Alf, a rewatch thread

[Joe Shumway]

Iggy,

I realy appreciate what you are doing here. It's interesting.
Thanks....

[Iggy]

Thanks Joe!

One more episode coming up and I can finally wrap this season. Can't believe it's already been close to two months since I started.


25. La Cuckaracha *****
written by Jerry Stahl

"There is a space roach loose in our house."

Sounds like a plot of a science-fiction B movie, doesn't it? And I love how it's played that way too, with a lot of cheese but damn entertaining and certainly one of the gems of season 1.

I love the fact we never get to see the entire roach, much like in Alien (also mentioned here in a good /we need Sigourney Weaver/ joke by Kate) we are only treated to parts of him looming over the furniture. A shadow there, a tentacle here, a hairy foot reaching for Alf... and also a great use of cockroach point of view camera in the final bathroom sequence. It was all unexpected for this show, and brilliant.

Another good touch is that Kate and the kids evacuate the house leaving Willie and Alf to solve this problem on their own. It added to the tension and gave us that lovely little moment where Alf asks Willie for a hug.

The music was also great, added to the whole special feel of this episode. Same goes for the sound effects used for "Rodney".

And what about the final shot with the roach lying with all six in the air and Alf coolly enjoying his moment of victory?




Best joke:
Alf:"Fire department? Well I need you to come out here. There's a giant cockroach trying to kill me!"
...
"All right then, I'm a cat and I'm stuck in a tree."

Things broken: /

[Joe Shumway]

Alf:"Fire department? Well I need you to come out here. There's a giant cockroach trying to kill me!"
...
"All right then, I'm a cat and I'm stuck in a tree."

he..he. great joke...it made my day better

[Iggy]

26. Come fly with me **
written by Nelson Costello

So Trevor invites the Tanners to fly with him for a weekend vacation. I don't know about you but nothing would make me board a plane where Trevor is the only pilot (surprising Alf didn't have a comment along those lines). On the way back Trevor gets a flashback from Korea and drops unconscious leaving Alf to take the wheel and fly everyone safely back home.

I can understand why this was chosen as a season 1 finale, to have Alf as the hero of the day. But I think that "La Cucaracha" would have been a much better ender. It had the same Alf saves the day only in a more comic way. I just wasn't that thrilled with this episode.

Which is strange cause it seemed to have all the goods needed. A change of scenery, Trevor and Raquel who are once again a treat to watch, and Alf in a Hawaiian shirt communicating with a talking toaster. But somehow I was left with a feeling that things could have been done better. I don't know, the salesman in the hotel could have been even more annoying, there's should have been more of that famous bickering between Raquel and Trevor, more family moments between the Tanners (I would have loved to see Willie, Brian and Alf go fish together), more jokes (besides Kate's clothes problems and the toaster I don't think there was anything else here)...


Best joke:


Things broken: electric shaver, hotel room burned


Season review up next, hopefully with some charts

[Iggy]

After quite a long brake (due to changing my ISP) I'll be continuing this review with season 2 episodes. But before I hit "Working my way back to you" here are a couple of charts to sum up the first season.



First chart groups the episodes by final marks and the season turns out, as expected, excellent. A huge number of 5* episodes, and a mere 6 episodes (only 24%) that could be considered as a miss.

Season average mark was: 3.4

The next chart shows how it was all developing from start to finish and the trendline shows a stronger start and a slight decline as the season neared it's end. Maybe a bit surprising considering both cast and crew clearly improved as the season moved on.



It's also interesting to note that Alf didn't break a single thing in 12 episodes so only in 52% of the season we got to see him do one of his trademark things. We'll see how he'll behave in the following year


What I would change:
While it was indeed a good season that covered almost everything it needed I still would have liked to see an additional one or two character episodes centered on Kate, just to give her a bit more development. Willie was handled all right, we saw his work, his hobbies, we saw him through his middle life crisis but Kate only got the arc with Dorothy (a well written one of course) in the middle of the season. I think it would have been a good thing to give her one more episode near the end of the season. It would have given her more presence which the final 4-5 episodes maybe lacked.

The two-parter "Try to remember" was also something that felt pointless. I would have loved to see more of Melmac here (like the stuff we got in Help me Rhonda), so why not have Alf tell the Tanners a couple of stories from the time he lived on Melmac? It would have given us a sort of pre-pilot look and understanding at who Alf was before and now he had to change to life on our planet. Probably it would have been expensive but then again two-parters are meant to be special.

OK, enough for now and we're off to season 2...

[Joe Shumway]

Iggy,

it' s good to see you back. like always your info about Alf is great..thanks..

[Admin]

I very much enjoy this thread, thanks Iggy!

