I must strongly disagree with the other reviewers. On the contrary, I think this is one of the BEST episodes WKRP did. Here, WKRP chose, for one episode, to step out of its comfort zone to deal, very sensitively, with a real-life tragedy.
Should they have left the whole thing alone? I don't see how that's possible. Considering this tragedy occurred in the city where the show is set, I don't see how they could have NOT dealt with it.
The structure of the episode is designed to contrast the excitement before the concert with the stunned soul-searching afterwards. If the transition from one to the other is a little abrupt, well, this is only a half-hour show, after all. I don't think there was meant to be any real dramatic tension in the episode-just an examination of how different people respond to a terrible event.
I agree that "lost their lives" was a sensitive, appropriate euphemism for "died". No problem there.
One reviewer states that his "foggy memory" of the episode is not the issue. I would (very respectfully) beg to differ. At one point, he says the episode does not mention that the victims were killed in a crowd stampede. I submit, from when the staff is filling Mr. Carlson in on what happened: ANDY: There was some reserved seating... VENUS: ...but mostly general admission-what they call, "festival seating". JOHNNY: It was you'd call your basic STAMPEDE (my emphasis).
The episode makes no bones about holding the policy of general admission, or festival seating, at fault for the incident. It ends on a hopeful note, with the dialogue between Carlson and Venus about making sure nothing like that ever happens again, Carlson mentioning that there has been talk about setting up a commission to look into what happened. CARLSON: But it's not just talk, Venus. This town's gonna do it. Oh, this is a good town, Venus. We're responsible people here. This leads into the voice over/on screen epilogue explaining what happened in the wake of the tragedy.
In all, I think this episode, a departure from WKRP's norm, was well-written and acted-one of WKRP's prouder moments.
Should they have left the whole thing alone? I don't see how that's possible. Considering this tragedy occurred in the city where the show is set, I don't see how they could have NOT dealt with it.
The structure of the episode is designed to contrast the excitement before the concert with the stunned soul-searching afterwards. If the transition from one to the other is a little abrupt, well, this is only a half-hour show, after all. I don't think there was meant to be any real dramatic tension in the episode-just an examination of how different people respond to a terrible event.
I agree that "lost their lives" was a sensitive, appropriate euphemism for "died". No problem there.
One reviewer states that his "foggy memory" of the episode is not the issue. I would (very respectfully) beg to differ. At one point, he says the episode does not mention that the victims were killed in a crowd stampede. I submit, from when the staff is filling Mr. Carlson in on what happened: ANDY: There was some reserved seating... VENUS: ...but mostly general admission-what they call, "festival seating". JOHNNY: It was you'd call your basic STAMPEDE (my emphasis).
The episode makes no bones about holding the policy of general admission, or festival seating, at fault for the incident. It ends on a hopeful note, with the dialogue between Carlson and Venus about making sure nothing like that ever happens again, Carlson mentioning that there has been talk about setting up a commission to look into what happened. CARLSON: But it's not just talk, Venus. This town's gonna do it. Oh, this is a good town, Venus. We're responsible people here. This leads into the voice over/on screen epilogue explaining what happened in the wake of the tragedy.
In all, I think this episode, a departure from WKRP's norm, was well-written and acted-one of WKRP's prouder moments.