The Andy Griffith Show (TV Series) The Return of Barney Fife (1966) User Reviews

A sad reality

[cirsurfce · 9/10 · 20 September 2009]

As much as this episode is disliked by many die-hard Andy Griffith Show fans, in many ways it represents a sad reality to life, and a poignant view on missed opportunities, loneliness, and love.

In many previous episodes, it is apparent from many insinuations and themes that Thelma Lou is interested in more from Barney, such as marriage, but it never happens, as things stay on a more 'dating' basis. Don Knotts once said in an interview that he thought that even though Barney had love in his heart, that he always thought the character was afraid of commitment, which is obviously portrayed. He even always wore the same suit, with the bow tie.

When Barney had previously left the show, it marked the departure for Thelma Lou also. What a great idea to use the class reunion to bring them back together. When Barney finds out that Thelma Lou is married, it is the sad reality, which is unfortunately commonly more true to life than the fairy tales of destiny, that realization of missed opportunities, and loss.

Being an incredibly sad episode, it is still important in displaying an important lesson of love. Love always lasts, but opportunities may disappear.

Predictable

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 24 December 2019]

Barney comes to Mayberry for his class reunion. He claims to have an important job but we wonder. He drives an Edsel, of course. But in his heart he wants to see Thelma Lou. We never knew why he lost her, but it was most likely his fault. A woman could only take so much of that waffling and braggadocio. Once the party starts, there is a big surprise. The show is so sad, mainly because Barney was at the center of things in most episodes.

Tragedy!

[richard.fuller1 · 12 March 2006]

Oh, this was the tragic, terrible episode, the worst episode of all the Andy Griffith shows.

Barney Fife returned.

No, that wasn't what was horrible.

What was horrible was watching this show in reruns in the 1970s, Barney would call up Juanita at the diner and sing to her, here would come the fun girls from Rally ("Hello, Doll!") and Thelma Lou and Helen Crump would storm out mad in a huff.

Goober and Gomer would tangled up in a hilarious change-partners dance.

Episode after episode of Barney and Thelma Lou, double-dating, triple-dating with Gomer and Thelma Lou's cousin (played by Mary Grace Canfield, who alongside Betty Lynn and Aneta Courseaut, Canfield shows she had no problem getting a man for real. This lady is full figured!), endless fights and making up.

Then Don Knotts left the show.

Without Knotts, there was no need for Betty Lynn to remain either, so she disappeared.

Then Knotts returned here, in a color episode (that alone should have been a bad omen, but we had a black and white TV then).

Andy and Barney attend a high school reunion.

Barney makes plans to meet up again with Thelma Lou.

And there she is! How about that! With her husband, Gerald Whitfield.

I screamed "NO!" How could this happen? The tragic episode tried to wrap things up with Barney getting another girl, but I was crushed.

It would be years later before we would get "Return to Mayberry" with virtually all of the surviving cast returning intact (minus Floyd, who had passed away, and Aunt Bea, who was too ill, tho she did a voice-over.) Andy would spy Thelma Lou at the cemetery (Tho Frances Bavier was still alive, but in bad health, the character of Aunt Bea was killed off.) Thelma Lou.

Was a widow.

And Fife knew!! The movie would set straight what this horrible, horrible episode of the TV show had done.

Thank goodness.

I saw this episode last week on TVland for the dedication to Don Knotts.

It still hurts.

But he did get her back.

Thank goodness.

So much depth to this episode.

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 17 July 2022]

Barney dumping Thelma Lou always was a sore spot in the series. But, Barney does have a history of making poor choices. Lots of references early to Barney's frailties. Obsessed with fresh air, needing antacids, needing a nightlight. Were the writers hinting Barneys poor Thelma Lou choice maybe is because he was down in the dumps, in a rut? Either way it's a stunner when Barney's finds out TL is married. So many memorable scenes in this stellar episode. A few are the woman saxophone player, battle axe ex teachers grilling belittling and hilariously asking Barney to spell necessary, wonderful Floss (Barbara Perry), Barney easing the pain with booze, first TAGS appearance of lovely Alberta Nelson. A bittersweet episode. Wonderful viewing, but sad Don Knotts & Betty Lynn leaving TAGS raises the question of all the great episodes there might of been had they stayed. Don Knotts still had his comedic brilliance. His color episodes are all classics.

