MovieChat Forums > Bewitched (1964) Discussion > Bad Episodes You Love

Bad Episodes You Love

posted 7 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
18 replies | jump to latest

This question is highly subjective (Pipurple recently posted how much they dislike "Nobody
But a Frog Knows How to Live", whereas I love this entry), but there ARE eps we like
that perhaps we also feel are terrible. One for me is, "This Little Piggie."

The problems? First, by mid-season seven, the Endora puts a hex on Darrin was staler
than a week-old loaf of bread lying out in the sun. Secondly, the pig head is just
utterly ridiculous. But I love this offering for several reasons. One, A TOTALLY DIFFERENT
ACTOR WAS ALLOWED TO PLAY A CLIENT!!!! Talk about refreshing. Two, the banter
between Endora and Darrin is really a hoot. ("How would you like a necklace of FINGERS?!").
Lastly, they went to the trouble to shoot out at the ranch, when they could've "cheated"
and just shot the front yard roof scenes on the artificial turf and porch.

It's hardly an episode I'd recommend to casual viewers or those new to the series. But I
rank this as a true "guilty pleasure."

Any others?

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Well I don't dislike the Frog episode THAT much, just said it was silly. You convinced me of its merits, okay? ha ha

The guest stars are great and the dialogue is witty. My problem was the opening where it was clearly shown that Fergus had no power over Sam. So how could he blackmail her?

I have a favorite which I have never seen on anyone's list of favorites. Not sure if it is really bad, but I've never read anything flattering about it either. It's a late fifth season episode, Samantha's Power Failure.

It's an episode which seems to start in the middle. I mean, there's an ominous voice off-screen that the Witches Council is giving Samantha a "last chance" to dissolve her mortal marriage. Where did that come from? There's no indication that Sam did anything wrong to bring that on. She's been married for five years and has a child. She hasn't broken any witch rules, at least none that we know of, except for marrying a mortal.

It just seems to be an excuse for Sam to lose her powers again. And the assembly line scene with the chocolate dipped bananas was lifted right out of Lucy's candy factory episode. Some of the dialogue is a direct steal, like Serena saying she's a "dipper" and Arthur adding she was known as "the big dipper."

But I still love this episode because Uncle Arthur and Serena are both in it. I love both characters and this one makes it double the fun. I get a kick out of Buck, the store manager flirting with Serena and her rebuffing him. And his tortured explanation of how to dip a banana in chocolate and roll it in nuts is capped with Arthur's , "How unskilled tdo you think we are?" and "You're not explaining the theory of relativity, ya know!"

When this episode was filmed, Elizabeth Montgomery was expecting her daughter although Sam's pregnancy wasn't yet revealed. I read somewhere (and I can't remember where) that filming that banana and cholcolate scene made her so queasy. I think the same happened to Lucille Ball in the Candy Factory scene. Why do writers give women struggling with morning sickness scenes filled with food? lol

Too bad Dick York couldn't appear in this one. I would have loved to see his reaction to Sam, Arthur and Serena being stripped of their powers. It was a lost opportunity to see him taunt and tease Arthur knowing he couldn't give him a "hotfoot."

When I finally realized that Elizabeth Montgomery was expecting a baby in this episode, Serena's costume made more sense too. She shows up from a karate lesson, still in a (figure disguising) gi. When she loses her powers, Endora zaps her into a dress to wear. But she is only seen in a close up and sitting down with a newspaper in front of her. She wears a baggy smock at the ice cream store. And the roomy pants and tunic in the final scene are uncharacterisitc of the mini skirts and slightly suggestive clothes that Serena normally wears.

Again, not sure if fans have deemed this episode "bad", but I never came across anyone who likes it as much as I do.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Well, we differ once again. To me, this is one of the all-time worst episodes that I also tremendously dislike. The
banana-dipping scenes is just a horrible rip-off of "I Love Lucy" (not that Lucille Ball wasn't constantly ripping
off her own great ILL scenes with her awful "Here's Lucy" show at the time). I just loathe this episode from
beginning to end (I hate the way they just lift the opening scene right out of "The Trial and Error of Aunt Clara").

But here's something interesting. When the imdb board was active, I used to read TONS of posts about fans who
love this episode. I read this fairly frequently. So I'm in the minority on this one.

I should also mention that one of the reasons I don't like this episode, is I hate this era of the series where there
was no Darrin. This lumpy part of the show (York out; Sargent filming for yet aired season six) depresses me.
The only one I like is "Mrs. Stephens, Where Are You?"

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Well that figures! I should have known that I'd mention an episode that you disliked! ha ha

Yes it was rip-off of Lucy, but writers have always "borrowed" great stuff. Remember the film 'Twelve Angry Men'? Many sitcoms did a version of that movie. Aunt Bee was the holdout juror on The Andy Griffith Show, That Girl did a version of it and so did All in the Family.

