Heartwarming / All in the Family

• When Mike temporarily leaves after a fight with Gloria pertaining to her pregnancy, she gets distraught. So with Gloria on his lap, Archie tells her about the time when she was born.
• Right before Mike and Gloria's wedding, Archie has a private father/daughter talk with her:
  Archie: Do you remember when you was a little girl and you was a brownie? And you went up to the summer camp?
  Gloria: Yeah, I remember, but whatever made you think of that?
  Archie: Well, let me finish. You remember, you thought you was gonna love the camp. The way it turned out, you hated it.
  Gloria: Yeah. I called you up crying and begged to come home.
  Archie: I took the rest of the day off work, jump on the next train, went up and brung you back. Cuz you was my little girl, and anything you wanted was ok by me. I just wanted you to know you're still my little girl, and you always will be.
• Archie actually wanting to go to Lionel's engagement party, even telling Louise he was looking forward to it. Compare this you when the Jefferson's first moved in and he didn't want to step foot in a "colored" home for fear of being seen.
• Archie's friendship with Lionel in general is this. While Archie often said offensive things unintentionally, he never did so maliciously and seemed to genuinely like Lionel. Lionel in turn never held Archie's attitudes against him. When Mike accused him of holding in anger and resentment against Archie for being a bigot, Lionel makes it clear this is not the case, and simply responds that Archie doesn't know any better.
• Archie spends half an episode dragging his feet about spending the weekend with Edith at the same hotel room they spent their honeymoon on their anniversary. Once they arrive, they sit by the same window overlooking the ocean as they did that first night, reminiscing about their 25 years together. Shortly after, he sees her in her nightgown and is quietly blown away.
  Archie: That the same dress you was wearing when I first seen you come through that bathroom door?
  Edith: Oh no, Archie. I just got this at Bloomingdale's.
  Archie: Gee, that's funny. You look just like you did 25 years ago.
  • As they share a bottle of champagne, Edith thanks Archie for 25 great years of marriage. Archie is touched and replies:
    Archie: Well, Edith, thank you too. After all, I couldn't have did it without you.
• In the episode "Mike's Appendix", Archie pays for Mike's operation and asks Gloria not to tell him that he did. His reason for doing it: "He's the only Meathead you got."
• When Stretch Cunningham dies, Archie attends his funeral and is surprised to find out that his old friend was Jewish. Naturally thus leads to some awkwardness on Archie's part, but he ultimately honors Stretch with a touching eulogy.
  "Shalom."
• In the season 8 finale "The Stivics Go West", the final moments with Archie and Mike are this mixed with a Tear Jerker. Archie does everything he can to fight the fact the he's actually going to miss Mike but you can tell by the look on his face that when Mike tells Archie he loves him and will miss him that Archie feels the same way, he just can't spit it out.
• In the season 9 finale "Too Good Edith", Archie chews Edith out for not telling him she had phlebitis so he could take care of her. He then climbs into bed with her and says this:
  Archie: Oh Edith, you know somethin'? If the whole damn world was to go to the dogs, if I still had you standin' by my side, y'know? Or sittin' by my side, or lyin' by my side like this, everything would be just ok, y'know? I've been blowin' my own horn for a lot of years, but let me tell you somethin'; I ain't nothin' without you.
  • As the episode fades out, the camera frame becomes heart shaped.
• When The Jeffersons move on up, Edith goes to say goodbye to Louise. The exchange they have is absolutely beautiful
  Edith: Did I ever tell you I love you?
  Louise: Every moment we spent together.
• In a Christmas episode, Edith's friend Beverly Lasalle (a famous drag queen Archie assumed to be gay and thus kept his distance from) is killed in a mugging. Archie is genuinely saddened, telling Gloria he wished he had told Beverly "what a nice fella she was."
• This moment when Joey is born.
  (Edith nudges Archie and Mike together. Archie looks disturbed, while Mike gives a doofy grin.)
  Archie: Aww, what the hell.
  (He hugs Mike. Edith happily joins in.)
• In "Amelia's Divorce," Edith's boorish cousin-in-law makes a comment about Archie being "stuck" with Edith. Archie's response is so great, the audience applauds!
  Archie: I ain't lookin' for no greener pastures 'cos Edith is green enough for me!
• Archie is trapped in an elevator with a hysterical woman, an erudite African-American professor, and a Hispanic couple. When the wife goes into labor, Archie of course gripes and grouses the entire time. The range of emotions that play across his face is astonishing—from looking thoroughly annoyed and grossed out at the sound of the woman's screams, then genuinely worried when he asks why the baby isn't crying, then incredibly relieved when he finally does begin to cry. The husband gently invites him, "come and see my son", leading Archie to offer a fumbling congratulations on their little boy.