Bernie's Just Desserts

[Sacqueboutier · 10/10 · 10 October 2019]

OK, I usually don't much care for the color episodes of AG, as not only is Barney missing, but the show had settled into a sort of dull routine, wherein Andy plays straight man to the lunacy that surrounds him. It just wasn't very funny.

That said, unlike most who have reviewed this episode, I LOVE it. Why? Is it funny? Not especially. Even the return of Barney isn't all that funny.

Well...it's this. By Season 4, the character of Barney had evolved into a selfish, opinionated, jerk with few redeeming qualities at all. In fact, unlike the first three seasons, I came to genuinely dislike the character. He was nosy...always butting into Andy's business, trying to tell him how to raise his kid, trying to get him hitched up and married, and whatever else he could interfere with.

He was constantly self-serving, with little regard for other people, including those for whom he professed love. Thelma Lou was supposedly the love of his life, but he strung her along like a plaything, while he stepped out with other women all the time. Juanita. The Fun Girls. You name it.

He was nothing short of a total ass.

Then he moved to Raleigh to seek his fortune, leaving her behind without so much as a so long. Didn't bring her along. Didn't marry her.

She was always much too good for him.

(For reference, I just finished watching "Barney and Thelma Lou, PFFFT!" Where he thinks he's lost her to Gomer.)

This episode sees him finally getting his comeuppance. He returns for a class reunion in hopes of hooking up with Thelma Lou. But guess what? She apparently finally had her fill of him, and didn't wait with baited breath for his return. She went off and got married, and never told him about it...surprising him at the reunion showing up with her husband.

Naturally, Barney was crestfallen, and darn it....HE DESERVED IT!!!!

Justice!!!! Finally.

Not funny, but a very satisfying episode.

The only sad thing about this is that Barney's character really didn't change. He continued to be the selfish jerk he always was.

Maybe he finally grew up in the intervening years, as in Return to Mayberry, he was sheriff and TL returns, recently widowed...and they finally wed.

No reunion for Barney

[kellielulu · 6/10 · 10 August 2022]

Yes it's sad in a way and yes Barney and Thelma Lou eventually marry in the much later return to Mayberry movie . I actually wouldn't be surprised if that's one of the main reasons they did the movie. I don't remember if it was ever stated. I know Betty Lynn was heartbroken about Thelma Lou marrying someone else. I understand and shared that view for a long time. That said rewatching the show again more closely I don't think it's so bad she did . A late season five episode has Barney talking to a woman over the phone at the courthouse and Andy naturally assumed it's Thelma Lou but Barney reveals it was Juanita ! Either I didn't understand as a kid and later as an adult I didn't pay close attention but I thought Juanita by then was in the past. She was the side girl it seems all along. Yes Barney seemed to be commitment phobic but then in a way so was Andy so what was the difference? As I see it once Helen and Andy started dating Andy had no interest in anyone else. He didn't like Barney bringing around the fun girls and rejected Barney's attempts to find someone new for him when he initially thought Helen wasn't domesticated enough for Andy. Helen and Andy had an understanding they talked about being good with things for now and in time they would both know when the time was right. Say what you will about Andy or Helen some I think is fair some of it isn't but they talked things out if there was a misunderstanding they talked about that too . Barney may have genuinely cared for Thelma Lou and loved her but he also wasn't completely about her and they didn't seem to talk things out so yes what did he expect? She moved on . Barney never made intentions clear she was just supposed to wait? I guess. I do understand it's a big disappointment to fans I felt it too but now looking at how Barney took a lot for granted and was never completely loyal to Thelma Lou I think her moving on makes sense.

