I'm somehow getting worse at this.

Welcome back! Happy March! Can you believe I’ve been reviewing episodes for nearly two months now? I actually sat down and did the math, and it seems like it will be August 2025 before I finish reviewing everything on The Brady-est TV and Movie Collection DVD set. That kind of seems like a far, made up date - but you know, not that long ago, so did March 2022. Anyway, let’s start talking about “Sorry, Right Number.”

“Sorry, Right Number” originally aired on November 21, 1969. It was the 9th episode to air and the 10th episode produced. This episode marks the first appearance of Allan Melvin as Sam the Butcher. Even though I am obsessed with The Brady Bunch, being raised by two parents who were not fans of the show, Allan Melvin was always Barney from All in the Family to me, but I do love him as Sam the Butcher. This episode was written by Ruth Brooks Flippen, who was a script editor for many first season episodes. She also wrote for shows such as Gidget, That Girl, and Bewitched before going on to be a head writer for 25 episodes of Days of Our Lives in 1980. This episode was directed by George Cahan, who would direct two more episodes this season and these three episodes would constitute as his last directing credits. This is also one of the episodes not available for streaming.

Just a casual Friday of answering the phone rudely.

The episode starts with Mike and Carol in the den. Carol is curled up on the sofa in the corner of the den, doing needlepoint, and Mike is at his drafting table, presumably working. The phone rings and Mike answers, “Look, Ed, if we’re going to tee off…” Rude. I was always taught to answer the phone “hello” bare minimum. It wasn’t even Ed on the phone. It was a woman named Martha who wants to talk to Carol about the length of her dress. Mike asks for the call to be fast because he’s trying to set up a golf game, and Carol complies. Almost as soon as Carol ends her call, the phone rings again. Mike answers it with a “Hello, Ed” and keeps going, and you know, at least this time he said hello. It’s still not Ed, though. It’s Sam the Butcher calling for Alice. Mike wonders why a butcher would call at 8 pm, and Carol reveals Sam and Alice are dating - and the family is benefiting by way of better cuts of meat. I mean, that is one way to save money on groceries. Mike complains about missing out on calls with everyone else on the phone, and Carol says they should get a second line since they added 4 women to the household. Mike agrees that should solve everything. The phone rings again, and this time when Mike says, “Hello, Ed?” he pauses. But it’s still not Ed. It’s a call for Marcia. But, you know, at least Mike is learning an important lesson in phone etiquette. I think he’ll get there.

"Yeah, I solved all the family's problems in five minutes. It's a new record!"

On a different evening, Mike is on the phone in the den bragging how wonderful a second line has been. The Brady Bunch really has a wonderful way of telegraphing what the disaster of the week will be early on. After the phone call Mike is on, he calls for time - it’s 8:05 pm. It may have actually been 8:05 when this episode aired, given how far into the episode we are and given the fact that The Brady Bunch aired at 8:00 pm on Friday nights. That’s just a fun little fact.

The beginning of Sam and Alice.

In the kitchen, Alice is all dressed up and Sam enters the kitchen through what I have previously called “the Alice area” but I have since learned is called a service porch. I may continue to call it the Alice area, but a service porch feels more fitting if Sam is entering that way. Mike walks through the kitchen and greets Sam and compliments the pot roast the family had for dinner the other night. Sam compliments Alice with a meat pun. Gotta love a witty couple. After this exchange, Sam and Alice leave.

Did Mike even know what he needed before he came out here?

Mike goes into the family room, where Carol is on the phone with Martha about the length of her dress. After a quick chat with Carol, Mike remembers he needs to call Marty. Really, Mike? Marty ranked so low on your list of priorities you called for time when you are wearing a watch, sir? Wow. Marty deserves better. Justice for Marty.

Greg has no respect for the rules.

Mike returns to the den, but Greg is on the phone in there. Mike reminds him of the rules, but Greg points out that Carol was on the other phone. Mike says he’ll make an exception this once and Greg can finish the call. Mike decides to see if Carol is off the other phone.

Jan follows the rules. Be like Jan.

Carol is, but now Jan is on the phone. Mike sighs, and Jan pauses her phone to see if she did something wrong. She confirms that this is the phone she’s supposed to be using. Mike says it is and decides to get Greg off his phone.

I have several episodes of evidence that this phone conversation is contrived.

