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Recap / The Odd Couple 1970 S 4 E 16 The Flying Felix

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Felix's attempt to reach Houston for an ad campaign runs up against his phobia of air travel. When Oscar tries to help, he finds himself forced into flying to Houston with Felix, and everything goes downhill from there.

This episode includes examples of the following tropes:

  • Chekhov's Gunman: While Felix is trying to book Oscar on a flight to Houston, the desk clerk asks if he and Oscar are with the club, which Felix goes with to get a seat. Once they're on the flight and over Houston, it turns out the people are members of a skydiving club; the plane isn't landing in Houston.
  • Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Before boarding the flight to Houston, Felix begins to freak out and launches into a hysterical rant. Murray gets him back to (semi-)normal by slapping his face.
  • Loophole Abuse: Felix tries to purchase more insurance for Gloria in case he dies on the flight, but the saleswoman tells him he's already reached the limit. So Felix asks if another person can buy insurance and name the same beneficiary. That is possible, and Felix gets Oscar to buy additional insurance.
  • Kissing the Ground: Felix kisses the floor of the apartment (and his luggage, and other things) after getting off a plane. The flight wasn't rough, but Felix is afraid of flying.
  • Ms. Fanservice: On the plane, Oscar convinces Felix to sit beside a young lady wearing a tight sweater in hopes he'd relax. Predictably, Felix botches it up by getting even more nervous.
  • Noodle Incident: Whatever happened on the flight home from Houston stays unexplained. Felix claims it went well, but the passengers all slap him and the stewardess accuses him of ruining the flight.
  • Stuck in the Doorway: Felix already feels nervous as the flight starts, and the pre-flight talk about masks and emergency exits does nothing to calm him. Then he sees a portly lady putting her luggage in the overhead space and starts worrying that she'll get stuck in the exit, trapping all of them.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Felix turns out to have crippling aviophobia. Only with great difficulty can anyone coax him onto a plane in the first place, and once there, he's still prone to freak outs and constant trips to the bathroom. He appears to have gotten over it (or at least improved a lot) by the end.

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