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When a pair of Russian ballet dancers with plans to defect to the American side and use the bathroom at Cowboy Bills as a weigh station toward freedom, hijinks ensue. While Boris Squiggmanoff succeeds in getting away, his KGB handlers capture his wife, and then mistake Squiggy for the defecting dancer. Mr. Squiggman finds himself living in captivity, forced to fulfill Boris' ballet commitment on pain of death. Soon figuring out that this Squig-shaped guy in the apartment isn't the real deal, Laverne and a rookie federal agent team up with the displaced Ruskie to help save the day, save the wife, and dance really well - kinda-sorta. On pod, we cover the 60s'ness of it all and talk the guest actors, along with covering one of the few episodes of Season 8 that we kind of enjoyed!

*** EXPLICIT LANGUAGE & WARNING *** This podcast video includes discussions of topics such as rape, religious guilt, victim-blaming, and alcohol-induced blackouts. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Laverne wakes up from a black-out drunk evening on top of an aircraft carrier with her clothing torn and disheveled. On her way off the boat, she gets saluted by the sailors on board for reasons she cannot recall. By the time they "toot the big horn" at her, she suspects the worst. Running to the nearest church for confession, she asks if she can still make it into heaven in light of her "bad deeds." The priest recommends a sabbatical at a nunnery as an act of contrition. But unlike stuffy old monasteries, the silent nuns who worship here break up the monotony with pottery, football, roller skating, and pickle smuggling. Laverne causes chaos at every turn, until she causes one of the nuns (Louise Lasser) to break her vow of silence. Through her connection to this struggling nun, Laverne gets one last try at being a good girl -- if she can contritely ask for forgiveness from the Big Man Upstairs. Look, we're not going to lie - we rip this episode a new one. On pod, it gets rough, until Chris goes off on a Dark Souls tangent (and revenge movie recommendation list), Lisa tries not to get flashbacks to Catholic school, and ultimately we give Monastery Story a once-over with a sledgehammer.

The one where we talk about Adam West! When Rhonda shows up with a spare date for Laverne, it turns out to be Edgar Garibaldi, a once great gymnast. Immediately smitten with her, Edgar takes Laverne out, but he keeps calling her by the name Louise. Laverne sticks with the relationship nevertheless and he eventually invites Laverne to his manor abode for a lovely weekend getaway. While there, Laverne learns Eddie's got a history with this Louise gal: his prior partner. Several more clues and the fact that Rhonda he had previously stated he wanted to "strangle her" send Laverne into a self-protective panic. Is he a lunatic that will kill Laverne in place of Louise?! Or just a sad, lonely rich guy with a trapeze in his mansion? On pod, we disagree heavily about the episode, but are able to find some common ground in the solid acting work from West and the gothic overtones.

Laverne's new fella "Weezer" takes her on a double date with Carmine and his new gal Suzy to a French restaurant, only for a couple of hoods to try and hit on the girls. After Carmine and Laverne take the tough guys outside and give them a thrashing, Weezer feels incompetent about his masculinity and ability to protect Laverne. The two argue, he has a wild dance-number laden dream about it, and eventually Laverne gets her pop to set up a "bully" for Weezer to win against. But will he see through her ruse? On pod, we talk the chemistry dynamics of Belushi and Marshall, the necessary rewrites to make this episode possible, background on the various bad guy actors featured, and wonder whether this growth for Laverne will stick around.

**EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING** The doldrums of Season 8 of Laverne and Shirley continue with this filler-esque episode. Laverne disregards a chain letter she gets in the mail and immediately a string of bad luck seems to follow her. She steps on Rhonda's dress and rips it before a big performance for a talent agent, she sprains Carmine's wrist while helping him off the floor, and while playing fetch with Chuck's dog she ends up tossing the ball over the balcony of the apartment building, leading the dog to break all his legs from the fall. Is she jinxed? Well, that's when a mystic is called in to use her astral powers to investigate, for the price of ten bucks. On pod, we are... at a loss for words. Mostly because of the episode doesn't have a lot for us to latch onto.

*** EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING *** We cover one of the most infamous episodes of Laverne & Shirley this week. Laverne tries to scam a free set out of her local bank by creating a fresh account. But during her latest attempt at chicanery, with an equally-disguised Rhonda at her side, she's spotted by a couple of revolutionaries casing the joint for a heist. The revolutionaries, led by Aaron (Ben Powers) and Sheba (Laraine Newman) worm their way into Laverne's life by using a mix of moral guilt and handsome lackey power. When it comes time to get into fatigues and hold up the bank, they keep Laverne in the dark even as she carries dynamite in a backpack to blow the vault. The heist turns into a hostage situation in no time flat, with the cops, tellers and bank manager all lead to believe that Laverne's in on the gig. Then, it gets weird. Laverne is arrested even though she helped thwart RALPH. At the police station, she and Sheba use aliases during the booking process. The names they pick match those of two convicted but escaped murderesses on their way to death row with a very imminent execution date. Presumed to be the twosome, Laverne and Sheba find themselves staring down their immanent deaths. The only hope comes in the form of Lenny and Squiggy, and the audience's only form of entertainment stems from two out-of-left-field gospel number. Will Laverne make it to the front gates or the pearly gates? On pod, we go absolutely ballistic on the two-parter's wild tone shifts, our frustrations over the show's characterization of nearly everyone, the bizarre plot, and even the jaw-dropping parts of the script that *didn't* make it to the small screen. Be warned, this is our first breaking point for season eight.