Greg is already off Mike’s phone, but now Peter is on it. He’s talking to his friend Jerry about math. What new math did they have in 1969 and why do they keep changing it? It’s math. We don’t need to be creative. We don’t need to break 2+2 down to 1+1+1+1 or whatever. We’re still going to get to 4, you know? Anyway, Mike reminds Peter of the rules, and Peter says it’s an emergency because Jerry will flunk math if Peter doesn’t talk him through it. Mike says “that’s an emergency for him, not you,” and I kind of think emergencies are always one sided. Could you just imagine a doctor saying, “hmm, that broken leg seems like a you problem.” Mike does eventually relent and let Peter finish the call.

The fact she got comfortable should be your first clue, Mike.

Mike returns to the family room and Marcia is now on the phone. Mike decides to wait for the phone, which he literally could have done at any other point and been able to use it once it was available, but that would have been convenient. But also, if it was 8:05 pm when he called time - just how late are the kids allowed to use the phone? Once Marcia starts giggling, however, Mike decides he can’t wait any longer and leaves the room.

This family meeting sure is involving two people who never use the phone.

Did Mike ever call Marty? Who the fuck knows, that’s not how The Brady Bunch is structured. It’s already a completely different evening. Alice is cooking, and Mrs. Brady sets the table. Mike enters the kitchen to complain that both phones are always busy now, so he decides emergency or no, the phone in the den is off limits to the kids. Carol agrees that this is a line that does need to be set for the kids. Mike gathers the kids in the family room and sets the new rules. After the discussion with the kids, Mike has a quick chat with Carol, hoping this will solve the phone problem. Carol is sure it will. The Brady Bunch is really funny with that false hope it’s always giving characters.

Marcia, Jan, and Peter are ready to take the phone by force. You can see it in their eyes.

In the next scene, Greg is on the family room phone while Marcia, Peter, and Jan wait impatiently. You know, for this episode saying that it’s a problem with all six kids, it really seems like it’s a bigger problem for four of them. The three kids not on the phone start yelling at Greg to get off the phone and Greg starts yelling at the others that he can’t talk on the phone with everyone yelling in his ear. Carol has had enough and initiates an egg time to time the calls. Greg immediately abuses it the second his parents’ backs are turned, much to the frustration of his siblings.

Carol is worried for Mike's health.

Later, Mike is paying bills and that confuses me. At least in my experience with stay at home moms, they’re the ones that pay the bills because that’s like part of household management. Which is like the actual job they have. They can put it on a resume. It counts. Carol already has Alice helping with so much, she can’t handle the finances? I digress. Mike opens up the phone bill and it seems to give him a medical emergency. The way he calls for Carol has her and Alice worried as they rush in, and they both assume Mike actually is having a medical emergency. Mike shows Carol the phone bill, and she also has a big reaction. Alice seems to decide family finances are not her business and tries to excuse herself from the room, but Mike shows her the bill, too. Weird way to tell someone their paycheck may bounce this month. Mike says they need to do something drastic, and Alice suggests writing letters, but Mike says that stern “Alice” that implies that’s not a solution but - like, right? I wrote letters in the 90s, so I assume it was something that could be done in the 60s. And didn’t families just always kind of have stamps around anyway? Anyway, Mike decides to show the kids the phone bill. This is either going to give the kids a complex about money, or make them think “okay, so what?” because they have no concept of money. There’s no middle ground with this action.

Carol is more worried about the carpets than the phone bill.

That night, Mike and Carol talk about the phone bill in their room as they get ready for bed. Well, Carol gets ready for bed. Mike paces. Mike says they have great kids who don’t misbehave, but that phone bill is just too much. He’s really worked up about it and very much wants a solution to keep the kids’ phone time limited and teach them the value of money. Carol just wants Mike to stop pacing.

Alice is being a bad girlfriend right now.

At some other random time in the future, because what is time on The Brady Bunch, Alice goes to the butcher shop. She immediately starts badmouthing Sam’s meat, unprovoked. Um… was his last pork stuffing not to her satisfaction? Sam catches on right away that Alice has a problem and closes the shop so they can talk. I want a significant other that would value me over a few customers. That is just the sweetest thing. Alice tells Sam that when the Bradys are upset, she gets upset, and everyone is upset over the phone bill. Sam is a very attentive listener, but Alice is easily distracted by Sam’s new payphone. Sam explains he had a similar problem with his customers using his business phone and eating up all his profits. Alice borrows a dime from Sam to make a phone call.

Alice is showing signs of growth.

