mstewart
02-20-2003, 11:38 PM
The show was much better with MacKenzie Phillips because the three of them (referring to Phillips, Bonnie Franklin and Valerie Bertinelli) played off each other very well. They hit their stride well in the middle of the second season into the fourth season. The fifth season was very sad and tragic because it was visually displayed to the public of MacKenzie's downward spiral from drugs and alcohol. Those episodes with her being so strung out on drugs and alcohol was showing on her with her being so thin and that god awful hair she had. Her voice sounded horrible. That particular season, in my opinion, was not good because of MacKenzie's problems and with her being written out of several episodes the cast lost its rhythm during that time that MacKenzie was gone. The episodes of that season was not too entertaining. When she came back for a few episodes it did come back until she was fired before that season ended.
The post MacKenzie shows. The sixth season shows was hit and miss because of the void of not having her there. Especially the two episodes before Nick and Alex arrived. There was something missing. Nick and Alex did not fill that void very well. For starters, the romantic sparks that was suppose to be there for Nick and Ann was not there. They were not compatible. There were a some entertaining shows during that season especially when Richard Masur, from the first season as Ann's love interest/lawyer David Kane, came for a visit. It was good that a lot of loose ends were tied from that. The Barbara dropping out of school thing to work at a sporting goods store was too far fetching given that she had the brains. I figure if I was that smart and dropping out of school I would get a challenging job while figuring out the rest of my life.
The seventh season saw the rhythm of the show coming back except for Pat Harrington bieng absent the first few shows due to wanting more money. Those shows without him were good but the comedy just was not there. It was great seeing Ann and Francine running a business together. As much as I am in love with Shelley Fabares but her character I could not stand. That was the best acting I've seen Shelley done. It was good that Ann took Alex in and it was interesting to see how she dealt with a teenage boy given she had girls. In many ways he was a male version of Julie but not as dramatic as her. It was good to see Julie and Max back. With Barbara getting engaged to Mark it was showing how Ann, Barbara and Julie (who got pregnant during that season) had raised each other and grown to be mature responsible women.
The eighth season should have been the final season. It was full of changes and transitions. Over half of that season's shows was showing either job changes, a wedding, birth, engagement and coming to terms with the past (the episode when Grandma got the letter from her husband Michael who died during the sixth season and Alex coming to terms with Nick's death).
The ninth season, and final, was lame and the show was tired. It was tragic to see MacKenzie going back to drugs again. If you saw the episode from season eight, Episode 181 The Letter, you can see MacKenzie beginning downward spiral. She looked all drawn up and the weight was coming off on her.
I had only wished the show would had ended at the end of season eight with Ann marrying Sam and her taking the job offer in London, which was the way the final season ended.
The post MacKenzie shows. The sixth season shows was hit and miss because of the void of not having her there. Especially the two episodes before Nick and Alex arrived. There was something missing. Nick and Alex did not fill that void very well. For starters, the romantic sparks that was suppose to be there for Nick and Ann was not there. They were not compatible. There were a some entertaining shows during that season especially when Richard Masur, from the first season as Ann's love interest/lawyer David Kane, came for a visit. It was good that a lot of loose ends were tied from that. The Barbara dropping out of school thing to work at a sporting goods store was too far fetching given that she had the brains. I figure if I was that smart and dropping out of school I would get a challenging job while figuring out the rest of my life.
The seventh season saw the rhythm of the show coming back except for Pat Harrington bieng absent the first few shows due to wanting more money. Those shows without him were good but the comedy just was not there. It was great seeing Ann and Francine running a business together. As much as I am in love with Shelley Fabares but her character I could not stand. That was the best acting I've seen Shelley done. It was good that Ann took Alex in and it was interesting to see how she dealt with a teenage boy given she had girls. In many ways he was a male version of Julie but not as dramatic as her. It was good to see Julie and Max back. With Barbara getting engaged to Mark it was showing how Ann, Barbara and Julie (who got pregnant during that season) had raised each other and grown to be mature responsible women.
The eighth season should have been the final season. It was full of changes and transitions. Over half of that season's shows was showing either job changes, a wedding, birth, engagement and coming to terms with the past (the episode when Grandma got the letter from her husband Michael who died during the sixth season and Alex coming to terms with Nick's death).
The ninth season, and final, was lame and the show was tired. It was tragic to see MacKenzie going back to drugs again. If you saw the episode from season eight, Episode 181 The Letter, you can see MacKenzie beginning downward spiral. She looked all drawn up and the weight was coming off on her.
I had only wished the show would had ended at the end of season eight with Ann marrying Sam and her taking the job offer in London, which was the way the final season ended.