Happy Days (TV Series) Welcome Home: Part 2 (1983) User Reviews

Richie grows up

[safenoe · 10/10 · 12 January 2024]

Believe it or not this episode, Welcome Home: Part 2, debuted over 40 years ago. Anyway, this episode gets kind of emotional with Richie squaring off against the Fonz (Henry Winkler, who would enjoy a career renaissance later on in Barry) because he feels his dream to be a Hollywood screenwriter is being obstructed by his well-meaning parents.

In real life Ron Howard had already become a rising director as the director of Night Shift, so he was on his way big time. But it's nice that Ron acknowledged his Happy Days family to return for a two-part episode before continuing his Hollywood trajectory.

Did Richie really come back just to act like an ass?

[ronnybee2112 · 5/10 · 3 December 2020]

Happy days was a great show for many years. The last couple of years dragged down the whole series. Bringing Richie back on the show for some episodes of the last season wasn't a bad idea on paper but I don't think it was handled as well as it could have been. Knowing the Richie character as we do,it seems unlikely that he would leave a pretty-much guaranteed good start to a decent life with his family in Milwaukee to go to Hollywood on a blind chance. It doesn't ring true,the Richie character is far too conservative to drag his family across country on a 'maybe'. I am sure I am not the first to notice that there is no chemistry between Richie and wife Laurie Beth,they may as well be brother and sister for the way they act together. This show went on for 11 seasons. As it is,that was about 4 seasons too long. They could have ended the show on a high note but instead they clung to the gravy-train tooth-and-nail with all their might until the train ran out of track ! There is a lesson or three here,you don't have to look hard.

Grow Up Richie.

[coreycitn63 · 5/10 · 31 December 2021]

I know this episode was a sent off for Ron Howard but it was so unrealistic. Had Richie been single it would be okay to go to Hollywood to be a screenwriter. But he is a family man with Lori Beth, Richie Jr. And a second child on the way. Richie acted like a petulant child and got drunk.