[Iggy]

Thanks for the welcome back guys Here we go with ep. #2.1

1. Working my way back to you *****
written by Steve Pepoon

If season 1 ended with a so-so episode, season 2 began with a perfect one. Right from the start everything was done just right and we got all the goodies an Alf episode can give, plus a new twist.

I love that the episode starts with Alf playing with Brian, always found it to be one of his more endearing qualities. We get some more Melmac culture info with the game of scleenball and we got some breaking done (improving that percentage of broken things ).

We continue with another emotion packed garage scene and again Willie and Alf play it well. Special commendations to the puppet work, I love that look Alf gives Willie as he goes on with his explanation on rule obeying etc., it's both realistic and hilarious. And despite most of the things Alf said were said just to evade his punishment, the statement that he became dependant on human company did strike me as an honest one, so another nice moment there. On a side note did you notice that most of these feelings discussions happen in the garage? One would expect they would focus them in a more warmer surrounding like the kitchen, but it always works so well here.

The whole jeeves routine was brilliant. From the phony, well acted, British accent that delivered lines like "ghastly flamingos" with perfection, to the uptight pose and pedantic behavior as he coolly brushed orange peels as soon as Kate cuts them, it's just a blast to watch.



And we even got a cherry on the top with a kitchen explosion (and yes, if you're wondering that is Alf being blown through the window). And then the cherry got another little cherry of her own when Alf brings Willie to the garage and makes him turn off the light for a view of really brilliantly ghastly flamingos. Couldn't be more ftw



Best joke:
Kate: What's scleenball?
Alf: A picture's worth a 1000 words!
Kate: That picture was worth a 1000 dollars.
Alf: Well maybe the frame makes it look cheap.

Things broken: painting, vase, kitchen blown up

[Joe Shumway]

this is one of favorite to me in seson 2...moment when Alf blowns up the kitchen is hilarious ...especialy...."I guess we have to order in"

[Iggy]

Yeah the explosion gets a laugh out of me every time I watch it. I love how they shot Lucky there, he streches on the window and then jumps down just before the explosion hits.

[Iggy]

2.2. Somewhere Over the Rerun **
written by Scott Spencer Gordon

I have to start this review by saying that I've never seen an episode of Gilligan's Island in my life. My only knowledge of it comes from an array of jokes and references on various sitcoms and late night talk shows. Maybe I would have a greater appreciation about this one if I had watched that show. It certainly is an interesting approach and makes for a unique episodes that I'm sure fans of Gilligan's Island (do we have any on this forum?) like a lot more.

I just wasn't able to find much in it, other than a good comment on not taking fandoms too far (something I've probably been guilty of several times). The humor wasn't something, some good shots when Alf was drilling holes in coconuts and when he was digging (and filling up) his lagoon.

Special commendations go to Willie for falling flat on his face in muddy water. I wonder how many takes he had to do...



Since we're mixing shows here, what I would really love to see is a Star Trek/Alf combo. Imagine you have your Federation starship that comes across a planet Melmac (it would have to be The Next Generation crew just to see how Picard would handle all the silliness). And they would hail them and a Melmacian ambassador would pop on the view screen and answer with "Yo! What's up?" and then by the end of the episode they would try to eat Data's cat. It would be a blast

Things broken: /

[Iggy]

2.3. Take a look at me now ****
Writer: Steve Pepoon

What seemed like a normal episode soon took a huge and unexpected turn with this:



"Oh howdy Raquel" / [screams]

It's a huge step and a brave decision on the writer's part to so openly expose Alf to Raquel. I really like, that opposed to some of the earlier episodes where people assumed Alf was dog/aardvark/kangaroo, Raquel dismissed Kate's suggestion that she saw an animal and was adamant that what she saw was alien to this planet. She even remembers that she saw it once before (in the pilot) so another plus for continuity is given.

The best thing about this episode was the humor part, and where the previous episode came out dry and even jokeless, this one was packed with jokes that had me laughing from start to finish, despite a maybe more serious main plot. So besides the chosen best joke I had to include these honorable mentions: "Alf what's going on?"/"Get the front door Willie, it may be self evident", "I've been under house arrest for almost a month/ It's been 2 days Alf/ Then why did I carve 30 notches on your banister?/ Because you're a vandal", "Is that a tupe or did your head sprout polyester".

In the end Alf finds a way to fix things and help Raquel, certainly a nice thing to do and similar to what he did in "A little bit of soap" only more subtle (if you can call rewiring Raquel's TV to play a live stream of him wearing diving goggles in front of a space themed poster subtle, I did love that he also included background music when he was making his final point ).

The closing scene with Kate and Willy playing cards was a sweet final touch.

So bravo to Mr. Pepoon, that's already a 2nd great episode he wrote for this season.

