Dinner at Eight

We've seen Aunt Bee reluctantly leave a couple of times. This one is different. Opie will be out too for a Boy Scout's camping trip. This setup is perfect for Andy's reprise from his usual existence into a short and, much anticipated, couple days as a bachelor. We really do not know Andy like this and a chance meeting with Howard Sprague kind of sets the tone. Andy's shopping list, as recited to Howard, signals a bit of a nutty detour from his usual. Andy's excitement kind of bleeds into the viewer. Yes, we want to see Andy's wild side.

Of course, Aunt Bee can never just leave. Andy being by himself horrifies her and when she gases up at Wally's she urges Goober to look in on Andy. In true Goober style he takes it to much more than looking in. He's going to move in, cook, and be Andy's insurance against feeling lonely. Dinner made by Goober along with Goober's confusion over phone messages for Andy sets up a great gag.

This is one of the best color episodes and, for once, Barney isn't missed at all. The joke revolves around having to eat three dinners and because of the "secret ingredient" and Helen's pointedly angry instruction to eat, combined with Opie's recitation of Andy's previous speech, there's real golden humor here. Also, as is Aunt Bee's motherly ways the first thing she does when she gets back is to cook a certain dish. Thoroughly enjoyable with some tucked in wicked good reoccurring humorous elements.

If you need to get cheered up, watch this great episode. The comedy builds and builds and it all serves a purpose. This episode also proves you DONT need Barney to have a great time.

The reviewer who scored this episode a 2 misses the mark. If one stops analyzing and simply recognizes the humor, this TAGS episode proves to be one of the funniest in the entire series. Lighten up, Francis.

This is absolutely the best color episode of the series. The part where Howard is running into the kitchen saying "Mother! Mother!" is so funny. He is in a panic when Andy shows up to eat. Every single person in the show is great in this. Opie is great when he is telling his dad to eat (after Andy had to said the same to him earlier). Goober is great when it dawns on him he mixed up the messages. Even the guy who plays Helen's Uncle is great when Andy guesses the "secret ingredient". The color episodes are much criticized, but this is a wonderful episode. If you ever get the chance to see it, don't hesitate.

Aunt Bee and Opie are gone for the weekend and Andy is excited to live the life of a bachelor for a few days. However when he meets Howard Sprague at the market and word gets out of his solitary status he receives an unexpected (and unwanted) roommate for the weekend in the form of Goober Pyle. The events that transpire concerning two mixed up phone messages and a spaghetti dinner (with a secret ingredient) make this episode one of the funniest episodes of the color--post Barney--offerings. I must have seen this one thirty times and I still laugh myself silent as the plot unfolds. If you buy season 8 for only this episode it will be well worth your investment. The script is flawless, there are no dead spells, and the spaghetti recipe motif ties this story together in a very "Seinfeld-like" neatness.