"The Generation Game"

Rooted as MatH35 is in the specific characters of the show, I can't see it being Americanized, unless with drastic changes.  "The Generation Game" takes its title from a British gameshow that started in 1971 and has been revived a few times, apparently being referenced in the third Harry Potter movie.  This MatH episode aired 10 March 1976.

Pluto:  As the episode opens, Robin and Chrissy are returning from the cinema.
Robin:  You know something?  That's got to be one of the sexiest films I've ever seen.  Yeah, I don't know how they got away with it.  There were a couple moments there that were really getting me going.
Chrissy:  And me.  That moment where Pluto leapt onto Donald Duck's bed.

They go into the flat.  He says that the cartoon was sexy, too, but he was thinking more of the main feature film.  She says he told her the film was going to be cultural.  He says it was.  What that girl was doing to that fellow was symbolic.
Chrissy:  (as they sit on the settee) Of what?
Robin:  Why should I care?  He didn't. 
They laugh.  Then, putting his arm around her, he says, "I don't suppose you feel a teeny bit symbolic, do you?"

Jo comes in with a half bottle of milk, a bowl, a spoon, and a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes.  Robin tells Chrissy to forget it, but he's not giving up of course.

Robin:  If we didn't share a flat, I'd have come back to your place, or you'd have come back to mine.
Chrissy:  Well, we've done that.
Robin:  Yes, that is true.

Jo has poured herself a bowl of corn flakes.  Robin suggests she go to bed.  She says she's got a bowl of corn flakes.  He says it's not the same.  You can't snuggle up in a bowl of corn flakes.  You'd get your pyjamas soggy.

Using a phrase she's used before, Jo says, "Look, I don't like playing gooseberry in the manger." 
Robin:  (to Chrissy) Well, who would?
Jo:  So if you two are in the mood--
Chrissy:  I'm not in the mood!
Robin:  Think of Pluto, leaping onto Donald Duck's bed.

Jo tells them they'll have to wait till tomorrow night, when she's going out to a party.  Chrissy says, "I might not still be in the mood."  Robin says, "What do you mean still?"  Chrissy laughs.  Robin exclaims, "Jo, I can't wait!"

Jo tells him to not be so impatient.  Chrissy, who's gotten up from the settee, says he's got to learn to hang his hat up first.
Robin:  Oh, yeah, point taken.  Tomorrow night it is, just the two of us.  (As Chrissy leans forward, resting her elbows on the settee)  I shall prepare a meal, with candlelight, wine, music.  What more could a man ask?
Chrissy:  Oh, you'll think of something.
Robin:  Very true.
Chrissy:  What makes you think tomorrow night's gonna be any different?  We've been alone before.
Robin:  Because you're starting to weaken.  For instance, last night you nearly gve in.  (He leers at her.)
Chrissy:  I didn't!  I was washing my hair!  (She goes towards the kitchen.)
Robin:  Not in my dream, you weren't.
From the kitchen doorframe, she gives him a look with a wide, surprised mouth, and then an "oh, you" look.

Kojak:  In the downstairs bathroom, George wears a dark blue undershirt as he trims his nose hairs.  Mildred comes in, wearing her pink dressing gown.

She makes him stand behind her so she can put pins in her hair.  He thinks the nose hairs prove he has very virile nostrils.  She suggests he pluck a few of them and plant them on his head.  He says she's always making remarks about his forehead.  She says she never mentions it, then tells him to move over because it's flashing in her eyes.

He says, "You seem to like baldness in other fellows.  Like that man who goes around saying, 'Who loves you, Baby?' "  She thinks he means the milkman, but he of course means Kojak.  (Making the second of the show's Telly Savalas references.) 
George:  What's he got that I haven't got?
Mildred:  A big lollipop.
This innuendo gets a lot of laughter from the audience.

She asks if he's coming to bed.  He asks what for and she says to sleep.  He says he doesn't mind that.  She crosses her arms.

He looks at his watch and says it's a bit early.  She says they'll be very late tomorrow.  He remembers the "toffee-nosed knees-up."  She calls it the Floral Society's Annual Dinner Dance.  (I like that her interest in flowers has continued.)  He imitates one of the guests, saying, "May I have the pleasure of a quick Twist,  Lady Snootycock?  Or perchance you prefer to wait for the Black Bottom."  (1960s dance, 1920s dance, both very un-snooty.)  This reminds her that he'll need to take a bath.  (Like Chrissy washing her hair, apparently not a daily activity.)

