Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The Brady Bunch never scored high ratings during its five year run,
but this friendly family comedy has remained in reruns ever since,
while bigger hits have slipped into oblivion. Pretty much everyone
who grew up in the 1970s or '80s knows the show inside and out: A
vision of suburban family life so utopian it's as fantastical as
Neverland or Santa's workshop--and just like these imaginary realms,
it casts a spell over every kid who wished all problems could be
resolved with a few wise words, a good-natured shrug, or a winsome
smile. The Brady Bunch: The Complete Second Season is
indistinguishable from every other season, but the reassuring
formula is crucial to the show's appeal. Eldest brother Greg (Barry
Williams) may decide he's all grown up and wants a groovy bachelor
pad, or eldest sister Marcia (Maureen McCormick) may get all riled
up about women's lib and decide to join the Frontier Scouts, or
super-maid Alice (Ann B. Davis, whose persona is hilariously similar
to Ellen DeGeneres) may fantasize about running off with an old
flame, but by the end of the show you know everything will return to
a zen-like domestic harmony.
It's all pretty bizarre when you realize that both halves of the
family have suffered the death of a parent! The most angst to be
found is the relentless identity crisis of middle sister Jan (Eve
Plumb), who tries to remove her freckles with lemon juice and buys a
curly brunette wig to forge a new self-image. Nowadays Jan would be
a prime candidate for bulimia, but in the Brady world such
psychodrama is unthinkable. This even emotional keel could have been
creepy and antiseptic, but due to the charm of the kids and the
smooth yet earthy presence of Robert Reed and Florence Henderson as
parents Mike and Carol Brady, The Brady Bunch just seemed nice. You
wanted that to be your family. If you watched the show in your
childhood, watching The Brady Bunch: The Complete Second Season as
an adult will lull you into a sweet, blissful dream. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
THE BRADY BUNCH THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON tells the story of
Carol, a single mother of three girls and architect Mike Brady, a
single father of three boys, who get married and blend the two
families into one. Added to the mix are housekeeper Alice and dog
Tiger. The Bradys experience the same obstacles as any family, from
adjusting to their new extended family, to sibling rivalry. The
comedy series famous for its catchy theme song truly has become a
pop culture icon and is still enjoyed by viewers of all ages.
Season 2 (19701971)
24 episodes
#
Airdate
Prod. Code
Title
Overview
26
September 25, 1970
026
The Dropout
Greg's ego runs amok after a compliment
from
professional baseball player
Don Drysdale, so much so that the eldest
Brady boy vows to dedicate his whole being
to the sport. Mike decides to re-invite
Drysdale over to talk about the drawbacks of
life on the road, making sure Greg overhears
the conversation - but it only convinces him
more that he's the next big thing. It takes
a 12-run shelling in his Pony League game
(and plenty of humiliation by his brothers)
to knock Greg into reality.
Guest star: Don Drysdale.
27
October 2, 1970
028
The Babysitters
Greg and Marcia are left home alone with
the younger children for the very first of
quite a few times while Mike and Carol
attempt to enjoy an evening out while Alice
is helping her boyfriend Sam redecorate his
house.
28
October 9, 1970
031
The Slumber Caper
Marcia hosts a slumber party in the
Bradys' home, but it could be put on
permanent hold when she is accused of
drawing a derogatory picture of one of her
teachers in class. The principal gives
Marcia detention for a week. After hearing
her side of the story, Mike and Carol stand
behind their daughter and decide that the
party is on, even though Marcia still has to
attend detention at school. Marcia becomes
convinced that one of her friends, Jenny,
was the guilty party and decides to
disinvite her. Greg and his brothers
conspire to disrupt the party with a series
of childish pranks, but most of their antics
don't work. The boys finally succeed in
causing a ruckus when they place itching
powder in the girls' sleeping bags. While
the girls clean up, Paula, another of
Marcia's friends, admits she took her
scrawling and placed the insulting caption
beneath it. Marcia is embarrassed and
decides she needs to re-invite Jenny to the
party.
Guest stars: E.G. Marshall,
Christine Baranski.
29
October 16, 1970
030
The Un-Underground Movie
Greg films a documentary on the First
Thanksgiving, starring the Bradys, for a
class project.
30
October 23, 1970
027
Going, Going ..... Steady
Marcia's new boyfriend, Harvey Klinger,
is a nerdy insect collector. The whole
situation seems harmless enough;
nevertheless, Mike and Carol feel uneasy
about their oldest daughter starting to "go
steady".
