Doris Roberts is a flirty stewardess. Nipsey Russell is here for a reunion with his Korean war buddies. His old commanding officer is played by the avuncular Vic Tayback. When Vic annoys them with his bugling, the guys foist the Sarge on Doris Roberts. 'Love is hell,' Vic growls. Tom Hanks is Gopher's old college friend. Gopher lies and says he's dating Julie. Tom is immediately all after Julie, of course. It was probably inevitable that we'd get some (feigned) romance between crew members. It really is like seeing a brother and sister kiss. What could go wrong with this deception? Shelley Smith is pregnant. Dennis Cole makes his move. I don't know. Abortion may be too serious a topic for The Love Boat. Will he want a kid? We've seen it before, but the 'window' room where couples sit in front of an ocean view will become increasingly common. This early appearance from Hanks will appeal to someone. I've never been a fan. I will say, to be fair, his real-life heel persona is accurately mirrored here. Shelley Smith will have another appearance in season 9. This is an average episode. On Kafka's Love Boat Scale, this episode gets 2 1/2 * out of a possible 4 *.