Best joke: (and I think this is the first time my selected best joke wasn't included in the syndicated version)
Alf: "I notice you spend a lot of time fixing stuff Willie."
Willie: "That's because you spend a lot of time breaking stuff, Alf."
Alf: "Well, it's nice that our hobbies are so compatible."

Things broken: /

[Joe Shumway]

Somewhere Over the Rerun ...in the beginig is great to see Alf in Hawai stayle, then the moment when Wille fall down in the water
I also never seen the Gilligan's episode but it was funny to see Alf with them.

Take a look at me now - the beginig just great when Alf and Rachel scared each other The end was also funny when Alf says goodbye to Rachel something like...."Live long and prosper...........Go ahead make my day............May the forse be with you"...

[Iggy]

2.4. Wedding Bell Blues *****
written by Lisa A. Bannick



Wedding Bell Blues is the second episode I had taped on my first Alf VHS and as such is especially dear to me. Though that aside it really is a great show, with well written humor and another touch of weird Melmacian custom that makes the main plot here: "I was born... in wedlock!".

And I'm wondering if this could be the reason Melmacians celebrate 2 birthdays, one on the day they were really born and then on another date chosen before their parent's wedding to avoid this wedlock stigma.

It's again a big topic, of parents protecting their children from a hurtful truth with the child coming to understand their decision and forgiving them as an unavoidable part of growing up. I was especially touched with Willie's story as I'm guessing from what he told that his mother had cancer. Though I think Freud would make an interesting comment on Willie thinking his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world and presenting a picture to prove it...

The jokes, as mentioned, were great. Especially the religious ones when Alf got in the monastery. It was brilliant to see how he annoyed those monks, and having them take the vow of silence and not be able to rebuke was even better. "How does the friar open the door to the abbey? With a monkey." or "are you just one of those guys who likes wearing a dress". Not to mention some of the goodies from the start of the episode like teasing Willie of writing his signature with effeminate loops .

I also have to praise the monastery set (I wonder if they filmed on location). I remember that as a kid I used to love those huge basket filled with different colored grapes.

Great stuff all around and another fiver.

Best joke:
Lynn: "Look, it shows all of our ancestors, who they married and who their kids were. Each relative is a branch."
Alf: "Except your grandma Dorothy, she's a nut."

Things broken: Carmen recording re-recorded

WikiMelmac: Alf was the first Melmacian to wash his hands before eating.

[Iggy]

I can't believe it's been this long since I updated this thread, feels like I've only logged off for a couple of days... shudders at how time flies. Anyways...


2.5 Prime time ***
written by Lisa A. Bannick



Well let's admit it, we've all been wondering when Alf is going to become a fan of polka. Not to mention we all knew that Trevor was a fan of it as well (he put another great performance in this episode, both with his dance and with a casual remark of stealing Tanner's water).

It was a solid show. Alf does a good dead in a bad way again (bad meaning money spending, with just some hacking to add something new to the mix). I have to side with Willie here, that Polka program really did deserve to die. But it does make a point of how many good shows (to some people anyways) are cancelled cause of bad ratings. Just take what happened to Firefly, which is now regarded by a lot of people as the best SF show written to this date.

The jokes were also pretty good, and besides a great go in to the kitchen classic I had to include this one as well: Lynn "In 9 cases out of 10 it's you"/ Alf "Well maybe this is that 10th case"/ Willie "Is it?"/Alf "No."

Another good bit was when Alf tried to sell the idea of ALF to the NBC executive and he dismissed it. I imagine it's something Paul Fusco had to go through as well when he was trying to sell his idea to the networks.

Oh and to answer Alf's question, Michael J.Fox is 5' 4½" (1.64 m) tall, so still taller than Alf

Best joke:
Kate: "Alf go in to the kitchen"
Alf: "Go in to the kitchen! Go in to the kitchen! As a woman you should be sensitive to the demeaning undertones in that remark."

Thinks broken: 3 broken bottles in the kitchen (unseen, but Alf mentions a tomato)

[Iggy]

2.6 Some enchanted evening ****
written by Seth Weisbord



There's a lot covered in this episode. What started as a regular "let the funny little alien have a crack at the outside world, for one lousy night" got interwoven with a lot of character development for Willie. Usually the writers either went for one or the other so it's great to see an episode that does it all.

The bedroom scene was probably the best one in the episode. Some good Willie/Kate dialogue cut short by Alf usual annoyances. When you think about it, this show does most of it's best scenes during the night, whether in the garage, bedroom or the kitchen.

I love how Alf taped a giant zipper onto him to make it seem like he's wearing a costume. So simple and yet a great idea. And the way he casually appeared on the front door and introduced himself as Gordon Shumway instantly taking control of the party. Well as always, great to see him interact with some new people.

