Line #23 Recap/AllInTheFamilyS8E3EdithsFiftiethBirthday


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7	A 50th birthday party can mean a lot of things. For Edith Bunker, it was supposed to be a celebration of family and friendship, and a look ahead at years of raising her grandson, caring for others at the Sunshine Home, and many memories more to be made with Archie.
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9	The day of the milestone birthday ends far from that. In fact, "'''Edith's Fiftieth Birthday'''" will have a much darker ending that she'll always remember but will never celebrate.
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11	Edith is alone doing some final preparations for her birthday, while Archie is over at the Stivics with other family and friends her family, preparing a surprise party. A young man arrives to the Bunker house, identifying himself as a police detective. He explains that he's pursuing a rapist in the neighborhood, and wants to ask Edith if she's seen anything. However, much to Edith's horror, the detective reveals he is, in fact, the rapist.
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13	Edith tries to stall him, in every way she can think of, but it's no use. At least until she discovers her cake in the oven is burning, and ultimately uses it as a weapon to get away from the rapist, and flee to her surprise party. Despite the singing upon her arrival, it becomes apparent to Archie and the others that Edith is in no mood to celebrate.
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15	The episode was universally lauded for its realistic portrayals of trauma and fear, and the aftermath Edith experiences as she tries to forget what happened to her ... even though she knows full well that this rapist is likely still at work and if he's not stopped soon, even more tragic consequences could result.
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18	!! Tropes associated with this episode:
19	* ActorRoleConfusion: Actor David Dukes said he received death threats due to his portrayal of Edith's would-be rapist in this episode.
20	* AttemptedRape: Fortunately, the rapist is never able to fully initiate sex. Edith manages to babble on (in her own, unique way) to try to keep a step ahead of her attacker.
21	* BeautifulSexualAssaultVictim: Averted. Edith is shocked that she, a dowdy middle-aged woman just turned 50, could be the target of a young, male serial rapist. Very much TruthInTelevision, as women of all ages have been sexually assaulted, and the show was ahead of its time in acknowledging this fact.
22	* BirthdayEpisode: When all is finished, it's not a day that will be celebrated, but it'll be one that will always be remembered.
23	* ABirthdayNotABreak: "Happy birthday!" ... chilling words from Mr. Lambert when Edith, in seeking mercy, tells him what day this is. This only ramps up his sadism even more (And you thought Christmas was a bad time for the Bunkers).
24	* BirthdayPartyGoesWrong ... and not in a comic sense by any stretch as you would expect in a sitcom. There is a brief moment of laughter when Edith bursts into Mike and Gloria's house, as the party-goers to her surprise party conclude (understandably, as they were unaware of what was going on) that she was showing up for her party, albeit a little bit early. They even start singing "Happy Birthday" to toast their friend and they cheer as Edith collapses in Archie's arms, not seeing that her tears were not of joy but of fear and fright. (Off camera, it is presumed the party ended early once the party-goers were informed something was wrong and were sent home, as by the time the second half hour begins, Edith is in Mike and Gloria's bedroom, trying to explain what happened).
25	* BlackComedyRape: Mostly averted. Even though the show is a sitcom, and there is some comedy in the episode, it takes the attempted rape very seriously and doesn’t play it for laughs.
26	* [[PieInTheFace Cake In The Face]]: Usually a comedy trope, this time, a burning one in Mr. Lambert's face the is opening that allows Edith to finally get the upper hand on her would-be assailant.
27	* ContinuityNod: Gloria refers to her own frightening experience from Season 3's "[[Recap/AllInTheFamilyS3E22GloriaTheVictim Gloria the Victim]]" (where a man tries [unsuccessfully] to attack Gloria while walking by a construction site) and her own decision to not pursue criminal charges.
28	* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: Lambert is a conventionally handsome guy. This helps him gain his victims' trust before he attacks them.
