The final installment in the series finds Mary's cousin Wally (Dick Patterson) moving in with the Lindseys. He has just graduated from a salesmanship school, but doubts his abilities. The Space Age Pajamas salesman is hopeful to gain what would be a major account from Mr. Merrill (character actor Willard Waterman) or Mr. Bennet (Lauren Gilbert). Peter is perturbed to find his lawn filled with storefront signs and shocked to enter inside and find an actual, busy store. He has Wally send everyone away, but allows him to stay on if he doesn't do it again. Wally gifts them, and Wilma, with a set of pajamas. They unknowingly are serving as models for Wally to show Mr. Bennet where he claims he's rented to show a natural setting. Peter finds what is going on and interjects his place. Wally guilt trips him into allowing him to stay and target Mr. Merrill- an elaborate rouse that will involve quite the act from Peter and Wilma.
Reflecting upon the series after reviewing each episode, "Peter Loves Mary" never found a groove. It shows that familiarity doesn't always breed success. The leads really were lifelong husband and wife performers. They did have a boy and a girl and they did live in the New York suburbs. They were playing their actual lives. Yet, ironically, throughout the series it struggled to find an identity. The first two episodes were good and revolved around Peter's reluctance to accept living in the suburbs. Then suddenly the concept is instantly dropped and it seems from then on no one quite knew what to do with the scripts. Storylines were poorly developed. Attempts to be a zany sitcom missed by being too unrealistic without the comedy to offset it. I found many so contrived they were hard to watch. Yet, some episodes surprised with being pretty good with genuine laughs. There was an unusual stretch where episodes were either decidedly good or bad.
The kids never clicked and often went on an extended period of being non-existent. Not everyone can enjoy Peter Lind Hayes' droll style of comedy. It's maybe so relaxed at times that it's missed by some. The best laughs came with Howard Smith's character Horace who developed into a good source of comedy for the series when given lines to work with. Not surprisingly, some of the best and sharpest episodes involved him. However, he emphasized a somewhat frustrating recurring theme in the series in that no one seems to consult anyone before rushing into something on their behalf. Viewers know what gold Bea Benaderet can be, but unfortunately she wasn't given much on this series. Beyond the bad, there are a number of good episodes (namely "The Suburbanites", "The Best Women", and "The Aptitude Test") offering a silver lining.
Reflecting upon the series after reviewing each episode, "Peter Loves Mary" never found a groove. It shows that familiarity doesn't always breed success. The leads really were lifelong husband and wife performers. They did have a boy and a girl and they did live in the New York suburbs. They were playing their actual lives. Yet, ironically, throughout the series it struggled to find an identity. The first two episodes were good and revolved around Peter's reluctance to accept living in the suburbs. Then suddenly the concept is instantly dropped and it seems from then on no one quite knew what to do with the scripts. Storylines were poorly developed. Attempts to be a zany sitcom missed by being too unrealistic without the comedy to offset it. I found many so contrived they were hard to watch. Yet, some episodes surprised with being pretty good with genuine laughs. There was an unusual stretch where episodes were either decidedly good or bad.
The kids never clicked and often went on an extended period of being non-existent. Not everyone can enjoy Peter Lind Hayes' droll style of comedy. It's maybe so relaxed at times that it's missed by some. The best laughs came with Howard Smith's character Horace who developed into a good source of comedy for the series when given lines to work with. Not surprisingly, some of the best and sharpest episodes involved him. However, he emphasized a somewhat frustrating recurring theme in the series in that no one seems to consult anyone before rushing into something on their behalf. Viewers know what gold Bea Benaderet can be, but unfortunately she wasn't given much on this series. Beyond the bad, there are a number of good episodes (namely "The Suburbanites", "The Best Women", and "The Aptitude Test") offering a silver lining.