Later, Alice washes her hands in the kitchen when Carol, Marcia, Greg, Jan, and Peter come home. There’s a big box wrapped like a present on the wall, and the Bradys want Alice to tell them what it is. Alice says Mr. Brady has a surprise but he wants everyone to wait until he gets home to show it to them. Alice is holding her tongue over a secret. Like, Alice, I’m super proud right now.

The Brady Kids are going to learn the value of a phone call.

A little later, Mike reveals the surprise to Carol and all six kids - a payphone. Mike says the kids’ allowances will be increased to allow for two calls a day, and the rest will come out of their regular allowance. Jan immediately says she averages ten calls a day, not recognizing that she is part of the problem. The kids don’t like the idea of the payphone and decide to tell the parents as such. Those kids are so cute, thinking their parents care. The parents stand their ground. Carol then asks Mike for the math on the payphone, and he says the allowance bump comes out to $36 a month. Carol says that’s more than the phone bill. How much was the phone bill? Give us some numbers to work with here so we can process the problem. To be fair, $1 in 1969 is worth about $7.57 in 2021 money, so even a $15 phone bill could be considered a lot. Mike tells Carol that he doesn’t expect the payphone will be permanent - if it works and the kids learn their lesson, they could return it.

Two of these kids never even once use the phone.

The kids immediately start fighting over change for the phone. Carol complains to Martha about it on the phone in the den. Mike comes home really happy because he has good news. He’s been working on a multi-million dollar deal at work and he’ll be calling a Mr. Crawford at 6:30 pm to discuss business plans. Mike also says that’s just in five minutes. However, while Carol was on the phone with Martha, she managed to hurt her feelings and Martha walked away crying without hanging up the phone, leaving it connected. Mike decides to use the payphone.

This is when Sam officially became the 10th Brady.

Mike walks through the kitchen and Sam is there helping Alice. Alice says he’s early and taking her to a movie that night. Sam makes a joke that Alice is young and even though it’s supposed to be a sweet joke it comes off a little creepy. Mike tells them to have fun and continues on to the family room. 

Mike's about to learn his own lesson in how payphones work.

Mike gets put on hold twice while making the call, and even if you’ve never seen the episode, if you’ve ever used a payphone for non-emergency reasons, you know what’s going to happen. In the middle of the call to set up a business dinner, the operator asks for another ten cents. The call gets disconnected, but with a contribution from Sam, Mike calls back to explain. Mr. Crawford finds the whole payphone deal to be unprofessional, but Mike explains about the phone problems he’s been having with his 6 kids. Mr. Crawford has 3 teenagers of his own, and finds Mike’s solution intriguing.

The grand experiment is over.

In the tag, Mike replaces the payphone with the old phone. When Alice says that she’ll kind of miss the payphone, Mike reveals that Mr. Crawford had one installed in his home.

I have to make a confession about this episode. So, I have two aesthetics - I love really old things, and I love coin-operated things. This episode made me want a payphone. To this day, I still want a payphone. I would get a phone line installed if I could find a classic payphone that would fit my aesthetic. I love this episode besides the fact that it’s given me a crazy life goal, but even as a kid I was like - why didn’t we have a payphone, use the money to pay the phone bill, and then use the money we were using for the phone bill on fun stuff. Of course, my brothers and I never made that many calls growing up. We wrote letters.

What are your thoughts on “Sorry, Right Number?” What are your thoughts on payphones? If The Brady Bunch was set in 2022, how would this episode be adapted? Let me know! I will see you next week with “Every Boy Does It Once!”

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The font in this image is called Jan Brady.

Another week, another episode to dissect! This is the first episode I’m actually reviewing since the blog launched with its first review on January 6 - I work ahead to make sure you consistently get your reviews - and I just want to say that I’m so grateful for those of you who are here and enjoying what I put out! Let me know if there’s any kind of content that you want me to make for this blog and I’ll look into creating it!

This week’s episode is “A-Camping We Will Go,” which originally aired on November 14, 1969. It was the 8th episode to air, and the 13th episode produced overall. This was the first episode to air that was not directed by John Rich, though the first episode produced that was not directed by him was “The Grass is Always Greener,” which was directed by George Cahan. This is the first episode to air that was directed by Oscar Rudolph, who directs 27 episodes of The Brady Bunch in the first three seasons, with his last episode being the iconic “Getting Davy Jones.” The first episode produced that was directed by Oscar Rudolph, however, is “Is There A Doctor In the House,” which was the 13th episode to air. Oscar Rudolph has a very impressive list of television directing credits between 1952 and 1976, including 36 episodes of the Adam West Batman series.

