"It's a Dog Life"

"It's a Dog Life"
December 12, 1978
C+

Well, what's going on subliminally in the first scene of this Judy Ervin story is a heck of a lot more engaging than Shirley's and a more reluctant Laverne's protest at the dog pound.  Laverne and the boys have gone looking for Squiggy's Uncle Elliot's dog, Meatball, but Shirley befriends a supposedly vicious dog named Fritz, who's going to be put to sleep soon.  I called it early on that the young cop (Wayne Powers, in his first of four L & S roles) would ask Laverne out, and Shirley smooching Carmine in gratitude was to be expected, but I was of course far more fascinated by the dynamic between Laverne & Lenny, or arguably Marshall & McKean, at the pound.

I can understand Laverne patting Squiggy on the back when he's worried about Meatball, but why are L & L touching and smiling so much?  It makes no sense for the scene or the characters.  I mean, look at Marshall's grin there!  Not only that, but Laverne has a completely different attitude towards Jeffrey the stuffed lizard than she did in the first "Hi, Neighbor" episode, now holding it and explaining it to the authorities, and if this isn't Freudian television, then I need to turn in my degree from six years at Robert Hartley University.

Murphy Dunne is a nameless reporter here and would have two more parts on the show.