"A Sight for Sore Eyes"



This is better than the last few episodes, actually making me laugh out loud.  Also, I've always had a soft spot for Ralph's relationship with his jokester father the optometrist.  And I like how Richie's friendship with Fonzie is used, that Richie can now influence the Fonz with just well-placed "huh-huh-huhs" of gentle scorn.  So we're back to B-.

Notes:
  • From the title, I thought this was going to be the episode where Fonzie is temporarily blind, but it makes sense that that comes later.
  • We get a PSA about glasses being "cool," as Fonzie as role model for the kids at home starts to develop, which would most memorably lead to increased library card registration.  (We'll get there.)
  • Jack Dodson would return in the punningly named role of Dr. Mickey Malph.
  • I assume that Fonzie's boss who wants him to strain his eyes reading about foreign cars is the rich guy we met previously.
  • I'm going to guess that Ron Howard was then busy with one of his 1976 film projects (please let it be The First Nudie Musical), and that's why he's in Chicago for most of this episode.
  • More for the continuity confusion, with this February 24th episode climaxing with an April Fools contest/dance, which last year's winner, Potsie, wins, although second-season Potsie was much less foolish.
  • Also, the Texan girl Richie meets in Chicago wants him to go to Fort Worth for Easter Vacation, even though I'm pretty sure that the porch-renting episode was set during Easter Break.
  • I can kind of get why the onstage audiences sit on the floor this season, but I can't help thinking that the girls are getting their pretty skirts dirty.  If Arnold only cleans the restrooms once a month, how often is he doing the floors?

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