Quite simply, this is one of the ten best episodes of All In The Family. The show had tackled the Vietnam War in past episode discussions, but nothing like this and nothing like one of the most heated debates of this or any era. Mike's friend David (Renny Temple) drops in for a surprise visit during the Christmas holidays. Originally from Chicago, he's been living in Canada. The nervous audience reaction upon this reveal is chilling over 40 years later. Archie's announcement that his old friend, and sometime foil, Pinky Peterson (Eugene Roche) will be joining them too, adds another layer of tension. Pinky's son Steve was killed in Vietnam. The way shows like AITF, and to a greater extent M*A*S*H, blended comedy and dramatic commentary together, was incredible. It created powerful television. Carroll O'Connor gives a riveting, heart wrenching, performance. Archie's anger, frustration, and outright contempt for David mirrors so many men of a certain age. David's firm, strident objections represented so many young men who chose the path he took. In one of the shows' most devastating scenes, O'Connor delivers a line that literally had to be censored prior to air. Roche's counter point to Archie's tirade, which was classic Archie, so much so, you can tell the audience was almost feeling guilty laughing at times, gets to the heart of the divisiveness that was the Vietnam War. The way the episode ends, with Edith trying to talk Archie back to the dinner table, is one full of emotion and a touch of sadness. An episode not to be missed, and when you're finished watching, study up on why this topic was and remains so volatile to this day.
5 Reviews
Makes me cry every damn time (and correcting an error in someone else's review)
pandabrmom118 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know how much more I can add that the other two reviews haven't covered...but this has to be one of the finest All in the Family episodes, even after all these years. And even after seeing it multiple times (it's one of our Christmas TV traditions), Pinky's brief but touching speech makes me cry every time.
The one thing I do have to say is, although I agree with some of his review, the reviewer who said that Archie was not invited back to the table, as David was, was incorrect. I'm not sure if he was watching a cut off version of the episode (some All in the Family re-runs are cut for time) but here's how the end really goes:
Pinky makes his speech, welcoming David to the table, prompting Edith to say her classic "You know what I think we ought to do now? I think we oughta eat."
Archie, confused and upset, says he has to think this through and everyone else should eat. He does begin to go off, presumably to sit in his chair, as everyone picks at the food and then stops entirely, unable to eat without Archie.
Edith then stops Archie and begs him to come back to the table, saying "Archie, you asked Pinky what to do, and you see what he's doing. You ought to do the same." Archie reluctantly comes back to the table, after Edith begs him to do it for her, but he does not sit, saying he can't eat, as he has to work this through (with a minor comedic moment, when Edith offers Archie the drumstick. Archie refuses, so Mike reaches for it, only for Archie to stop him, hurriedly saying "Leave it on the plate, leave it on the plate.")
Archie then says they'll have dinner, but after dinner he still has to work this out. And...in another comedic moment, he says "You better remind me to do that, Edith." (She promises she will, and kisses him.)
The family and guests slowly begin to start having dinner, with Gloria placing food on Archie's plate...when carolers come to the door.
Archie gets up...and in true Archie fashion, says (in a much more polite tone than usual...because...well...Christmas!) "Hey, we're all tryin' to eat a Christmas dinner here. Will youse all shut up?"
They wish him Merry Christmas and he says "Yeah, alright, yeah, alright, merry Christmas to all of youse dere. But keep it down, huh? I don't wanna hafta call a cop on ya."
The door closes, showing a wreath with a peace banner on it. Fin.
I don't really see this as "Archie's alone with his unpopular opinion, not invited to join in by the rest" but rather, a man who has to work out his feelings about a subject which has consumed a large part of his psyche for some time, and who has to do some thinking about about how Pinky's observations on the subject fit into his own view of the world. Archie's a man who has to "work this whole thing out" and who, with more self awareness than he sometimes shows, knows it.
Why was it Edith who welcomed him back (and begged him to return) to the family table and not one or more of the others? Well...Teresa (who is a boarder, and who said nothing when Archie and David were at odds), and Pinky (who is a guest, and who also said nothing until his opinion was asked) would of course not get involved in trying to welcome Archie back to the table. Too awkward for non-family members.
Nor would David and Mike whose presence and opinions were what Archie was at odds with.
