Foreshadowing: Edith's phlebitis foreshadows Archie's grave fears of the possibility of her death and being left alone. These would come to pass about a year and a half later when Edith died of a stroke (in the 1980 Archie Bunker's Place episode "Archie, Alone").
Series Fauxnale: The end of the adventures of Archie and Edith? Not a chance. Although it was the last to be known as All in the Family, fans continued to get their fill of one of television's greatest and most favorite characters ever when the "new" show Archie Bunker's Place (actually, a retitled and slightly reformatted AItF) began in September 1979.
But since few if any stations have ever run AItF and ABP in a single run in syndication, this serves as the "finale" — one last look at the complex relationship between Archie and Edith. We are reminded that despite Archie's sometimes harsh, brash treatment of his wife, he dearly loved Edith and would be devastated to lose her; and despite Edith having to put up with a lot and having the patience of a saint, Edith saw Archie as her rock. Two people truly made for each other if there ever was one.
St. Patrick's Day Episode: The complicated relationship between Archie and Edith takes center stage one last time after Edith tries to please Archie, who attempts to put on a huge St. Patrick's Day dinner at the bar where she works her tail off, despite the fact that Dr. Shapiro told her to stay off her feet when he diagnoses her with phlebitis.
