Reunions

Mr Shorofsky is reunited with a former sweetheart from Germany, Frieda. He feels guilty that he escaped from Germany before the War where as she was imprisoned in a concentration camp. Frieda helps Miss Sherwood's English Class appreciate The Diary of Anne Frank. 

 Danny and Leroy are left in charge of buying the props for the school production.

 Leroy wants his mother to be able to attend the latest show but she can't afford the plane ticket, so the gang get together to try and raise the funds.  

I don’t know what it is about this episode but it just feels like filler to me and with Erica missing things fall a little flat.

Its an okay episode but I don’t really feel it really goes anywhere. There’s a bit of humour in Leroy and Danny buying the props but I’m not convinced students would have really been given the money to go out and spend in the first place.

Besides, the school has done so many shows in the past that they must have basic props like chairs and lamps in storage somewhere. (By the way where do they store all the props and costumes?) So I don’t think they need to go out to buy new things for every show. Then when they lose these new props because they are stolen and for them to suddenly say they’ll have to do the show without props seems a little bizarre to me.

Leroy's back story seems to have completely changed in this episode and I’m left a bit confused about Leroy and his Mum. Only a couple of episodes before in “A Musical Bridge” it looks like he’s been living alone for quite some time but in this episode they make out it’s only been a few months. However, she was no where to be seen when Willard turned up in episode 3. Are we to believe that only a few months have passed from the start of the season to the end?

When his mother does arrive for the dress rehearsal shouldn’t it be taking place in the auditorium and not in the dance class room?

At the start of the episode Shorofsky is complaining that teachers don’t have money for investments but suddenly has the money to buy Leroy’s Mum a plane ticket it all seems a little convenient as does the fact that the English class are studying Anne Frank just when someone who was in a concentration camp is at the school. I think the intentions of linking the story to the war are good but it doesn’t work for me somehow. Also I seem to recall that in later years Shorofsky mentions he was in the war but here they make it sound as though he’d already moved to America, maybe I’m wrong but I will be watching later episodes and checking the stories are consistent.

That said Fieda's speach to the English and Montgomery asking if the class could have another shot at read Anne Frank's diary is very powerful and a highlight of the episode. 

I’m also a bit confused when Sherwood asks Lydia how’s it going having drama majors in the dance class for the show. They do this pretty often so I’m not sure why it’s an issue. Danny, Doris and Julie always seem to be in with the top dancers.

"Hope" is a pleasant song but not really a stand out one for me, probably because it never made it on to the albums it’s not one I know as well as the other song from season one. 

Original  air date in U.S.A. 29th April 1982

Original  air date in U.K. 15th Sept 1982,  BBC repeat 12th  August 1986,  The Children's Channel  Autumn 1992,

Now 80s 9th & 13th January 2022  

Original air date  in France  12th June 1982

Original Air date in Australia (Melbourne)  11th July 1982

Original air date in Spain 29th May 1983  

Original air date in Italy 03rd November 1983

Original  air date in West Germany 03rd April 1985

Original air date in Belgium 22nd October 1987