It’s Only Money – Three’s Company Episode Summary 1.6

Overview: Jack, Janet and Chrissy believe that a burglar had stolen the rent money that they had left lying on a shelf. Already a month behind on their rent, they struggle to avoid Mr. Roper while they try to raise the money they lost, not knowing that Mr. Roper only wanted to ask them out to dinner.

Synopsis: Jack comes up to Janet as she tries to take a peek at Jack’s mail. Apparently, he had been following her from the bus stop. They enter the house to find that the door was left unlocked. Jack having been the last person to leave the house is quite sure that he locked the door. They deduce that somebody might have broken in, since their next-door neighbors were burglarized not too long ago. The two start to look around the house for missing items. Jack runs to the kitchen, while Janet surveys the living room. Nothing seems to be missing. Frightened and a little paranoid, they check the rooms just in case the robbers have not yet left the house. Lead by Jack, the two walk up to the girl’s bedroom door. In an attempt to scare off the burglars, Jack acts up a monologue where he pretends to be in the company of men and a Doberman. He quickly opens the door and starts barking, only to find no one there. Next, they check Jack’s room and find it in a mess. Thankfully, that is how it has always been. Lastly, Jack checks the only room they haven’t inspected – the bathroom. But nobody’s in there either. Finally, Janet notices that their radio is missing. Unfortunately, beneath it was their rent money. Hoping that the envelope only slid off the shelf, the two begin a frantic search for their rent. Busy with their search, Janet and Jack fail to notice Chrissy’s arrival. Chrissy startles Janet consequently scaring Jack who was quick to crawl inside the bathroom. Janet asks her about the radio. Apparently, Chrissy took it to be repaired. Relieved they tell her about their confusion and ask about the rent money. Regrettably, Chrissy left it on the shelf that has now turned up empty.  Continue reading...

Down at the Ropers, Stanley starts complaining about his thinning hair. Soon, he checks his watch then rushes to the window to peep at their blonde neighbor. Helen tells him about a peeping tom she saw last night. She recalls seeing him peeping at their bedroom window and yawning. Stanley jokingly remarks that Helen must have been undressing when the guy decided to take a peep. To change the topic, Stanley asks his wife where she got the flowers she has been fussing with. According to Helen, it was a present from Chrissy; only the young woman actually got it from his garden. In order to return the friendly gesture, Helen convinces Stanley to invite the three out to dinner.

The three struggle to come up with ideas to raise the $300 they need to pay for last month’s rent. To the shock of Jack and Janet, Chrissy tells them that the only thing she could sell, she’s been saving until she gets married. Apparently, she was referring to her grandmother’s wedding ring. Finally, the policeman arrives to check on the apartment. He checks the door jam, but quickly starts to get suspicious when Janet informs him that there’s no sign of forcible entry. To add to his doubt, he finds a key in a pot that’s lying in plain view. Things do not seem to favor the three when the policeman discovers that nothing else is missing, not even the television set. On top of that, they had carelessly left $300 cash lying around the house. However, it is Janet’s request that ultimately makes him believe that he is being taken for a ride. Janet had unwittingly requested the policeman to be the one to tell their landlord that they cannot pay the rent, since it had been stolen. It is, according to her, is the only way Mr. Roper would believe them.

Already a month behind their rent and guilty of not having the money to pay their landlord, the three decide to hide in the pub. Mr. Roper bothered with how the three walked out on him when he only wanted to invite them out to dinner discusses the strange incident with his wife. Helen suggests that he try and ask the three out again. Stanley reluctantly agrees after having been threatened of spending the whole day with his talkative wife.

Morning came and they still do not know how to raise the money for their rent. Janet and Chrissy continue to think of ways. Janet’s idea is for Chrissy to ask her boss for an advance, but the only advance she’d get from him is sexual. Jack, who is wearing a bathing suit as underwear, joins in. Chrissy asks him if he has any friends with money. There’s actually one that had suspiciously struck rich, but was put to jail. Chrissy’s brilliant idea is to hold a garage sale only they would have to rent a garage. Jack asks Janet to get a loan. Unfortunately, her bad credit makes it impossible for her to get one. This however, leads Jack to the only idea that might actually work. As it turns out, his school has a financial aid program that provides loans to students in need; only he has to make up some sad story for his loan to get approved. Fortunately, he already has one. He is a student who is on the verge of being homeless after being robbed of his rent money.

Jack meets with the loan officer to answer a few questions. He tells him that the apartment he is sharing with two girls was ransacked and that their rent money was taken. The officer finds it amusing that Jack’s sharing an apartment with two girls. He does not seem to take it against him, but is nevertheless curious with the arrangement. The application appeared to be going well despite the officer’s disbelief of Jack living with two girls. Apparently, he thinks Chrissy and Janet are both his girlfriends.

Back in the house, Jack tells them how he almost got a loan. Things were going well, despite of the girlfriends fiasco. But after learning that Jack’s father earned enough money to help him pay the rent, the loan officer could do nothing but deny his application. To add to their dilemma, the Ropers drop by. The three decide to sneak out to the pub again and hide, but the Ropers catches them on their way out. Finally, the kids learn that Mr. Roper only wanted to invite them out to dinner. Unfortunately, Chrissy lets it slip the real reason why they’ve been running out on him, only to learn that they already paid the rent the other day. Confused, Mr. Roper tells them how he took the envelope that was labeled “Rent”. Janet asks him why he did not even care to leave a receipt and that they even went through all the hassle of calling the police; thinking all the while that they have been burglarized. Apparently, Mr. Roper forgot to leave a receipt. With the matter resolved, they leave for a nice, worry-free dinner.

