It’s been a minute since we last recapped the Bradys. The free streaming service I started watching on (Tubi) no longer carries it, and this episode of The Brady Bunch, and the “Dear Libby,” episode was conveniently missing from Pluto. The Nostalgia TV gods are conspiring against me. Anyway, I found it. It wasn’t easy. And here we are.
Dear Libby
We start with the very familiar theme song that will be stuck in my head all night and all day tomorrow, no matter how much I try to get it out. Parents gaze adoringly at children, and they’re all a family now. Awesome. As I’m watching, I realize this might be the first time I’ve seen this show in color. My family didn’t have a color TV until I was a teenager in the late ’70s.
We open in the girls’ bedroom. Marcia is reading aloud from the newspaper — the “Dear Libby” column. The girls like Libby because she gets to the point. Cindy doesn’t understand what the point is.
Uh-oh. The letter is from someone having a terrible problem in her family. Marcia takes the page and doesn’t share it with her sisters.
Later, Mike and Carol are reading the paper and notice the missing section. Mike offers to go out and buy another paper, but Marcia insists on doing it herself. Mike sends Greg along, even though he’s going to miss the rest of his show.
Outside, Marcia tells Greg she took the missing page from the paper and shows it to him. Later, the kids return with a new paper, which conveniently has a giant ink stain over the offending article. Marcia and Greg go into some silliness about machines going haywire. The parents read their paper, forgetting about the missing article.
Kids’ Meeting
The kids gather in the girls’ bedroom. Marcia reads the Dear Libby column to everyone. The person writing for advice, “Harried and Hopeless,” says she entered into a marriage where each parent already had three kids, and it’s not turning out as planned.
Downstairs, Carol wonders why the kids are so quiet. She can’t concentrate on her needlework, and Mike keeps rereading the same thing.
Upstairs, Cindy asks why someone doesn’t love them. She’s corrected — it’s not that someone doesn’t love them, it’s the “new” children that aren’t loved. Cindy points out that the girls aren’t the new children — the boys are. Greg and Marcia say they don’t know who wrote the letter, so they don’t know which kids are supposedly unloved. Reading on, Marcia says Dear Libby encouraged Harried and Hopeless to give it time. Greg thinks that’s a good thing because it means they can try to turn things around.
Marcia and Greg suggest they all start being good: no fighting, picking up after themselves — you know, things that don’t come naturally to kids.
Suspicious Behavior
Some undetermined time later, Carol tells Mike the kids came home and started washing the windows without being asked. Because nothing is less suspicious than children doing chores after school. Mike suggests taking their temperatures.
Later, Jan is watching TV when Peter comes in and takes the remote. They argue. Greg comes in and reminds them to be on their best behavior. Carol enters and asks what the argument was about. Greg says they were watching a peace conference on TV. Nice cover, Greg. Chores and peace conferences, typical kid stuff.
Cindy and Bobby are playing checkers. Cindy accuses Bobby of cheating. Loud “did not!” / “did too!” exchanges follow. Marcia comes in and tells them to be quiet. Mike walks in to investigate the yelling, and the kids insist everything is fine.
Something’s Up
That night, Carol — in a flowy nightgown (how does anyone sleep in that?) — comes downstairs to find Mike making a sandwich. Mike says something is drastically wrong. Alice emerges from her dungeon and asks if it’s a secret meeting.
Alice says if it’s an open meeting, she wants to introduce a subject: what’s the matter with the kids? They all agree something’s up, and Carol says she’ll talk to them. Alice asks her to do it tomorrow, because if there’s one thing she can’t stand, it’s a perfect kid.
The next day, Greg is raking and Marcia is… weeding? Or cutting the grass with scissors? Girl…
Alice comes out and wants to know what’s going on, but Greg says he really needs to get these leaves that aren’t actually being raked into a pile done. Alice questions Marcia’s lawn-trimming method. She sits them down and lists their offenses: cleaning their rooms, cleaning their plates, and — worst of all — doing chores. She threatens to tell their friends at school.
The kids say there’s a problem with their mom and dad. Alice says it isn’t fair for a problem involving their parents to be kept from them. She offers to hear it herself, but the kids insist on telling Mike and Carol directly. Marcia will talk to Carol; Greg will talk to Mike.
Revealing the Dear Libby Letter
In the girls’ room, Marcia shows Carol the Dear Libby letter. In the boys’ room, Greg tells Mike about the letter. Mike notes that lots of people bring kids into second marriages. Greg points out: not with three kids apiece. Mike thinks about this.
Carol tells Marcia that they were all getting along so well — and even if they weren’t, she wouldn’t write a letter. Marcia clarifies: she didn’t say Carol wrote the letter. Carol thinks about this.
Back in the boys’ room, Mike says he wouldn’t write to Dear Libby. Greg points out that the letter never says whether “Harried and Hopeless” is a man or a woman. Mike thinks about this.
Carol walks into the kitchen, carrying the letter. Alice, ever observant, says Carol looks terrible and assumes she talked with the kids. Carol did. Alice pours her coffee. Carol shows her the letter. “How ’bout that!” Alice says. “She has three kids, and he has three kids. Just like you…” Nothing gets by Alice!
Carol says the kids thought that if they behaved, Harried and Hopeless would stay married. She asks if Mr. Brady would write that kind of letter. Alice says he wouldn’t — not in a million years. But Alice doesn’t look so sure.
Everyone’s a Suspect
After the commercial break, Alice is vacuuming. Mike shows her the Dear Libby column and asks if she thinks Carol could’ve written it. Alice insists Carol couldn’t — not in a million years. Still not looking too sure.
Carol wanders the living room deep in thought, wearing a truly unfortunate dress. Mike enters, wondering what’s up. Carol muses about rearranging the chairs to face the fireplace. Sure, Carol.
She says whoever wrote the letter should talk things over now. Mike agrees. But neither of them talks. They move the furniture back.
Carol later goes to Mike’s office to say she didn’t write the letter to Dear Libby. He says he didn’t either. Carol wonders how they’ll convince the kids. Mike says they’ll tell them — after their TV show. Priorities.
The Brady Bunch Receive a Surprise Visitor
The kids are watching TV when the bell rings. Mike and Carol rush to the door.
Whoa. It’s Dear Libby herself. What a surprise for the Brady Bunch. And an amazing coincidence.
Carol invites her into an empty room. Where did everyone go?
Dear Libby explains that she doesn’t usually visit people who write to her, but this was a special case. After she printed “Harried and Hopeless”’s letter, she received seven letters from the same address begging her to reveal the original writer.
The letter writers were:
- “Kitty Carryall” (Cindy — impressive, she wrote and mailed it all by her big girl self.)
- “Feeling Awful” (Bobby)
- “Desperately Worried” (Marcia)
- “Down in the Mouth” (Peter)
- “Real Frantic” (Jan)
- “Guilt Complex” (Greg)
- “Innocent Bystander” (Alice)
As Dear Libby calls them out, the kids – and one adult – come out from hiding.
Dear Libby reveals the original letter came from Kingsford, Illinois, 2,000 miles away. The kids cheer. Alice looks visibly relieved.
Epilogue
Mike and Carol are getting ready for bed. Carol marvels that all the kids — and Alice — wrote to Dear Libby. She says she hopes Mike didn’t think she wrote that letter. Mike scoffs.
Carol hands him an envelope she found in his jacket.
“I never would’ve mailed it,” Mike says.
Carol holds up her own envelope. “I wouldn’t have mailed it either.”
Cue laugh track. Roll credits.
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