Archie Bunker is the heart of All in the Family, but in this setting, I find myself asking, who are these people? It's like, OK, I came to terms with Archie playing off a little girl named Stephanie. In this episode, she seems much older. And just when you are used to her, here comes Billie. Wait, who's Billie? And who's this nebbish who is dating her (No offense meant, and none taken, I would assume, given that Barry Gordon made a great living playing nebbishes).
And those are just the regulars! "Father Christmas" brings us another Bunker relative--Archie's brother, Fred. He's Billie's dad, and she doesn't want to see him, so much so she is willing to go on a ski trip with Barry Gordon (just kidding) to avoid spending the holiday with her father.
The story goes for emotion, but it's a little clumsy in parts. There's a side plot in which Stephanie laments not hearing from HER dad, and Archie handles that in a sweet but predictable fashion. What really gets me is when they have a tense family dinner and start talking about Fred abandoning Billie years earlier. At one point, Billie makes a cutting remark about Fred's serial divorcing, and Archie puts down his fork and says, "Well, gee, this suddenly stopped being funny."
For some reason, that remark really hits me the wrong way. It's true enough in that Billie has finally killed Arch's attempts to maintain light conversation and inject some humor. But it feels too obvious and like something Archie shouldn't say--not because he's Archie, but because he's the main character. At least I think he is, but it's hard to tell in this episode. This is the kind of line the sidekick blurts out loud. Allen Melvin as Barney could sell that line and make it seem right, but he's in a minor subplot about playing Santa Claus.
So while I appreciate the effort and enjoy the novelty of a series I am not familiar with, Archie Bunker's Place just seems strange to me. "Father Christmas," despite great intentions, is no exception.
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