Awesome / The Dick Van Dyke Show

• We see a two-part story about Rob's brother, Stacey (played by Jerry Van Dyke). He is a shy, timid fellow with a serious sleepwalking problem that turns him into the life of the party. Rob decides to record Stacey in somnambulance and play it back when he wakes up. Later, Rob throws a party for his coworkers (including Alan Brady), and Stacey does a brilliant comedy bit. Rob talks to him in the kitchen and discovers that Stacey was awake the whole time. He had listened to himself on the tape recorder and learned to channel the comedic energy while wide awake.
• Any time Dick Van Dyke and/or Mary Tyler Moore start dancing the show turns from a sitcom into a spectacular.
• At the end of "Hustling the Hustler," Laura leaves Rob stunned by executing a trick pool shot, in which she sinks four balls in different holes without scratching. Made more impressive by the fact that, though there was a pro on hand to stand in for Mary Tyler Moore in a close-up shot, Moore wound up nailing the shot herself—in the first take!
• The ending of "Obnoxious, Offensive," when Mel saves the day by actually getting the better of Alan for once.
• The story of Rob and Laura's first attempt at getting married, wherein through no real fault of his own Rob is hours late to the wedding, covered in grease with a sprained ankle. At first it plays out like typical sitcom No Sympathy, with Laura refusing to listen to his explanations and calling the whole thing off. When she declares she's taking the train out of there in an hour, though, Rob drops his pleading and chews her out for not even bothering to ask him if he's alright, getting her to stop being stubborn and hear him out. Not often a beleaguered, put-upon comedy protagonist stands up for himself like that.

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