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Jack the Giant Killer – Three’s Company Episode Summary 1.5

Synopsis: Taking a break off fixing their apartment, the three go to the Regal Beagle for a quick drink. Unfortunately, the brute sailor Jeff picks a fight with Jack. Seeing that he is no match against the towering man, Jack decides to back off. Already bothered with his cowardly behavior, his insecurity heightens when the frail Mr. Roper stands up to the guy after having called Jeff stupid. Unable to shrug off his embarrassment, Jack insists on going back to the Regal Beagle hoping to redeem himself.

Episode Summary: Janet and Chrissy are in the living room putting new upholstery on their couch. Jack arrives after taking his bike for a ride and helps the girls fix it. He shows off demonstrating to them how a real man does things. Chrissy hands him a handful of tacks, which he puts inside his mouth and pretends to have swallowed them all causing the girls to panic. After realizing he was just pulling their leg, the girls start hitting him with pillows. Continue reading...

Stanley who is suffering from a toothache starts to get annoyed with the thumping upstairs. Helen explains that the three are redecorating. This angers him more, claiming that he had redecorated the unit just two years ago. This he remembers, since it was the same time Helen’s mother dropped by for a visit. Helen changes the topic and shows Stanley a picture of the red, see-through nightie she’s been eyeing. Stanley starts with his sarcastic comments against his wife when his tooth starts to bother him. Helen insists that he see a dentist. To appease her, he agrees to see one the next day. Tired of her husband’s whining about his tooth, she begs him to take an aspirin. Stanley protests saying that a painkiller won’t do much to which Helen jokes that he should take the whole bottle.

At last, the three finish fixing the couch. They carry it back to its place and set it down, only it falls on Jack’s foot. Jack tries to walk off the pain as Janet checks out their work. She Indian sits on the middle of the couch and is pleased that it had become firm and comfortable. Their hard work seemed to have paid off. Jack credits himself for the good job and sits beside Janet, but the couch swallows him. Janet wanting to get it right stands and orders the two to get back to work. Jack and Chrissy protest saying that it is Saturday, but Janet reminds them that they agreed to work on the apartment that weekend. She gives them two choices: one is to work on the couch and the other to put up the wallpaper. Chrissy adds another choice, which is to go to the pub to which Jack agrees and follows her out. Left with no other choice, Janet goes with them.

At the Regal Beagle, Jeff, a sailor recounts his smooth talking success. The two grab a table as Jack places their order at the bar. Jack starts with his chauvinist speech about how men are naturally stronger than women. Jeff, who noticed Jack with the two girls the minute they walked in, decides use his smooth talking skill with Chrissy. He walks over to their table, pushes Jack out of the way and offers the blonde a drink. Chrissy who knows better tries her best to shrug off the imposing jerk, but to no avail. She informs him that she is with Jack. Jack attempts to stand up to the guy, but decides against it seeing that he clearly is no match to the towering brute. Jeff leaves when his friend suggests that he come back to the bar and finish his drink. Embarrassed for not picking a fight with the guy, he tries to make excuses for his cowardly behavior. The girls try to appease him, saying that he did the right thing.

The Ropers arrive at the pub. Helen orders a brandy for Stanley who still has not stopped complaining about his toothache. As soon as he gets his drink from the bartender, Jeff who is seating beside him accidentally elbows Stanley causing him to spill his drink. This infuriates Mr. Roper and calls Jeff stupid. Jeff towers over old Stanley trying to intimidate him, but surprisingly Mr. Roper sticks to what he said. Pleased with the old man’s bravado, he buys him a drink. Moreover, he rubs in to Jack Mr. Roper’s moment of boldness. This makes Jack even more insecure.

The next morning, Jack still is in a bad mood. If he were a woman, I’d say he has PMS. Last night’s incident continues to bother Jack. He tells Janet that even as a kid he failed to stick up for his rights. She tries to cheer him up, but fails. Jack goes to the bathroom to shave, only Chrissy is inside taking a shower. She tells him to forget about last night and successfully cheers him up a bit.