This episode has an average rating of 7.0 on IMDB, but this episode is a favorite of several cast members. It is the first episode to go on location, and Maureen McCormick shares some of her memories about this episode in her book Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice. Let’s get into the episode!

Did they not want to find what they needed before it was time to pack the car?

The episode starts with Mike loading the station wagon, while Carol helps. Everything is dusty, but Mike quips it’s because it hasn’t been used in a year. Carol and Mike talk about how this will be the first camping trip the Bradys go on with the girls, and they hope everyone is on board. Spoilers: everyone is not on board.

"I would love to not have to lecture you to love your sisters weekly, but here we are..."

Mike talks to the boys up in the yard and they don’t want the girls to come. Mike correctly points out that you don’t leave family behind when you go on a vacation. Like, really, what do the boys think the girls are going to do while they’re gone having fun for a long weekend? Cook and knit? Rude. Mike even encourages the boys to help teach the girls hunting and fishing, and I’m wondering where this Mike was when it came to building a treehouse? I said get the girls involved! Greg starts to pick up on the fact that no matter how much the boys protest, Mike’s mind is made up. Mike confirms and says the girls are coming on the trip.

"If we had traditions, the boys would participate in those."

However, in the girls’ room, the girls are telling Carol how they don’t want to go. Camping is a boy thing. Carol tells the girls how wonderful it will be, but when Marcia asks how many camping trips Carol has been on, she admits she’s never been, either. However, the boys like camping and the girls should be included in family outings, so the girls are going to love camping, too. I don’t even understand the protests of the girls, actually. How is nature a boy thing? Mother Nature. Mother Nature. Come on, girls. Own your birthright.

How did Greg get out of carrying anything? He's the oldest!

So the time comes for everyone to go on the camping trip. Alice is wearing an outfit that reminds me of the camp counselors in the 1998 The Parent Trap, which could partially be because series composer Frank DeVol was in the original The Parent Trap but I digress. Alice’s outfit is a lot. She blows her whistle and gets really drill sargent-y, and literally marches the kids to the station wagon and has them all heap in. As Alice and the kids march to the family car, a march version of the series theme plays. It’s very fitting and a nice touch. Since my writing this review, but before it was published, this episode was revisited by Barry and Chris on The Real Brady Bros, and they said the order of the kids in this scene was low to high - Cindy, then Bobby, etc., but this particular line up stuck out to me because I noticed it went girls then boys and Greg isn't carrying anything. Am I watching a Mandela copy? Have Barry and Chris been Mandela'd? Is there another version of this scene out there? It's crazy. Anyway, back to the episode. Shenanigans ensue as everyone tries to load into the car but since it is 6 kids and Alice, and it is a station wagon and the parents are still going to have to fit somewhere, it’s not too unrealistic. My mom is one of six kids and just getting me, my brothers, and the cousins from even one of her other siblings into the same car for even a small trip to get ice cream looked very similar to this.

America's dad kinda looking like everyone's dad and it's not bad.

Mike and Carol leave the house and I just want to say I like Mr. Brady's casual look. Meanwhile, Mike is complimenting Carol for how she looks in jeans and one of his old shirts. Imagine if the Bradys wore casual wear more often. They’d be the most relaxed family on television. Mike and Carol get into the car, with Cindy ending up on Carol’s lap. Before Mike can pull out of the driveway, Cindy whispers to Carol that she has to go to the bathroom. It’s never said, but it’s implied. Carol takes Cindy in. After a beat, Marcia and Jan silently acknowledge they should be safe and follow their mother and sister in. Then all three boys share a look of acknowledgment before also rushing into the house. In the way back, Alice audibly acknowledges it’s not a bad idea and follows the kids in. Mike is incredulous at all of this. You’ve never had to pee, Mike? Anyway, the scene is hilarious.

This lake has history.

The Bradys arrive at a beautiful lake that may look familiar to some people. That is because it is the same lake from The Andy Griffith Show theme song, as well as the lake from Nickelodeon series Salute Your Shorts, among other things. It is Franklin Canyon Park, which is a publicly accessible park that people frequent for hiking and picnicking, but you cannot actually swim or fish there.

A-fishing we will go, a-fishing we will go...

A little after the family arrives and sets up camp, the family starts getting hungry. Mike decides to take all six kids fishing while Alice and Carol collect firewood. The boys are unhappy at the prospect of bringing their sisters along, but Mike insists. The girls do seem very cheerful to be included when the 7 of them walk off to go fishing.

This episode officially passes the Bechdel test.