31
October 30, 1970
034
Call Me Irresponsible
Greg, saving money for a car, wins -
then loses - then gets back - his first job
as a gofer for Mike's architectural firm.
Although this job is not mentioned for a
long while and he does get a job at Sam's
butcher shop the next year, two years later
on another episode, "Career Fever", it's
mentioned that Greg still works for Mike's
firm in the summers.
Note: Susan Olsen does not
appear in this episode.
32
November 6, 1970
029
The Treasure of Sierra Avenue
The boys discover a wallet containing
$1,100 in a vacant lot and are told by Mike
and Carol that they must turn it in to the
police. In the process, the boys learn that
honesty and integrity are more important in
life than "finders keepers".
Guest star: Victor Kilian
33
November 13, 1970
036
A Fistful of Reasons
A bully named Buddy Hinton taunts Cindy
because of her lisp ("Baby talk, baby talk,
it's a wonder you can walk"), leading Peter
to stick up for his youngest sister, which
in turn leads him to getting punched in the
face, and getting a black eye. The family
tries to convince Peter to try to talk some
sense in Buddy, but he's only interested in
fighting. When Mike and Carol are unable to
get anywhere with Buddy's parents, they tell
Peter that he may need to fight to stick up
for Cindy.
Guest stars: Russell
Schulman, Paul Sorensen and Ceil Cabot
Note: Eve Plumb does not
appear in this episode.
34
November 20, 1970
039
The Not So Ugly Duckling
Jan makes up a boyfriend, George Glass,
when her crush on an actual classmate is
unrequited.
35
December 4, 1970
033
The Tattletale
Cindy's tattletaling annoys her siblings
and parents. In the subplot, Alice enters a
jingle contest and wins a stereo system,
which gets placed in the family room.
Note #1: Christopher Knight
does not appear in this episode.
Note #2: The first record the
Bradys acquire is Best of Gilbert &
Sullivan.
Note #3: One of two episodes
Susan Olsen (understandably) hates.
36
December 11, 1970
037
What Goes Up...
After a fall, Bobby becomes scared of
heights. Mike, Carol, and the Bradys then
set about working to help him overcome this
new problem.
Note #1: Maureen McCormick
does not appear in this episode.
Note #2: This episode marks
the final appearance of Tiger, the
family's dog (although he is later seen
in "The Impractical Joker", this is his
final appearance in terms of production
order).
Blooper:: Greg calls Jan by
her real name (Eve) in the trampoline
scene
37
December 18, 1970
032
Confessions, Confessions
Peter fears he will be grounded and not
be allowed to go on a scout camping trip
after disobeying Carol's admonition, "don't
play ball in the house", and breaks his
mother's favorite vase. The other kids
confess to doing it and as a result Peter
must decide their punishments. In the end,
Peter confesses and he, himself, decides as
a punishment that he should not be allowed
to go on the camping trip.
38
January 1, 1971
035
The Impractical Joker
Jan sets loose Greg's science project
mouse Myron, after he and his brothers
decide to take Myron's cage in at night for
fear of the neighbors' cat trying to eat it.
Jan decides to hide Myron in the girls'
clothing hamper, but Myron chews his way
out, and runs about the house undetected
until Alice sees him running through the
kitchen the next day. She calls the
exterminator, and by the time the Brady
brothers and Jan learn of the news, they
give up looking, thinking he made his way
under the house where the exterminator had
been spraying and had died. The whole family
later finds out that Myron is alive, and is,
in fact, in Tiger's doghouse, which is why
Tiger had been barking and howling. The
episode ends with Alice thinking Jan played
another joke by putting an ink stain on one
of her aprons, but she quickly discovers she
actually had a pen in her apron pocket.
Note: Barry Williams' book,
Growing Up Brady, includes a letter from Robert
Reed to Sherwood Schwartz critical of a
closing gag wherein Alice is fooled by
an ink spot on one of her aprons. This
is the final appearance of Tiger (The
Bradys' Dog).
39
January 8, 1971
042
Where There's Smoke
While at high school with some friends,
Greg experiments with smoking. Greg
confesses when his parents find out and warn
him about the dangers of cigarettes.
Meanwhile, Greg and his friend, Tommy, are
forming a rock band (The Banana Convention).
