Sometimes when you push too hard, you end up getting bitten and hurting the ones you truly love.
The kids find this out the hard way when, after a series of minor misunderstandings and miscommunications, Alice is led to believe she had so badly breached the kids' trust that she decides to leave ... and they almost never get a chance to say so much as the "goodbye" in "Goodbye, Alice, Hello."
It's not exactly known how long things had been building up, but the first example comes when Peter and Greg (rather childishly) play Frisbee in the house. Forgetting the lesson they learned in "Confessions, Confessions" (that little rule about not playing ball in the house), an errant throw leads an antique lamp in Mike's den being broken.
Alice is aware of the boys breaking the lamp, which Greg and Peter try to repair without their parent's knowledge. As such, the boys — knowing they'll be in trouble if found out — ask Alice to keep their secret from their parents, which she vows to do. But Carol notices a crack in the lamp, and when she investigates further, the lamp falls apart in her hands. Alice is caught between her code of secrecy and Carol directly asking Alice to tell what she knows. Alice, remembering she has never lied to Carol about anything, is forced to tell the truth ... and of course Carol immediately withholds Greg and Peter's allowances to cover the repair of the lamp. Alice tries to explain to the two that their mother put her in a corner, but they don't believe her.
Later, Carol asks Alice a seemingly innocent question about who was using the record player the previous night (Carol had discovered it was left on all night). Alice makes an off-hand remark that Marcia was having fun listening to her records the night before. Carol is surprisingly harsh in telling Marcia (off-camera) that she can't use the record player for a week.
These — and other incidents, including one where Alice refuses to allow Bobby and Cindy to swim nude with some new nudist neighbors, have the kids upset at Alice. So much that they won't speak to her, for fear that she will squeal to the folks. And it gets to the point that they are outright rude and cold to Alice, not even speaking to her when necessary. The hardest point becomes when Alice overhears Bobby and Cindy talking about how they used to love Alice and consider her a friend, but now aren't sure they can trust her anymore.
That night, Alice tearfully vents to her friend and fellow housemaid Kay, about how she used to have fun with the kids, but now they seem to hate her. Kay claims she avoids this kind of heartbreak, by just doing her job, and not bonding with any family she works for. Alice feels she must leave for the good of everybody, and asks Kay if she's willing to fill in. Later, Alice tells Carol she's leaving for an important job with family, and she must go immediately, so she can't stick around to say goodbye to the kids.
And so it goes. At least she lines up her successor: Kay, who simply goes about her work. While she's very nice, she's strictly business. She simply does her duties as housekeeper, and does not do puzzles with Bobby and Cindy, or play basketball with Peter and Greg, or dance to music with Marcia and Jan, or watch TV with Carol, all of which Alice used to enjoy doing.
So one evening, Greg and Marcia decide to talk about Alice. They admit they were wrong to behave that way to Alice in the final weeks, but Carol is pissed. She reports that Alice had never squealed on either of them, but was forced to tell the truth about Greg and the lamp, and did not know what the record player question was about. Greg and Marica admit Alice had told them these things, but they didn't believe her. Carol then essentially says, "You pushed too hard, now she's gone." And no amount of "I'm sorry" might ever get her back. Kay overhears the discussion, but is indifferent to it (but she's secretly pleased because she knows how much they really do love Alice).
And that leads the kids have to figure out how to get their beloved Alice back. So they manage — on a tip from Kay, no less — to track her down to a roadside diner, where she had just taken a job. They go in and are seated at a table that happens to be Alice's. Alice is overjoyed but surprised to see all six of them, and after a few uncomfortable moments, both sides admit they love each other and the kids admit they were very sorry for how they treated her. Alice is overjoyed and quits her job immediately. Why? "Because I got my old job back, and I'm never leaving it again!"
After Alice returns, Carol remarks on how well Kay did her job, in Alice's absense, but concludes that it was still a terrible period because of how much they missed Alice. And Alice remains with the family happy ever after!
Tropes present in this episode:
- Be Careful What You Wish For: All the kids shut Alice out, thinking she’s ‘squealing’ on them, ignoring and saying horrible things about her. She decides to grant their wish of having her gone by quitting and leaving without saying goodbye. And despite thinking they will like Kay better as she wouldn’t ‘squeal’ on them, the kids very quickly grow to miss Alice as Kay refuses to emotionally connect with them.
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Broken Aesop: "Mom always said 'Don't play ball in the house.'" - Easily Forgiven: Despite the hurtful things the kids said to and about Alice, apparently all she wanted was to hear them say "We're sorry" and mean it.
- Idiot Ball: Surely Marcia and Greg (or the boys, who grew up with Alice) would understand that Alice couldn't keep secrets from their mother, she is employed by their parents not them. Carol chews them out for this when they come clean.
- Rejected Apology: Greg and Marcia admit to Carol their rude behavior toward Alice led to her departure and are truly sorry for it. But Carol, sensing the kids don't quite yet get it, rejects the apology, telling them: 1. In essence, "You pushed too hard, can you blame her for leaving?"; and 2. If they want to apologize, it needs to be to Alice ... and it had better be a good apology. Fortunately, Alice is far more forgiving (and
Word of God has it that Carol eventually is). - Skinny Dipping: Surprisingly Squick for an early-1970s family situation comedy, there was an infamous scene where 11-year-old Bobby and 10-year-old Cindy are dressed in robes, ready to go to a neighborhood swimming party at a neighbor's house. Alice checks Bobby and Cindy to see if their swimwear is in goo ... uh, they're wearing their birthday suits. Alice, seeing the red flags, refuses to allow Bobby and Cindy to go to an X-rated swimming party, especially without Mike and Carol's permission; the kids balk but Alice stands her ground ... and no doubt — already on thin ice with the kids — continues to lose popularity.
- The Stool Pigeon: What the kids believe Alice has become by (inadvertently) saying the kids did different things; they essentially call her as such in a very hurtful way. It can be implied they called her worse (off-screen).
- 10-Minute Retirement: Alice — who had just taken a job at a roadside diner — accepting the kids' apologies and realizing her place is indeed with the Bradys.
- We Used to Be Friends: The kids blame Alice for reporting their misdeeds, almost all of it for trivial incidents (such as Marcia leaving the stereo on and Alice making an off-handed remark about the eldest Brady girl having used it last night) ... growing to a point where they feel they can no longer confide in her. This bites them all in the ass when Alice decides to grant their wish and leave, leaving them alone with an housekeeper that refuses to be their friend and an angry Carol once Greg and Marcia come clean.
- What Did I Do?: When the kids become increasingly rude, snap at her when she simply tries to make conversation and so forth (this all coming after each of the kids, at one point, felt "betrayed" by Alice) Alice begins to think about this very seriously, crying herself to sleep at night several times before no longer wanting to take anymore and deciding to leave.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Carol gives a massive one to Marcia and Greg when they admit to treating Alice horribly, out of the belief that she was ‘squealing’ on them, angrily explaining that Alice was just doing her job and they drove her away due to essentially throwing a temper tantrum because she wouldn’t let them get away with their misbehaviour.
