The Final Episode #25: Webster (1983 - 1989)

 

I bet you didn't expect to see two Final Episodes to be put up in the same day but well on Facebook this show got 3 votes and on Discord, Looney Tunes got 4 votes. So I said To hell with it! I'm gonna give the people what they want and give em both! Plus I really really want to talk about this final episode because it's one of the strangest. Anyway Let's talk a bit about Webster.

Webster was a sitcom that ran from 1983 to 1989. It ran from 1983 to 1987 on ABC and then in Syndication from 1987 to 1989. It wasn't one of the shows I watched as a kid, at least I don't remember it in reruns or anything. I'm pretty sure this was one of the many sitcoms from the 1980s that I had heard of thanks to the internet and in particular the website Jump the Shark. A fun website where very salty people would argue about when just about any TV show Jumped the Shark. Now I've seen a few episodes of Webster and well it's a corny silly family sitcom. I don't know if this is true but apparently it was just a show for Alex Karras (Mongo from Blazing Saddles. He was also good at throwing balls in sports ball around too.) and his then wife Susan Clark (star of such films as Airplane 1975 and They Call Him Willie Boy) and them falling in love. I don't think that would have worked as well if they didn't cast that little rascal Emmanuel Lewis even if he did become the whole point of the show.

Emmanuel Lewis was like Gary Coleman. No, not because they were both black. And no not because this shows premise and that shows presmise were about the same damn thing. No they both looked like kids even when they were adults. Like no joke Emmanuel was 18 when he starred in this final episode and he looks to be about 8. It's something else isn't it? Oh I don't know where else to put this in this article or whatnot but Emmanuel Lewis knows taekwondo. Imagine him beating your sweet ass. That would be hilarious to see, even if it was me whos ass he was kicking. I hope that was true more than anything else. Ever.

So I mentioned that this final episode was strange. Boy howdy is it, yes this last episode is a crossover. No it's not a crossover with The Facts of Life or Diff'rent Strokes or any show that would make a little bit of sense. No this show crosses over with Star Trek. To be specific Star Trek: The Next Generation. I know Trekkies or Trekkers or Trek-lovers will probably get angry if you just call any of the shows just Star Trek. Of course they probably get mad if you tell them speaking in Klingon is really lame and not cool. It really isn't though and this is coming from a guy who's talking about Webster.

Yes this episode is also a clipshow so this column will be shorter than most (probably not I can talk anyones ear off about any dumb thing you can imagine because I'm so lonely uhhh... back to Webster) This episode has Webster playing some computer game. Probably King's Quest V because the King's Quest and Space Quest games are the only PC games from the 1980s I can think of. Well those and Commander Keen but wasn't that 90s? I really don't know. I just like Commander Keen and felt like mentioning it. He pulls on the joystick and it instantly brings him to the Starship Enterprise and he has to talk to that wonderful grump Worf. He's a klingon. I learned that from this episode of Webster. Yes I learned that from Webster and not Star Trek. He and Worf go over some clips because Webster wants Worf to know what Fun is. This episode wasn't rocket science. It was someone at Paramount wanting to have some fun and probably annoy some Star Trek nerds by making Webster canon to the Star Trek universe. Some guy fixes the Joystick and Webster can send himself back. He sends himself back and ends up asleep in his bed. He then looks at the Joystick in his hand and sees "FIXED BY NUMBER SIX ON THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE" and then gives THIS look:

If a giant smug smirk isn't the way to end a tv show than I don't know what is.