#the joke being that they both end with the love interest (wilson and arthur) dying

[realbeefman]

[thephonecops]

Episode Notes | S1E1, Pilot pt. 1

Here we are, at the beginning of these proper episode notes! It’s worth- well, noting, if you’ll pardon the redundancy, that in these early season one episodes… I believe it’s the first eight or so- things are a bit rocky. We’re going to talk about that a fair bit, as we come to these situations, but the important thing is to note that a lot of the character notes I make in these early episodes are merely going to be speculative, because the characters change a lot in these early bits. Also worth noting, is that this early section of season one is not an ensemble show. It’s starring Gordon Jump and Gary Sandy, and everyone else isn’t even in every episode. They also feature the long revered but admittedly lengthy opening credits, which you can watch here, if you don’t happen to have the DVDs on hand as some of us do.

I will also try to mention what music is playing when, if I know it, but even though I listen to a LOT of classic rock, I’m afraid I’m not the greatest at recognizing it when I don’t already know it and the great “identify the song that’s playing” feature of my phone can’t help me when there’s dialogue over the music. SO. I will do my best but no promises.

OKAY. SO. Pilot episode, part one.

This would be an opportune time to discuss the history of the creation of WKRP, but I kinda wanna save that post for another day. It isn’t really something that’s part of the episode notes anyway, so we’ll skip that bit for now. Instead, we’ll talk about just the episode itself and the introductions of the characters and the overall plot.

The plot here is that the worst radio station in Cinci has hired (yet another) program director, who is Andy Travis. He is coming in for the first time today. And of course, he is the straight man to all the nuts at the station, the normal guy from the outside, and the original plan was to have him be our eyes to the station, to tell the stories from his point of view- which is of course, a mistake, and why the show later became officially an ensemble situation.

This is a typical sitcom plot where we have a new person, and they go around and meet everyone in the new place- an overused but very useful (and I feel still very useable) trope for meeting the characters of a new location or show or what have you.

We open on this one, on Jennifer tending to the plants in the lobby. While I believe there are always at least some plants in the lobby (I guess if I’m wrong we’ll find out in the future now won’t we), I don’t think Jennifer is so into them in later episodes. I don’t even think there are any plants in Jennifer’s apartment. But in these early season episodes, she is very protective of the plants and she spends a lot of time…..with them, if I may word it like that, and I honestly think that the writers not quite knowing what to do with Jennifer begins here on day one.

Also, the music the show opens with (not the theme, I’m talking when Jennifer is tending the flora and fauna), is perhaps the least WKRP sounding music I’ve ever heard in my life and it’s honestly sort of amusing. But also weird.

Herb is introduced second, in all his sexist glory, and I must say how clear it is that he developed a lot in this first season. He is played very stereotypically sleazy in this episode, especially, and his clothes- while still in bad taste, are actually pretty classy. For Herb.

For a man that wears a giant blue and white checkerboard suit with a matching tie later in the series.

(Click the read more to view the full notes for this episode!)

They also establish that he’s married here, and it almost feels like they did it just for the laughs- once again, he’s played sleazy here, not totally but definitely more so than later in the series, and it seems apparent to me that they didn’t plan on analyzing why this married man can’t bring himself to cheat on his wife, as they (sort of) do in later episodes.

Also, “would you like to meet Bert Convy in person”. Herb's concept of impressing women is by introducing them to game show hosts. Need I say more?

Next up, in walks our temporary star, Andy. His stereotype is also immediately enforced, as is everyone’s on this show. He’s a cowboy, from Santa Fe, and the Big Guy hired him on the phone.

Speaking of the Big Guy, another bit of odd characterization is Jennifer’s last descriptor- “the jerk who runs this place.” Now, we all know Mr. Carlson and we all know that is a very unfitting description of the man. Regardless, I think it is a simple joke. I don’t think the plan was ever for it to describe Carlson, because for all the off character traits of the early episodes, that is not one of them.

Les is also immediately established, with a character trait that sticks with him forever- “award winning farm reports”. I think this is a joke about Cincinnati, but it will of course very quickly become a joke about Les and his obsession with hogs.

We also learn a crucial bit of information- “the last program director lasted 30 minutes before the Big Guy fired him.” Yet another strangely harsh precursor to the Big Guy’s entrance, because regardless of what people say about him, he is never played like a jerk.

Jennifer sets up the idea that Herb is “dying for some steamy one night stand”, which I think is interesting because as we will learn later… he isn’t, not really, but perhaps she just uses him as something to bounce the idea off of to test Andy.

