In the second season premiere, “Is There a Doctor in the House?” we learn that Joan has died. Naturally, Tom struggles with becoming a wider with eight kids. However, it’s not long before he finds love again. After Tommy breaks his ankle during a family football game and must stay home from school for five weeks. His tutor, Sandra Sue Abbott (Betty Buckley)—better known as Abby—becomes the new Mrs. Bradford in a very special two-part episode less than a third into the season.
To the series’ credit, Abby’s transition to the new female head of head of the Bradford clan wasn’t completely smooth. “In Children of the Groom,” most of the kids are thrilled to be given the job of planning Tom and Abby’s wedding. However, Elizabeth makes it clear she’s none-to-thrilled to have Abby as a stepmother. Meanwhile, Nicholas must deal with the realization that his mother isn’t coming back.
The series’ ensemble cast is its best asset. Having eight kids around means you always have someone to feed off of. Grant Goodeve, as David, is the oldest child and the only one living outside the family home. Working to find independence, he finds himself drado wn back into the family drama at nearly every turn. On the other hand, the youngest Bradford, Nicholas, occasionally struggles to be taken seriously. Nicholas definitely gets himself noticed in another two-parter, ““Yes Nicholas, There is a Santa Claus.” The youngster allows a man—who he believes is Santa—to steal the family’s Christmas presents. In a rather poignant turn, all the kids finally get to really express how much they miss their mother.
The stable of writers do a good job of telling stories that are realistic and still relevant today. When Tom and Abby go away for the weekend, the kids throw a house party in “The Lost Weekend.” To Tom’s major disappointment, Mary moves in with her boyfriend (Don Johnson), in “Trial Marriage.” Tommy gets drunk with a couple of buddies (one of whom is Danny Bonaduce) when David loans him his apartment.
For fans of the series or ‘70s televisions in general, Eight is Enough: The Complete Second Season is a great pickup. A total of 26 episodes, Warner Archive has released the season in two parts. Part one is a four-disc set containing the first 14 episodes, while part two is a three-disc set containing the remaining 12 episodes. Warner Archive also offers both together as “The Complete Pack.”
Framed in its original broadcast ratio of 1.37:1, the presentation looks surprisingly clean throughout. I noticed a scratch or two, but for a dhow that’s 35 years old, there’s not much to complain about here.
The Dolby Digital English mono audio track does its job. The dialogue is clear.
No special features are available.