Gloria could have, but there are a million reasons why she wouldn't have (Mostly...this wasn't her style in other episodes, so why would she here?)
No...as always, it's Edith who reaches out to bring her upset husband back into the family fold, as she's done in many other episodes (and with other family members in similar circumstances.)
When the door finally closes on this episode, we can assume, although Archie may not be the jolly Christmas prankster we saw at the beginning of the episode, and even though their differences haven't been resolved, he will have settled back into his family as he always does...and hopefully, Edith will indeed remind him to "work this out" later!
In all...a wonderful, funny, touching episode of an amazing series that proves that they just don't make shows like they used to. Those were the days, indeed.
The one thing I do have to say is, although I agree with some of his review, the reviewer who said that Archie was not invited back to the table, as David was, was incorrect. I'm not sure if he was watching a cut off version of the episode (some All in the Family re-runs are cut for time) but here's how the end really goes:
Pinky makes his speech, welcoming David to the table, prompting Edith to say her classic "You know what I think we ought to do now? I think we oughta eat."
Archie, confused and upset, says he has to think this through and everyone else should eat. He does begin to go off, presumably to sit in his chair, as everyone picks at the food and then stops entirely, unable to eat without Archie.
Edith then stops Archie and begs him to come back to the table, saying "Archie, you asked Pinky what to do, and you see what he's doing. You ought to do the same." Archie reluctantly comes back to the table, after Edith begs him to do it for her, but he does not sit, saying he can't eat, as he has to work this through (with a minor comedic moment, when Edith offers Archie the drumstick. Archie refuses, so Mike reaches for it, only for Archie to stop him, hurriedly saying "Leave it on the plate, leave it on the plate.")
Archie then says they'll have dinner, but after dinner he still has to work this out. And...in another comedic moment, he says "You better remind me to do that, Edith." (She promises she will, and kisses him.)
The family and guests slowly begin to start having dinner, with Gloria placing food on Archie's plate...when carolers come to the door.
Archie gets up...and in true Archie fashion, says (in a much more polite tone than usual...because...well...Christmas!) "Hey, we're all tryin' to eat a Christmas dinner here. Will youse all shut up?"
They wish him Merry Christmas and he says "Yeah, alright, yeah, alright, merry Christmas to all of youse dere. But keep it down, huh? I don't wanna hafta call a cop on ya."
The door closes, showing a wreath with a peace banner on it. Fin.
I don't really see this as "Archie's alone with his unpopular opinion, not invited to join in by the rest" but rather, a man who has to work out his feelings about a subject which has consumed a large part of his psyche for some time, and who has to do some thinking about about how Pinky's observations on the subject fit into his own view of the world. Archie's a man who has to "work this whole thing out" and who, with more self awareness than he sometimes shows, knows it.
Why was it Edith who welcomed him back (and begged him to return) to the family table and not one or more of the others? Well...Teresa (who is a boarder, and who said nothing when Archie and David were at odds), and Pinky (who is a guest, and who also said nothing until his opinion was asked) would of course not get involved in trying to welcome Archie back to the table. Too awkward for non-family members.
Nor would David and Mike whose presence and opinions were what Archie was at odds with.
Gloria could have, but there are a million reasons why she wouldn't have (Mostly...this wasn't her style in other episodes, so why would she here?)
No...as always, it's Edith who reaches out to bring her upset husband back into the family fold, as she's done in many other episodes (and with other family members in similar circumstances.)
When the door finally closes on this episode, we can assume, although Archie may not be the jolly Christmas prankster we saw at the beginning of the episode, and even though their differences haven't been resolved, he will have settled back into his family as he always does...and hopefully, Edith will indeed remind him to "work this out" later!
In all...a wonderful, funny, touching episode of an amazing series that proves that they just don't make shows like they used to. Those were the days, indeed.
Compelling
richard.fuller18 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Archie invites his war hero friend, Pinky, played by Eugene Roche, to Christmas dinner.
By chance, Mike's friend, David, who is a draft-dodger and was in Canada, also shows up for dinner.
Typical Bunkerisms ensue, with Archie protesting over David's presence.
In the end, Pinky welcomes David to the table, wanting to show openness.
Mike, Gloria, David, Edith and Pinky all sit and eat, leaving Archie standing off and alone.