Paul Lynde could always rise above any material and make it funny.

A real ripoff episode that I like is 'Samantha's Super Maid'. That was also a direct steal from I Love Lucy. Some of the dialogue was almost word for word. But the difference was the sweet woman Amelia who became Samantha's maid. She made (no pun intended) the episode watchable.

I like the episode for that character, but I can't STAND Mrs. Stephens and her meddling, buttinsky ways. In fact, for me she ruins any episode which she appears in. I could never stand Mabel Albertson. She always played a pushy, obnoxious, castrating, b####. She was the mom in many shows. She was Don Hollinger's mother on That Girl, Howard Sprague's mom on The Andy Griffith Show, among others. I guess the actress was just playing a role but I couldn't stand her little pinched mouth and annoying,pushy behavior.

She did a good job of playing the "mother-in-law from hell" on Bewitched. Maybe too good. She annoys the heck out of me! How Samantha was able to be nice to her I'll never understand!

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Oh, boy, we differ again. I thought Albertson is a tremendous asset to BW, and I don't think her character is
a bad one. Remember, she was a lonely gal, and Darrin was her only son. Darrin and Sam ELOPED...surely
something that would've baffled and hurt her. Sam always kept her at arm's length because they didn't
want Tabitha exposing her powers to her. She had one child, one grandchild...then Adam came along and she
was kept at arm's length from him. I think she meant well, but she wanted to be included more, and wasn't.

Let's also keep in mind that she suffered what MANY mothers of sons do: Being pushed away, while the WIFE'S
mother is there all the time. Endora rubbed this in to her, and it was ridiculous that Endora would be included
that much when, surely, Phyllis and Frank deserved quality time ALONE with Sam, Darrin and the kids.

To me, she had good character, loved her son and grandchildren, and almost HAD to LEARN to be as pushy
and as invasive as Endora just to have some time at that house. And look at the way she and Frank have to
BEG Sam to let four and a half year-old Tabitha spend the weekend with them. Sam's reluctance was hurtful
to them, and one can see why. Also, in "Tabitha's Playmate", Phyllis is RIGHT when she tells Sam she keeps
three year-old Tabitha sheltered. She DIDN'T have exposure to other children. In other words, she meant well.

I think Mabel Albertson rounded out the character of Phyllis enough to make her someone we can relate to, and I
enjoy most episodes she's in. I"m glad she did seven seasons of the series.

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Your defense of Phyllis makes sense, just never considered it before. I think my assessment was too harsh. She wasn't a bad character. But some of her traits push my buttons!

I had just viewed the Maid episode, Phyllis at her buttinsky best (or worst!). She had a valid suggestion about Samantha socializing and helping Darrin's career. But geez! Sam WAS always entertaining his clients at home. And Phyllis overstepped her bounds by setting up interviews for maids without even TELLING Samantha. Very pushy! How did she know that Darrin could afford that added expense? I thought Sam handled it very tactfully.

I rewatched "Samantha Meets the Folks". It set up Mrs. Stephens character as a fretting, judgemental woman who had her own inferiority complex, I think.

She worried that Sam might have allowed Darrin "to lose weight. He can't afford to lose weight."
Frank Stephens' humor was the perfect counterpoint to her hand wringing with, "I'm sure he's in the final stages of malnutrition."

Darrin attended college, served in the military and has a successful career in New York. A few episodes later he says that he was a graduate of the University of Missouri, class of '50. So he was a man in his midthirties, not a ten year old coming home from summer camp.
She wanted to share some of Darrin's favorite recipes, fine. She thought it was vital that Sam learn to make pineapple upside down cake. Later when Aunt Clara whipped it up along with coq au vin, Mrs. Stephens was upset and envious thinking that Sam was a good cook. Contrariness irks me.

Sam was thoughtful to invite them to dinner when Frank retired and was feeling old and "put out to pasture." Phyllis was jealous when Endora was charming to him. He just needed some validation. But his wife of 40 years acts like a teen-ager whose date danced with another girl!

Endora and Tabitha were two other sore spots for Phyllis and other post!

[–] Strannger (2007) 7 years ago

I remember the maid. Poor thing was clumsy. Didn't Tabitha caste spells on her?

If so she deserved a raised for the funny shennagaians she witnessed in that house.

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

I don't think it was Tabitha's witchcraft in that episode. You might be confused because the actress who played Amelia the maid also played Louise's Aunt Harriet in an earlier episode from season four.

She had a crystal ball and thought she could "contact' spirits. She was babysitting Tabitha and some of Tabitha's hocus pocus made her think that she was successful in contacting the other side.

