Two-Part Episodes: More Hits and Misses

It’s been a while (four years, actually!) since we last appraised a roundup of memorable two-part stories from the classic TV era.

As mentioned in a previous write-up, the two-parter is an option that should be utilized in conjunction with major milestones in a series, or when a writer comes up with an idea that is so good, it deserves a little extra breathing room to be fully explored. 

But that didn’t always happen.

Let’s take a look at more two-part episodes that worked, and an equal number that did not live up to their ‘special episode’ status.

Good: Rhoda: “Rhoda’s Wedding”

I watched this again recently after Valerie Harper’s passing, and enjoyed it as much as I did when it first aired. “Rhoda’s Wedding” has everything you could want in a two-parter – a special event, location shooting from a studio-bound series, flashbacks, and best of all a reunion of Rhoda with her Mary Tyler Moore Show cast mates – Mary, Ed Asner, Gavin McLeod, Cloris Leachman (especially hilarious here) and Georgia Engel.

The wedding of Rhoda and Joe is the highlight, but it’s almost an afterthought following all the delightful moments leading up to the ceremony. Rhoda’s really long and frantic run through New York in her wedding dress borders on filler, though that’s a small quibble in one of the best two-part shows of the 1970s. 

Bad: The Lucy Show: “Lucy and Carol Burnett”

You wonder how it could miss with two of television’s iconic comediennes, but as with all of their collaborations this one falls short of even modest expectations. The story has Lucy and Carol training to be stewardesses (still the accepted term at the time). The gag is that Carol is afraid of heights, which predictably triggers a panic attack when the plane takes off. 

Half the show is musical numbers, which are hokey in the best possible way. If you’re in the right mood this schmaltzy stuff goes down easily – but it’s sad that Lucy and Carol were not given one moment to shine that would rival the best of Lucy and Ethel, or Carol and Harvey.

Good: The Dukes of Hazzard: “Carnival of Thrills”

Three words: Bo vs. Luke. The only time the two cousins ever fell out was after Bo fell for Diane (Robin Mattson) owner of a traveling carnival. She convinces Bo to take the place of her injured stuntman and attempt the dangerous “Leap of Life” over 32 cars. Luke thinks it’s too dangerous and lets Sheriff Rosco impound the General Lee so Bo can’t go through with it. That prompts a well-shot knock down, drag-out brawl, and Bo moving out of the Duke farm. A better-than-usual script and a thrilling climactic stunt are among the highlights of the series' third-season opener. 

Bad: The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries: “The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom”

Sure it’s always fun when Nancy and the Hardy boys team up on a case, especially when the action takes place on the Universal Studios backlot and sprinkles in guest appearances and references from other ‘70s TV shows. But if there’s one thing that irks me it’s when characters that are supposed to be smart are written to act dumb to keep a plot from being resolved faster. That happens more often with two-part stories because there’s even more time to fill. And the stupidity reaches epidemic levels in this story of a masked phantom causing mischief at a detective convention. Viewers will be way ahead of the teen sleuths on this case. 

Good: Taxi: Fantasy Borough

Most people still remember Elaine’s fantasy, presented in the “Lullaby of Broadway” musical finale, but both episodes feature fun daydreams, from Latka switching places with Louis (and putting him in front of a firing squad), to Jim’s close encounter with aliens, to pragmatist Alex struggling to formulate a fantasy that doesn’t end badly. 

Bad: M*A*S*H: “Snap Judgement/Snappier Judgement”

It was season 10, and by then any series can be forgiven for starting to run out of ideas. Here, Klinger is threatened with a court-martial and jail time when he is accused of stealing a camera. Winchester serves as his attorney, while Hawkeye and B.J. play detective to trap the real thief. This might have been enough plot for a passable single episode, but it’s baffling what made anyone think this deserved two-part status.

Good: The Fugitive: “Angels Travel on Lonely Roads”

Richard Kimble hitches a ride with Sister Veronica, a nun who is traveling to Sacramento to renounce her vows. What makes these shows work is a wonderful performance by Eileen Heckart as Veronica, and the conversation she shares on the road with Kimble about the existence of miracles, and chance vs. faith. The shows works so well that this was the only Fugitive episode to inspire a sequel, “The Breaking of the Habit.” 

Bad: Charlie’s Angels: “Love Boat Angels”

The special elements were there – fourth season premiere, introduction of a new character, crossover with another hit series – but to paraphrase the poet W.B. Yeats, when the center cannot hold, things fall apart. The center in this case being Tiffany Welles, Charlie’s new angel, played by Shelley Hack. Hack simply wasn’t ready for her debut, and this was so apparent as the episode filmed that the script was rewritten to focus less on Tiffany and more on Kris. Hack did get the hack of it as the season progressed, but never overcame such a disappointing first impression. 

Good: Star Trek: “The Menagerie”

The old adage about turning lemons into lemonade has never been captured better than in this story, which took footage from a pilot that didn’t sell and re-purposed it into a new adventure that became a classic. Watching it again it’s amazing how much of Trek lore was already envisioned in Gene Roddenberry’s original treatment. 

Bad: Star Trek: The Next Generation: “Encounter at Farpoint”

We forget now how this series was considered a bold and risky undertaking, after the original Star Trek had becoming iconic. Would it build on the legacy of its predecessor or wind up an afterthought like The New Monkees? We know the answer now, but based only on that first mission the jury was still out (as guest-star John de Lancie’s judicial-minded ‘Q’ might say). There was certainly potential in this new crew and its Shakespearian captain, but it would take the better part of the show’s first season to find its rhythm. 

Click on the 'Labels' link below for previous Comfort TV assessments of two-part episodes.