Designing Women (TV Series) Shovel Off to Buffalo (1993) User Reviews

Another Stinker in Season 7

[kgraovac · 5/10 · 26 June 2022]

This episode would not be as bad as it is, if not for the scene where Mary Jo goes on local TV pretending to be a faith healer due to the face of Elvis appearing on her snow shovel.

This show has done quirky storylines before, but they were always able to make them hilarious. This late in the run, the writers seem to be throwing anything and everything out there, no matter how ludicrous. The biggest problem is that it's NOT funny and just plain dumb, as seen here.

The highlight is when BJ grabs the shovel, which seems to have a mind of its' own--then sikes everyone out with an Elvis impersonation. Also, the episode is noteworthy for the appearance of Peri Gilpin, just a few months before FRASIER debuted on NBC.

The shovel of Shively and the jaws of Julia.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 18 December 2022]

A wacky story doesn't necessarily mean a good sitcom episode, and this one isn't among my favorites, even though it does have some good lines and funny moments, particularly B. J. becoming all shook up when she grabs the shovel that apparently has Elvis's face on it, and Bernice's reminiscing about seeing Paul Newman's face on a bottle of salad dressing. Other than that, the plotline is rather odd, but does make a point about how weird people come over situations that are merely coincidences and not based on anything truly paranormal. Mary Jo also has a blooper in her line regarding the movie "Blue Hawaii", mentioning Ann-Margret who isn't even in the film. After the women all mocked Julia for the way she said "I don't think so" in the previous episode, but audience gets to hear how she really says it here. This does indicate how desperate the writers were to extend the series beyond its selling date, and this is one of the signs of desperation that resulted in falling ratings.