[–] Strannger (2007) 7 years ago

I'll have to start dvring the episodes. So many good ones. I ask purple you got them all taped down.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

The other day, I sat down and watched "Samantha's Power Failure", trying to do so with an open mind. I still hated it, but I am able to see WHY fans love it so much. Yes, it's the only Serena/Arthur/
Endora ep, and yes, Samantha makes a fairly compelling speech at the end. I still find the
comedy forced, juvenile and highly unsophisticated (I would've also preferred far more interaction
between Arthur and Endora). Also, as I wrote before, I loathe this time period of the show
immensely.

To end on a positive note, I tried to come up with a line I enjoy. Well, I like the ice cream
manager's comment about passing the chocolate banana to "wise guy." That was cute. But,
alas, it will be YEARS before I could sit through this one again.

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Nice that you were willing to watch an episode you dislike to give it a chance. "Hand the banana to wise guy", funny line. But the one part I dislike is the chocolate food fight. I really dislike any food fight scenes. Several sitcoms have done them and they always strike me as SO juvenile and silly (and a waste of good food!).

I disliked the fact that Darrin was missing from a lot of shows. But what could the production staff do?

Getting back to Phyllis, she had the right to see her granddaughter. But Samantha's behavior was motivated by a desire to keep a secret, not to be disrespectful.

Phyllis wanted Tabitha to have exposure to other children. But how do we know that she DIDN'T? I am using a (very good) argument that you had on I Love Lucy. An episode had Lucy and Ethel trying to fix the boys' wardrobes. Some posters argued that Ricky and Fred never dressed so messy in other episodes. You pointed out that we only see the characters once a week. How do we know how they dressed all the other times?

Tabitha was usually "playing in her room" on the show, like little Ricky and Ritchie Petrie. But how do we know that they had no friends?

The Stephens lived in the suburbs. The 'burbs were mostly populated by families. Hard to believe that there weren't other children Tabitha's age in the neighborhood. I doubt Sam would allow Tabitha to go to other homes, but I think she'd allow Tabitha to have playmates out on the patio. So, if they witnessed some of Tabitha's witchcraft?
Can you imagine that conversation? "Mommy, Tabitha can make her dolls and stuffed animals fly!"
"That's nice honey."

Young children have vivid imaginations. Michael was turned into a dog and his mom didn't believe his story. Amy was turned into a butterfly and no one believed her either.

Phyllis wanted Tabitha to have friends. She meant well, but always struck me as rather pushy.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Just because Sam was keeping Tabitha from Phyllis to "keep the secret" doesn't mean it
wasn't hurtful to Phyllis.

As for Tabitha, it's pretty obvious she was kept from other kids (she had a mortal friend
called "Janice" when she finally went to school, although she was only mentioned once - in
the ice skating ep). Sam couldn't trust Tabitha to not resort to witchcraft when she was
smaller (look at what she does to "Michael" in "Playmates").

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

You really stick up for Phyllis Stephens! I guess I am looking at her in a whole new light these days. But I still maintain that Sam was kind to her in their early encounters B.T. (before Tabitha, ha ha ).

However, even as a child I saw a strained formality in Sam's relationship with Phyllis but not as much with Frank. In 'A Nice Little Dinner Party', Sam tries to get them back together after a misunderstanding. She calls her father-in-law "Pop." Frank always seemed to have a lot of affection for Samantha. But then again he wasn't being replaced as "the new woman" in his son's life. Women are so often portrayed as disliking their sons' wives.

Sam's relationship with Phyllis was rather cool. That was a trend in sixties sitcoms. Laura Petrie's mother-in-law never seemed to like her either. In fact in one episode Rob tells Laura, "She didn't like you."

I wonder if Sam picked up on Phyllis's attitude and acted on it subconsciously by keeping Tabitha from her. I mean, wouldn't the witches have developed the ability to keep young children from using their powers and "outing" themselves?

Several times in the series, they mention Salem and the witch trials. Surely they would've tried to keep a low profile and not be discovered as witches. But how to keep a magical child from using her powers? They must've had some way to do that!

In 'Sam and the Beanstalk' (I think that's the episode), Tabitha won't undo her spell. Sam says, "You're a little witch, but I'M a BIG witch and..." Tabitha immediately says, "I'm doing it, I'm doing it."

And it was shown that Sam's powers were not as strong as HER parents. When Endora crashes her honeymoon, Sam tries an incantation to make her disappear.
Endora responds with, "You ARE joking."

Possibly if Sam wanted to, she could've put a temporary binding spell on Tabitha's powers so she could safely spend a few days with her other grandmother. Maybe it WAS passive aggressive on Sam's part!