Stanley, still hot after his daring show shadowboxes in front of a mirror. Helen puts him in his place, which causes his tooth to ache again. Upstairs, Jack is enjoying the Funnies from the Sunday newspaper. Janet is pleased to see that he finally got his mind off last night’s incident, but later finds out that she is mistaken. Jack shares with them the plot of the comic strip. The cartoon was about a little guy who dumps a can of paint on the head of his big bully foreman who has been tormenting him. Again, Jack becomes displeased with himself for not standing up to Jeff. The doorbell disrupts their conversation. As Jack goes to see who it might be, he tells the girls what he could’ve done if only he had the guts. In his rage, he tears the Funnies apart. He opens the door and finds Mr. Roper. He asks him if they got his Sunday paper by mistake. Realizing what he’d done with the Funnies, Jack hides the torn section behind his back, but soon decides to tell Mr. Roper the truth. The landlord asks for the rest of the paper, so Jack goes to the kitchen to get it. Unfortunately, the girls knocked the pot of coffee over it. Mr. Roper enters the kitchen and sees the soaking paper. To make peace with the angry man, Jack offers to buy him a drink at the pub. Upon hearing this, the girls quickly try to dissuade him from going back to the Regal Beagle. Mr. Roper makes things worse when he comments about hearing the incident and how Jack could not have fought the bully, since he is gay. Mrs. Roper arrives and Mr. Roper tells her that he was just telling the girls that they should come to him for protection. She tells him that she managed to set an appointment with his dentist and that he is expecting Stanley that day. Upon hearing this, Mr. Roper starts to feel the pain on his tooth and acts like a baby.

The three return to the Regal Beagle. Jack orders a shot of whiskey and is relieved to hear from the bartender that Jeff won’t be around that night. Unfortunately, the bartender was mistaken. Jeff and his friend arrive. Immediately, he makes fun of Jack. Janet and Chrissy stops Jack from confronting the big bully. Janet volunteers to place their order just so Jack won’t come up to the bar where Jeff is. She comes up to the guy and talks to him. Jack sees him laughing and confronts Jeff. He starts to rattle about his gruff behavior last night and orders the guy to leave. In an attempt to scare him off, Jack strikes a kung fu pose. Jeff apologizes and gets out of his way. In disbelief, the three rejoice. However, Jack pulled a muscle with his kung fu display and so the girls had to help him back to their table. Equally pleased, the bartender gives Jack a free drink and asks about the steel plate on his head. Apparently, Janet told them that Jack got a steel plate on his head after saving his platoon in Vietnam. This was the real reason why Jeff let him off the hook. Jack upon learning the truth starts to get bothered again, but Chrissy enlightens him with the fact that he did stand up to the guy. Delighted with himself, he rejoices at his bravery and lets it slip that he did not go to Vietnam. Jeff, who happens to pass by their table, overhears this so Jack pretends that the war he fought was in Cambodia and not Vietnam.

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No Children, No Dogs – Three’s Company Episode Summary 1.4

Synopsis: Jack brings home a puppy that he got from his friend Larry. Janet reminds her roommates the Ropers rules – no children and no dogs allowed. The three try to hide the puppy from the Ropers, while they find for someone to adopt it. Having no luck of finding someone, Chrissy decides to give it to the Ropers by leaving it on their doorstep. Mrs. Roper who saw Chrissy put the dog on their doorstep pretends to her husband that she thinks it is his 20^th wedding anniversary gift to her. Mr. Roper afraid to admit that he forgot about the special occasion was left with no choice, but to concede.

Episode Summary: Mrs. Roper calls Janet to her house to return the spicy book Janet lent her to read. During their chat, she mentions that she and Stanley are celebrating their 20^th wedding anniversary that week. Unfortunately, Stanley’s idea of an anniversary celebration is watching Baretta and Charlie’s Angels. That is, if he even remembers the occasion. Mr. Roper arrives from his check-up and Janet tries to remind him that the day after tomorrow is a very special day. Regrettably, the only thing he could think of is that Baretta and Charlie’s Angels are on TV that day. On another note, Mr. Roper asks Janet to warn Chrissy about her wandering half-naked in the middle of the night. Alarmed, Janet tells him that Chrissy must have been sleepwalking.  Continue reading...

Janet informs Chrissy about her sleepwalking. Apparently, the cause is Chrissy’s anxiety over her boss Mr. Rogers who likes touching women. Jack arrives and they tell him about Chrissy’s sleepwalking. According to Chrissy, she tends to walk in her sleep when she is anxious. Jack thinks he has a perfect gift to cheer her troubled roommate. He surprises them with a cute, little, white puppy that he got from his used car salesman friend/animal lover, Larry. It was up to Janet to ruin the happy moment. She reminds them of the Roper’s rules – no children and no dogs allowed.

Larry drops by to give Jack the rubber bone for the puppy. Jack tries to return the dog, while Janet explains to him that they are not allowed to have any pets. Larry hesitantly takes the dog back, but remarks that the puppy will be put to sleep. After Larry left with the dog, Chrissy clearly looks troubled with what he had said while Jack tries hard not to be bothered with it. Janet after attempting to distract the two finally gives in and tells Jack to get the dog back.

That night, Chrissy starts walking in her sleep again. She slowly makes her way out the door. Fortunately, Janet was awakened and she wakes Jack to help her bring Chrissy back to bed. Jack grudgingly follows and falls down the steps. They successfully lead the sleepwalking Chrissy back to bed. Jack who grazed his leg on the fall goes to the kitchen to nurse his wound. On his way to the kitchen, he hears the puppy whining. Afraid that it’s whimpering might wake the Ropers, he gets the dog from the bathroom and attempts to lull it back to sleep. The puppy’s yapping woke Chrissy. She and Jack go to the kitchen to feed the dog. Noticing that her roommate is not in her bed, Janet starts looking for her. She hears her and Jack talking in the kitchen. Eyes-wide, Janet eavesdrops on what seemed to be a titillating conversation - unaware that the two are merely playing with the dog. Having heard enough, Janet barges in the kitchen and embarrasses herself upon learning the truth. Mr. Roper who heard the whimpering checks out on the three. Jack explains that he stubbed his toe and that it was him whom he heard. He warns them that he would throw them out when he finds that they have been keeping a dog.

