"The Partridge Connection" can't compare with "The French Connection," but it does feature Danny Bonaduce's best dramatic performance on the series. The Partridge Family are due to be the recipients of San Pueblo's Citizenship Award, right after Danny gets dared by Punky Lazaar (Gary Dubin) into stealing a 'Cincinnati Whizzer' yoyo from the drugstore owned by kindly Mr. Phelps (Henry Jones). Danny's conscience dissolves at the dinner table, and Shirley accompanies him to the drugstore the following day to rectify the mistake. Danny's boasts to Punky about 'fessing up' are lost on his best friend, who can't resist taking a small bottle of perfume for his mother's birthday, this time in full view of the disapproving Phelps, who bars them both from his premises. Now convinced he's bound for a criminal career, Danny visits the police station, confessing about everything he's thought about doing, the disbelieving officer played by Joseph Perry (third of four appearances). In accepting the Citizenship Award (Jack Collins in his second of three appearances), Danny's heartfelt remarks are genuinely touching. Gary Dubin's Punky Lazaar, first seen in "Anatomy of a Tonsil," made his third appearance in "Danny Drops Out." The featured song is the unreleased "I Don't Care," composed by Wes Farrell and Bobby Hart.