A little later, Alice and Carol have made a fire and Alice asks if she can nibble at the emergency food that Carol brought along, and Carol says yes. Alice notes that Carol must also be hungry, and she admits she is but she doesn’t want to spoil her appetite for fresh fish. Alice decides that if Carol can wait, she can wait - but she lasts about 40 seconds before deciding to go ahead and eat. Before she can, though, Jan and Greg return. They have the world’s smallest fish. Jan admits she let a bigger fish get away because it felt fishy. Oh, Jan. Greg correctly asks what else a fish is supposed to feel like before walking away, disappointed. Carol and Alice hope that the rest of the kids bring back enough fish for everyone.

Hey, Peter, maybe chill. You didn't fish out of the womb.

However, that prospect seems bleak when Marcia and Peter return with a fish even smaller than the one Greg and Jan had. Peter complains that Marcia broke the fishing line, and Marcia said she thought it was a cobweb and she got all tangled in it. Those two walk off, and Carol and Alice hope Mike makes up for the blunders of the other groups.

Mike is proud that he caught the big one.

Bobby rushes back and says Mike is right behind him, and he caught a big one - Cindy. Poor Cindy is carried back by Mike, completely drenched head to toe. Carol asks Cindy why she just didn’t ask to go swimming if she wanted to and Cindy said, “I didn’t swim on purpose, I swam on accident.” Alice helps Cindy get changed into dry clothes. They never say what happened to Cindy, just that she scared off the fish. Mike, however, is not upset by what happened, even though he is hungry. Carol says she can do something about that, and walks off.

The women thought ahead.

Peter and Greg use this time to complain about the girls and how hungry they are. Mike points out that they’ll survive and they can always fish again the next day. Carol returns with Marcia and Jan and it turns out the girls packed emergency rations - cold cuts, cheese, and fried chicken. Mike is grateful for the food, but Greg tries to stop him from eating it by calling it “sissy food.” And this is when Greg would be grounded forever in some families. Lucky for him, this is the Brady family and the most he gets is Mike reminding him to be thankful. Greg and Peter, for all their staunch beliefs about what camping should be, do give in and eat the food.

I'm happy they get this moment.

Later, Carol and Mike reflect about the trip by the fire and comment that it’s romantic being all alone out there. I am so sad for the predictable something that’s going to happen and ruin this lovely moment. Exactly on cue, the girls ask Carol for water and the boys ask Mike for blankets. Carol and Mike still manage to kiss passionately before letting themselves be interrupted. Good for them! Your kids don’t control your love life. I’m also very happy that they show Mike thoroughly putting out the fire before he leaves it - forest fires in California are no joke.

Alice is extra and I'm here for it.

In the girls’ tent, Carol kisses the girls goodnight. Everyone is settled down and ready to sleep, but Alice is being particularly extra. She’s curling her hair, inflating an air mattress, then forgetting to turn off the lantern and being extra about that task, too. It’s hilarious. Also, Alice is the only one with a mattress. At the beginning of the episode, I thought surely Alice must have gone on trips with the boys before, but as the episode progresses it becomes clear Alice has never been camping either. As soon as Alice finishes her theatrics, and everyone gets settled down for real, they hear an owl hoot. All five ladies immediately get right back up. Carol calls for Mike who rushes over. Mike tells them that the owl won’t hurt them. As soon as he leaves, they hear a frog and Alice even quips “If that’s an owl, he has a frog in his throat,” but if they know it’s a frog I wonder why they act so scared?

The boys really act like they never had a first time camping.

Back in the boys’ tent, the boys ask Mike what happened and he tells them about the owl. Bobby calls the girls scaredy cats, but Mike reminds Bobby that he was scared of owls last year. Bobby insists he was a little kid back then. Cute.

Alice can't tell the difference between air and a rattle.

In the middle of the night, Alice is tossing and turning. There’s a sound that sounds like an air mattress springing a leak, and it seems to wake everyone up. There’s no way it’s that loud. Carol does ask what the sound is and Alice says she thinks it’s a rattlesnake. Has Alice never heard a rattle? Everyone in the tent screams.

This is where I wondered if this is Alice's first Brady camping trip, too.

The girls’ screams wake up the boys, and Mike rushes over to investigate. Alice thinks the rattlesnake has got her but Mike confirms I am right, it is the mattress! Mike calms all the ladies down then returns to the boys’ tent. The boys complain about the girls again, but Mike tells them to stop and even reminds them about the food the girls brought, which the boys admit was a good thing.

These girls are not to be teased.