It's time to add a little T&A to your L&S! Laverne does a quick favor for a very busy Rhonda and runs down to the soon-to-be-opened local Playboy™ Club to pick up an application. Rhonda hopes to become a bunny tail wearing hostess, but a still money-hungry Laverne finds herself signing up for a try-out. Laverne soon starts training along with her new pal/possible co-worker Cathy (the effulgent Carrie Fisher). After they both pass the "Squiggy" test where they have to tolerate their "forward" customer during a staged encounter, the girls are put up to the final test. Can they serve and please the one and only Hef? And what will Cathy and Laverne do if there's only one slot open for the both of them? Meanwhile, Rhonda's scored a role in an experimental Romeo & Juliet meets Lil' Abner mash-up, and Frank bemoans his lost groove in the kitchen now that he's making fast food junk. On pod, we talk the episode's strangely mixed messages, the unexpected source of the teleplay, the wonders of Space Mama, and of course... Laverne's legs.

Laverne finally lands a new job thanks to her Pop calling in a favor with a war buddy. Mr. Ajax turns out to be a big wheel with a place in a future-facing industry, with his company making aeronautics supplies for NASA. There, her stern boss, G. Bullets Klein, puts her to the boring task of testing various products which are slated to go up into space on the latest shuttle, then boxing them up. Her new co-worker, Chuck (Charles Fleischer), asks Laverne for help clandestinely testing a new anti-gravity space suit. But after a successful run, she can't get herself out of said suit. With quitting time at hand and the looming fact that no employees are allowed on the premises after hours, the two rush off back to Laverne's place. There, Laverne's friends and family are simultaneously planning a surprise birthday party for her (weeks in advance) while being grilled by Bullets Klein as part of Laverne's background check. Will she be able to dodge a Bullets or will she be lost in the space suit forever? On pod, Lisa talks about the infamous behind-the-scenes stunt mishap from this episode, while Chris has actor notes and nerdy trivia to go with his developing Season 8 opinions. THE BLOOPER FOOTAGE - [Timestamped] https://youtu.be/WZnZWfT2krQ?si=KEiuvVpBBd0IsU_G&t=1505

When Laverne and Carmine return to the apartment after attending the Burbank Business Association's Dancing Contest, they find that all of Shirley's things are gone ... along with the lady herself. All that's left is a single note waiting for Laverne -- a goodbye letter from Shirl that seems to brush off the many years of friendship and sisterhood. Seeing Laverne devastated by the news, Pop and Carmine and all the others try their best to lift Laverne's spirits, from helping her search for a new roommate, to getting the whole gang of their friends together to keep Laverne company when she goes to bed. But will Laverne find there's more to this single page note? How will she move on? Is this truly the end of Laverne & Shirley?! On pod, we continue to discuss the major shifts in production on the eighth season, and its emotional ramifications on the show's tone. Plus, we geek out on the guest star appearances.

**EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING** Laverne and Shirley get a big opportunity at their department store job, only it's the kind where they have to live in an "apartment of the future" for a week. Realizing she's come down with a case of claustrophobia, Laverne isn't sure she can pull it off. With some coaxing and encouragement from their neighbor Rhonda, they seek the help of a hypnotist... but when a mistake during the session leads the girls to acting like chickens (and not knowing it afterward), hijinks ensue as they become chickens of tomorrow! Will they maintain their jobs? Will Laverne get a proper smooch with that handsome guy outside the window? And who died?! On pod, we talk the wardrobe, the old-fashioned style and tone, and make a handful of inappropriate jokes. Chris also chimes in about the guest actors.

**EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING** The beginning of the end! With another time-jump, Shirley reveals that the guy she's been dating, Walter Meeney, has proposed! Laverne is ecstatic for her best friend. But as the two begin putting the wedding together, the timeline for it speeds up, as Walter, an Army medic, gets his orders to ship out soon. So Laverne and Shirley go into overdrive for the Feeney/Meeney wedding, only to be once more be thwarted - Walter's got a full body rash! In the end, they have the wedding at the VA Hospital... but, will Shirley Feeney marry a doctor prop? On pod, Lisa goes down the rabbit hole of Season 8's rise and fall, while Chris attempts to survive his first encounter with the enemy. REFERENCES SOURCES [among others noted]: Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall interviews [The Television Academy Foundation] - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJP_M59vk2Fox9WxjiVzpmFbuW7LbWH2Z https://youtu.be/RoCsorfgp4M Garry Marshall on Cindy's departure [The Television Academy Foundation] - https://youtu.be/NuokWhpheSk A&E Biography Retrospective (2005) - https://www.youtube.com/watch Penny Marshall Interview Snippet [The Television Academy Foundation] - https://youtu.be/tK8hYSz2GLE Cindy Discussing Her Departure [Larry King Live interview clip] - https://youtu.be/OK0ROd77nis Cindy Williams Obituary from TODAY - with interview clips - https://youtu.be/IeBM_K5ZPHk?si=D3hf1gOJwtB21xOh

CUE THE ORGAN MUSIC! It's time for a soap opera parody in which Shirley's guilt over borrowing Laverne's purse without permission -- and then losing it -- fuels her dreams while she falls asleep watching TV. The Baublenik family is a dynasty built on flapjack restaurants, but Shirley's dream keeps taking sinister, raunchy turns. Will "Charlene Baublenik" be poisoned to death? CAN you find a good chauffeur these days? And what is the next leading brand of Dose-a-coma?! On pod, we are joined by special guest Tracy Ramone, the head of Sloppy Dice Dungeons & Dragons which Chris regularly participates in. Tracy's history with Laverne and Shirley is formative and lively, along with her affection for silly TV and soap operas, making her a welcome addition to discussing this one! Prepare for tangents, derails, overlapping conversations, and enthusiastic raving about costumes.