“Oh My Aching Back”. Episode 3, Season 1.

It’s always fascinating seeing the very early episodes, especially of legendary series when they first start out. Gives you a unique window to that time & moment of place where you witness how it begins & how it progresses before it settles down to where it will become.

Such is the case with this one, & especially episode 3 of season 1, “Oh My Aching Back”. The shocker for me in this one is at the very start when Edith is asked by Gloria where Archie is & when he’s coming home. Edit answers “When he’s GD ready”.

LOL! Personally I was shocked! Edith SAID THAT?! The Edith we all know & love & have grown accustomed to would’ve never, especially repeat that to her daughter whether it’s the phrase itself or even “GD”. She wouldn’t consider even repeating any form of that.

But again this is a very early espisode when the series began & it’s interesting to see how they chose to play it at first. Edith was a “dingbat” yes but she was less “dingbatish” than usual & not over the top as she would be later. Hence the throwing of the salt over both shoulders, even at Archie. She had a slight “tude” as it were & dare say even the slightest of edges.

This is the case for many a series, “Star Trek, Married With Children, Three’s Company, Odd Couple, etc”. Where it wasn’t canon yet where the characters would go or develop as they were still getting a feel as to how it should be. Like Spock smiling briefly in “The Cage”. Peggy not having the huge hairdo in the early episodes of “Married”. Chrissy “Suzanne Somers”. Actually being intelligent in the early episodes of “Three” Oh & Edith Bunker of course actually repeating “GD” to Gloria.

Can we all agree that the Edith we know wouldn’t have gone on to do that under any circumstances later on? It was just something that took me aback & I didn’t readily remember so it was a surprise for sure. This is one of the gems of the early episodes. Nice to see how things start out & are meant then.