Season 5, Episode 6: “Draw Me a Pear”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Art Baer and Ben Joelson
Originally aired October 20, 1965
Recap: Rob and Laura decide to attend an art class together in the evenings, but things get complicated when the teacher seems interested in Rob for more than just his artistic talents!
Reaction: Episode 5 showed us jealous Rob, and this one shows us jealous Laura. Unfortunately, this episode isn’t quite as much fun as the fifth! It’s got a couple of laughs (the paintings of the other students at the first art class, the scene in which Rob tries to paint a portrait of the teacher by touching her face). The middle of the episode is dull, but the beginning and end are enjoyable.
Favorite quote/moment: “Honey, you’re lookin’ at an art school dropout!”
Season 5, Episode 7: “The Great Petrie Fortune”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Ernest Chambers and Jay Burton
Originally aired October 27, 1965
Recap: Rob’s great uncle passes away, and Rob is invited to the reading of the will, even though they hadn’t seen each other in years. The lawyer shows the Petries a video which leads Rob to believe that there’s hidden family treasure to be found somewhere.
Reaction: Dick Van Dyke is very funny in old-age makeup as Rob’s great uncle. Rob and Laura’s search through the desk that Uncle Hez left to Rob is also very exciting. They find some odd stuff – a confederate bond from the Civil War, an antique box of kidney pills, a large doorknob that Laura mistakes for a diamond. The mystery of what great wealth they’ll find keeps the episode moving along at a pretty fast pace, and really keeps the viewer guessing.
Favorite quote/moment: The video from “Uncle Hez” + “Rob, that looks like…” “The real Raymond Massey.”
Season 5, Episode 8: “Odd But True”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson
Originally aired November 3, 1965
Recap: When Rob realizes that the freckles on his back make the shape of the Liberty Bell, Millie suggests that he submit a story about them for a column on the topic of weird facts.
Reaction: An episode very light in story and mood. There’s no real conflict — just a few chuckles and a slightly ridiculous premise. It kind of feels like a “filler” episode but isn’t a bad one at all. There’s some added fun when Rob and Laura visit the office of the oddities column, where they meet a man with a duck-shaped potato, a woman with a dog that doesn’t eat, and a man who walked on his hands all the way from Buffalo! Easy viewing.
Favorite quote/moment: Millie saying that they should take a picture of Rob’s back because it’s “living history” + Rob thinking that Millie and Laura have been drinking when they try to tell him about his freckles + Rob calling himself “artistically and patriotically freckled”
Season 5, Episode 9: “Viva Petrie”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by John Whedon
Originally aired November 10, 1965
Recap: Maria, a former maid to the Petries, is trying to help her boyfriend find a job. She asks for the Petries to help her, but there’s just one problem: his only job experience is as a bullfighter.
Reaction: Season 3 flashback! Maria was first introduced in Season 3, Episode 11, in which Rob hired her to help out once a week around the house… and she thought she was supposed to be a live-in maid! The scenario repeats itself when Manuel shows up at the Petrie house thinking that he’s supposed to move in with them. Rob and Laura soon become suspicious that he may be lying about his past as a bullfighter. The episode is decent — Rob and Laura’s suspicion is driven by the fact that they care for Maria, not by any sort of prejudice against Manuel. Joby Baker makes a fun guest star.
Favorite quote/moment: Manuel reenacting a bullfight with Laura’s apron + Sally getting excited to meet Manuel
Season 5, Episode 10: “Go Tell the Birds and the Bees”
Directed by Jerry Paris
Written by Rich Mittleman
Originally aired November 17, 1965
Recap: The Petries are surprised to discover that Ritchie has been lecturing his classmates about “the birds and the bees.”
Reaction: Richie’s version of the “birds and bees” story is absolutely hilarious. Leave a quarter under your pillow, and when Mr. Cabbage comes and takes the coin away, he will bring a baby, which is grown in a pink or blue pumpkin in the middle of a vegetable patch. As it turns out, the story was concocted by Rob’s dad, who told the same story to Rob when he was a child. Once they figure out how Richie got his story, Rob and Laura must tell him the truth — an awkward conversation they both struggle with. This is another of those episodes that takes a common scenario from life (in this case, from parenting) and exaggerates it, making the scenario relatable but also much funnier than it would be in the real world.
Favorite quote/moment: The principal telling Rob and Laura about Ritchie’s story
The Motion Pictures 