Hi, I have been watching "Eight is Enough" the third season and I'm confused about something. Janet, David's girlfriend. In the middle of the season, Third Season Part II, Episode 17, I guess, she just shows up. No explanation of how they met or who she is, other than a lawyer. Does anyone else find this confusing as well?
shareI just watched that episode and was also surprised by the sudden appearance of Janet. I inferred from their scenes together that they had been dating for a while and might have even broken up and gotten back together. Assuming that the episodes on the DVDs are in the original broadcast order, I suspect that the episodes were not aired in the correct (i.e. production) order. Interestingly, imdb.com lists episode 20 as the first appearance of Janet.
This happened in the second season. In the first episode of that season, Elizabeth refers to the fact that Tom is no longer dating "Mrs. Abbott" (aka Abby). However, Abby doesn't appear until the second episode of the season and the break-up doesn't occur until a few episodes later. Then, later in the season, someone says something about the family getting involved in another talent show, but that episode aired before the one in which they appear in the talent show.
It's not uncommon for shows to air in a different order than that in which they were produced, but it does seem odd for a series in which episode-to-episode continuity was a factor.
I believe the first appearance of Janet was in the episode where David's friend at work dies, he starts dressing like him, riding his motorcycle, then gets into a fight. That's where Janet comes in, she's David court appointed lawyer.
shareI really liked Janet. I thought she and David were good together - not to mention they looked good together. It's a shame that the show married David off to another woman in the 2nd reunion show. Why would they do that? Who wants to see that?!? Odd.
shareOh my, I did not know that Janet had dumped David somewhere along the line, in order for him to rebound with a second wife in time for the second reunion show.
So, I'm not sure why the producers would have supported this type of bad writing, but perhaps Jonn were unavailable for the project, so, perhaps they decided that David might come across as more independent with another wife than as a newly-single ex-husband or something along those lines.
Well, back in the day of its original run, who wouldn't have been jealous of Janet, who has everything before she comes along and wins David? "Eight Is Enough" doesn't suffer because Janet sort of takes away some of the attention of some of those extremely wacky daughters although Nancy and Elizabeth come across as rather normal and interesting.
Merle the Pearl also adds a great deal of interest to the program, but nobody would believe that he finds that heavily irritating Susan the least bit interesting, so he has to be a very good actor to bring across that point.
But thinking back on it now, yes, Janet does add a very nice touch to the program because, not unlike Merle the Pearl, she brings in a sort of refreshing touch with her great beauty and style although no one going through Law School and trying to pass the Bar examination would emerge as pretty and gracious as Janet.
So, no more jealousies of poor Janet because by the time which Grant reaches "Murder, She Wrote," he's not only as arrogant and selfish as David Bradford, but he grows into an egocentric and obnoxious cad, who could very easily and plausibly play a murder suspect -- or the body, as well.
If Sheridan were here, he'd be appalled.
The lovely Joan Prather did appear in both reunion specials, including the second one where David remarried. The first one ended with the writers hinting that David and Janet would reconcile. Then in the second one, he marries this mousy woman with a bowl haircut and all the sisters are annoyed that he's not marrying Janet.
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