Watching this episode and realizing it was made fifty years ago I wonder if the makers of the show had a hard time getting it past the censors since it dealt with the subject of homosexuality. That is no big deal today but back then this was treading dangerous ground. Howard is a student in Alice Johnson's class and she makes a mistake when she decides to have the students read Shakespeare the way it was originally done with the men playing the women's parts. The problem is that Howard is so good at playing the role of a woman that some of the students start to think that he is.....well you get the idea. At the time this aired the most shocking part of the episode had to be when someone wrote the foxtrot alpha gulf word on his locker (they blur it out today). In the end, Howard confronts his bullys and shows them what really makes a "man". Room 222 was a great show because it tackled issues at the time that are still most relevant today.
2 Reviews
Bernie's New Friend
Jimmy_the_Gent423 February 2021
Howard is a student that some others think is gay.
One of the best of Season 3. Howard is helping out Bernie with a radio project. He is not interested in sports and too shy to talk to girls. Then he accepts a part as a woman in a Shakespeare play. When the others start to harass him, he tries out for the track team (even though he has asthma) and asks Helen for a date Bernie starts to turn away from him. He has a powerful scene when he faces off against a bully.
One of the best of Season 3. Howard is helping out Bernie with a radio project. He is not interested in sports and too shy to talk to girls. Then he accepts a part as a woman in a Shakespeare play. When the others start to harass him, he tries out for the track team (even though he has asthma) and asks Helen for a date Bernie starts to turn away from him. He has a powerful scene when he faces off against a bully.
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