Marcia and Jan might be psychic, however, because they get the idea to play a prank to scare the boys. They sneak out and using a flashlight and a cutout of a bear, try to trick the boys into thinking there was a bear outside the tent. It works and the boys freak out and rush out of the tent, which - smart. Run to the bear. You know the food is in the girls’ tent, you’re fine. However, the boys realize they’ve been tricked and immediately chase their sisters into the girls’ tent. Mike manages to follow the boys out of the tent, but once he’s out the chaos is unfolding, and he decides to watch it, amused. Mike has priorities and I love that for him. The girls’ tent collapses and Mike breaks down laughing - he is loving this.

The Tent That Consumed the Bradys

Carol pops out of the girls’ tent to tell Mike that he got what he wanted - togetherness - before being dragged back in. Mike finally decides to try to break up the chaos, but he gets dragged into the tent, too. And wait - the episode is over already? This one moves so fast!

Now they really are a Bunch.

In the tag, Mike and Carol are back home in their room. Mike gives Carol a foot massage while they debrief about what happened on the rest of the camping trip. Greg comes up and says that everyone had a meeting and then asks if all trips can be family trips. The parents happily agree.

The end. What I love about this episode is that it’s a season one “blending a family takes work” episode with all the later season hijinks and shenanigans we love about The Brady Bunch. The two worlds don’t collide often, but when they do, it’s beautiful. This is also just the start of many Brady family trips, as they go on one in seasons 3, 4, and 5. Season 2 is the “we’re trying to save money” season, as it’s also the one where not every kid is in every episode. I really enjoy this episode and I’m still in awe at just how quickly it flowed. I’m usually very aware of how far I am into a Brady Bunch episode I’m reviewing and this one took me by surprise. I feel like this episode, however, is where the Bradys really find their voice.

What did you think about this episode? Do you agree this is where The Brady Bunch really started to become The Brady Bunch? Let me know! I will be back next week to review “Sorry, Right Number.”

I might accidentally get good at making these if I keep making them even though they're bad.

“Kitty Karry-All Is Missing” may actually be the first iconic episode of The Brady Bunch. It originally aired on November 7, 1969 - which, incidentally, was Christopher Knight’s 12th birthday. It was the 7th episode to air, and the 4th episode produced. It was the last episode to air that was directed by John Rich. (The last one produced was “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”) This was also the last full episode to air with the original Tiger, who died during production of “Katchoo.”

As an aside, while I was preparing for this episode, my notebook with all of my notes for the episode reviews and other Brady related things that I do research for completely disappeared. I still have not found it and I live in a small apartment. I think the ghost of Tiger is mad that I think he should have been written out of the show much earlier than he was and he took my notebook, which… I can’t even be mad at that. I got the Brady treatment. I have a lot of notes here about the influences this episode has had on pop culture, but I decided to save those for the end. Without further ado, let’s get into the episode.

It only takes a second for tragedy to strike, though.

The episode very sweetly starts with Cindy singing a lullaby to Kitty Karry-All in the family room. Carol listens in from the kitchen. Mike casually strolls out from Alice’s area and says bye to Carol. Carol has Mike look in on the adorableness and comments on how many bottles Cindy’s given her doll. Mike says to get more little diapers ready and oh my gosh this is The Brady Bunch’s first bathroom joke. Mike leaves the house through Alice’s area - how does this make sense? He’s in the kitchen. The glass door has a more direct path to his car. I’m confused. Anyway, Carol leaves the kitchen to clean the kids’ room. Wait, where is Alice?

Just a boy walking and tooting.

Bobby and Tiger enter the family room. Bobby is playing his kazoo. Cindy silences Bobby because she’s putting her baby to sleep. Tiger barks, so Cindy shushes him, too. Bobby, in frustration, says he wishes Kitty Karry-All would disappear. Gee, I wonder what direct set-up is happening here? Bobby leaves the room. Cindy sets Kitty down to get her a bottle, but when she returns, Kitty is gone.

"He wasn't even in the room but he definitely did it."

Cindy calls for Carol to explain that Kitty is missing. Bobby returns, playing his kazoo again, and Cindy wastes no time in saying he is responsible for the disappearance of her doll. Bobby defends himself, but honestly if Cindy thought about it for five seconds she’d know she was wrong. Cindy says that when she returned from the kitchen, both Kitty and Bobby were gone, but Bobby left the room before Cindy did. No wonder Susan Olsen thought Cindy was dim. Of course, if Cindy thought about it and she wasn’t prone to making dumb choices, we wouldn’t have a plot and this is an iconic episode.