We got to meet Lynn's new boyfriend Lizard, though it's a pity we won't be seeing more of him in the future. Alf did call him an egghead so maybe it's that . Geoffrey Blake who played him still guest stars in a lot of shows, he played a Trill in DS9 episode "Playing God" (here's the link to a picture of him http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/File:Arjin.jpg).

Wasn't that kissing sound ALf used to tease Willie to suck up to his boss fantastic?

Willie gets his promotion in the end, along with an office with a window so I guess he owes Alf one after this. He'll probably just give him a "get out of breaking something free" card. He did take him trick-or-treating ("Hello old woman") for a nice finale of a really good episode.

Best joke:
Willie: "Where did you get that zipper?"
ALF: "Well you know your old jacket that you were gonna throw out?"
Willie: "Yeah?"
ALF: "Better hang on to it, I ripped this out of your new raincoat."

Things broken: /

Mistakes: When 2/3 Stooges come to trick-or-treat Kate offers them a plate with 4 candies and tells them to take 3. The kid grabs all 4 cleaning the plate, but next we see Kate put the plate back and there's a candy on it, only to have that candy disappear again when Lynn and Brian appear at the door.

[Joe Shumway]

Willie: "Where did you get that zipper?"
ALF: "Well you know your old jacket that you were gonna throw out?"
Willie: "Yeah?"
ALF: "Better hang on to it, I ripped this out of your new raincoat."

hehe, just great .......By the way this is one of my favorite episodes.
Yeah there are many great scenes, Alf singing Elvis...
And of course my favorite in that episode at the end....."I will take the yellow one"

Iggy,
I didn't know that Blake played on DS9 ...good info...

[Iggy]

2.7 Pretty woman ***
written by Alicia Marie Schudt

Another character related episode. This time it's Lynn who once again gets one of the safe bets of television's teen character topics. After wanting a phone, a car and a boyfriend, this time we're dealing with beauty and Lynn's self esteem.

The problem with it is that Lynn just doesn't strike me as someone who'd be bothered with all this. I find her to be very reasonable, intelligent and down to earth so it's always a bit difficult to get into an episode that doesn't seem to fit her character. If it was say Hillary from "the War at home" I could accept it. But with Lynn it doesn't really feel right as I don't think she'd respond to rejection with so much insecurity, but rather with some annoyance and an Alf-like sarcastic comment aimed at the guy and girl that crossed her.

Though having Alf get involved with a beauty contest is good idea. I loved the comments he was throwing at the TV while watching his pageant. The ambassador from Sweden . And it's always fun to see him get so worked up with something. He did some good coaching to Lynn and the "they want world piece" joke was just perfect for this show's style of humor.

So in the end it doesn't really work out for Lynn, and here I'm with Alf, it was her hair's fault (I know it's still the 80s but that was just awful).



Alf did close with a lovely speech to Lynn in her room that add another star to this episode's mark.


Best joke:
Alf: "Hey look, here's John Candy!
No wait, that's Miss Bulgaria"

And talking about Miss Bulgaria, for a bit of trivia in 1988 it was Sonia Vassileva. I'd post a picture but there's only one online and it's rather "arty" so you'll have to google her yourself. This was the first time Bulgaria competed in Miss World contest.

Things broken: /

[Iggy]

2.8. Something's Wrong With Me *****
written by Steve Pepoon



Dorothy is back! And so is Whizzer! So just that is enough to promise a fantastic episode. But adding to it we are treated with another great Melmacian weirdness, an entertaining hiccup. And I can just imagine a staff meeting where Steve comes to Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco and says "hey guys, I have an idea for an episode where Alf gets the hiccups, I think I can make it into something fun."

And it was great fun. From hiccup glass breaking to continuous bickering between Dorothy and Alf. There's good tension buildup throughout the episode and finally it becomes a riot once the wedding starts. The acting was great and felt like everyone displayed a lot more energy than usually.

Humor was also everything, from cute funny and crazy funny to Trevor's shirt. I love Melmacian's medical encyclopedia being called "The Furry Home Companion", it would make for a great companion book to the show. We learn that out of 10 major organs Alf has 8 stomachs. And that little nuclear waste/crayons joke, the look on Willie's face when the lid popped off was fantastic.

Cat juice was also a great gag.

Steve Pepoon is writing some wonderful stuff in this season and is proving to be a great addition to the crew. After "Working my way back to you" and "Take a look at me now" he has another winner.

Best joke:
Alf: "Hey Willie, I discovered something"
Willie: "What?"
Alf: "I'm Ella Fitzgerald" *hiccups* *breaks glass*

Things broken: vase, 2 crystal glasses (one off screen)

[Admin]

Love your rewatches! The quality of the pictures are also very good...are you saving this yourself? If so, what method do you use?

Also, would you consider using the "upload attachment" feature for your images? Just curious...just concerned because if your photobucket account ever gets deactivated we would lose a lot of the great images in this thread