The Cosby Show: Bald and Beautiful

The Cosby Show: Bald and Beautiful
NBC
April 9, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
C

I know we're supposed to be all excited about the I Spy reunion in this episode, but both the writing by Gary Kott and the direction by Singletary don't quite work.  The performances of Robert Culp as Cliff's old friend Scott Kelly and Ann Reinking as his wife Jill just don't mesh with each other or the show, and the whole thing about Scott's health scare affecting his behavior and eating habits has exactly the wrong payoff, where the drama turns into supposed laughs about the wives being on to the husbands' junk food.  Meanwhile, Cockroach (Carl Payne) shaves his head in a failed attempt to get into a music video, and he looks neither funny nor attractive, just different.

Ana D. Zenon makes her last appearance as Lana Herman, and her performance feels off, too.