"Stifle!" - The normally placid Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) to her husband in "Edith's Problem"
All in the Family: The Complete Second Season DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
After growing in popularity thanks, in part, to summer reruns, All in the Family returned for its second season in the fall of 1971 and quickly rose to the top of the ratings. Conservative Queens, NY, resident Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) is a hot-headed, undereducated bigot who has ultra-opinionated views on political issues, even though he hasn't voted in over ten years. His long-suffering wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton), has a kind heart and a somewhat simple mind. Their daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) still lives in her parents' home with her liberal college student husband, Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner), a situation that greatly displeases Archie.
In the show's second season, Edith grows into the series' most complex, layered character. While in Archie's mind she is a "dingbat," she is actually the smartest, most grounded of the family members. Mike is too smug and self-centered, Gloria is naïve and easily swayed, and Archie is, well, Archie. For as smart as Mike and Gloria profess to be, Edith is the only person who is able to read between the lines and figure out why Archie's annual Christmas bonus fell through ("Christmas Day at the Bunkers"). In episodes like "Edith's Accident" and "Edith, the Judge," she proves to have an unwavering moral sense. Yet she is also - to put it kindly - easily confused. Stapleton perfectly captures Edith's unusual mix of smarts and simplicity.
It is shockingly fun to hear Edith gripe, curse, and scream in "Edith's Problem." Edith's uncharacteristically erratic behavior eventually leads to the discovery that she is going through menopause. Stapleton further surprises when she breaks down upon learning this news, mournfully proclaiming that "when Archie hears about this, he ain't gonna love me no more." Stapleton effectively swings from comedy to tragedy and back again in the course of a single scene. The episode is marred only by the fact that it contains no real resolution, and Edith's menopause is completely forgotten at the end of the half hour.
With Mike and Gloria on a week-long visit to a commune, Archie and Edith have the house to themselves for the first time in years in another classic episode, "Archie and Edith Alone." Edith hopes that the week will bring them closer together, but things start off poorly when Archie says Edith is not human owing to her too-kind nature. Archie's usual criticisms and insults ("dingbat," "stifle," etc.) are fine with Edith because deep down, she knows he does not mean what he says. This, however, proves to be too big a blow, and Edith insists that Archie apologize. He refuses, and thus begins a tension-filled week. By the time Mike and Gloria return, Edith realizes that sometimes apologies do not have to be verbal or direct, and the couple rekindles their love. Archie and Edith are not strong verbal communicators, but here they rediscover their ability to effectively communicate in their own unique way. This standout episode is structurally simple - it mostly consists of Archie and Edith either talking to or avoiding each other - but emotionally complex and satisfying.
One of the show's strongest assets is the acting by the regular cast and its guest stars. In "The Elevator Story," Archie gets stuck in an elevator with a curt black businessman (Roscoe Lee Browne, who seems to have appeared in every single 1970s TV series at least once, from Planet of the Apes to Good Times), a flaky secretary (Laugh-In's Eileen Brennan), a Puerto Rican janitor (Chicago Hope's Hector Elizondo), and the janitor's pregnant wife (Edith Diaz). In true sitcom style, the woman goes into labor and is forced to give birth in the elevator. What reads as gimmicky and predictable on the page turns out to be quite sharp and poignant thanks to the talented actors involved. O'Connor's performance, in particular, is a masterful one. As the woman begins to give birth, the camera pulls in for a close-up on O'Connor's face. The camera stays for the remainder of the scene as Archie slowly dissolves from hatred and revulsion to wonder and joy. It is a brilliant moment, and O'Connor plays it to perfection.
Other famous actors who appear in season two include Starsky & Hutch's David Soul as an artist who wants to paint a nude portrait of Gloria ("Gloria Poses in the Nude"), Cleavon Little (Blazing Saddles) and Demond Wilson (Sanford & Son) as a couple of burglars ("Edith Writes a Song"), Barnard Hughes (Mr. Merlin) as a Catholic priest ("Edith's Accident"), and L.A. Law's Richard Dysart ("Edith Gets a Mink"). The season's most illustrious guest, however, is Sammy Davis, Jr., who appears as himself in the Emmy-winning episode "Sammy's Visit." When Archie begins to drive a taxi on weekends to make extra cash, he finds himself giving a ride to the famous performer. The others doubt his story. When Mike asks whether he is sure that it was indeed Davis, Archie replies that "No, Meathead, it was some Zulu jockey." Archie has a chance to prove his story when Davis is forced to stop by the house to retrieve a briefcase he left in the cab. This episode could have simply devolved into a silly stunt (see Will & Grace's parade 'o stars), but is instead an astute look at both Archie's prejudices ("As far as I'm concerned, he's the ace of spades") and his deference to the rich. Davis gives a droll, unselfconscious performance (unlike his strained appearance in another '70s TV phenomenon, Charlie's Angels).
Season two also marks the appearance of Beatrice Arthur (The Golden Girls) as Edith's irrepressible cousin Maude ("Cousin Maude's Visit"). When the entire family comes down with the flu, Edith calls on Maude for help. Maude arrives partially to aid her cousin and partially to needle Archie. The two hate each other. Maude is a liberal version of Archie - a bully (and even, in a way, a bigot) who uses her political and personal beliefs to whack other people over the head. Sure, her views are more palatable than Archie's, but in many ways, she is just as bad as he is. The character proved to be so strong and funny that CBS decided to spin Maude off into her own sitcom. All in the Family's final episode of the season, "Maude," serves as the pilot for Maude, the series. Subtle changes to the back story were made before Maude premiered the following fall, but the pilot is an entertaining glimpse at the series to come. As in Maude, Bill Macy appears as Maude's husband, Walter. Macy also appears as a different character in another All in the Family episode earlier in the season. Marcia Rodd (who also appeared as a totally different character earlier in the season) plays Maude's daughter, Carol, in the pilot. She was replaced by Adrienne Barbeau in the actual series.
Season two of All in the Family won eight Emmy Awards: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: Carroll O'Connor, Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: Jean Stapleton, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Series: Sally Struthers (in a tie with The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Valerie Harper), Outstanding Directional Achievement in a Comedy Series: John Rich, "Sammy's Visit," Outstanding Writing Achievement in a Comedy Series: Burt Styler, "Edith's Problem," and Outstanding Achievement in Live or Tape Sound Mixing: Norman Dewes, "The Elevator Story."
The twenty-four episodes that make up The Complete Second Season are divided onto three discs. The three discs are housed in a digipak that is an improved version of that of the first season. This time around there is a folder to hold the episode guide booklet, a few publicity stills are used to decorate the set, and the digipak slides into an outer sleeve. The menus are a no-frills affair, and the episodes are not divided into chapters.
