There are episodes about race, poverty, and drug abuse; all of these issues go into some sort of blender and come out as some sort of tapioca-like substance that middle Americans in the 1970’s could watch while eating dinner without getting agitated. Still, I am not offended by this. The episode where Washington gets hooked on painkillers is one of my favorite things ever, and I absolutely can’t explain or even understand it.
As somebody who spends a lot of time thinking about TV, I am a little upset by this. I’d like to think I have better taste than that. And the fact that I’m aware of everything that’s wrong with the show, and my love remains undiminished? That makes me think I might be crazy. But if loving Kotter is crazy, I’m not sure I want to be sane.