• The episode "Cousin Liz", where Veronica talks (albeit with a lot of confusion and struggle) to Edith about her relationship with Edith's cousin Liz and about how it was "like a marriage". Edith figures out what she means and accepts their relationship. The only regret Edith has about finding out is that Liz and Veronica were never comfortable sharing it with anyone, and is heartbroken that Veronica is grieving alone.
• "Stephanie's Conversion". Edith finds out that Stephanie has been hiding the fact she is Jewish from Archie. When he finds out, he hits the roof but soon has a change of heart. At the end of the episode, he gives Stephanie a Star of David necklace and tells her: "You've got to love somebody to give them one of them (the necklace). I mean, you've got to love everything about them"
• In one episode, Archie is busy with restaurant business to see Stephanie perform at a talent show. So Stephanie performs at the restaurant, making Archie regret missing it.
• An early episode has Archie be friends with a former football player who is gay. It is charming that a show from the 70s has a homosexual come off as strong, charming, handsome and confident and even Archie sort of accepts him in his own way.
• In a 20th anniversary special that aired in 1991, Sally Struthers, the actress who played Gloria, recalled that her Real Life father had died a few years before Family started, so she developed a special bond with Caroll O'Connor, who played her TV father. This makes certain scenes involving the two even more heartwarming, such as the first one listed above.
• At the start of Part Two of "Edith's 50th Birthday"—the absolutely terrifying episode where Edith is almost raped—Archie finds out about the attack and immediately begins doing his best to care for Edith. He does whatever she asks him to do, and ultimately ends up just holding her. It's one of the best displays of his love for her in the series.
  Archie: Yeah, see, but if I don't phone nobody important, or we don't drink nothing tasty, what're we supposed to do?
  Edith: Hold me.
  Archie: That's the best thing. I can do that.
  • The second part of the episode has a similar moment for Archie. He's extremely upset for Edith and feels frustrated that everything he does to help seems to go wrong. Gloria, who herself had almost been raped in an earlier episode, explains what Edith is going through, and how she feels like she's somehow "betrayed" Archie after what happened. Not only does Archie listen (him listening to anyone but himself is a rare occurrence), but he takes the advice to heart by going upstairs, sitting with Edith calmly, and gently kissing her. When a heartbroken Edith asks if he still loves her after what happened, Archie tells her, in the most Archie-esque way possible, that of course he does and always will. The entire conversation is symbolic of their relationship, and just how deep their love goes.
• In "The Unemployment Story, pt. 2", Archie helps talk a man out of committing suicide. He even strolls out on the ledge with the man, cool as a cucumber (until he realizes where he is), to show him a picture of Joey, and citing his grandson as something he has to live for. The man admits he also has a grandson, and Archie convince him not to jump since he wouldn't want the kid to grow up without his grandfather.
• In the episode "The Games Bunkers Play", Lionel is challenged by Mike to say something to someone that he never had but always wanted to. He tells Edith how when his family moved in next door they were scared about moving into a white neighbourhood, but Edith made it clear that they'd always have at least one friend in the neighbourhood. Edith (and the audience) were very touched.
• One short story arc has the whole family looking for work after Archie's company goes on strike. Edith struggles to find something, as most companies think she's too old. When she mentions the problem to Louise Jefferson, Louise immediately comes up with a solution by offering Edith a position at their dry-cleaning store, even offering to teach her how to use a cash register personally if she has to. Later, Louise is so determined to help Edith that she tricks George, who's originally against the idea of Edith working in the shop, into accepting. And that is what we call True Companions!
• "The Joy of Sex" ends with Edith confessing that she went out to steal a look at the waitress Archie kissed in "Archie's Brief Encounter," saw how young and pretty she was, and upon coming home, "seen wrinkles that I never seen before." Archie replies that he saw wrinkles on the waitress, but he doesn't see them on Edith.
  Archie: Put it this way, Edith. To these two eyes, weak as they may be, you are more beautiful than anybody I could think of.
• Archie sneaking baby Joey out to get him baptized against his parents' wishes? Absolutely horrible. Archie being unable to do so after offending, then failing to bribe the Asian minister? Hilarious. Archie baptizing his beloved baby grandson himself, in view of no one save the god he believes is watching? Strangely beautiful.
  Archie: Joseph Michael Stivic, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. (Kisses him softly on the forehead.)

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