"Is This Goodbye" has the Peanuts gang going through a bit of déjà vu, or at least, the viewer will likely feel that way. Charles Schulz ventures into a lot of familiar territory in this episode.
Plot In a Nutshell: Linus informs Charlie Brown that his dad's job has been transferred, and so their family is moving away. This of course leads to the title, namely, "is this goodbye" for the old friends?
Anyone who has seen "Snoopy Come Home" will recognize this plot element, as that film had the similar story-line of Snoopy moving away to return to a previous owner. In that one the kids held a going-away party for him, and in this one there is a going-away luncheon for Linus and Lucy. Again, very similar to SCH. Snoopy turns out to be the caterer for the luncheon, and so his cooking here brings back memories of his cooking adventure in the Thanksgiving episode.
That's not all. Sally continues her pestering of Linus, calling him her 'sweet baboo,' convincing herself Linus returns her affections and at one point even threatens to sue. All of that is very recognizable. Lucy flirts with Schroeder as usual, and Peppermint Patty continues to live in denial about her feelings for Chuck. There's really very little here that you likely haven't seen in some form already.
However, with the potential disappearance of Linus from Charlie's life, CB actually seems to take it pretty well. Yes at first he's upset and can't believe it's happening. But once it does he gets on with his life rather easily. He even remarks to PP that he's been sleeping just fine since Linus left. This feels like a lost opportunity for Schulz. The situation calls for a lot more anxiety, depression and melancholy than we actually get. Charlie's best friend moves away and really, he just takes it in stride. It does not pack the emotional wallop you might think it would. Kind of odd.
A few others wrote that this was an emotional episode but I don't agree. It SHOULD be, but as I mentioned, it's strangely short of that. There was a lot of crying, rightly so, when Snoopy went away; there isn't one bit of crying here lol. OK. Another reviewer mentions the score and thinks it's noteworthy, but again I disagree. There's nothing memorable about it. Sadly, after Vince Guaraldi died in the mid-1970s, all of the best Peanuts music died with him. Everyone knows the soundtrack to the Christmas special. I'm fairly certain nothing in this one will have you humming once its over.
Overall "Is This Goodbye" is a solid Peanuts entry that feels like it could been a little better with more focus on the rupture of Charlie's friendship with Linus, and the effect it has on each of them. We don't really get that for some reason. Good, not great.
Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes.
