SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 25:00 Min.
First airing on ABC-TV on May 27, 1982, Robin Williams directed the unofficial series finale. Pursuing a field promotion, Mork presents his oral report to Orson on maintaining a successful Earth marriage in the form of a mock newscast.
Hence, the episode is broken into segments: honesty (Mindy tactfully rejects gaudy ensemble Mork has bought her); respect (losing out on a restaurant dinner with her family, Mindy endures Mork & Mearth’s costumed dance recital of an Orkian custom); romance (as dinner burns in their kitchen, the couple deliver a silent, black-and-white ballroom-style ode to Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire); and compatibility (at bedtime, Mork & an exasperated Mindy snipe at each other in a petty quarrel).
The series’ last scene has Mork finding out if Orson has promoted him or not. What such a promotion actually entails is never revealed.
Mork: Robin Williams
Mindy McConnell: Pam Dawber
Fred McConnell: Conrad Janis
Mearth: Jonathan Winters
Cora Hudson: Elizabeth Kerr
Orson: Ralph James
Notes: In his sole directorial gig, Williams was also the program’s only cast member to direct an episode. Once the series was cancelled in early-to-mid-1982, its intended three-part Season 4 season finale cliffhanger was left unresolved. Hence, this earlier-filmed episode’s airdate was delayed to instead make it effectively the series finale.
REVIEW:
The wild charm Robin Williams’s Mork exuded in the show’s early days has long since eroded. Such an observation is plainly evident in the ‘compatibility’ sequence, as Mork comes off as a stereotypically insensitive and annoying husband without any of his wacky Orkian mannerisms. Still, the reliable TV magic Williams shares with Dawber is still present throughout the episode, especially their poignant last few minutes.
Curiously, among Dawber’s last lines of dialogue is a broad hint that the series has indeed run its course. Dawber & Williams, more importantly, makes their character’s concluding sentiments sincere to viewers. Speaking of which, their elegant black-and-white dance fantasy earlier on is a classy testament to Williams’s directorial capability. This compliment further applies to both performers for not having to act as if they’re in a live-action cartoon.
It’s unfortunate that the script only delivers a few minor chuckles. Williams & Winters amusing themselves in ridiculous plant costumes doesn’t count, considering Dawber’s restrained amusement is actually funnier than their lame father-and-son routine.
Still, there’s just enough here to give Mork & Mindy a decent send-off. “The Mork Report”, if anything, keeps viewers from suffering through an even more dreadful Season 5, had there been one.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
