S02:E02 “Hunks Like Us” (9/24/1986)

This second episode of season two gives us more hilarity from the windy city’s wackiest roommates Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot). In his continuing quest to become further acclimated to America, Balki finds himself signed up for a fitness program at a local gym. Initially, cousin Larry, poo poos the idea as a bit of a scam and advises Balki to cancel his membership. Mr. Appleton’s tune changes, however, when he meets the beautiful blonde named Jennifer (Melanie Wilson) who initially counseled Balki about joining the gym. Larry is instantly smitten decides to join Balki at the gym the next day.

Larry and Balki head to the gym with plans to impress women. Larry convinces Balki that fitness-conscious women are only interested in jocks and the two spend several hours pushing themselves well beyond their limit. Neither of the cousins walks away empty handed, however, as Jennifer and a woman who was next to Balki during an aerobics class (Rebeca Arthur in the role of Mary Anne) agree to meet at the boys apartment for a date later that evening.

Balki and Larry attempt a quick nap but end up waking moments before the girls are scheduled to arrive. To make matters worse, the nap has provided

just enough time for the pain and soreness from the mornings over-exuberant workout to fully set in. As the girls are literally knocking on the door, the boys find themselves in extreme pain and nearly unable to move.

This is a wholesome episode that ends with a lesson learned it also does well to prove that both Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot are superbly skilled in slapstick. In their attempts to act tough and hide their injuries from their dates, some of the situations that these two get themselves into are absolutely hilarious and these actors play it up to perfection. The way these two can take cues from one another provide for some of the funniest bits ever produced and this episode is a perfect example of that.

S02:E01 Hello, baby! (9/17/1986)

Here we are again for yet another exciting episode featuring the zany hijinx of cousins Balki and Larry. This time around the wild antics involve an expectant mother named Gina from Balki’s citizenship class. Gina ran out of money and got evicted, and her husband is an over-the-road truck driver who she currently cannot get ahold of. Because he is a kind soul, AND because Gina (Candi Milo) is quite far along in her pregnancy, Larry agrees to let her stay at the apartment until her husband gets back. Later that night, Larry discovers that Gina is actually two weeks late and he goes into panic mode worrying that the child could arrive at any moment.

Frantic Larry is hilarious Larry and never is that more apparent than in this episode. He spends half the night concocting the “perfect” plan to get to the hospital quickly and when the time comes to actually enact the plan, the only thing missing is the Benny Hill Show theme music as Larry and Balki chase around the room wildly. The only truly calm one is Gina.

Baker is in fine form here as Larry as he is really in his element as a frantic, panic-driven, maniacal lunatic. He had me in stitcjes throughout this entire episode. Of course the situation ends, per usual, with Larry drowning in self doubt and Balki digging him out. Although they bicker incessantly, these two truly are the best of pals.

S01:E06 “Happy Birthday, Baby” (4/29/1986)

Mark Linn-Baker as cousin Larry Appleton is in rare form during this episode and it is a beautiful thing for comedy lovers.

As the episode opens we learn that Larry has finally made progress toward realizing his dream of becoming a great photojournalist. A local newspaper is interested in buying one of his photographs of a building that recently burned to the ground. In his excitement over the possible sale of one of his photographs, Larry alerts cousin Balki to the fact that it is his birthday. While Larry runs off to sell the photo to the newspaper, Balki starts planning the ultimate surprise party with all of Larry’s friends. Larry returns home with the surprise ready to be revealed and Balki learns that his photograph was indeed not purchased and the newspaper decided to go with another photographer instead. Larry is so darn depressed that he doesn’t want to even think about his birthday. Balki immediately goes into panic mode attempting to shut down the surprise party and does so in the most comical way possible.

Mark Linn-Baker turns it up big time here as cousin Larry falls into a deep depression over the fact that he believes his dream is over. This dude does woe-is-me better than just about anyone and when he hits panic mode you’ll be laughing so hard that you’re in tears.

One odd thing about this episode is the fact that they introduce a character named Tina who is apparently a friend of Larry’s neighbor Susan. As far as I can remember this is the very first time that she’s ever been in the show but all of the other characters act like they just know her so well and they’ve been friends with her for a while. I’m not looking for a decades-long backstory here, but at least it would be nice to get an official introduction to whoever the the heck Tina is.

S01:E05 “Check This!” (4/22/1986)

A bit of broken furniture leads us to learn that Balki is keeping all of his different piles of money in leather bags hidden throughout the apartment (under a mattress…..behind a chair cushion). Cousin Larry vows to teach him about the American banking system and during their lunch break they head down to the bank to open an account for Balki, setting up a genius spot of comedic banter.

Balki is attempting to understand how American banking works as he walked into the situation completely clueless. Larry does his best to explain it all as Balki brings up some very good points about the flaws in the system. The back and forth between our two titular characters here is laugh out loud funny.

Eventually Balkis confusion about the banking system leads him to make some pretty poor financial choices that lead to him needing a favor from his boss Mr. Twinkacetti. He also finds himself in a position to basically blackmail Twinkacetti to get what he wants and in this moment we learn that although Balki may be ill educated as far as most American customs go, the dude has some SERIOUS street smarts and is not afraid to get down and dirty when the situation calls for it.

