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"Jonathan Tells it Like it Was" Hair-Pull Moment

posted 8 years ago by Chrissie
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To refresh your memories, this is the episode in which Jonathan writes a winning essay about John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, only to change it after his win when the Captain tells him Adams and Franklin weren't exactly buddies.

Jonathan's re-worked essay so offends Adams' descendant that the judges declar that if he doesn't go back to the original essay, he'll be disqualified and Danny Bonaduce (Did he play EVERY smart-alecky brat on TV?) will claim the prize.

Jonathon is dealing with all of this manfully. Until the writers need to produce a happy ending and the Captain pretends his memory is shot and prompts Jonathan to use his old essay but take out the bits about Adams and Franklin being pals. In short, the Captain lies to Jonathan.

How hard would it have been to have the Captain encourage Jonathan to rewrite the opening paragraph on the new essay to make it clear that the them wasn't "Adams was a slimebag" but rather, "You don't have to be buddies to put aside your differences when duty calls." They'd have gotten the happy ending and everybody could have kept honest and brave through to the end.

I just thought it was not only a cop-out, but a bad message to parents and children.

[–] ghostfan 8 years ago

I agree... the sacrificing part at the end is sweet, but not really "right." Practically speaking, he won for his first essay. I can see why changing it caused an uproar, and his rewrite did offend... especially Adams' decendant.

There's a great line in the musical "1776" where Adams is berating Franklin about history never forgiving them if they give in on the slavery clause in the Declaration of Independance.

Franklin' answer is to the effect that history will know that they weren't demi-gods, and did what they had to do to gain Independance from Britain, and that no one was perfect.

I wish they could have used the whole quote in gamm, I think both sides could have gone for that addendum you were talking about, but 1776 (the play) starring William Daniels, (Blair Thompson) was still a year and a half away.

[–] skiddoo 8 years ago

Yes, your way would have been much better. :) I hope most sitcoms today do better than that for their audiences.