Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Jennifer Slept Here, which aired on NBC in 1983 and 1984.  The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, Jennifer learns karate and Joey is tempted to the dark side.

Episode 1.8 “Rebel With a Cause”

(Dir by John Bowab, originally aired on December 16th, 1983)

Poor Joey!

Jennifer has decided to learn karate.  Why a ghost would need to learn karate, I do not know.  However, while showing off her newly learned moves to Joey, Jennifer kicks his bed and causes it to collapse.  Mr. Eliot rushes into the room and, because he can’t see Jennifer, he assumes that Joey must have been jumping up and down on his bed despite the fact that Joey is a teenager in high school.  Joey’s allowance will go to buying a new bed!

The next day, at school, Joey makes the mistake of asking out the girlfriend of the school’s biggest bully.  Fortunately, Jennifer materializes just in time to beat up the school bully.  Again, because no one can see Jennifer, everyone assumes that Joey beat up the bully.  The bully’s gang decides to make Joey their new leader.

At first, Joey is reluctant.  But when people at school start to act like they’re scared of him and start to do favors for him, the power goes to Joey’s head.  Soon, Joey is wearing a leather jacket and trying to be tough.  Jennifer points out that this isn’t who Joey is and, deep down, Joey knows that.  When the entire gang shows up at Joey’s house, Jennifer suddenly materializes and pretends to be Joey’s biker girlfriend which somehow scares the gang off.

This is a confusing episode, largely due to the fact that the show has never clearly established just what exactly Jennifer can and can’t do as a ghost.  In some episodes, like this one, she can materialize and be seen by others.  In other episodes, it’s been suggested that only Joey will ever be able to see her.  In just the previous episode, Jennifer had the power to possess other people but, in this episode, she doesn’t even use that power despite the fact that it would have gotten both her and Joey out of a lot of trouble.  (If Jennifer has possessed Joey and then beat up the bully, it would have certainly made more sense than everyone assuming Joey beat up the bully despite the fact that Joey would standing several feet away while Jennifer put the guy in his place.)  And, again, why would Jennifer learn karate in the first place?  Who is teaching her?  When did she learn?  Jennifer mentions that she’s met a lot of bikers in the afterlife but when was that?  As far as I can tell, Jennifer spends all of her time harassing Joey at the house.

Even if you ignore all of the inconsistencies with Jennifer, you have to wonder why, in the year 1983, Joey is going to a school that is apparently controlled by a 1950s street gang.  Seriously, this gang of bullies is even less intimidating than a community theater production of Grease.

It was sweet that Jennifer was so concerned about Joey and, as usual, Ann Jillian brought a lot of heart to the role but this episode just didn’t make any sense.