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

I never wrote that Sam and Phyllis had a "warm" relationship. And I agree that Phyllis
was very pushy mid-season on...but I sort of get WHY. It was her only chance to see
her grandchild.

We know that Phyllis is very insecure about Sam from the beginning. And when she
meets Endora, who instantly flirts with Frank, it's not hard to understand why
Phyllis grows more insecure.

I just see Phyllis as human, and feeling shut-out. And she LOVED her grandchildren,
often bringing Tabitha a present when she visited.

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Oh I never meant to imply that you thought Sam and Phyllis had a " warm" relationship! But there always seemed to be a strained politeness between them and I was just pointing it out. They never really seemed to connect. It just happens that way sometimes.

I know Phyllis was insecure about Sam, but I would think she'd have more faith in her husband than to be so insecure when Endora "flirted" with him. She admired his tie and said it matched his eyes. Sometimes a longtime married spouse needs an ego boost from an outsider.

And when Frank invited Endora to that show, Phyllis pouted and wouldn't go. She did one of her many, "I am going to have a sick headache" routines. It's just me I guess. But when people want to be pitied, I get annoyed with them.

As I said before, Frank had just retired and felt old and useless. A charming woman like Endora gave him a few compliments and Phyllis thinks her marriage is over! Huh?

I'd say that Phyllis was an all around insecure woman. I do wish that Samantha had found a way to allow her to have more time with Tabitha. Maybe in later years when Tabitha was older and understood NOT to do witchcraft around Grandma Stephens, the two of them would've developed a closer bond.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Yes, Phyllis and Sam always shared "air kisses." As for "Dinner Party", Endora
was totally inappropriate with her flirting with Frank. She completely
engineered the problems. Yes, Phyllis was very insecure, but Endora WAS a
threat! (and more than Phyllis could ever envision!!!).

A number of fans commented on imdb that they didn't like Phyllis. But the
three I dislike are Dr. Bombay (too campy for me), Adam (this kid added
zip to the show) and Esmeralda (negative, weird and unfunny).

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Re: The Dinner Party- Sam asked Endora to be charming but I think her mother came armed with an agenda! Endora resented Darrin and I think she planned to take it out on the woman who raised him!

She started out "charming" but when she saw that she was really getting under Phyllis's skin, she upped the ante. Phyllis was easily goaded. She should have never let on that Endora was getting to her. Endora could really be that "b" word that rhymes with "witch". ha ha

I don't think Endora had real designs on Frank. She apologized, but Phyllis said, " I hope you two will be very happy together."
Later Endora said, "She gave him to me. What am I going to do with him?"

I just watched "The Dancing Bear" when the Stephens first visited Tabitha. Endora had to rub it in that she had visited the baby many times.

Of course Phyllis got in a good comeback of her own. Frank wanted to start a business and Endora agreed with his idea. He said that she was "a woman with some imagination."
Phyllis said ,"Yes, one can see that from the way she dresses."

Your three worst characters- Yes, Adam added nothing to the show. I barely remember him. I don't even recall if he had any magical powers. I wonder if the Stephens would've had a second child if the star of the show hadn't? Of course it was the Ashers' show and they could've added a baby if they wanted to. But the whole "wishcraft" thing had been done, nothing new there.

Esmeralda had big shoes to fill as a daffy, eccentric character to replace Clara. Her line delivery was funny but it made no sense to keep such an incompetent employee. I once wrote that Clara was Sam's favorite aunt and she would put up with her mistakes. But why would she put up with that behavior in a maid?

Bombay? Campy? Corny too! But he always made me laugh! When he was called back to tend to Sam's weeping willow tree, " What is it THIS time? Your crabgrass have the croup?"

[–] Mikwalen (12) 7 years ago

I loved the idea of Adam. But they didn't do much with him. Yes, he had powers, but aside from that one episode in Season 8, they never did anything with him.

[–] [email protected] (5507) 7 years ago

Oh thanks, I had a vague memory of the episode (Warlock or Washout) but I couldn't remember if he had any powers.

I haven't seen seasons seven and eight in a long time and although he was a cute little boy, I hardly recall much about him.

Part of the reason for not featuring Adam seemed to be that many stories had already been played out with Tabitha. First, did she have magical powers? Later, Sam was afraid to tell Darrin. Then her "wishcraft" caused all sorts of problems. To retell all those stories would've been redundant. And by season seven the show was already recycling a lot of scripts.

The show was also in a different place literally. It was sinking in the ratings and the story arcs they tried (maybe to boost their ratings) didn't include the children. The season seven opener was a long arc of stories that sent them to Salem.

There were some cute stories with Adam as a baby, but then not much else. I liked the episode when they named him.

Maurice says that his great grandfather was named Adam. Darrin looks shocked. Maurice says, "NOT that Adam!' lol