The next day, Jack tries to find someone who would take the dog with no luck. As Janet was preparing food for the puppy, Mrs. Roper drops by to borrow some milk. Janet starts to behave strangely as she tries to warn the two of Mrs. Roper’s presence. Jack and Chrissy struggle to hide the puppy. To Janet’s alarm, Mrs. Roper makes her way to the kitchen. Fortunately, the two managed to hide the dog. Chrissy hands Mrs. Roper the milk, while Janet tries to get her to leave. Unluckily, the dog food on the table catches her eye. Thinking that it is something that Jack cooked in school, she takes it with her to serve to Mr. Roper. Jack runs downstairs to try and stop Mr. Roper from eating the dog food.

Helen hands Stanley the dog food, telling him that it is the beef bourguignon that Jack made. Stanley who is not adventurous with food switches plates with Helen. Jack disturbs their dinner and grabs Mr. Roper’s plate upon seeing that he is about to eat a spoonful of his meal. He runs to the kitchen, throws Mr. Roper’s dinner down the sink and dashes out. Left with nothing else to eat, Stanley settles with Mrs. Roper’s dinner that actually is the dog food.

The next morning, Jack alerts Janet that the dog has gone missing. Later, they learn from Chrissy that the Ropers have it. Apparently, she put the dog on their doorstep, hid and waited until Mrs. Roper took it in. On her way out to work, she finds Mrs. Roper with the dog by their door. It appears that Mrs. Roper saw her put the dog on their doorstep. Chrissy uses her sleepwalking problem as an excuse, but Mrs. Roper clearly is not buying it. Before Janet could explain, Mr. Roper drops in to tell them about the beef bourguignon, but was distracted with the dog that Mrs. Roper is carrying. Mrs. Roper pretends that she thinks that the puppy is Mr. Roper’s anniversary present. Afraid to admit that he forgot their anniversary, Stanley concedes and the problem with the puppy is solved. Before leaving the three, he tells Jack that he loved the food he cooked and even asked for the recipe.

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Roper’s Niece – Three’s Company Episode Summary 1.3

Synopsis: It’s Janet’s birthday. Jack and Chrissy decide to throw her a party. On the same night as the party, Mr. Roper pays Jack to go out with his niece making him miss the celebration. Moreover, Mr. Roper kicks Jack out of the apartment after catching him and his niece kissing.

Episode Summary: Mr. Roper’s niece, Karen, flew in from New York to visit. Mrs. Roper accuses Mr. Roper of showing his niece a boring time. Mrs. Roper confirms this when Mr. Roper starts enumerating their itinerary and she ends up falling asleep listening to him. She suggests that he introduce Karen to Jack (John Ritter). Mr. Roper agrees after realizing that his niece will be safe to date someone like Jack. Mrs. Roper, who knows the truth about Jack couldn’t help but smile.  Continue reading...

Jack arrives with Janet’s (Joyce DeWitt) birthday cake. After finding out from Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) that she’s at the kitchen looking after the dinner for her party, he sneaks up on Janet to give her a big surprise birthday kiss only they end up startling each other. After explaining to her his actions Janet agrees and even insists that he go and do what he came to do. After giving Janet a kiss that almost blew her mind, his jacket gets stuck with her chain. She explains that it was a gift from her grandmother and that it used to have a beautiful cameo hanging from it, which she had to hock to pay the rent.

Chrissy calls Jack to the living room to tell him that the cake he bought says “Happy Birthday Jimmy”. He explains that that’s the reason why he got it at half the price. He assures Chrissy that it won’t be a problem, since all he has to do is scrape “immy” so it would read “Happy Birthday J”. When he was about to go to the kitchen to fix the cake, Chrissy stops him, afraid that he will spoil the surprise. Jack argues that there’s no surprise to ruin, since Janet knows about the party; she was even the one who told Jack where to buy the cake. Jack yields to appease his dimwitted blonde roommate Chrissy, who couldn’t get it into her head that the party is not a surprise. Later, Jack feels a little unhappy for not having the money to buy Janet a gift.

The doorbell rings, Jack opens the door to find Mr. Roper. He asks Chrissy if he could have a word with Jack alone and so Chrissy goes to the kitchen. After an awkward small talk, Mr. Roper finally cuts to the chase and asks Jack to go out with his niece that night. Jack politely refuses explaining that they are celebrating Janet’s birthday. As soon as Mr. Roper left, the two girls who have been eavesdropping on their conversation go and talk to Jack. Janet thanks him for refusing Roper’s offer on her account, but Jack tells her that his reasons are not as noble as the girls would have believed. He confesses that the vision of what Roper’s niece might look like was what really threw him off. Despite this, Janet remains grateful.