That's the way they became the Bathroom Battle Bunch.

Upstairs in the boys’ room, Greg and Peter interrogate Bobby. Ultimately, they believe him. Meanwhile, in the girls’ room, Marcia and Jan are listening to Cindy’s version of things and they believe her. Even though they shouldn’t. Cindy is an unreliable witness. Anyway, the boys and the girls decide to confront each other. It all comes to a shouting match in the kids’ shared bathroom. Carol and Mike come to break it up. Once the kids are separated into their rooms, Mike says that he’s going to talk to the kids. However, when Carol says she tried that, he decides to search the house from top to bottom.

Communication. It's not just for people with your last name.

Alice finally appears in the episode, cooking in the kitchen. Mike enters and walks silently past her, to the fridge. Alice really deserves better. Alice breaks the silence to ask if he needs help, but he says no as he continues his search for Kitty in the freezer. Alice is adequately confused. Then Mike looks in the oven. Alice believes Mike to have heat stroke and he never, ever decides that he needs to clarify. Communication, Bradys. It’s your friend.

Alice is reconsidering not quitting.

Alice sees Carol tearing apart the couch in the living room and when Carol says, “You’ll never guess what I’m looking for,” Alice correctly guesses, “doll.” But we don’t see if Carol is a better communicator than Mike because we cut to the girls’ room, where Marcia has found her lost earring and Jan has found her skate key. Alice enters as the girls give up the search in their room to see it disheveled, and it’s obvious that no, Carol didn’t tell Alice what was happening. Cool. The woman only cooks you meals and does your laundry, there’s no reason to tell her anything.

Alice is going to demand that raise now.

In the boys’ room, Bobby ponders where a doll might go and Greg says, “To me, sweetheart.” Oh my gosh, he is his father’s son. Peter complains that Greg only thinks about girls and Greg tells Peter to keep looking. Alice enters as the boys leave to search another location, still bewildered. As the boys walk downstairs, they complain about wasting their day looking for the doll, but when Bobby says he’s glad it’s gone, his brothers suddenly take Cindy’s side.

Bobby has been voted out of the Brady Kids.

Later, Carol looks out at the yard and tells Mike to look with her. The other five Brady kids are shunning Bobby. Carol doesn’t think it’s fair. I don’t either. It’s so super obvious he didn’t do it. Mike intervenes and talks to Marcia and Greg, since they’re the oldest. Mike talks to the kids about the judicial system then leaves to go shopping with Carol. Maybe he does have heat stroke. Greg points out no one saw Bobby take the doll - you know, because he didn’t - and Marcia agrees Bobby should have a fair trial before quipping, “Then we’ll hang him.” Season 1 Marcia, I miss you most of all.

Welcome to Brady Court.

The kids ask Alice to be their judge, and she begrudgingly agrees. Marcia is the DA and Greg is the defense. Peter and Jan are the jury. Nobody’s going to notice that Tiger hasn’t been seen since the beginning of the episode? No? Because he’s an ineffectual plot device? Cool, carry on. When Cindy takes the stand, she sticks to her story that Bobby took the doll because no one else was there. What in the fucking fuck Cindy. That’s not evidence. When Bobby takes the stand he insists he didn’t take Cindy’s doll because he wouldn’t do that to his sister. The jury is hung and does not reach a verdict, as Jan votes that Bobby is not guilty, but Peter votes that he is. During this whole fiasco, Alice manages to burn dinner.

The Brady adults are about to learn they can't even go shopping without the family dynamic changing.

A little later, in the yard, Greg and Bobby play catch. Mike and Carol return from shopping and see them playing. Greg asks Mike to play catch because Bobby doesn’t throw hard enough. Mike says to ask Peter but Greg shoots this idea down. Meanwhile, Marcia comes outside and asks Carol to tell Jan to return Marcia’s curlers. Carol asks Marcia to ask Jan herself, but Marcia refuses.

Even though she'll let her innocent brother hang, Cindy is sweet sometimes.

Later, in Mike’s den, Carol apologizes about dinner. Why?! You weren’t even home when it got burned. Carol and Mike then talk about the kids’ trial. Ultimately, they feel bad about Cindy and check in on her. Cindy says her prayers and asks for her entire family to be blessed, as well as Kitty Karry-All. Fun fact, I’ve been calling the doll by her name because I know it. I’m an avid fan of the show. But it wasn’t until this moment, about 15 minutes and 38 seconds in, that they ever said the doll’s name. She was just Cindy’s baby or the doll up to this point. After Cindy says her prayers and gets into bed, Mike and Carol kiss her goodnight and leave.

