While Walter's slap across Maude's face at the end of the the previous episode wasn't hard enough to leave a mark, for some reason she has a black eye the next day. She seems happy thinking that Walter has gotten the sign he needs to quit drinking, and indeed, he does feel horrible especially after Carol expresses her disgust and Phillip shows his love and gratitude for the bicycle he got as a birthday gift. Being his step grandfather yet treated like his real grandfather does make Walter feel all the more guilty.
The fact that domestic violence is discussed with such a lighthearted attitude may raise eyebrows, but obviously, it's played this way for a reason to show that this is a marriage worth saving. Issues at the office leads to Walter taking a drink out of frustration, and it's up to Maude and Arthur to show Walter how he needs help without hurting his pride.
What a way to start the second season with a two-parter like this that is a real pow in the cocktail hour. The fact that Maude and Arthur have a great to try to quit drinking a long with Walter shows their devotion to him as his wife and best friend, and this is a subject that would crop up throughout the series as Walter's past would continue to come back to haunt him.
It's filled with great lines, including the presence of Frank Campanella as a recovering alcoholic priest who loves Maude's reference to Walter being into cleanliness and Campanella being into godliness. When Maude locks Walter in the closet, it looks exactly like the time Bea, as Dorothy on "Golden Girls", locked Rose in the closet. A great conclusion to a classic episode!
The fact that domestic violence is discussed with such a lighthearted attitude may raise eyebrows, but obviously, it's played this way for a reason to show that this is a marriage worth saving. Issues at the office leads to Walter taking a drink out of frustration, and it's up to Maude and Arthur to show Walter how he needs help without hurting his pride.
What a way to start the second season with a two-parter like this that is a real pow in the cocktail hour. The fact that Maude and Arthur have a great to try to quit drinking a long with Walter shows their devotion to him as his wife and best friend, and this is a subject that would crop up throughout the series as Walter's past would continue to come back to haunt him.
It's filled with great lines, including the presence of Frank Campanella as a recovering alcoholic priest who loves Maude's reference to Walter being into cleanliness and Campanella being into godliness. When Maude locks Walter in the closet, it looks exactly like the time Bea, as Dorothy on "Golden Girls", locked Rose in the closet. A great conclusion to a classic episode!