One day when he comes home from school, Greg
takes off his jacket and a pack of
cigarettes falls out. Tommy's mother, who is
working with Carol on an anti-smoking
campaign as part of a PTA project, refuses
to believe Greg when he insists the
cigarettes weren't his and decides to kick
Carol off the committee when she stands
behind her son. Eventually, Alice realizes
that Greg came home with the wrong jacket;
his coat's lining was torn, but the one he
wore had one that was intact. Greg realizes
that the coat and thus, the cigarettes
belonged to Tommy. Tommy comes over to get
his jacket and realizes that Greg knows
about the cigarettes. He tries to not make a
big deal about it, but when his mother comes
in to see what the hold up is about, Tommy
has to admit the truth. His embarrassed
mother apologizes to Carol and then
(presumably) deals with Tommy.
Guest stars: Craig Hundley &
Marie Denn
Note: This marked the first
episode Greg plays the guitar. He also
sings "Til I Met You", a song Barry
Williams co-wrote.
40
January 15, 1971
043
Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?
Jan, believing that brunettes have more
fun than blondes, invests in a wig to stand
out at a party, and the whole thing turns
out to be a fiasco as the partygoers
ridicule her new look. Peter's reluctance to
attend this party is the subplot.
Guest stars: Marcia Wallace &
Pamelyn Ferdin
41
January 22, 1971
041
The Drummer Boy
Musical stories abound: Peter is
relentlessly teased because he plays
football and sings for the glee club;
and Bobby is horribly untalented as a
drummer. However, when Peter (Christopher
Knight)'s friends tell him that singing is
for girls, soon he quits the glee club
and learns that even boys can sing.
Guest star: Deacon Jones.
42
January 29, 1971
038
Coming Out Party
Mike's boss invites his family for an
outing on his boat, but it gets delayed when
Carol and Cindy have tonsillitis.
Note: Mike Lookinland does
not appear in this episode.
43
February 5, 1971
044
Our Son, the Man
Greg tries too hard to act like an older
teenager: he wants his own room and in
trying to pick up an older girl tries
acting too mature for his age at school. He
gets Mike's den as a room since the attic is
too small. Greg refuses to participate in
family activities such as planning the
annual family camping trip. However, Greg
realizes that after the older girl isn't
interested, and realizing he isn't happy in
his new room he decides that he still has
a lot of growing up to do and: 1. moves back
into his brothers' room; and 2. goes on the
camping trip.
Guest star: Chris Beaumont
(This is his first of four appearances
on the show)
Note: In this episode, Mike
tells Carol that that the attic would be
suitable for Greg only if he were two
feet tall. However, in later episodes
(including the entire fifth season),
Greg moves into the attic and it is
full-sized.
44
February 12, 1971
045
The Liberation of Marcia Brady
At school, Marcia is approached by a
television reporter doing a story on the
women's liberation movement. Marcia believes
that women are equal to men in many respects
and deserve equal treatment. Greg watches
the news report and tries to rebut his
sister's comments. Marcia decides to make a
point by declaring she's joining the
Frontier Scouts, to prove she is more than
equal to the initiation tasks. Greg decides
to get even by enlisting Peter to join her
Sunflower Girls. While Peter's attempt to
sell cookies wilts under his gross
embarrassment, Marcia proves she is more
than well-suited to join the Frontier Scouts
by passing all the tests. In the end, she
decides not to join after all; she just
wanted to make her point known.
45
February 19, 1971
046
Lights Out
Cindy develops a fear of the dark after
seeing a magician's "disappearing lady" act
at a party. Peter helps Cindy deal with her
fear by asking her to be his assistant for a
magic act at his school's upcoming talent
show. The whole thing is nearly undermined
when Bobby plays a cruel joke on his sister,
but Cindy shows courage when she learns that
Peter's new assistant, Jan, hurt herself in
gym class.
46
February 26, 1971
047
The Winner
Bobby's self-eteem is at an all-time low
because he can't seem to win a first-place
award.
Guest star: Hal Smith (as
Cartoon King)
Blooper: Mike, Carol and
Bobby leave for the TV studio in the
blue convertible and return home in the
brown station wagon.
47
March 5, 1971
048
Double Parked
The family campaigns to save their
favorite park, which may be the site of a
new courthouse Mike is designing.
Guest star: Jackie Coogan.
48
March 13, 1971
049
Alice's September Song
Alice's dashing former sweetheart wants
to rekindle their romance, but only so he
can defraud her.
Guest star: Steve Dunne.
49
March 20, 1971
040
Tell it Like it Is
Carol is invited to tell her family's
story for a women's magazine.