Edit: Rewatching this episode and Barney and Thelma Lou Phfftt I doubt Barney would have proposed while back for the reunion Yes he was disappointed but he left town and didn't keep in contact with her. She left Mayberry a month after he did. He didn't write he said. He always has an excuse he's busy with one thing or another. I think if Thelma Lou came in all adoring Barney would have basked in it for sure but it would be more promises and stringing her along he would promise to write and visit but would he ? I don't see him popping the question he just liked keeping things as they were. They even had an apparent classmate of theirs ( she seemed younger) . This classmate Netty thought so much of him and they danced together and he definitely felt better. Barney and Andy get back home and Andy suggest he visits Netty only a few hours away from where Barney is in Raleigh and Barney says maybe if he gets around to it he's so busy! So yea that's just Barney. I guess it took getting older for him to finally go for it.

It's not so much that he has to get married but you can't take nice people for granted.

Barney is definitely one of the all time great characters but not without some annoying flaws.

Weeknight Reunion?

[deblc-91334 · 6/10 · 2 December 2020]

They planned this big reunion and returned very late. The next morning Andy is sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee wearing his uniform . He tells Aunt Bea that Barney was probably going to sleep late because they were out late at the reunion the night before. A little while later, at the Courthouse, Andy tells Barney that Warren is at the school crossing. Therefore the reunion was on a weeknight. Very strange.

The most unnecessary and saddest episode of the series....

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 24 October 2010]

While I must acknowledge that this is a well-written episode, it's also the most traumatic for me to watch. And, I am sure that many felt the same way...and that it was unnecessary despite being written amazingly well.

This is the first of the times Don Knotts made guest appearances on the show--after having played a series regular for years. And, to me, it's the worst of these guest spots because it is so incredibly traumatic for anyone who has loved the characters. The reason Barney has returned to town is that the high school is having a reunion. This time, after years of dating her and leaving her dangling, Barney plans to ask Thelma Lou to marry him and he envisions them living happily ever after. However, when the night arrives, Thelma Lou arrives....with her new husband. Barney has missed his chance for love and it, more than ever before, a pathetic loser.

There is nothing funny or enjoyable about this episode...just trauma. Perhaps you'll enjoy it...though perhaps 'enjoy' is not the correct word, as no one could possibly enjoy seeing Barney torn to shreds before our very eyes. Painful and mean-spirited.

Deeply Regrettable Episode

[carpenterps · 3/10 · 5 September 2016]

A legendary misstep on the part of the AGS creative team, the worst of many in the color/post-Knotts run of the show. Pointlessly painful, it provides a disservice to the beloved characters from the show's classic black and white period. The plot line of marrying off Thelma Lou is not all bad in concept, and in reality was probably a good way of wrapping up the romance for viewers of the ongoing show in 1966. But it was poorly and harshly executed, with little regard for the legacy of the characters. Once endless syndication made the early episodes (including the Barney-Thelma Lou romance) so beloved to later generations of viewers, "The Return of Barney Fife" became rightfully notorious among fans.

Episode has more questions than answers

[ztlinton · 3/10 · 21 April 2014]

This Review contains Spoilers. Please view at your risk

The Return of Barney Fife is an episode that is extremely awful. Despite being well acted (There's a reason I gave it a three rather than a one) In addition to continuity being thrown out the window (In this episode the class graduated in 1948 rather than 1946 and Barney Fife was described as being slow when that had not been alluded to in previous episodes) The fact remains this episode raises many questions that weren't answered. Questions such as

Why would the police in Raleigh want someone like Barney and how did he keep his job for that long considering all of his bumbling antics?

What caused Barney and Thelma Lou to break up?

Why did Helen ignore Thelma Lou at the Reunion when they were friends?

Why would Thelma Lou not keep in touch with anyone in Mayberry? What was up with Andy's behavior when he was talking about Thelma Lou In the episode none of these questions are answered, which causes the viewer to come to the conclusion that this episode was written so CBS wouldn't have to find some way to fit Betty Lynn into any of the colored episodes, which is disgraceful on their part.