29	* GroinAttack: When Edith finally gets the upper hand on the rapist (by shoving the burning cake in his face), he tries to brush away everything and shake it off. He can't, however, shake off a well-placed knee right where the sun doesn't shine, and that's enough for him to get knocked onto the service porch and force him to flee.
30	* HappyBirthdayToYou: Edith's family and friends sing the song when she unexpectedly stumbles in the house, a few even complaining they didn't even get to light the candles yet. Of course, they are unaware of the horror Edith had just gone through.
31	* HeroicBSOD: Edith, when she finally gets the upper hand on Lambert.
32	* IHaveNoSon: In the final scene, where an exasperated Gloria cannot convince for the life of her to get Edith to press charges against Mr. Lambert, she finally tells her that she's a cruel, selfish woman and that she is unworthy of being her mother.
33	* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: Lambert poses as a police detective searching for the rapist, in order to gain entry into the Bunkers' home.
34	* INeedToGoIronMyDog: To try to get away from her attacker, Edith tries to explain that she has to go to her party next door, and to use the bathroom. This rapist, however, has heard this all before and is determined to not let Edith out of his sight ... or grasp.
35	* IronicBirthday: A 50th birthday should be a milestone, a happy occasion where the honoree reflects on a life filled with family, friends and accomplishments. That's how it should have been for Edith ... but instead, a rapist makes sure her 50th birthday will be remembered far differently. In fact, at one point, when Edith tells Mr. Lambert that it is her birthday, he sadistically congratulates her ("Happy birthday!").
36	* MeanwhileBackAtThe: The living room attempted rape scene cuts at one point to the Stivic house, where Archie and Mike are arguing (as usual, over whose fault it was) over a broken punchbowl. This sets up Archie's trip over to the house to get the other punchbowl, grumbling about how Mike and Gloria's goldfish died, and Edith trying (subtly) to hint that something very wrong is going on. Thing is, Archie DOES notice Edith is crying and visibly upset, but he scoffs at it, thinking [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint she's merely crying about the dead goldfish]].
37	* MistakenForGay: When Archie realizes that the rapist had been in the house when he had come over for the punch bowl, he questions why Edith didn't say anything. Edith replies that the rapist would've done something to him too. Archie's response: "Do something to me? What the hell was he?! A fruit, too?!" Edith did mention that he was ''[[DoubleEntendre "In the Closet"]]''.
38	* MultiPartEpisode: First aired in two parts.
39	* OhCrap: The moment Lambert presents a gun and points it at Edith's face. The look of sheer terror and fright -- and certainly not in a comic sense -- is spine-tingling and nightmarish, to say the least.
40	* SeenItAll: "Would you like some coffee?", "I've gotta go to the bathroom", "That's Archie ... he'll stop you!" Yes sir, it can be implied that Mr. Lambert is experienced and -- determined to complete this sexual assault -- has seen it all before (hot coffee thrown in his face, an escape from the bathroom window and so forth), and why Edith has little success shaking him. Fortunately, he doesn't quite expect a burning cake in the oven, much less one thrown in his face.
41	* SerialRapist: Gloria learns (and reveals to the others) that Lambert is one. Given how well he is able to thwart Edith's attempts at a getaway, he is a very experienced one.
42	* ShowStopper: Edith throwing the burning cake in Mr. Lambert's face and kneeing him in the groin before pushing him out of the house garnered the longest bit of applause -- some stories say it was a standing ovation that lasted several minutes (and was ultimately edited down) -- in the show's history.
43	* SurpriseParty: Although Edith kinds of knows about it beforehand. Unfortunately, she endures another "surprise" ... one that is a very bad one, before she shows up at the actual surprise party.
44	* VerySpecialEpisode: Several episodes aired during the 1977-1978 season had very adult themes, and this was one of them.
45	* VileVillainSaccharineShow: Lambert is easily the darkest villain in the show's history, a SerialRapist in a sitcom played jarringly straight, and it led to [[ActorRoleConfusion death threats against the actor who played Lambert]].

Context Recap / AllInTheFamilyS8E3EdithsFiftiethBirthday