I disagree with those who didn't think this was a great episode. It's a Top 10 in my book. The speech Andy gives Opie on the couch makes this episode great. "We're not talking about winners. Winning ain't no problem. It don't take courage to win." What a wonderful lesson for a father to teach his children. And Don Knotts (as always) makes this a classic when he pretends to get angry about not getting a raise, and then gets actually angry thereafter. But my favorite bit is when Barney tries to convince Juanita to go out on a cheap date, followed by him trying to trick Opie out of his savings. Don Knotts was a genius.
3 Reviews
Don Knotts saved a clunker
vitoscotti24 March 2022
All the laughs are Don Knotts generated. Can't imagine how bad the episode would be without Barney. Great scenes him falsely raising Opie's hopes, displaying his "athletic prowess and strength". Another funny epilogue at Barney's expense. We are seeing Thelma Lou regularly disappear in favor of Juanita. No mention of structural damage done to the courthouse with Barney's stray bullets fired.
No Raise, More Liability
Hitchcoc1 December 2019
Opie acts like a snot when he loses a race. His expectation was to beat everybody. Andy uses this to discuss sportsmanship. Opie is left to stew for a while. Barney decides to make a spectacle of himself to show how unattractive a bad sport can be. But it turns out he is a poor example and pays a severe price for it.
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