The Dick Van Dyke Show - 1x17 - Punch Thy Neighbor

    Rob's neighbor, Jerry, has a habit of being a jerk.  Jerry is disappointed with a recent episode of The Alan Brady Show, and spends his time telling anyone and everyone that the show is rotten.  Of course, this bothers Rob.

     I've been watching lots of episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and I'm really loving it.  One thing that has stood out is how terrible Jerry is.  With this episode in particular, it seemed really strange to see a person on a show act like such a complete jerk.
     This made me think about something my dad would tell me.  He would occasionally mention how I (and I suppose all of his children) was so much more socially skilled than he was.  I think his schooling was run in a much more regimented way, and there was less of a focus on learning to work together.  It also could just be his memory playing tricks on him.  But this made me wonder... was the character of Jerry an accurate representation of what some adults were like at that time?  I'm sure it still happens nowadays, but it seems really strange that a professional (a dentist) who has managed to get married and have a son, somehow has made it this far without learning that he can't be this kind of a jerk.
     In a modern show, Jerry would be portrayed as just mean, and that he does these things intentionally.  In this show, he's aware that he's being a jerk, but thinks it's funny.

The Dick Van Dyke Show - 2x20 - It May Look Like a Walnut

     Rob and Laura watch a sci-fi/horror movie late at night, which leads into a bizarre dream-like episode where walnuts are all over the place, and Rob worries that he will lose his imagination and thumbs.
     I first heard this episode described as being like a Twilight Zone episode.  So I looked it up.  It was available for free on Hulu.
     I've now watched this episode twice.  The second time, I showed it to my wife.  There's something very charming about the writing for this show.  It moves along a little slower than we're used to nowadays, but it's a nice sensibility.  Episodes usually seem to start off slow, but they build up as jokes are established, and the callbacks always pay off.
     I found the second viewing to be even better than the first.  I don't care for Mary Tyler Moore that much.  She seems a little vacuous for my tastes, but it could be that her character was developed over a longer stretch.
     Seeing the separate beds is one of the most dated aspects of this show.  But it plays well for comedic purposes.
    My favorite aspect of this episode is the fantastic way that Van Dyke is able to do the UFO sound.

     Now, on to some more general points, as I've started to watch this show a little more earnestly.  The writing is great.  There's a lot of heart and soul to the whole thing, even though some characters never get fleshed out.  I've been impressed with the rather progressive message across the episodes I've seen.  There's an interesting approach of tackling some awkward scenarios, situations that would normally make people cringe a little, but they play out with a fun ending.  This makes it easier to keep coming back.