George says he's not going.  She says he'll enjoy it this time, implying that he went last time and didn't enjoy it.  They'll be cruising down the Thames.  He says it's against nature, dancing on a boat, an extreme way of putting it.  They argue about whether he'll go, till she grabs his arm, making him squeeze the toothpaste tube he's holding, and the paste squirts out onto them.

Siege mentality:  Chrissy is at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.  Robin is standing, holding a book open.
Robin:  Right.  I shall breach your outer defences with a seductive seafood salad.  I will then batter down your drawbridge with my Beef Wellington.  And you will finally surrender to my apple dumplings.
Chrissy:  (amused)  Sounds like an orgy.

He tells her that this meal has been banned in 39 countries.  She says he's cooked for her before and it never got him anywhere.  He says that they've always had Blondie Bumstead around, which amuses me because I've recently read a collection of early Blondie, and B.B. definitely had Jo's Gracie-Allenness.

Robin says that tonight it'll just be the two of them.  Chrissy says, "Hard luck, I'm on a man-free diet." (Her last boyfriend we saw was on MatH30, with the ground rules of bringing dates home.)  Undeterred, Robin says he'll splash out (spend money on) a nice bottle of wine.  Then afterwards, they'll have coffee and brandy.  He laughs evilly.

Jo comes in and Robin asks if she's still going out tonight.  When she says yes, he says, "That is a pity, because the mood I'm in, I think I could tackle both of you."
Chrissy:  That's confidence for you.
Jo:  Ah, there's many a man who has a two-car garage that only has a bicycle inside.
This deservedly gets a great deal of audience laughter.  She says she read it on the back of a matchbox.

She asks if he's going to the shops.  In a French accent, he says, "But of course I am.  A master chef always gets his ingredients at the very last moment."  She tells him not to forget the toilet rolls.  Annoyed, he speaks Frenglish, ending in the word "bicycle."  Then he exits.

Chrissy:  (to Jo) He really fancies his chances.
Jo:  So do I fancy his chances.  After what you did in his dream last night.
Chrissy:  His dreams have got nothing to do with me.
Jo:  There's no smoke without fire.
Chrissy:  Look, I can handle Robin, and his Beef Wellington.  No problem.  (pause)  You're not gonna be out too late tonight, are you?

Sore toe:  Downstairs later, George is reading the newspaper.  Mildred comes in wearing a dress that has splashes of yellow, pink, red, and green, a bit like petals.  She has a yellow corsage on her left shoulder.  Again, she has dressed for a floral occasion.

She tells him they're leaving in less than two hours and she's run him a bath.  He says he doesn't want to go and he has a sore toe.  As she puts on earrings, looking into their very '70s butterfly-shaped mirror, she says that he had a headache last night, and there's something wrong with him at both ends.  "And in between isn't functioning too well either."

She tells him that he should have a bath anyway, even if he's not going.  Then he could put on a clean shirt and a suit, comb his hair.  Even if he's not going, it'll make him feel better.  He says, "Oh yeah?  Then I might as well walk you down to the corner, even though I'm not going.  Call you a taxi, even though I'm not going.  You must think I'm daft.  I'm not going."

Sitting on the arm of the settee and leaning over him, she says, "George, you are taking advantage of the fact that I'm a weak woman and easily dominated."  He cowers and says he isn't.  He just wants to stay home.

She gets up and says she'll get a man to take her, even if it is short notice.  He says the man can have his bath.  She glares at him.

Dumplings:  Back in the upstairs kitchen, Robin is cutting apples and he says his apple dumplings will melt in Chrissy's mouth.  She's watching warily from the doorframe.  She says, "You won't get carried away tonight, will you?"  He says there'll be a stretcher party standing by.  She denies being worried.

He goes over to the oven and takes something out, preparing it, as she stands next to him.  He says she's got willpower and self-control.  She'll be able to resist his feeble blandishments.  He continues, "Yes, I mean, just because I've wined you and dined you."  He chuckles. 
Robin:  We'll all be alone.  [sic]  You, you won't worry, will you?
Chrissy:  (quietly) No.
Robin:  I don't believe it either.  Hee hee!
He chucks under her chin and she tells him, "Oh, get off!"

She exits and we cut to Jo doing her makeup in the lounge mirror.  She's wearing a black dress that shows off her arms and shoulders, possibly the stunning dress from "I Won't Dance."  We see Chrissy appear in the background of the mirror, as she asks if there's room for another girl at the party.  Jo says no, it would spoil the balance of three men to every girl.  Chrissy admits that Robin's making her nervous.  Jo tells her to lie back and think of England.  This makes Chrissy even more worried.