I still don’t get the setup from the other characters, who surely know better, but it seems like Mr. Carlson is perhaps putting on airs to try and seem like “the jerk who runs this place” so that if he has to fire Andy, maybe it’ll help him have the guts to. But I wouldn’t think Jennifer, Herb or Les would be fooled, and I also don’t think Les would be capable of doing a proper job of acting to convince Andy. So. Not sure about that stuff, but as for the Big Guy himself, you can see his act fall away when he says, “Ooh! Do you think that’s wise?” in response to Andy telling him he quit his job in Santa Fe.

The introduction of Mama being verbal, but not having her in the first half of the pilot, is an interesting choice that allows the imagination to run rampant, and I like it.

Then of course, comes the immortal introduction of Johnny Caravella- Johnny Midnight, Johnny Duke, Johnny Cool, Johnny Style, and Johnny Sunshine- But not yet Johnny Fever. The coffee keeps in sharp as a tack.

I do find Johnny’s failure to realize who and where he is and to stay awake, is an odd thing, because it goes away in the second episode. Perhaps we are to believe that he’s cured of that with the format change- but he does it one more time at the end of this episode, so perhaps not. Either way, that’s another character trait they didn’t keep.

And now the farm thing with Les quickly becomes a hog thing, as he shows up fresh off the air with the hog futures. (“hogs have futures, I don’t”) and in comes another trait for Les that I don’t remember him as having, and which I honestly don’t think he keeps after the pilot: Being a suck up. Of course, Herb is always a suck up, because he’s Herb, and we see that in this scene too, but the reason is, they were both up for Andy’s job.

Speaking of Andy’s job, what better poster could he unroll that would make the audience release a collective gasp, than a KISS poster? It’s no secret what he’s planning to do.

The next character we meet is Bailey, in the booth with Johnny, where we get to see Johnny Caravella in action- and then the format change.

Johnny thinks he’s a little too old for this rock n roll stuff. He wants andy to find someone “about fifteen years younger.” He sees himself as past his prime, and he seems to have accepted it. But being convinced of the idea, and doing it, elicts an incredible change in Johnny- it’s like watching him come to life. And, of course, the moniker of Dr. Johnny Fever is born.

We’ll probably discuss this more in later episode notes, but Johnny was a breakout character, and MTM had to do some damage control to keep him from taking it over, because by then they had decided the show would do best as an ensemble piece and that’s how it would stay.

Another interesting thing I want to note before we get to the action packed wrap up of this half of the pilot, is the ships. We know right away that the NoTP of the show is Jennifer and Herb, but possible OTPs include Johnny and Bailey. However, it does seem that they’re lowkey pushing an Andy and Bailey thing here too. Kinda like they were thinking of some kind of triangle situation. Which, obviously that is never realized, but I do find it interesting (and it is worth mentioning that it’s not hard to find Andy/Bailey fic around lol).

SO. The wrap up. In bursts Mr. Carlson, ready to promote Herb (Herb and Les bail on Andy right away to support the Big Guy, back to that I-knew-Herb-was-professional-butt-kisser-but-why-is-Les-behaving-this-way thing) and fire Andy because Mama Carlson heard the station three days in and she is upset.

Mrs. Carlson is played by Sylvia Sydney here, but for some reason after the pilot she is always played by Carol Bruce. Now, I love Carol Bruce, but of course she is a less believable age if Arthur is indeed over 40, as he proclaims in a later episode.

Regardless, Mama comes in, demanding to to know what is going on, and the Big Guy is generating all sorts of stories for her. But the sway of money and the first sign of a backbone she’s ever seen in her son, convince her to allow the hijinks to continue- “for a while.”

The final introduction- Venus Flytrap comes in just in time to elict one of the biggest eyerolls I’ve ever seen from Mama Carlson. He’s presented as, and pardon my use of the possibly inappropriate term, a bit of a jive turkey in early episodes like this one, and it’s played straight. But when Hugh Wilson, creator of the show, sat down with Tim Reid (who plays Venus) to work on this stuff, it is later revealed that it’s mostly an act from Venus, who is far from that stereotype.

We close on a beautiful shot of Mr. Carlson not understanding kids these days as he and his briefcase wander somewhat forlornly down the hall, past the booth, and Venus does his inaugural nighttime show.

All in all, I say this is a good pilot, and if I just….. Saw it and nothing else I think I would be interested to see more. I’m not sure if this is the pilot for the same show we all know and love, as I said, because so many small details are going to change very rapidly, but such is the way with pilots.

I’d rate this, keeping in mind that it’s a pilot, a solid 7/10.

Stay tuned for more (hopefully shorter) episode notes as we get farther into the world of WKRP!