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| Scott Baio and Henry Winkler on Happy Days. |
The writers of Happy Days were not usually too keen on exploring particular themes—this isn't that kind of show—but they ended up exploring some anyway during the show's eleventh and final season. Specifically, a lot of these episodes are about the characters growing up and feeling the need to prove themselves as full-fledged adults. They're no longer children, and they want the world to know it!
In "Because It's There," Fonzie (Henry Winkler) needed to prove he was "a man" by riding his motorcycle up Suicide Hill. In "Welcome Home," Richie (Ron Howard) proved he was an adult by ignoring his parents' wishes and moving to California to become a screenwriter. In "Glove Story," the episode we're reviewing this week on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast, Chachi (Scott Baio) tries to prove himself to Fonzie by becoming a boxer.
It seems that, in Season 11, the characters on Happy Days are all trying to put childhood behind them and establish themselves as adults who deserve some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Weirdly, they all go about it in ways that seem foolish or dangerous to me. Richie could end up broke and homeless, while Fonzie and Chachi could end up hospitalized or even dead! Oh well. I guess that's what it takes to prove yourself in this universe.
You can find out what we thought of "Glove Story" by listening to our latest podcast. Conveniently, it's available right here.