Jo asks the time.  Chrissy looks at her watch and says, "Quarter to sex.  Er, six!"

Mrs. Roper lets herself in without knocking because she's returning Jo's perfume.  She says it was wasted on George of course.
Jo:  Oh, it was supposed to go on you.
Mildred:  Yes, er, I did use it, Love.

Mildred says that George is being his usual self.  Chrissy says this is pretty rotten of him.  Mildred says George won't come to the dance.  Jo says he let Mrs. Roper down at the last minute.  "Oh, I'm used to that, Love."

Mildred says she was wondering what Mr. Tripp was up to.  Jo, smiling, says he may have his hands full.  Chrissy protests, "No, he won't!"

As Robin enters from the kitchen, Chrissy says he's free tonight.  He says, "I may be free.  I may make a small charge."

The girls explain why Mrs. Roper needs an escort tonight.
Robin:  Oh, you know I'd love to but--
Chrissy:  He'd love to.
Robin:  Wait a minute.  I said but.
He says he's pretty dratty (?) company.  Jo says, "That is true."

Mildred:  I won't be offended, Love, if you say no.
Robin:  Oh, good.  No.
Mildred:  (offended) I see.
He tries to rephrase it better but can't.

She says she knows he doesn't want a boring evening with a middle-aged woman.  He says, "You're very understanding."  She says she'll leave "you young people."  Chrissy tells Robin, "Well, congratulations.  You really made her day."  Then we hear the door slam.

Submarines:  George is again reading the paper when Mildred returns.  She yells, "Get dressed, you're coming!"  He asks what happened to the hordes of fellows queuing up to take her out.  She again orders him to get dressed.

George:  (on his feet) I do not cave in to threats, Mildred.
Mildred:  Oh, yes, you do.  (pointing) Bathroom!

They go down the hallway to the bathroom.  (I've never really talked about this much, but the layout is odd in that the Ropers have to leave their lounge to go to the bathroom and kitchen.  The bedroom seems to be off of the lounge.  I can only assume that this is because it's an old building and that's how things got divided when it was turned into flats.)

She tells him not to play submarines, since there isn't time.  He locks himself into the bathroom and says he'll stay there till it's all over.  She bangs on the door, telling him to come out.

And we go to the adverts.

Cinderella:  When we return, Robin is opening a wine bottle in the lounge.  Jo is filing her nails, while Chrissy sulks on the settee.  Robin says, "Let's not spoil our evening, just because I've spoiled hers."

Chrissy:  She's been looking forward to this riverboat thing for weeks.
Jo:  Now she can't go.  She'll be sitting down there.
Chrissy:  By the fireside, crying.
Robin:  Oh, don't forget the cinders and the pumpkin and the mice.  I mean, why blame me?  Why not blame old Roper? 
Chrissy:  (standing next to Robin with her hands on her hips) Because he's a mean, rotten, little swine and you're not.
Robin:  And that's the full extent of my guilt?
Chrissy:  Yes.
Robin:  Right.  Case dismissed.

Jo:  (as Robin lights the candles) Listen, she's done us favours.
Chrissy:  Many times.
Jo:  At least you could do one for her.
Chrissy:  It's not too much to ask.
Robin:  What is this, stereophonic nagging?

He says he was in the middle of preparing a meal, looking forward to--
Chrissy:  I know what you were looking forward to.  I can do it myself.
Robin:  (shaking his head) You can't, Chrissy, it's not the same.
Chrissy:  I can finish cooking the meal, and I can save you some for supper.

As he fumblingly protests, the girls each blow out a candle.  He says, "It's not fair."

Woodworm:  Mildred is still standing outside the bathroom.  She tells George that grown men do not lock themselves in the lavatory.  Her tone moving from sweet to hostile, she tells him to be sensible and discuss this like reasonable people.

Inside the bathroom, he's throwing paper airplanes he made out of the toilet roll.  He tells her it's no use looking at him like that.  It doesn't work through two inches of chipboard.

As she threatens him, Robin comes along.  Embarrassed, she says she was talking to the woodworm, the little devils.

He asks for a word with her, so she suggests they go in the lounge.  She tells him, "After you," and then pats his bottom.

They go to the lounge and he tells her that he's been thinking over her kind offer, unless she's found someone else.  She hasn't.  He says that's a relief and he'll take her.  "I mean, may I take you?  I'd esteem it a great privilege."

