SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 25:00 Min.
First airing on ABC-TV on November 9, 1981, Frank Buxton directed this episode. With Grandma Cora babysitting their son, Mearth, Mindy and Mork attend her ten-year high school reunion.
Introducing husband Mork to her former classmates, Mindy deliberately avoids geeky Dickie Nimitz, who exhibits some of Pee-Wee Herman’s future mannerisms. Nudged by two of her old friends, Mindy dances with her smarmy ex-boyfriend (and now Wyoming Lt. Governor), Steve Sanders. Consoled by Dickie, Mick experiences marital jealousy observing Steve blatantly flirt with his wife.
Come the next morning, Mork & Mindy quarrel over Steve’s affections for her. An unsolicited gift’s arrival and Mearth’s prodding convinces Mork to use his magical ruby red shoes to go back in time. On Prom Night 1971, Mork poses as a Russian exchange student to verify for himself that Mindy would still choose him over Steve the arrogant jerk.
Returning to his present-day life, Mork realizes the true answer. In this episode, Mork doesn’t report his findings back to Orson.
Mork: Robin Williams
Mindy McConnell: Pam Dawber
Fred McConnell: Conrad Janis
Mearth: Jonathan Winters
Cora Hudson: Elizabeth Kerr
Steve Sanders: Robin Strand
Dickie Nimitz: Paul Reubens
Glenda Faye: Crissy Wilzak Comstock
Althea: Marilyn Kagan
Cora Hudson: Elizabeth Kerr
Messenger: Laura Leigh Carlson
Orson: Ralph James (credit only)
Crissy’s Date: Uncredited
Note: There’s a welcome dose of retroactive continuity: in the pilot three years earlier, Mindy’s age is stated as 21. Now, her age is shifted to 28 in 1981, which is a realistic approximation to Pam Dawber’s actual age.
REVIEW:
Aside from virtually zero laughs, a few other things spring to mind. Clearly, the show’s budget couldn’t manage much, as Mindy’s sparsely attended prom, let alone its small venue, proves mighty hard to believe. That’s even ignoring a lack of de-aging make-up to help the actors remotely resemble teenagers. Then, there’s Paul Reubens previewing his future Pee-Wee Herman chuckle. It says plenty that even Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters, and Reubens combined can barely muster a chuckle in this disappointing episode.
Though this Back to the Future-like premise has some intriguing potential, its ultra-convenient, cop-out finish makes watching the episode irrelevant. Even with Mork supposedly interfering in the past (it’s now an alternate-reality past), nothing actually changes in Mork & Mindy’s present-day lives.
Though Mindy’s true love is inevitably Mork, “Long Before We Met” infers that her husband has retroactively rigged the odds over the ultra-arrogant Steve of 1971. Mork, unsurprisingly, is given an ethical pass by the scriptwriters, given the Mindy of 1971 was destined to dump Steve, anyway, without Mork’s nudging.
Considering that neither she nor her father (appearing in a 1971 cameo) remember meeting a Russian student resembling Mork, the creepy little gag ending the story falls far short. And, really, the less said about Mork’s magical ruby red shoes (ripping off The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy) the better. Shrugging this dreck off as Mork’s what-if fantasy might be best considering the inane Mearth character is likely the least of its problems.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