That this aired Christmas of '76 is also remarkable, but in the end, it was all Bunker and it was all O'Conner.
I don't know if Archie was supposed to be wronged at the end of the episode, but today it watches as a man standing by his convictions, regardless of what the majority says.
Archie goes hungry while everyone else eats.
Truly the saddest thing was no one welcomed Archie to the table as well. Pinky could bring David to dine even tho they disagreed politically, the same couldn't be done for Archie. Not by Mike, not by Edith. This is the show's shame.
But O'Conner brought it all above that. Truly, you would have to see the episode to hear Bunker's opinion, enraged and unyielding.
Brilliant.
By chance, Mike's friend, David, who is a draft-dodger and was in Canada, also shows up for dinner.
Typical Bunkerisms ensue, with Archie protesting over David's presence.
In the end, Pinky welcomes David to the table, wanting to show openness.
Mike, Gloria, David, Edith and Pinky all sit and eat, leaving Archie standing off and alone.
That this aired Christmas of '76 is also remarkable, but in the end, it was all Bunker and it was all O'Conner.
I don't know if Archie was supposed to be wronged at the end of the episode, but today it watches as a man standing by his convictions, regardless of what the majority says.
Archie goes hungry while everyone else eats.
Truly the saddest thing was no one welcomed Archie to the table as well. Pinky could bring David to dine even tho they disagreed politically, the same couldn't be done for Archie. Not by Mike, not by Edith. This is the show's shame.
But O'Conner brought it all above that. Truly, you would have to see the episode to hear Bunker's opinion, enraged and unyielding.
Brilliant.
Classic TV Xmas Countdown Episode #3
kgraovac20 December 2023
The Bunkers and the Stivics have guests for Xmas dinner: Archie's buddy Pinky who lost his only son in Vietnam, and Mike's college pal David, who moved to Canada to avoid the draft. What could go wrong?
This is a fantastic installment. It is the series' best holiday episode and it's most powerful - even more so than Edith's cancer scare back in Season 4. It's cute seeing Edith get a little buzz going on from the eggnog. Archie's Xmas toast to Michael is funny and a little double entendre. The highlight is the dinner scene where the truth is about to come out thanks to Edith's loose lips. Gloria's discomfort at the brewing storm is especially palpable. When Archie finally blows, it is spine-tingling.
The bit with Archie's gag gift for Pinky is overdone, so I am removing one star for that, but everything else in the script flows perfectly and switches from drama to humor and back again in a heartbeat.
A holiday classic with a powerful message about truth, acceptance, and forgiveness. 9/10.
This is a fantastic installment. It is the series' best holiday episode and it's most powerful - even more so than Edith's cancer scare back in Season 4. It's cute seeing Edith get a little buzz going on from the eggnog. Archie's Xmas toast to Michael is funny and a little double entendre. The highlight is the dinner scene where the truth is about to come out thanks to Edith's loose lips. Gloria's discomfort at the brewing storm is especially palpable. When Archie finally blows, it is spine-tingling.
The bit with Archie's gag gift for Pinky is overdone, so I am removing one star for that, but everything else in the script flows perfectly and switches from drama to humor and back again in a heartbeat.
A holiday classic with a powerful message about truth, acceptance, and forgiveness. 9/10.
