The well titled "Forgive Us Our Debits" presents a frightening premise for any potential credit card owner. Shirley buys a $29 cuckoo clock from Bartlett's department store, receiving a computer-generated bill that lists the price as $290. Alan Oppenheimer (his second of three appearances) plays manager Mr. Atwater, introducing Shirley to their new computer 1984z, operated by Tom Baker (John David Carson), who programs the correction himself. Vic Tayback plays a collection agent, demanding that Shirley hand over the $2900 'big ones' owed to Barlett's department store! Even the plumber (Lou Frizzell) insists she pay up front as, according to their new computer system, she's "a deadbeat!" Keith, Laurie, and Danny decide to sneak some new information into the lying 1984z, and, incredibly, escape punishment for their well meaning deception. This gives us our only look at John David Carson, who was nearly cast as Keith Partridge, plus the third and last for Vic Tayback. The featured song is "Maybe Someday," composed by Austin Roberts and John Hill, from sixth LP NOTEBOOK. Roberts scored a couple of hit singles of his own, 1972's "Something's Wrong with Me" and 1975's "Rocky."
2 Reviews
People, yes! Computers, no!
scowl25 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Literally the only episode of the Partridge Family I can remember seeing. Why? It's so reactionary to computers it paints them not just as a passing fad, but as a threat we must react to.
Who is willing to defend the future here? Keith for some reason. When the department store bill arrives announcing faster and better service in "the computer age", Keith oddly asks "I wonder what computer they're using." This is of course to set up something later. When they see they got a bill for $290 instead of $29, Keith again defends the heartless machine correctly explaining "It wasn't the computer's fault. It was the guy who programmed it."
We then travel to the department store and see the subservient man to the machine, a Mr. Byron Atwater who loves loves loves his new mainframe even though they've given him a cheap noisy teletype instead of a video terminal. We then move on to a young fellow named Tom Baker to solve the billing error. Even though he wears a lab coat in the computer room like a scientist, he explains "I feed the billing information to it through this typewriter here." Typewriter? You know it's going to go bad.
No surprise that Mr. Baker, oh I mean the computer, makes things worse obviously out of spite. The Partridge Family has now angered what someday would be called "The Beast". Computers everywhere have turned against them. They have destroyed the family's credit rating and identified them as deadbeats. Protesters put the war in Vietnam aside to picket the department store. After an apparent victory, the computers strike back and have their furniture repossessed.
While the situation being straightened out and their furniture is being returned, Keith decides to take revenge. He reads the computer manual (which apparently includes the billing software) and hacks into the mainframe. Since modems were too expensive back then, Keith's hacking is simply walking into the room that's labeled "Computer Room" and doing something while his sister lures Baker away for sex (implied!). Within minutes Keith has used the computer to steal $50,000 from the department store.
You might think stealing $50,000 would be a serious crime but the early 70's were a time of legal ambiguity, with the turmoil in the Middle East, Vice President Agnew's corruption and resignation, and of course the Watergate scandal. Crime was only a crime if it didn't lead to a happy ending for everyone involved. Even Shirley winks at her kids when she realizes they were behind the theft. What a time that was!
Who is willing to defend the future here? Keith for some reason. When the department store bill arrives announcing faster and better service in "the computer age", Keith oddly asks "I wonder what computer they're using." This is of course to set up something later. When they see they got a bill for $290 instead of $29, Keith again defends the heartless machine correctly explaining "It wasn't the computer's fault. It was the guy who programmed it."
We then travel to the department store and see the subservient man to the machine, a Mr. Byron Atwater who loves loves loves his new mainframe even though they've given him a cheap noisy teletype instead of a video terminal. We then move on to a young fellow named Tom Baker to solve the billing error. Even though he wears a lab coat in the computer room like a scientist, he explains "I feed the billing information to it through this typewriter here." Typewriter? You know it's going to go bad.
No surprise that Mr. Baker, oh I mean the computer, makes things worse obviously out of spite. The Partridge Family has now angered what someday would be called "The Beast". Computers everywhere have turned against them. They have destroyed the family's credit rating and identified them as deadbeats. Protesters put the war in Vietnam aside to picket the department store. After an apparent victory, the computers strike back and have their furniture repossessed.
While the situation being straightened out and their furniture is being returned, Keith decides to take revenge. He reads the computer manual (which apparently includes the billing software) and hacks into the mainframe. Since modems were too expensive back then, Keith's hacking is simply walking into the room that's labeled "Computer Room" and doing something while his sister lures Baker away for sex (implied!). Within minutes Keith has used the computer to steal $50,000 from the department store.
You might think stealing $50,000 would be a serious crime but the early 70's were a time of legal ambiguity, with the turmoil in the Middle East, Vice President Agnew's corruption and resignation, and of course the Watergate scandal. Crime was only a crime if it didn't lead to a happy ending for everyone involved. Even Shirley winks at her kids when she realizes they were behind the theft. What a time that was!
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