She says, "Mr. Tripp, you're too kind."  She says she couldn't accept, so he starts to leave.  "But if you really want to go, I mustn't disappoint you."  She tells him he'll need a tie and he can meet her downstairs in half an hour.  Trying to sound convincing, he says, "I'm sure I'm really going to enjoy this."  He exits.  She looks pleased and relieved.

All's fair:  Upstairs later, Chrissy polishes Robin's shoes.  She tells him, "You'll probably enjoy it."  He enters from his bedroom, in a suit and tie.
Robin:  Like hell I will.  I know why you're forcing me to go.  It's because you were beginning to weaken.
Chrissy:  (giggling) All's fair in lust and war.
Robin:  What about my poor Beef Wellington?
She again says she'll save him some.

Chrissy:  And I'll promise you something else.  I'll sit at the table and think sexy thoughts about you.
Robin:  What?
Chrissy:  Well, it's not as safe when you're here.
She laughs.

Jo enters from the kitchen and says she lost an earring.  Chrissy suggests she take the other one off and go with matching earlobes.

As Jo starts to leave, Chrissy has her take Robin with her, so he doesn't make a break for it.  Chrissy blows Robin a kiss.  He clenches his fist.  Jo leads him out.

Through the keyhole:  We return to George in the downstairs bathroom.  Holding a toilet-paper airplane, he listens at the door.  He says he knows she's still out there. 
George:  You don't frighten me by not threatening me.
Mildred:  (offscreen) Yes, I'm here, George.
She startles him.

She's wearing a gold jacket over her dress.  It looks like alligator skin.  She says, "As far as I'm concerned, George, you can stay in there from Monday to Saturday, all year if you like.  I'll shove your birthday cake through the keyhole."  She takes a sip of champagne from a glass.

Jo and Robin come downstairs.  She says, "Bye-bye.  Enjoy yourself."  He goes down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Mildred says, "I don't care if you ever come out.  You can stay in there and rot!"  She sees Robin and he says, "You're really giving those woodworm a hard time, aren't you?"

She hands him her glass, which he sets down.  Then he gives her his arm.
Robin:  Er, goodnight, Mr. Roper.
George:  Who's that?
He thinks Mildred is still out there, but she doesn't answer.

Riverboat:  A boat is at the dock.  A plump doorman with a moustache and white uniform takes Robin and Mildred's tickets, tearing them in half.  In the background, swingin' jazzy music plays, like something from Benny Hill or a mid-1960s teen movie.

Restraint:  George emerges from the bathroom and calls to Mildred.  He tells her he expects her to behave with restraint.  He edges down the hallway.  He tells her to not muck about.  He checks the lounge, but it's empty.

Shrapnel:  In the upstairs kitchen, Chrissy wears a non-naughty apron as she takes the plate of Beef Wellington out of the oven and sets it on the counter.

George comes in, looking for Mildred.  Chrissy says Mrs. Roper has gone to the dinner dance with Robin.  George is amused that she took the young fellow and thinks she must've twisted his arm.  He says, "I got out of it, you know."  Chrissy, who's wrapping the Beef Wellington in something yellow (dough?), says, "If I may so, it was reprehensible."  George sincerely says, "Oh, thank you very much," clearly not understanding.

He says he can't dance because of his leg.  "I've had it since the war."  She asks how long he's had the other one.  He says the leg has a piece of Jerry shrapnel.  A yard nearer his heart and he'd have been dead.  She says, "Yeah, you have mentioned it."

He says that during the war, night after night they took everything the Jerry bombers threw at them:  two ounces of cheese and a little bit of bacon.

Talking of food, Mildred didn't leave him any supper.  He asks about what Chrissy's making, and she says it's Beef Wellington.  When he hears she's on her own, he says it's quite a lot for one.
Chrissy:  (as she puts it back in the oven) Are you hinting, Mr. Roper?
George:  What?
Chrissy:  You want to share this?
George:  Oh, that's very kind of you.  Thank you, I accept.

He says he'll go tidy up a bit.  "If Mildred can go out with a young fellow, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."  He gives her a huge wink and exits.  She's wide-eyed with shock.

Mazurka:  We cut, not to a goose, but a swan, possibly the one from the credits, although that's a daytime shot.  Then we pan to the boat.

