MichaelMartinDeSapio

"Barney and the Choir" is a charming and amusing episode, but I will have to go with the reviewers who have found it a bit too implausible, especially from a musicianly point of view. Singing is not an all-or-nothing matter, and someone could easily have taken Barney aside and explained to him kindly and diplomatically that they would coach him on his pitch and voice production later, but for the impending concert they would have to get someone else. Who knows how Barney would have reacted, but this would at least have been more true-to-life. In addition, no choir director would accept a new member sight unseen without hearing him sing first. The fourth-season episode "The Song-Festers" is a much superior choir episode, better-written and with more emotional depth. Still, "Barney the Choir" is still quite funny, with the scene of Barney "singing" into the microphone to a deep bass voice (provided by Glenn Cripes) arguably one of the series' classics.

"What You Need" is a superlative episode that doesn't get nearly enough praise from TZ fans. This is a simple moral fable beautifully told with fine performances from the whole cast and excellent visual style - this actually feels like a film noir of the Forties. Ernest Truex as the clairvoyant old street peddler Pedott and Steve Cochran as the luckless street hustler create memorable characters. Even the minor roles - the sarcastic bartender, the has-been baseball player, the lonely young woman - register in this dark cautionary story set entirely at night and containing some tensely dramatic interactions. Excellent dialogue throughout and perfect payoff in the twist ending. One of my top ten TZ favorites, "What You Need" is an underrated gem from the outstanding first season.