![]() Ritter does provide an affable and likable center to the film and it's still a shame that John died so very young. ![]() The climax, in which Jack Tripper and Matlock face off, is satisfying, but I do wish this had been a feature film so the action could have been a little fuller. The relationship drama between Clarke and Betsy never rings true, and Ritter only scores as his character becomes increasingly paranoid while under the sway of his father. The real attraction in Gramps is evil Andy, and the film shows strains whenever he's not on the screen. In the abstract, having Andy Taylor as your Grandpa sounds pretty good, but Clarke MacGruder might share some of the same favorite songs with "The Sheriff Without a Gun" yet he’s a far cry from anyone Aunt Bee would invite over for dinner. I mention that first because I believe Gramps a.k.a Relative Fear is the last time Griffith played against type. Just watch Season 5, Episode 17, "Goober Takes a Car Apart", for the first glimpse of menace in Andy's work since Kazan's A Face in the Crowd. He even got pretty evil on The Andy Griffith Show once. Over the course of The Other Andy series, I feel like I've made a case for the genial protector of Mayberry being able to turn in the dark side in a number of under appreciated villain roles. Such is the case in today's made for television triumph, but the perpetrator is not an expected menace. Or still, it could be some part of their past and yours intertwined and left a stain on your relationship. It could be you don't like their current and soon to be ex-spouse or their political or religious bent is just too much to bear. It could be bad breath or the scent of Vicks and moth balls that permeates the air around them. Perhaps it's what they said to Aunt Bernice last Christmas after a few too many Nogs. ![]() Everyone has that one relative that they would rather avoid (some of us have many), and it could be for any number of reasons. ![]()
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