Robin, Mildred, and the other passengers applaud at the end of a musical number.  Robin apologises for kicking her knee but he didn't know the steps of the dance.  She says it was the Palais Glide.  ( http://www.kickery.com/2010/04/palais-glide.html )
Mildred:  Perhaps later we might have a Mazurka.
Robin:  Oh, good, I'm starving.
(Even though it's a dinner dance, they never actually eat, so I hope George doesn't gobble up all the Beef Wellington.)

They go to a table and sit down.  She drinks while he glances at his watch.
Mildred:  I hope you're not feeling out of it, Dear.
Robin:  Oh, no, I feel right in it.

Robin says he's the youngest one here and he hopes she doesn't mind.  She says she does have a reputation to think of, and this isn't doing it a bit of harm.  She says there are terrible gossips in the group, especially the one over there in the blue dress.  "Mind you, I can't stand gossip myself.  Especially when it comes from someone who's no better than she ought to be.  I mean, after all, I don't take an hour and a half to get my meter read."

He starts to smoke but she takes his cigarette when the Quick Step starts.  She tells him that it's more his generation than the other dance.

Scaffolding:  Chrissy smiles as she brings two bowls over to the table in the lounge.  George arrives in a suit and tie.

He brought "a flower for a flower."  It's a red rose, plastic so it'll last longer.  He got it free with a packet of slug pellets.  She's amused but polite.

He lights the candles and says, "We more mature men think of these niceties."  She offers him carrots, but they give him wind.
George:  The more mature man isn't so impetuous.
Chrissy:  You hang your hat up first.
George:  (touching his head) What hat?

She calls him a masher (decades-old term for a man who makes unwanted advances towards a woman).  He admits it and then wonders where she heard the word.  She says her granddad used to say it.

George says, "The more mature man can sometimes be attractive to the younger woman, wouldn't you say so?"  She shakes her head.

She offers him beans but they give him the gallops.

He says that Mildred and the young fellow is the same difference really.  Chrissy rises to Mildred's defence, saying she's looked after herself and is still a very attractive woman.  He says, "Well, so am I.  Man I mean."  He says that given Mildred didn't have much to start with, she's kept it going, done a good job of scaffolding.
Chrissy:  A lot of men would find her very attractive.
George:  A lot of men need glasses.

He thinks Robin went to the dance out of pity, but Chrissy denies it.  He says Robin can't fancy Mildred.  Chrissy says he underestimates his wife.
George:  Does he fancy her?
Chrissy:  (amused) I didn't say that.
George:  Come to think of it, I've seen him eying her on the stairway.  And now they're out together.  I've heard of these shipboard romances.  Middle-aged women and the giggle-os.

He says it'll be a shove in a doorway and a quick snog. 
Chrissy:  He wouldn't do that!
George:  I'm talking about her.
He says Mildred is very impetuous and Robin wouldn't be too choosy in the dark. 

Getting to his feet, he says, "I see what she was up to now, locking me in the loo!"  He throws down his serviette and exclaims, "Corblimey!"

Shoulders:  We get to see a bit of Robin and Mildred dancing together.  They clap as the tune ends.  She says she really felt as if she was floating.  He points out that this is a boat.

They sit down again.
Mildred:  Oh!  I feel like a 20-year-old girl.
Robin:  (muttering) So do I.

He says it's warm in here.  Putting her hand on his knee, she suggests a stroll on the deck.  So he says it's not that warm, although he fans himself with a serviette.  She removes her hand and looks disappointed.

A taxi pulls up.  George gets out and tells the cabbie to wait there.  The doorman stops him.  George says, "Evening, Captain," and salutes.

The doorman asks for his ticket.  George says he left it in his other suit.  The doorman says, "Got another suit, have we?  And we wear that one?  Go on."  George runs across the bridge and onto the boat.  The doorman is played by Mike Savage, one of the dustmen on "How Does Your Garden Grow."

Mildred says that the terrible thing about George is he never pays her those little compliments.  Taking the hint, Robin says that's a very pretty dress.  She says that some people consider her shoulders her best features.  Pointing at the one nearest him, the left one, he says, "Especially that one."  Nothing against the other, but if it came to a crunch, that would definitely be the one for him.  She looks flattered, but he looks uncomfortable.

George comes over and asks, "What have you two been up to, eh?"  He tells Mildred she's coming home with him, and he pulls her arm.  She stands and then Robin does, too.  Robin says George is making a scene.

George tries to fight Robin.  Robin asks what he's done.  George says, "They all seem the same to you in the dark."  He tries to get Robin to put up his fists, too, so Robin starts to take off his jacket.  Then George hides behind Mildred, so Robin puts his jacket back on.