Mr. Roper drops by a second time and he brings with him her niece, Karen, who turns out to be a beautiful woman. At the sight of the pretty lady, Jack becomes speechless. Mr. Roper pulls Jack to the kitchen to talk. To his astonishment, Mr. Roper gives him fifty bucks for him to date his niece and even lends him his car. Apparently, Mrs. Roper has been nagging him about this. They return to the living room and to the surprise of both Janet and Chrissy, Jack asks Karen out. Chrissy reminds Jack about the party and he promises to be back in time. Before the girls could even argue with him, Jack leaves with Roper’s niece.

Janet and Chrissy with party hats on start the gloomy celebration without Jack. Janet let’s out her anger by smashing Jack’s party hat. Chrissy wonders what might have taken him long. Janet tells her what she already knows, Jack is in the company of a very beautiful girl. Later, Chrissy realizes that the two of them are jealous of Jack. Janet defensively disagrees, arguing that she is not jealous, only angry at being stood up. Finally, Janet asks Chrissy if she would ever go out with Jack if circumstances were different. Surprised at the question, Chrissy gives a half-hearted answer and later adds that she will if he asks her with the excuse of her not wanting to be rude. Janet concedes that they do not own Jack, but quips on breaking his leg for missing the party.

It’s late, but Mr. Roper cannot sleep, since his niece and Jack has not yet returned. Mrs. Roper reminds him that his niece is safe, since she is with Jack. Convinced that nothing would happen between the two, he goes with Mrs. Roper to bed. Jack and Karen finally arrive, but the Ropers’ are already asleep. Karen successfully invites Jack in the apartment for a beer. She returns with the beer and sets it on the coffee table. The uneasy Jack quickly grabs it and sits on the chair on the other side of the room. Pissed, Karen confronts him with his behavior. She tells him that his perfect gentleman act has been annoying her all evening. Karen has enough of it and so she gets off the couch, stands in front of Jack and slips off her dress. Jack who could no longer restrain himself takes her by the waist and they start kissing. Alas! The Ropers’ awake and catches the two. Surprised, Jack jumps away from Karen and onto a chair holding her dress. Realizing what he has on his hands, he pretends as though he was only fitting Karen with the dress like that of a fashion designer. He runs for the door, but Mr. Roper stops him letting him know that he is not easily fooled. Mrs. Roper comes to Jack’s rescue, but to no avail. Jack attempts to explain, but the furious Mr. Roper sends him packing.

Jack returns to their apartment and find that the girls have locked themselves in the bedroom. To add to his misery, he learns that Janet is still angry with him for missing her birthday. Realizing that the girls are giving him the silent treatment, he tells them that he is packing his things and leaving. The girls rush out of the bedroom mistaking that their little act had caused Jack to move out. He explains that Mr. Roper’s car overheated in the highway. Moreover, his niece overheated on the sofa and that the Ropers’ caught them. He tells them that Mr. Roper kicked him out of the building, which is why he has to move out.

The doorbell rings and it is Mr. Roper. Furious at the sight of him, Janet tells him that she and Chrissy would also move out if he throws out Jack. To their surprise, he agrees. Mr. Roper explains that he came up to apologize for his niece after learning from her that she was the one who attacked Jack. Karen even said that Jack showed no interest at her, which was devastating to the girl. The good thing is Mr. Roper managed to appease the poor girl after telling her about Jack. The three celebrate when Mr. Roper tells them that Jack can stay. Chrissy who won’t let Jack off the hook asks him where he has been all night. He tells them that he drove around town for a special errand. Jack takes out from his pocket Janet’s cameo. As it turns out, Jack used the money that Roper gave him and went looking for the pawnshop that has Janet’s cameo. This causes Janet to melt and she gives him a big hug.

Downstairs, Stanley tells Helen that the kids are getting wilder and wilder. He asks her how long it took him to try anything on her. Helen thinks back and with dismay tells him that they were already married for about two years before anything happened between them.

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And Mother Makes Four – Three’s Company Episode Summary 1.2

Synopsis: On the day that Jack Tripper moves in with Chrissy and Janet, Chrissy’s mother drops by to visit. In a panic of being caught sharing an apartment with a man, Chrissy instructs Janet to keep Jack at the Regal Beagle while she entertains her mother. Unfortunately, Mrs. Snow decides to spend the night leaving Jack homeless for the evening.

Episode Summary: Chrissy had just finished preparing Jack’s room; trying her very best to make it feel homey. Janet cautions her from spoiling their new roommate and adds that the man used to live at the YMCA – a residence less desirable than a broom closet. In addition, Janet warns Chrissy of giving Jack the wrong idea. Chrissy, on the other hand, is bothered with Janet putting Jack’s name on the mailbox. She worries that her father, the minister, might learn of her residing with a man. She reminds Janet of how her father made a huge fuss of her moving from Fresno to Los Angeles. Janet tells her friend that her father does not have to know, but Chrissy argues that her father knows everything to which Janet retorts that her father is not God. A rolling thunder that punctuated her remark almost proved her wrong.  Continue reading...

There was a knock on the door and it turned out to be Mr. Roper stopping by to fix their doorbell. Following him, carrying a stepladder, is Mrs. Roper. The Ropers’ carry on with their usual teasing and after going after each other Mr. Roper starts joking about Jack’s sexuality. Mr. Roper steps down the ladder holding with his bare hands two loose live wires.