Caught in a Draft
ExplorerDS678918 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Christmas time was sadly never a happy time for the Bunkers nor the Stivics, as no matter how much they plan, bad luck just keeps showing up at the worst, possible times. Christmas '72: Archie didn't get his bonus over a simple mistake, and in '74, Edith was diagnosed with breast cancer, but thankfully it was benign. Now here we are Christmas 1976, and sadly, this will not be a happy holiday either. A certain someone is invited to sit down with the family for Christmas and when it's discovered just who this person is and what he's done, tempers flare up and a heated political debate is launched. The day started off nice enough, Edith was preparing the lovely Christmas supper while Archie was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his old pal, Pinky Peterson, who would be joining them. He even bought Pinky a little holiday token, which he attempts to demonstrate to Edith: a battery operated Santa head that blinks and, for reasons only known to the inventor, sticks its tongue out repeatedly. My dirty mind tells me that this thing doubles as a sex toy. Anyway, you're supposed to pull the tie and Santy does "something funny." Long story short it squirts water all over Archie, and they thought this gag was so funny, they did it three times! First Edith, then Mike, and then Pinky, and all three times, Archie gets doused with water instead of the intended target, and each time he recites the same spiel word-for-word as if echoing the salesman who suckered him into buying the stupid thing. Well, gags aside, the Bunkers' first guest is a young man named David, a friend of Mike's who has come visiting from Canada. Mike is both elated and surprised to see his old school chum and, for Edith's viewing pleasure, they reenact a skit in which they play a German doctor and patient. Guess nobody told them that vaudeville is dead, and it wasn't just motion pictures that killed it. The way Mike and Gloria act around David as well as his perceived nervousness gives him a real 'wanted man' vibe, like are they harboring a fugitive? In a way, kinda, he's a draft dodger, but we'll get into that later. Archie agrees to let David join them for dinner, and they keep trying to make his hometown secret, like they don't want to come right out and say Canada, lest it might make Archie immediately think draft dodger. Speaking of keeping things on the QT, it turns out that Pinky lost his son in the Vietnam War so everyone is instructed to avoid the subject or steer the conversation away from young Steve, should Pinky bring him up. A draft dodger and a bereaved father who lost his son in the war, dinner would get very awkward very fast if the cat was let out of the bag.
Before anyone had a chance to start eating dinner, Archie comes straight out and asks David why he was living in Canada, and instead of just lying and saying a logging job, he replies, "freedom." Instead of just letting it go, Archie just keeps pushing the issue, so the young man comes clean and admits to being a draft dodger. Subterfuge is clearly not a word in this man's vocabulary. When Archie gets the truth, he's furious, and even angrier when David admits to writing the president on his stance about the war, and when Mike tries to curtail the situation by saying David had guts to do what he did and says the war was wrong, Archie blows like a volcano, screaming that David was wrong for not doing his patriotic duty and rants and raves like a madman, indirectly admitting that the methods used by the selective service are wrong. At least that's what I got out of it. Pinky voices his opinion on the subject, which Archie values a great deal, until he hears that while Pinky understands his feelings, he also understands David's, saying that his own son hated the war, but went anyway and was tragically killed. He says he was glad to sit down to dinner with David as he was sure Steve would too. That should've taken care of things, but Archie wasn't so sure. He was reluctant to resume dinner, but Edith managed to sway him. If anything, it was to keep the Meathead from eating the drumstick. But this dark cloud may have a silver lining as when he hears carolers at the door, Archie goes out and asks them to keep it down lest he calls the cops on them. Ah, now there's the Archie Bunker we all know and love. I think he'll be just fine.
So that was "The Draft Dodger", a very well-acted and well-written episode of All in the Family. It doesn't take a heavy-handed approach to the issue or hit the audience over the head, it presents all sides and they're heard equally. It's one of the series' best received episodes and it has earned that spot. In fact, they tried to reenact it back in 2019 when they did "Live in Front of a Studio Audience." Remember, when live TV temporarily became a thing, because networks ran out of creative ideas and looked to cash in on existing IPs? They reenacted episodes of The Jeffersons and Good Times, with new actors playing the roles. Woody Harrelson had the honor of playing Archie Bunker in the Draft Dodger reenactment, and let me tell you, he didn't even come close to matching Carroll O'Connor's intensity in that blow up scene. I know comparing the two actors isn't fair as Woody had big shoes to fill, but in the original, you can hear the fury and rage in Archie's voice, like this really affects him personally. Woody is a decent actor, but this was a bit out of his league. No matter, it was just the networks trying for a quick buck because no one watches regular TV anymore. Why? Because it sucks, is unoriginal, and they're too damned scared to take any chances. Anyway, back to All in the Family. As for the things I like: the acting and the performances, the things I didn't like was the water squirting Santa gag, I thought that got old real quick, and finally, though she doesn't do much here, this is another episode to feature the character of Teresa. When the Meathead moved out, the show's writers felt Archie should have a new foil under his roof to butt heads with. And who did they get? The sassy receptionist from when Archie went to the hospital for a transfusion. Let me state right now that as far as Teresa goes, I hate her. I hated that character from the moment she first appeared on screen. She's not funny, she's not quirky, she's annoying, she's poorly written and, while I mean no personal offense to Liz Torres, she's poorly acted. Thank heavens she disappeared in Season 7 without a trace. Maybe she was finally deported. So, in closing, I definitely recommend "The Draft Dodger." It's a fantastic episode to watch around Christmas, or any time of the year. Maybe you hate war, maybe you love it, maybe you know someone who was affected by it, either way, you'll love this story. One more thing: it was around the time of its airing that President Jimmy Carter pardoned all the draft dodgers. Guess David won't have to live in Canada anymore, and I'm sure Archie screamed even louder when he heard that. Anyways, Merry Christmas, all!
