Like all shows that experiment with the genre into which they were born, WKRP takes chances. This is a reunion story between Travis and singer Linda Taylor. They had a relationship before she became famous.
A critic's responsibility is to answer 3 questions: What was done? Was it done well? Was it worth doing? What was done is described elsewhere on this site. I won't belabor it.
"Was it done well?" is more complicated. The press conference scene is awkward. It conveys the necessary information and allows the re-connection between Travis and Linda, but the dialog involving Les and Sternworthy from WPIG makes Les out as a total idiot. That blatant a characterization is overblown and unnecessary, to say the least. He could ask innocuous questions like what instrument does she play, but the rest of that exchange borders on the stupid. (Or perhaps crosses that border.) In the intimate scene between Andy and Linda, the timing is off, and the incidental music is timed so poorly that it is more a distraction than an enhancement. The handling of the plot resolution is considerably more successful and enhances the rating of the episode as a whole.
Was it worth doing? This judgment makes all the difference. They tried to do something very important by revealing Andy's past and the alternate path his life could have taken if he hadn't latched on to the 14th station in a 16-station market and made a home there. We get insight into his character, and his character grows.
Daring to do something different risks mixed success. "Who is Gordon Sims" is one of the strongest episodes in the entire series. Venus's monologue at the episode's climax is riveting and very not funny and his character grows significantly as a result. "Love Returns" attempts to perform the same function for Travis. It isn't as successful as an episode, but it WAS worth doing because it accomplished what it set out to accomplish.
A critic's responsibility is to answer 3 questions: What was done? Was it done well? Was it worth doing? What was done is described elsewhere on this site. I won't belabor it.
"Was it done well?" is more complicated. The press conference scene is awkward. It conveys the necessary information and allows the re-connection between Travis and Linda, but the dialog involving Les and Sternworthy from WPIG makes Les out as a total idiot. That blatant a characterization is overblown and unnecessary, to say the least. He could ask innocuous questions like what instrument does she play, but the rest of that exchange borders on the stupid. (Or perhaps crosses that border.) In the intimate scene between Andy and Linda, the timing is off, and the incidental music is timed so poorly that it is more a distraction than an enhancement. The handling of the plot resolution is considerably more successful and enhances the rating of the episode as a whole.
Was it worth doing? This judgment makes all the difference. They tried to do something very important by revealing Andy's past and the alternate path his life could have taken if he hadn't latched on to the 14th station in a 16-station market and made a home there. We get insight into his character, and his character grows.
Daring to do something different risks mixed success. "Who is Gordon Sims" is one of the strongest episodes in the entire series. Venus's monologue at the episode's climax is riveting and very not funny and his character grows significantly as a result. "Love Returns" attempts to perform the same function for Travis. It isn't as successful as an episode, but it WAS worth doing because it accomplished what it set out to accomplish.
