A perplexing episode from "Family Affair"'s unusual fifth-and-final season begins with an intriguing concept: weary of awkward introductions, Buffy and Jody ask their Uncle Bill if they can start calling him Dad. Older sister Cissy agrees that it would be a more natural way of fitting in at social events like Parents' Day, but Uncle Bill deduces that, although the kids have their hearts in the right place, they are quickly forgetting their deceased biological parents (his brother and sister-in-law). Leaving Mr. French to hold down the homefront, the gang flies off to Terre Haute, Indiana--where the kids were originally raised--to stir up their memories. The plan appears to backfire after Buffy and Jody become immediately bored by the adventure (after living so long in Manhattan, can you blame them?). However, a quick excursion to their childhood digs, wherein Jody discovers an old postcard his father sent to him when he was three, makes everything right! Writer Blanche Hanalis shows no shame in bringing this episode to a cozy close, forgetting as well that the family had already gone back to Terre Haute in season two! The cast of regulars seems a bit tired by this point, and Buffy doesn't even take faithful companion Mrs. Beasley along for the trip.