Out by the door, Jack thanks the cab driver for carrying his bags and apologizes for spilling a bottle of pickled onions in his cab. As the cab driver was leaving, Jack rings the doorbell, but all he got was a painful cry from Mr. Roper. He rings the bell a second time and again comes Roper’s howl. Uncertain of what is behind the door, the driver frightfully returns Jack’s cab fare and runs out of sight.

Chrissy opens the door to find Jack. Due to Mr. Roper’s electrocution Mrs. Roper decides to bring her whimpering husband home, but before that Mr. Roper without class teases Jack for being what he calls a tinkerbell. Soon he’d learn that Jack is a boxer and would hit a guy for making fun at his kind. Mr. Roper made his way to the door as soon as Jack cracked his knuckles.

Janet and Chrissy get Jack’s bags despite his opposition. While the girls were out, Mrs. Roper chats with Jack and fantasizes about men at the mention of YMCA. Janet returns hauling two huge, heavy duffel bags. Chrissy follows her carrying only three pieces of books. Much to Janet’s dismay, Jack only thanks Chrissy as she hands him his books.

Mrs. Roper then invites the three to the quaint pub, The Regal Beagle, for a glass of wine. Jack graciously declines with the excuse of having an early class the next morning. As soon as Mrs. Roper departs, Janet leaves no time to ask Jack for the rent and for good reason. The girls need his share to pay last month’s rent. Janet quips that Mr. Roper does not believe in charity. At the mention of their landlord, Jack asks Janet until when he would have to pretend to be gay. Janet tells him that he would have to continue with the ruse as long as he lives with them. This did not seem to disturb him as long as Chrissy knows this not to be true. Sensing Jack’s flirtation, Janet grabs Chrissy and reminds her of a task. Chrissy bluntly asks Jack to come with her to the kitchen to show her what he’s got. Jack misinterpreting the badly phrased statement looks at her with great surprise and a huge smile on his face. Janet puts things in perspective, stating that Chrissy was talking about the groceries he brought with him. However, the phone rings and Chrissy answers it so Janet goes with Jack instead of her.

Janet and Jack sort out the groceries and talk about dinner. She pops a loose, pickled onion in her mouth, while asking him why they’re loose. She regrets having done so upon hearing that they’ve spilled on the floor of the cab. This is all forgotten when Chrissy frantically enters the kitchen. Apparently, it was Chrissy’s mother who was on the phone letting her daughter know that she’s dropping in to visit. Chrissy’s cause for concern is that her mother would find out that she is sharing an apartment with a guy. In the midst of her panic, Chrissy still managed to devise a plan, which is for Janet to keep Jack at the Regal Beagle while her mother visits. Janet convinces Jack to go with the plan using the voluptuous barmaid as lure.

Mrs. Roper catches sight of Jack and Janet at the Regal Beagle and invites the two to her table. The bosomy barmaid served them and Jack’s reaction at finding Janet’s claim to be true confirmed Mrs. Roper’s suspicion that Jack is not gay. Caught red-handed, Jack confesses. However, the two are relieved for Mrs. Roper assured them that she wouldn’t tell her husband.

Mrs. Snow arrives at the apartment. Busy with her complaints about the traffic and of the cab smelling of pickled onions she barely gives mind to Chrissy. As Chrissy goes to prepare her mother dinner, Mrs. Snow informs her that there is no need for it since she’ll be leaving quite soon. Chrissy could hardly contain her relief at the news. Soon they touch about the subject of her safety. Then when Mrs. Snow asked about her roommates, Chrissy was left with no choice, but to update her mother of Eleanor’s leaving to get married, which allowed Mrs. Snow to invite herself to spend the night.

At the Regal Beagle, Janet and Jack wait for Chrissy’s call. Whining, Jack makes it clear that he wants to go back home to rest. Although Mrs. Roper’s attempt of entertaining him failed, the barmaid’s offer for another beer was a success. Thanks to her bosoms. Mrs. Roper out-gunned as she refers to herself decides to go back home, while Janet talks on the phone with Chrissy. After learning that Mrs. Snow is spending the night in Jack’s room, Janet and Chrissy desperately think over places where Jack could sleep. They finish their phone conversation without a solution.

In a panic to keep her mother away, Chrissy starts behaving very strangely; suggesting to her mother that they spend a night at a motel. Running out of ideas, Chrissy makes a lame excuse of running out to buy carrots to make her mother’s favorite salad. Janet too is at a loss for ideas, since Jack has no money to stay at a motel she suggests that he spend a night at an all-night art theater. Unable to come up with viable alternatives, Jack prepares to leave the pub for home. Unfortunately for him, Chrissy arrives making it two against one.

Back at the apartment, Mr. Roper who decided to finish fixing the doorbell startles Mrs. Snow. Learning that she is spending the night in Eleanor’s old room, which unknown to her is now Jack’s bedroom; a smile creeps upon Mr. Roper’s face. Mrs. Snow offers him a drink to which he asks for her to fix him some cocoa. He informs her that it helps him sleep. Something his wife disagrees upon and adds that one night Mrs. Roper even gave him Wheaties.

