Julia Jacobs

And even though they weren't, you know, father and son by blood, this was a show with a strong undercurrent of this familial narrative.

And the two would fight over politics, over Michael's lack of a job that Archie would deem respectable.

Right, there are moments of real connection.

And the scene that comes to mind immediately is one where they're stuck together in a storage room full of alcohol.

And, you know, both of them are drunk and talking about their fathers.

Zant!

Your father was wrong!

It's this moment where Archie Bunker kind of, whether he wants to or not, unloads a lot about his own childhood.

Archie Bunker has this conviction that he shares with Michael Spivak that a father cannot be wrong.

And yet he explains all that his father did to him as a child.

And yet there's still this nagging conviction that a father can't be wrong.

And as Archie Bunkert is telling the story, the reaction of Michael

It seems to dawn on him why his father-in-law is like this, why he's so harsh on him, why their relationship can be so at odds because he doesn't always act like his father-in-law is always right.

And at the end of the scene, you know, as Archie Bunker lies down and falls asleep, there's this really tender moment where Michael gets up and puts the blanket over him almost in a fatherly way.

It's a really tender moment, and in this comedy, it really stands out as...

a moment of real substance.

This was a huge breakout role for Reiner.

He won two Emmys, and he spent really the second half of his 20s and into his 30s on this show.

But he had this nagging feeling that he wanted to do more.

He wanted to direct.