Obviously I stopped watching Love Boat when Whelan joined up, so many of the episodes with her now watch like some strange nostalgia.
To make matters even more interesting, I just watched this episode with Joan Rivers, Alex Rocco and Doris Roberts and don't recall Julie saying anything at all. She's just easy to overlook, it seems.
Overall, the stories were as trite and clichéd as all get-out.
James Coco and Doris Roberts (seemingly reunited from their St. Elsewhere Emmy win a few years earlier) are the parents of Adam Arkin and their entire bit watches like a prelude to Everybody Loves Raymond. When his parents bicker and want a divorce, it's convenient their son is a divorce lawyer, who manages to bring on the sentiment of their years together to reunite them.
Joan Rivers with Alex Rocco was definitely the worth-the-watch story. How many even remotely dramatic roles did Rivers do? Here she has had a mastectomy and is uneasy about herself after her husband left her. Rocco handles everything with his usual aplomb, failing nowhere. Sad to think of them both gone, but delightful to see them together.
The third story was rather silly with the girl stowing away in Gopher's cabin by chance when Gopher has bought an exercise machine. There are incredibly bad jokes about Gopher making out with this woman while he is working out.
Episode works for practically no Vicki, the Everybody Loves Raymond setup and Rocco & Rivers.
To make matters even more interesting, I just watched this episode with Joan Rivers, Alex Rocco and Doris Roberts and don't recall Julie saying anything at all. She's just easy to overlook, it seems.
Overall, the stories were as trite and clichéd as all get-out.
James Coco and Doris Roberts (seemingly reunited from their St. Elsewhere Emmy win a few years earlier) are the parents of Adam Arkin and their entire bit watches like a prelude to Everybody Loves Raymond. When his parents bicker and want a divorce, it's convenient their son is a divorce lawyer, who manages to bring on the sentiment of their years together to reunite them.
Joan Rivers with Alex Rocco was definitely the worth-the-watch story. How many even remotely dramatic roles did Rivers do? Here she has had a mastectomy and is uneasy about herself after her husband left her. Rocco handles everything with his usual aplomb, failing nowhere. Sad to think of them both gone, but delightful to see them together.
The third story was rather silly with the girl stowing away in Gopher's cabin by chance when Gopher has bought an exercise machine. There are incredibly bad jokes about Gopher making out with this woman while he is working out.
Episode works for practically no Vicki, the Everybody Loves Raymond setup and Rocco & Rivers.