S01:E04 “Baby, You Can Drive My Car” (4/15/1986)

In this episode we dive a little bit deeper into cousin Larry’s neurotic tendencies. Balki decides he wants to learn to drive and Larry reluctantly agrees not only to be teacher but also to allow Balki to use his car to practice and to take the test. The only issue here is that Larry is insanely protective about his vehicle and Balki behind the wheel makes him just a little bit more than nervous.

In the banter between the two main characters in this episode is classic. Mark linn-baker as Larry plays a brilliant straight man to Bronson Pinchot’s goofy, crazy, off the wall, but completely lovable Balki.

This episode also gets into some further character development. Balki proves to have quite the brain and quite the vision as he proves to be able to read an impossibly tiny bit of text during his eye test and also spends about 10 seconds completing his written test and walks away with a perfect score. I will be interested to see how this new knowledge about Balki plays out in future episodes.

S01:E03 “First Date” (4/8/1986)

Character development abounds in this episode as Balki decides to find a way to get himself a real American date with a real American woman and enlists cousin Larry’s help. We quickly learn about Larry’s debilitating issues with self-esteem and we also learn that he is wildly neurotic.

Mark Linn-Baker does an amazing job in not only further developing his character but also proving that he has some serious acting chops as he both deals with the comically charged antics surrounding Balki’s wild ideas about how to woo women and also exhibits a believable amount of vulnerability when it comes to finally admitting his own misgivings.

We also see Larry basically turning a blind eye to the fact that his attractive neighbor Susan (Lise Cutter) is the perfect woman for him in a lot of ways. They even end up on a double date with Balki (as if the writing on the wall couldn’t have been any more clear).

 

S01:E02 “Picture This” (4/1/1986)

In this episode we learn a little bit more about just how sheltered Balki was in his home country or possibly just how primitive that home country of Mypos is compared to some of the modern conveniences and the ways that Americans live their lives. Two prime examples of this are the fact that Balki is fascinated by a pop top soda can and the fact the Balki has no clue how to respond with anything but kindness when people are obviously taking advantage of his good nature. Some of the cultural differences that Balki experiences now that he is in America as well as his attempts to educate Larry  about the culture of Mypos make for some of the funniest moments in the show.

The premise of this episode is that Larry gets a hot tip from a hotel doorman who tells him that Dolly Parton has a room at the hotel under an assumed name and she is staying with a man who is not her husband. Larry believes that snapping a photo of the two together might be his foot in the door to a newspaper where he dreams of an illustrious career as a photojournalist. Of course Balki involves himself in the scheme and nothing goes completely according to plan and the episode ends with a lesson learned.

One specific thing that this episode really open my eyes to is the fact that, at least for me, TV comedies in the 80s and 90s were written so much better than they are today. Maybe it has something to do with my specific sense of humor, but I have tried and tried and tried and I just can’t get much enjoyment out of modern sitcoms. With Perfect Strangers, however, I burst out laughing several times per episode. Smart writing and great delivery abound.

S01:E01 “Knock, Knock, Who’s There” (3/25/1986)

Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) has just moved to the big city of Chicago with dreams of becoming a photojournalist. This is his very first venture out onto his own after growing up with eight brothers and sisters in a very crowded home.

One evening, while struggling to open a bag of potato chips, Larry hears a knock at the door. The door is opened, introductions are made, and Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot) BOUNDS through the door with a GREAT amount of excitement. Thus, the premise is set for Perfect Strangers.

Balki, it turns out, is Larry Appleton’s distant relative who has just arrived to America from his Mediterranean island country of Mypos. Although at first Larry is apprehensive about taking on Balki as a roommate, a series of comical circumstances bond the two and ultimately see them not only as roommates, but also employed together at a second hand store.

From moment one, it is obvious that Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot were meant to work together. The way in which they each complement the others comedic timing is a joy to watch. Episode one makes you excited to see what kind of hysterical mischief these two can get themselves into and I personally can’t wait to see all of that mischief play out.

Episode one also introduces us to Ernie Sabella as Donald Twinkacetti, the owner of the second hand shop called The Ritz where both Larry and Balki are employed. Twinkacetti embodies the sitcom trope of the comically cruel boss who deep down has a heart of gold. He’s good for a wide variety of one line zingers and also does well to be a set-up man for some of the aforementioned mischief that Larry and Balki find themselves stumbling into all too often.

They say laughter is good medicine and Perfect Strangers episode one left me feeling great and clamoring for more.

Perfect Strangers: A Comprehensive Review

I have apparently taken it upon myself to watch every episode of the late 80’s/early 90’s sitcom “Perfect Strangers” and subsequently review each episode here on this blog. I am not 100% sure what exactly prompted me to take on this task, but I think it probably had something to do with a feeling of nostalgia that randomly and unexpectedly swept over me recently.

This show premiered in 1986 and I was born in 1981, so I don’t think that I took a very serious interest in it during its initial run, but I do remember this being on the television in my home a lot when I was growing up. I can only assume that means that one or both of my parents really enjoyed it and I was therefore subjected to it by proxy. I like to think my folks had/have pretty good taste and that leads me to believe that maybe there’s something to these “Perfect Strangers.”

Please feel free to follow along as I rediscover what cousins Larry and Balki are all about.