At the Regal Beagle, the three struggle to come up with a solution. Jack insists on sleeping on his own bed and was only willing to do otherwise when Chrissy suggested that he sleep in the girl’s room. As always the case, Janet is opposed to this solution, but has become powerless. They return home and find Mrs. Snow asleep. The three sneak in, but Jack’s hiccups almost gave them away. He asks the girls to let him go to the kitchen for a surefire cure, but Chrissy insists he stay in the room. Tired and exhausted, the girls forgetting they are in the presence of a man start to undress as Jack longingly watch. To get him out of the room, Janet sends Jack to the kitchen to get his hiccup remedy.

Jack successfully reaches the kitchen, but the thunder wakes Mrs. Snow. On her way to the bathroom, she hears Jack breathing to a paperbag to cure his hiccup. Thinking it is Chrissy, she calls for her and makes her way to the kitchen. Jack manages to hide in the broom closet. Seeing that there’s no one there, Chrissy’s mother makes her way back to the bathroom. Jack comes out of the closet knocking over a mop. Fortunately, he catches it just in time. Still holding the mop, he silently creeps back to the girl’s room, but before he could do so Mrs. Snow comes out of the bathroom. Quickly, he slips behind the couch with the mop’s head exposed. Luckily, Mrs. Snow only sees the mop head that had rested itself at the back of the sofa. She grabs the mop and returns it in the broom closet. Jack rushes to the girl’s bedroom only to find it locked. Chrissy’s mother has returned to the living room and is making her way back to her room. Left with no other choice, Jack puts the lampshade on his head camouflaging himself as a lamp. He successfully disguised himself as Mrs. Snow walks past him. His efforts almost were put to waste when Chrissy who has come looking for him was startled by his hiccup and disguise. Quickly, they return to the bedroom, but as soon as they got settled - the girls on their beds and Jack squeezed in a small chair; they hear a banging sound. Janet recognizes it as the window in the living room and asks Jack to close it, but he argues of being seen. Chrissy who is already in her nighties volunteers to do the job. Before getting out of the bed she orders Jack to turn around while she puts on her robe. Jack obeys, but wittingly turns only to face the mirror that has a whole clear view of the girls. He naughtily watches and lets himself get caught by commenting on the mole on Chrissy’s thigh. Chrissy leaves the two allowing Jack to let Janet know his attraction towards their roommate. Their chat however slightly offends the unnoticed Janet. Chrissy returns unable to close the window and so Jack goes to finish the job. Despite his mischief, the girls have grown to adore him.

The window seems to be stuck and so Jack gives it a bit of pounding. Mrs. Snow wakes upon hearing the noise thinking it is her daughter knocking. With nowhere to hide, Jack jumps out of the window into the pouring rain. Chrissy’s mother turns on the lights, finds the window ajar and shuts it without any trouble. Mrs. Snow pulls the curtains and Jack taps on the window. Frightened, Chrissy’s mother yells for her daughter. Janet and Chrissy rush out of their bedroom. Jack gives the window another tap, but Chrissy pretends not to hear it. Soon he starts banging on the door. Janet rushes to open it and finds Jack soaking wet in the rain. She receives him and he, despite his ridiculous appearance, pretends to have come to invite the girls to watch the all-night showing of War and Peace. As he leaves, Mrs. Snow notices that he is not wearing any shoes. Janet let’s slip his name and to their astonishment Mrs. Snow identifies him as her daughter’s roommate. To add to their shock, Mrs. Snow does not seem to be bothered with the arrangement. Apparently, Mr. Roper already told her about Jack. In fact, she is relieved that the girls have a man in their apartment to protect them. All their troubles were for nothing, since she has complete trust in Jack for he is gay.

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A Man About the House – Three’s Company Episode Summary 1.1

Synopsis: Jack Tripper (John Ritter), a gatecrasher at the wedding reception that Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers) gave their former roommate, was found sleeping in the girls’ bathtub. After tasting his cooking and learning that he is a culinary student in the technical school, the girls who have zero cooking skills decide to share the apartment with Jack. However, they still have the problem of making their landlords, the Ropers; allow them to share the house with a man.

Episode Summary: Chrissy Snow tries to tidy up the messed up apartment from last night’s party. However, her vacuuming wakes the hung over Janet Wood. Janet who has been overly drunk confirms with Chrissy the embarrassing memory of her giggling and attempt to do a striptease. Janet was mortified at having ruined the wedding reception they threw for their former roommate Eleanor. Chrissy assures her that Eleanor would not have noticed her gauche antics, since she went into labor and had to be rushed to the hospital. Janet was too drunk to remember even that.  Continue reading...

Chrissy starts to prepare her bath, while discussing with Janet the awful punch she concocted that turned Janet’s tongue and the drink ladle green. Busy with their discussion, she barely notices the man sleeping in the bathtub. Suddenly, she has been struck with the realization that there is a man in the bathtub and informs Janet. The two go in the bathroom to look and to find out that they do not know him. Moreover, Chrissy reminds Janet that a prospective roommate is coming to take a look at their place. They decide to confront the sleeping man. Janet gets a hold of the green ladle for protection and the two enter the bathroom. They watch as the guy wakes when he almost drowned in the half-filled tub. He struggles to stand to turn off the shower as the two frightfully watch him. Equally startled at the sight of the two girls, the guy tries to compose himself. Soaking wet he introduces himself as Jack Tripper. He gets out of the tub and to his embarrassment slips. Sensing that Jack is harmless, the girls introduce themselves. He then remembers seeing them at the party. Janet adds that it was them who gave the party. Jack explains that he came with a friend who knew one of the gatecrashers. Soon they find out that the fruit punch that Chrissy made knocked him out. Jack who is still soaking wet makes his way to leave, but Chrissy feeling sorry for the guy let him freshen up.

