Wednesday, March 30, 2005
When Cosby Jumped the Shark
Season 4, Episode 3
Rudy tries to wear a spring dress to an autumn party. The episode is tolerable until maybe 12 minutes in, when Rudy retreats to her room, and music kicks in: "It's Not Easy Being Green" -- sung lyrics and all; this wasn't just an instrumental. Worse: the entire song plays out as Rudy mopes around her room. So bad, the viewer blushes for shame.
It's such a kicker, too, because it came on the heels of an all-time great episode, Season 4, Episode 2, when Sondra and Elvin announce they are renouncing their Princeton educations to run a small business.
There's something unforgivable about the musical interlude, when used in television. Baywatch used to do it every episode, but at least with that, viewers knew it was strictly for T&A. This was just horrifying, stupefying. Unbelievable someone approved such nonsense.
Rudy tries to wear a spring dress to an autumn party. The episode is tolerable until maybe 12 minutes in, when Rudy retreats to her room, and music kicks in: "It's Not Easy Being Green" -- sung lyrics and all; this wasn't just an instrumental. Worse: the entire song plays out as Rudy mopes around her room. So bad, the viewer blushes for shame.
It's such a kicker, too, because it came on the heels of an all-time great episode, Season 4, Episode 2, when Sondra and Elvin announce they are renouncing their Princeton educations to run a small business.
There's something unforgivable about the musical interlude, when used in television. Baywatch used to do it every episode, but at least with that, viewers knew it was strictly for T&A. This was just horrifying, stupefying. Unbelievable someone approved such nonsense.
