Don't ya just love the great writing on TDVDS? I do.
Great example of (IMO) a perfect and seamless and fully-realistic Van Dyke situation is the 3rd-season ep., "A Nice, Friendly Game Of Cards", with Ed Platt and Millie's hysterical new "system".
(I've watched this one about 10 times on the crystal-clear DVD already, with only "All About Eavesdropping" outdistancing it in number of viewings thus far.)
I love the way the writing flowed nicely in this episode. Such as: The writers have got to find a way of getting Rob out of the room just as Laura ruins the non-marked deck of cards by stepping on a card with her shoe. Rob obviously can't be allowed to see this deck destroyed, or else the whole show premise is down the tubes.
So, with perfect realism, it's written in the script that Rob will get up to go into the bedroom to put on his "lucky slippers" (because his other shoes are hurting his feet). And while he's gone for this highly-logical reason, Laura steps on a card, and thus the "marked" deck comes into play without Rob's knowing. The cards have the exact same "Bicycle" backs, and same color, so Rob's none the wiser...until little Ritchie decides to get up for yet another glass of water (
"More water", jokes Buddy.
"Is this a kid or a camel?" 
).
I love this episode. Ed Platt's very funny, in a "Grumpy Old Man" kind of way.
You could probably pick out
any episode of TDVDS and rave about little bits of great writing, like I just did above. (Well, at least *I* think it's fine, subtle writing.)
Well...I'll have to say, however, that an episode we've discussed earlier ("My Husband Is Not A Drunk") just might not stand up to quite as much rigid "realistic" scrutiny re. the writing. But, heck, I love that episode even though many aspects
are indeed out in far-fetched land.
One thing that's always kind of bothered me about the writing of a few scenes in that "Drunk" episode is .... WHY on Earth can't the gang (including Glen Jameson, the "Qualified Hypnotist"
) just simply WAIT for a minute or 90 seconds while Rob gets Ritchie his glass of water?? Why must Rob miss out on the fun, when the hypnosis session could simply be delayed for a few seconds until Rob returns to the living room?
Obviously, the reason they
can't wait for even a second is because we NEED Rob out of the room to intercept Glen's "hypnotic suggestion".
This scenario is exactly the opposite (IMO) of the "Cards" episode. Rob's leaving the room in "Cards" is totally and wholly acceptable from every angle. But in "Drunk", it seems just silly to me that Rob has to miss the "fun" by getting Ritchie water. Doesn't make much logical sense. Good gosh, would they be in
that big a rush to continue the party? Does Glen Jameson have a cab waiting to whisk him to another "Hypnosis" party in New Rochelle??
Well, anyhoo....despite some (very minor--to me) flaws like in that "Drunk" episode, I'll take EVERY episode of
"The Dick Van Dyke Show" over just about anything else being offered up on the small screen -- today or yesterday.
[End Lecture]
Well...almost an end .... Another thing: In "Drunk", I've always wondered WHY in the heck Ritchie can't get up to the bathroom or kitchen to get his own damn water??!!
Holy smokes, I don't see Ritchie's arm in any sling here! You WILL note, in fact, that in the "Cards" episode, Ritchie doesn't holler at the top of his lungs for the parents to distribute his snacks and/or H2O beverages. He gets out of bed himself...which, of course, he HAS to do in order to spill the beans about the marked deck. Guess he was just in a lazy mode during "Drunk". Geez, talk about service!
Rob should have shouted back to the kid: "What am I, kid, your personal Water Boy??!!".
While thinking about it further, I now realize there's still
another episode that deals with Rob having to tote water to the youngster. In "Gesundheit Darling", Rob comments that he's gotten up from a card-playing session with neighbors Millie & Jerry "four times in the last two hours!" to fetch Ritchie cool, refreshing water beverages.
"What did that kid have for dinner, a box of salt or something?" That kid is one demanding water-consuming little dude! I think it would have behooved Rob & Laura to simply install a drinking fountain (the small kind low to the ground for "Little Fellers", like we had in Grade School -- with "foot pedal") right in Ritchie's bedroom. Sure would have saved Rob some shoe leather.
More "Drunk" ramblings......
This single episode probably has more writing "gaffes" (IMO) than any other single episodic adventure of the program. Two more very obvious examples of things that just don't "seem quite right" are the fact that neither Millie OR Jerry have the
slightest interest in knowing what they did while under Glen's "spell". Millie, in fact, only finds out she acted like a crazed "Rock Hudson fan" by having this information forced upon her by Sally's asking
"Did Jerry really look like Rock Hudson?" Makes no sense at all, after waking up to find herself off the ground in the arms of "Rock"/Jerry, that she'd NOT ask (as Laura did after her "spell"), "What did I do?".
And Jerry doesn't ask this question either. He doesn't care about what he did either it seems. Very odd...and unrealistic given the circumstances.
[End Novel]
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