Before anyone had a chance to start eating dinner, Archie comes straight out and asks David why he was living in Canada, and instead of just lying and saying a logging job, he replies, "freedom." Instead of just letting it go, Archie just keeps pushing the issue, so the young man comes clean and admits to being a draft dodger. Subterfuge is clearly not a word in this man's vocabulary. When Archie gets the truth, he's furious, and even angrier when David admits to writing the president on his stance about the war, and when Mike tries to curtail the situation by saying David had guts to do what he did and says the war was wrong, Archie blows like a volcano, screaming that David was wrong for not doing his patriotic duty and rants and raves like a madman, indirectly admitting that the methods used by the selective service are wrong. At least that's what I got out of it. Pinky voices his opinion on the subject, which Archie values a great deal, until he hears that while Pinky understands his feelings, he also understands David's, saying that his own son hated the war, but went anyway and was tragically killed. He says he was glad to sit down to dinner with David as he was sure Steve would too. That should've taken care of things, but Archie wasn't so sure. He was reluctant to resume dinner, but Edith managed to sway him. If anything, it was to keep the Meathead from eating the drumstick. But this dark cloud may have a silver lining as when he hears carolers at the door, Archie goes out and asks them to keep it down lest he calls the cops on them. Ah, now there's the Archie Bunker we all know and love. I think he'll be just fine.
So that was "The Draft Dodger", a very well-acted and well-written episode of All in the Family. It doesn't take a heavy-handed approach to the issue or hit the audience over the head, it presents all sides and they're heard equally. It's one of the series' best received episodes and it has earned that spot. In fact, they tried to reenact it back in 2019 when they did "Live in Front of a Studio Audience." Remember, when live TV temporarily became a thing, because networks ran out of creative ideas and looked to cash in on existing IPs? They reenacted episodes of The Jeffersons and Good Times, with new actors playing the roles. Woody Harrelson had the honor of playing Archie Bunker in the Draft Dodger reenactment, and let me tell you, he didn't even come close to matching Carroll O'Connor's intensity in that blow up scene. I know comparing the two actors isn't fair as Woody had big shoes to fill, but in the original, you can hear the fury and rage in Archie's voice, like this really affects him personally. Woody is a decent actor, but this was a bit out of his league. No matter, it was just the networks trying for a quick buck because no one watches regular TV anymore. Why? Because it sucks, is unoriginal, and they're too damned scared to take any chances. Anyway, back to All in the Family. As for the things I like: the acting and the performances, the things I didn't like was the water squirting Santa gag, I thought that got old real quick, and finally, though she doesn't do much here, this is another episode to feature the character of Teresa. When the Meathead moved out, the show's writers felt Archie should have a new foil under his roof to butt heads with. And who did they get? The sassy receptionist from when Archie went to the hospital for a transfusion. Let me state right now that as far as Teresa goes, I hate her. I hated that character from the moment she first appeared on screen. She's not funny, she's not quirky, she's annoying, she's poorly written and, while I mean no personal offense to Liz Torres, she's poorly acted. Thank heavens she disappeared in Season 7 without a trace. Maybe she was finally deported. So, in closing, I definitely recommend "The Draft Dodger." It's a fantastic episode to watch around Christmas, or any time of the year. Maybe you hate war, maybe you love it, maybe you know someone who was affected by it, either way, you'll love this story. One more thing: it was around the time of its airing that President Jimmy Carter pardoned all the draft dodgers. Guess David won't have to live in Canada anymore, and I'm sure Archie screamed even louder when he heard that. Anyways, Merry Christmas, all!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
