Dinner at Eight

If you need to get cheered up, watch this great episode. The comedy builds and builds and it all serves a purpose. This episode also proves you DONT need Barney to have a great time.

My main reason for writing the review is to agree with a couple of others that this is one of the better color episodes. There are several good color episodes, despite what many people are led to believe. While the BEST episodes are from the first five (B&W) years, several of the color years are equally as good as some of the B&W ones... this is one of those better ones.

As others have said, confusion (and ill timing) over a phone message from an unwanted house guest with only the best of intentions leads to some pretty funny dialogue. Goober is at his finest, kindhearted self with his intentions, but his bumbling demeanor leads to some confused friends and one very, very full Andy.

BUT... this is not from Season eight. It is (as you can see from the episode guide) the 17th episode of season seven. Not a big deal, but if you're looking for it on Netflix or in your DVD collection, you'll need to find in the right season.

Aunt Bee and Opie are gone for the weekend and Andy is excited to live the life of a bachelor for a few days. However when he meets Howard Sprague at the market and word gets out of his solitary status he receives an unexpected (and unwanted) roommate for the weekend in the form of Goober Pyle. The events that transpire concerning two mixed up phone messages and a spaghetti dinner (with a secret ingredient) make this episode one of the funniest episodes of the color--post Barney--offerings. I must have seen this one thirty times and I still laugh myself silent as the plot unfolds. If you buy season 8 for only this episode it will be well worth your investment. The script is flawless, there are no dead spells, and the spaghetti recipe motif ties this story together in a very "Seinfeld-like" neatness.

This is absolutely the best color episode of the series. The part where Howard is running into the kitchen saying "Mother! Mother!" is so funny. He is in a panic when Andy shows up to eat. Every single person in the show is great in this. Opie is great when he is telling his dad to eat (after Andy had to said the same to him earlier). Goober is great when it dawns on him he mixed up the messages. Even the guy who plays Helen's Uncle is great when Andy guesses the "secret ingredient". The color episodes are much criticized, but this is a wonderful episode. If you ever get the chance to see it, don't hesitate.

I can't believe so many reviewers loved this episode. Some said it was the best episode of the last 3 color episodes, and one even said it was the best episode of all 8 seasons. OK they must have been watching a different episode from this one that i watched because I really thought it was one of the worst. Definitely in the bottom five or worse. Andy was over acing I guess to make up for the loss of Barney Fife - right? I watched it solely for the ridiculousness, I guess.