All In The Family

The conclusion of "Edith's 50th Birthday" is not as strong as part one, but it is still a great episode. In the first chapter Jean Stapleton gave another excellent performance. In this part, Sally Struthers does just that in probably one of her best performances of the series. Seeing Gloria have the guts to do what was necessary to get Edith to stand up and help police identify her attacker will be an inspiration to viewers for sure. The late Carroll O'Connor and Rob Reiner take a back seat to the ladies in this episode, but it still works well.

I just saw that episode not too long ago. It was funny, but touching. I was in tears when I saw this episode. Edith getting attacked is something big. I know Gloria was attacked earlier in the series and the police claim that it was her fault, but Edith's attack was something else. Here is the happy dingbat fixing a birthday cake for her milestone birthday and then this creep comes into her house and tries to rape her. This episode makes you think twice about opening the door for a strange man. Of course, in this day in age, our parents taught us to be afriad. Speaking as a woman, I can feel Edith's pain and I can understand why she is afraid. That episode was a wake-up call for all of us.