"Fools Rush In"



Although I've never been heavily invested in the Joanie/Chachi relationship (OK, full disclosure, I did watch their spin-off), this is a sweet episode about him wanting her to take him seriously as a potential boyfriend.  Yes, she's still concerned about other girls going after him, here with Jenny P hiding in his gym locker, but she does seem to genuinely care about him.  And rather than the creepy Chachi (and Baio) of the past three years, here he's shy and tentative, not having even kissed her or held her hand.  In the end, she has to make the first move.  I'm giving a B-.

Notes:
  • Part of Chachi's insecurity comes from all the times Joanie rejected him, and part comes from when he was shorter than her.  No mention is made of him originally being a year younger, but that's obviously retconned by now.
  • Lori Beth's memories of Richie not making a move on her for the first three months definitely don't fit what we saw onscreen.  Maybe she made this up (except for the part of inviting him over for dinner), to reassure Joanie.
  • Potsie's little cousins are of course played by Scott and Kathi Marshall.
  • Heidi Bohay is Margaret but would be Terry in a 1981 two-parter.
  • Ralph's "secret with women" is apparently pretending to trip to make them laugh.
  • Both Fonzie and Richie are protective of Joanie, understandably.

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