I really do not find it surprising that TAGS was so highly rated in its final season. As I have mentioned before, I enjoy the color episodes very much. While the black and white episodes were certainly much funnier with Barney and all the other zany things that went on in Mayberry, many of the story lines were not very believable or realistic. The color episodes, on the other hand, took on a totally different role, as most, if not all of the episodes dealt with very "real life" problems and situations that viewers could readily identify with; especially those living in small town rural America. People laughed at the antics of Barney but at the same time we realized that in "real life" no town or sheriff would tolerate a deputy like poor Barney. Also,.what town would tolerate a town drunk being treated like a guest at the jail, or a sheriff who would encourage a married couple to have physical altercations like the Boones.
I think we are fortunate that the writers of TAGS made some changes as it presented a little different side of our beloved Mayberry and all the people who lived there. I think it showed us that the people of Mayberry could have some of the same problems and issues that we have in our lives. We saw a lot more personal conflicts among Andy, Floyd, Goober, Howard, Aunt Bee and Emmett which to me made them even more real. -- Ken Anderson The Mayberry Guru 2906 May Street Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 www.themayberryguru.com www.mayberryreflections.com _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
