Welcome to Late Night 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 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

This week, the Bulls try to keep their season alive.

Episode 1.11 “Rona’s Fling”

(Dir by Bruce Seth Green, originally aired on February 3rd, 1985)

Rona (Ruta Lee) has been Diane’s best friend and biggest supporter since she first appeared during 1st & Ten’s pilot.  And yet I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned her in any of my review because her character just wasn’t that interesting.  She was a sarcastic society maven who was always drinking.  She was a bit of a sitcom cliche and I didn’t really see any need to waste a lot time on her character.

This episode, however, opens with Rona getting out of rehab.  She’s stopped drinking!  And she’s also met a guy, a fellow alcoholic.  Tim (Will Bledsoe) is a young and handsome and he and Rona have great sex.  Tim is also the Bulls’s new punter!  With Tim on the team, the Bulls are guaranteed to make it to the playoffs!  (I never knew punters were so important.)

Meanwhile, the Arcola Brothers are also determined to make sure the Bulls make it to the playoffs.  They bribe a referee.

The referee, however, is knocked out early in the game when two plays collide with him.  However, the Bulls win the game on their own, no doubt thanks to Tim and his amazing punting abilities!  Rona would be happy except she’s recently learned that Tim is married.  Tim was separated when he went into rehab but, once he got out, his wife fell in love with him all over again.

And that’s pretty much the episode.  It wasn’t a bad episode, even if the whole thing with the referee felt a bit anti-climatic.  Ruta Lee gave a good performance as Rona and I appreciated the fact that she was still sober at the end of the episode.  And, hey ….. The Bulls are going to the playoffs!

Thank God for the kicking team, I guess.