Cindy gives zero fucks about this elephant from "Africa."

On another day, Bobby enters the family room while playing his kazoo. Cindy is lounging in the room when he enters. He sees a new elephant toy that Carol got for Cindy, but she’s disinterested in it. Bobby likes, though. Tiger makes another appearance and there’s nothing suspicious about that, considering the only other time we saw him this episode Kitty disappeared. Bobby compliments the elephant toy but Cindy doesn’t think it holds a light to her doll. She again accuses Bobby of taking Kitty Karry-All. Cindy leaves the room in frustration. Bobby decides to play music for the elephant on his kazoo, but it’s gone. He blames Cindy. Oh my gosh how dumb are the Brady children. At what point, Bobby, was Cindy ever on the same side of the room as your kazoo?

Mike's real tired of these kids not understanding what evidence is.

Mike intervenes and says the kazoo could be in Bobby’s pocket, but Bobby empties his pockets and it’s not there. A lot of impossible things are, though. From which home did the young Robert Brady acquire a metal 5?! It’s the kind that one would find on either a mailbox or the side of a house. Mike explains to the kids that he believes them when they say the didn’t take each other’s things. Mike then talks to the kids about circumstantial evidence like they’re not younger than 10. Bobby and Cindy say they believe each other, but Cindy doesn’t actually mean it and she leaves the room. Carol enters the room and says she searched the house again but “no doll, no kazoo.” Um, did Carol take the kazoo? Or is she a witch? Because it definitely just disappeared a few moments ago and not when Carol started searching the entire house. Bobby realizes Cindy loves Kitty more than he loves his kazoo.

Bobby wants to be a good big brother.

Bobby uses his own money to buy the last Kitty Karry-All in the store. He only has three cents left over after the purchase. Cindy, the ingrate, does not like the doll. She runs off. While Carol and Mike discuss the situation, Tiger takes Fake Kitty. Carol and Mike witness this and chase after him. Ultimately, Mike finds the missing items in Tiger’s doghouse. Mike lectures Tiger, but Carol reminds Mike that Tiger needs a fair trial. Wow, Carol. Way to poke fun at Mike’s attempts at parenting while suffering a heat stroke. He tried, Carol. He tried.

Mike is upset that something terrible has allegedly happened to his golf club.

In the tag, Mike says he doesn’t understand how kids get attached to inanimate objects. Carol tells Mike that his lucky golf club is missing. When Mike becomes upset at the news, Carol reveals the club is safe and sound. Mike learns his lesson.

In an alternate take, it was red-head sister Phoebe who took Cindy's doll.

That’s it for this episode! Even when Tiger is a big part of it - he’s not. What’s the point of having a dog on the show if the dog is never on the show? However, I did say a couple of times that this might be the first iconic episode of The Brady Bunch, and it’s definitely left its mark on pop culture. The most obvious is this is one of the episodes Phoebe Brady was edited into, where she was the one to take Kitty Karry-All.

Wanda Maximoff gets it.

However, anybody who knows anything about Marvel series WandaVision knows The Brady Bunch inspired parts of the 70s episode “Now In Color,” and that episode does in fact have a Kitty Karry-All. Vision practices changing diapers on her - wonder if she’d consumed as many little bottles as Cindy had fed her own. This episode is also actually featured in WandaVision, as this is the episode of The Brady Bunch that Wanda watches in the Hydra compound after being exposed to the mind stone in “Previously On.” Over 50 years after the episode first aired, it’s still influencing modern television.

Even though I don’t think Tiger was ever a necessary part of the show, I do like “Kitty Karry-All Is Missing.” It’s one of the must watch Brady Bunch episodes, and even though the family is all suffering from varying forms of insanity this episode, it’s one that you are almost obligated to include in any Brady marathon. It’s not a highly rated episode on IMDB, but it’s truly one of the better Cindy episodes. In fact, it just edges out above “Eenie, Meenie, Mommy, Daddy” to not be the worst rated episode of the season. Also, none of the season 1 episodes rate as low as some season 4 and 5 episodes. They don’t even come close. There is another fun fact about this episode, which is the Kitty Karry-Alls in this episode eventually wound up in the possession of actresses Susan Olsen and Eve Plumb.

What do you think of the episode “Kitty Karry-All Is Missing?” Do you wish another episode had been featured on WandaVision? Let me know! I will be back next week to review the episode “A-Camping We Will Go.”