Standing in a Chow Line

Sunday - the day usually reserved for playing catch-up with the life you've handed over to this hectic world's meddlesome hands. Some do chores. Some spend the day outside. Some go to church. Some stay in bed. I spent the entire day watching a Good Times marathon.

Sadly, the portion of the marathon I caught was from beginning of the end of the series. The season where Florida Evans was in Arizona with her new husband (John Amos was fired after season two and, thus, killed off rather coldly) was probably the weakest of all - and that's what I was watching. To be fair, it's still entertaining. We get our first glimpse of Janet Jackson before she'd grow up to be a superbowl flasher. We witness J.J. graduating from his goofy antics to a more subdued role of "man of the house". Most importantly, we realize that Thelma is actually pretty damned attractive, despite all of the jokes at her expense.

A few things bothered me though. The Evans family's goal was to get out of the ghetto. I assume money is the problem. So how is it that Florida can spend a year in Arizona while the kids (who were invited to join her) voluntarily remained behind? "Sorry mother, we'd rather stay in the very place we were bitching about during the first two seasons". Another issue: James Sr. (the one Amos episode I was able to see) bought a gun after crime was becoming more of a problem. But of course, neighbor Willona could walk in without knocking any ole time she wanted. And that was the episode in which they installed 15 deadbolts on the door.

As Sunday drew to a close, I felt like some miserable little sloth. I wish I did something more constructive. No matter, I got to catch up with a sitcom that's still fresh (despite the Carter references) decades later.