Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing the original Love Boat, which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986!  The series can be streamed on Paramount Plus!

This week, Julie wears a wig!

Episode 5.16 “Green, But Not Jolly/Past Perfect Love/Instant Family”

(Dir by Richard Kinon, originally aired on January 30th, 1982)

“Where’s Julie?” Captain Stubing demands and he’s got good reason.  The Love Boat is only a few minutes away from setting sail.  The passengers are checking in and being given directions to their cabins.  And yet, Julie McCoy — the cruise director — is nowhere to be seen!

Fire him, Captain!  Seriously, she’s been erratic this entire season and she seems to have a permanent cold so it’s time to get a new cruise director.

Julie shows up at the last minute.  She reveals that she’s late because she went to see her hair dresser.  And now, she’s a platinum blonde!  She says that she’s proud of her new look.  The rest of the crew pretends to like it.  As for those of us watching, it’s hard not to notice that Julie is actually just wearing a very obvious wig.

Watching this episode, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that, according to a documentary about the show that I recently watched on Tubi, Lauren Tewes was dealing with a fairly serious cocaine problem during the fifth season.  I don’t say that suggest anything bad about Lauren Tewes.  From what I’ve read, cocaine was everywhere in the 80s and she’s hardly the only performer from the time to get into trouble with it.  (Tewes, it should be noted, went to rehab and cleaned herself up.)  Instead, I point that out because a lot of Julie’s actions during the fifth season seem as if they’re best explained by Julie being under the influence.  The moodiness, the impulsivity, the fact that she suddenly doesn’t seem to be all that focused on her job, I think Julie had a problem!  Her hair isn’t platinum blonde.  It’s cocaine white!

Gopher eventually works up the courage to tell her that her new hair color is not flattering.  (And, to be honest, he’s right.)  Gopher gives her some hair dye that he picked up — uh oh! — and Julie uses it — JULIE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? — and she wakes up the next morning with green hair.  Julie spends the rest of the cruise in her cabin while the rest of the crew feels guilty.  Even Vicki has a hard time talking to Julie with her green hair.  Then the rest of the cruse decides to die their hair green in solidarity with Julie, just to discover hat Julie’s hair has gone back to its natural color….

Yeah, it’s silly but I kind of enjoyed the storyline.  I like stories about the crew and the members of the cast had enough chemistry that they could even carry a story as silly as this one.  They’re a fun group to watch.

As for the other two stories, Lynda Day George boards the ship with her hyperactive son (a young Corey Feldman).  She meets a high school coach (John Philip Law) who is not scared by her son.  This was a predictable story but I’m a horror fan and an Italian movie fan so seeing George, Feldman, and Law interacting made up for any narrative flaws.

The third story starred Bert Convy and Tanya Roberts and it was about reincarnation.  I don’t believe reincarnation, mostly because people who claim to remember their past lives never remember anything boring.  Instead, they always remember being members of French royalty or the mistress of a Spanish pirate.  As for this story, Convy lies and tries to convince Roberts that they were lovers in a past life.  But then he has black-and-white visions of a chandelier falling on Roberts.  Maybe they were once lovers at another time!  Honestly, who cares?

This was an above average cruise.  I’m glad Julie finally took off that wig.