George insists on going home.  He hands Mildred her coat but dashes out.  Robin drapes the coat over her and gets her purse.  Mildred tells George he's being childish.

He's so upset, he accidentally falls off the boat.  Mildred and Robin remind us that George can't swim.

Robin hands Mildred her purse and starts to take his jacket off again.  Mildred says, "No, that is your new suit."  She hands Robin the life preserver, telling him to sling it to George.  Robin does so.  And the episode ends.

I must note that Jo's keychain in the credits has a picture of David Bowie, so either they changed it or I was hallucinating when I first saw it.

Commentary: 
Jessica Tate:  Mickey Mouse's dog was gay???...
Jodie Dallas:  Yeah, Goofy was his lover.
(My favorite quote from Soap, airing a year or two after MatH35.)

"I felt so symbolic yesterday."
(My favorite ridiculous quote from the Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones.")

OK, now that I've got those quotes out of my system, let's talk about the RCST.  We haven't had much of it lately, but here we have Robin deliberately taking Chrissy to a movie that he finds sexy.  She fends him off with banter, and yet the way she teases him about maybe not being still in the mood tomorrow is double-edged.  If she genuinely isn't interested in him, then she's being either outright cruel or just playful.  But she should also realise that she is leading him on by the way she teases.  She could give him a flat "no now and forever," and he'd probably back off.  But she doesn't, and never has. 

Because the truth is, Chrissy is tempted, as she was on the "mouse" episode.  I don't think she's been "weakening" lately, any more than she was during that episode, or the parallel-universe movie.  And she pretty much admits that, besides wanting to help Mrs. Roper, she's sending Robin out in order to be "safe" to think sexy thoughts about him.

And it is seen as "weakening," giving in, surrendering.  That's how Robin talks, like he's laying siege to her.  Yes, it's definitely more seduction than attempted rape, but it's certainly never "Hey, Robin, you turn me on, too, and I think it's time."  That would be out of character for Chrissy, and perhaps out-of-decade,  although we are deeper into the 1970s and even-nice-girls-doing.  Robin is aiming more for an "OK, you win."

We again get a sense of Jo as Robin's second choice, when he says he could "tackle" both girls tonight.  And as always, Jo thinks Chrissy and Robin will get together eventually.  But "Lie back and think of England" suggests Jo thinks Chrissy won't enjoy Robin deflowering her.

There's again a hint of female masturbation, when Robin tells Chrissy it's not the same doing it herself, although I'm not clear if sometimes innocent Chrissy picks up on it.

As I've said, it's hard to feel too sorry for George when he's being rotten to the kids (or cheating on Mildred), but honestly, it's just a dance.  If he doesn't want to go, he shouldn't have to.  Yes, it's a shame that Mildred married a man who isn't as fun-loving as she is, but either divorce him, find a platonic friend (other than Robin) to go dancing with (as Peg Bundy did on Married with Children IIRC), or find an activity that she can enjoy with her husband.  (Without getting him drunk I mean.)  I don't like how she intimidates him on this episode, dominating him while pretending to be the weak little woman.

As for Robin, he has a point that he's even less obligated to go than Mr. Roper is.  However, he could've let Mrs. Roper down more gently, or heck, told her the truth, that he was cooking a special dinner that night.  (He wouldn't have to say it was for Chrissy.)  Or he could've reminded her of what we learned on "I Won't Dance," that he's not a very good dancer. 

Besides, knowing how fond Chrissy is of Mrs. Roper, does he really expect to successfully seduce Chrissy when he's disappointing her friend?  Why not sacrifice the evening in making Mrs. Roper happy, win some points, and then spend a different evening with Chrissy?  They live together.  It's not like there won't be other opportunities.

I'm not sure if it's a cultural or a generational difference, but it is weird how Mildred can pat Robin's bum yet still call him Mr. Tripp.  The episode makes clear that young people wouldn't find middle-aged people attractive, or at least Robin and Chrissy wouldn't be attracted to the Ropers.  I don't think that would play the same in the age of the MILF and the cougar, not to mention 65-year-old Alan Rickman being a sex symbol, but 35 years ago the generation gap was like a chasm.  Not that people didn't have partners of different generations-- that's always existed-- but it seems to have been a bigger deal then than now.  Remember, in The Graduate (1967), the age difference between Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin was 15 years.  (And it was only 6 years between Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman.  By the way, Normal Fell has a cameo in that movie, as a landlord.)

And finally, it's a riverboat cruise, but they stay docked the entire time?