The series was unusual in tackling the issue of original sin, or of free will. Is Samantha born to sin as the sparks fly upward? And the issue was handled with a good comic touch; quite a few good and original lines of dialog. Not surprisingly considering his track record of first-class work, Kevin Dunn managed to satisfactorily fill out an underwritten part-- the series is presented from a woman's point of view and there is little character behind the men's predictability or unpredictability. Maybe the biggest mistake was allowing time to pass at real average rate of a year per year, because the possibilities are greatest when Samantha's awakening is recent. After a while, the series begins to cast her in the same gags as the visitor from space-- Mork, or Alf (who is name-checked in one episode), or Dick Solomon-- who is surprised to be experiencing human life. Also, with time, the rules of behavior keeping the good friend good and the evil friend evil begin to crack a little. But the dynamic with the parents looked like the life raft that might-- who knows?-- have rescued the series for another season.
Review of Samantha Who?