Downstairs, Stanley Roper complains to his wife Helen that the party upstairs kept him awake. Helen dismisses his whining, but he continues. Stanley even blames the girls for the crack on their ceiling. Helen tells him that the thrilling earthquake caused the crack. Surprised with her answer, Stanley asks Helen how she could describe an earthquake as thrilling. To this she retorts that it was the only time that their bed moved in years. Stanley goes on and on about the party, but Helen explains that it was only a harmless going away party and adds that if Stanley leaves she’ll throw him one. Finally, they stop their teasing and decide who should complain to the girls. Helen says that it should be the head of the house then concludes that it should be her.

Upstairs, Jack discretely passes to Chrissy his wet clothes while Janet hands him Eleanor’s robe. Jack comes out of the kitchen wearing the hideous floral robe as the two watch and laugh at his sight. While Janet dries Jack’s wet clothes in the oven, Chrissy on the other hand assists Jack with his shaving. She lends him her razor and gives him a sink cleaner to use as shaving cream.

Later, Chrissy and Janet struggle to make breakfast. Jack with multiple cuts on his face joins them. He tries to eat the dreadful looking scrambled eggs hoping that it does not taste as bad as it looks. He was wrong. Chrissy somewhat dares him to do any better. Jack accepts the challenge and soon they find out the he is studying to be a gourmet chef. When Jack asked for wine, Janet volunteered to collect all the leftover wine from the party. Janet’s task was disrupted when Mrs. Roper dropped by to ask them to keep the noise down the next time they have a party. As she was leaving, Jack who was still wearing the floral robe enters the living room. Janet tries to convince Mrs. Roper that the person she saw was a she.

In the kitchen, the three wait for the food to cook. Jack who thought Chrissy was a lifeguard starts flirting with her. Janet informs him that Chrissy works in a typing pool and not a swimming pool. Chrissy then tells him that Janet works in a flower shop, but Jack is clearly uninterested. Chrissy answers the door to find Patricia Crawford, the girl looking to share the apartment with them.

Back at the Ropers, Helen informs Stanley that there is a man in woman’s clothes in the girls’ apartment. Stanley in disbelief verifies with Helen that it was really a man that she saw. He claims that they all look the same nowadays. Helen assures him that she saw a man. In fact, she even saw chest hairs peeping out. Stanley rushes to the girls’ apartment after Helen fantasizes that the three must be doing something delightfully kinky.

Chrissy shows Patricia around the house. She brings her to the kitchen and introduced her to Jack and Janet. Patricia seems a bit disgusted at the sight of Jack and leaves the kitchen telling a story about the time she found a spider in her tub. Clearly, she is not the type of girl they want as a roommate and they try to send her off. They were interrupted with Mr. Ropers’ arrival. He points and comes up to Patricia, mistaking her for the man Mrs. Roper was talking about earlier. He confronts the lady, makes odd comments and start poking at Patricia’s breasts. Soon he realizes his mistake, but it was too late. Patricia starts hitting him with her handbag while Mr. Roper struggle to apologize only make it worse. Having lost any other things to say to make up for his actions he runs out the door. Janet and Chrissy need not have to dissuade Patricia from taking the apartment as she informs her that she could not live in the same building as the man who touched her bosoms.

Jack finish cooking and calls the girls to the kitchen. Janet and Chrissy taste the food and are a loss for words. Soon they find out that Jack is staying at the YMCA, since he cannot afford any place else unless he can find roommates. With this, the girls are struck with a bright idea. Janet and Chrissy leave the kitchen to talk about their plan. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having him around. The only disadvantage is Chrissy falling for Jack. Chrissy informs Janet that she just have to watch out for the two of them. Finally, they decide to ask Jack to move in with them and he accepts. Janet shows him his room and warns him of what they might do when he tries to take advantage of them.

At the Ropers’ house, Stanley tells Helen that the person she thought was a man is indeed a woman. They argue about the gender of Janet and Chrissy’s guest. The Ropers’ decide the only way to settle this is to go and visit the girls. Mrs. Roper explains to Chrissy the reason for their visit and points at Jack. Mr. Roper corrects her and says that it is not about the man in the robe and he starts poking Jack’s chest. Jack introduces himself to the Ropers’ and informs them that he is moving in with the girls. Immediately, Mr. Roper tells him that he is not allowing it.

Upset, Jack and Chrissy make their way to the kitchen. Chrissy hands him his pants form the oven. After getting Chrissy’s permission to confront Mr. Roper, Jack marches out the kitchen door with his pants and floral robe. Before Jack could put Mr. Roper to his place, Mr. Roper informs him that Janet already explained everything and that he apologizes for misjudging him. Much to Jack and Chrissy’s surprise, he tells Jack that he could move in with the girls. As soon as the Ropers’ leave, Janet tells them that she convinced Mr. Roper that nothing would happen between the three of them, because she told him that Jack is gay.

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