lot of screen time and actually gets to show off some character. I think this is, by far, the episode that mentions and demonstrates her parenting experience the most, and while it's nice seeing her around to act as Henry's foil, it's about time she got a life outside of him. Actually, she does both in this episode; even better. The first customer... Cathy Silvers does a great reaction shot, doesn't she? I admit, her gaze and expression falling straight down after opening the door cracked me right up. And I wonder whose baby that was? Anyways, that whole scene is all about timing, particularly when the "first customer" line comes up. Also, that line about "the mother" takes on a whole different meaning after hearing George Gaynes' interview on this disc of the DVD set and hearing his comments on the mothers of the set... Hey, a "Mad Max" reference! Neat. I'm starting to wonder (and will continue to do so for most of the episode), though, if there's actually anything in that stroller. There's a lot of shots going straight into the side of the stroller, making it impossible to look inside, and it wouldn't be too difficult for the sounds to be edited in later (possibly with a voicebox in the stroller assisting). If that's the case, kudos to the cast for making a very good show of reacting and moving like there's actually a baby in there. Hahaha... I still have yet to figure out how you walk out of a park and all the way home, with the wrong carriage, without noticing. Then again, I once heard a story about a dad how accidentally left his daughter in a cart in the middle of a department store and didn't remember until after he checked out (when the page happened). So it's plausible, and (sort of) resolved in a nice way to boot. And then Henry walks in. I've long cited the sheer force of the sarcasm behind Henry's lines as something that never fails to get a good, out-loud laugh out of me. Then again, everyone gets some good lines in this scene. Heck, I should be quoting the whole scene, but that'll take way too long for my lazy self. Besides, you should be watching this episode. Yes, you. You really should. Just know that it's awesome setup, awesome humour, and does my favourite thing to see in a story: Tie in points from earlier in the story in a relevant way to make a complete whole. Niiice. And the story keeps going smoothly. Henry definitely starts to take charge here, though he's not above a little help. It's hard to describe how much I like the rest of the scene without sounding like I'm trying to be a real writer (yeah, right), but it just keeps right on going, joke-into-point-into-joke as smooth as milk flying out of a glass and onto somebody's face. I love it. It's like the one last volley at the end of a fireworks display; it comes quickly and dazzles. And as an epilogue, we get Betty's birthday party, as well as the homemade dress making a re-appearance, and Susie Garret getting to look uncomfortable as heck in that thing. And from the grin, Henry getting to put one over on his neighbour. (No, I don't think the toilet plunger gift is serious,) The scene is a good way to end things, not only to wrap up the bookends, but parenthood is the whole theme of the episode anyway, innit? In case you can't tell, I really liked this episode. It's a generic concept, but it's wrapped in a lot of good humour and has some of the best story flow that the series has to offer. Watch the kids. You'll be glad you did. - Jimmy Vibes HENRY: "Those are very old pipes! You can't just put anything down them!" BETTY: "How about water? Is that too much to ask?" BETTY: "There's nothing like having a baby in the house." HENRY: "What's that supposed to mean?! For that matter, there's nothing like having an iguana in the house." BETTY: "Girls, you just experienced the hardest part of babysitting... the mother." PUNKY: "This is incredible... he gurgles and moves, and he doens't even need batteries." BETTY: "It sure was hot out there. I hope Max didn't get too much sun." [Everyone discovers the black baby in the carriage.] PUNKY: "He couldn't have gotten that much sun!" CHERIE: "What's Mrs. Darney gonna say?!" PUNKY: "It sure won't be, "Hi Max!"" HENRY: "So this is the wrong baby?!" PUNKY: "Right." HENRY: "Then where is the right baby?!" BETTY: "Uh, uh... he's on his way over." HENRY: "Is he hailing a cab?!" |