The Andy Griffith Show Episode Review: “Aunt Bee Learns to Drive”

Guest stars include Raymond Kark.

What I was really surprised about when it came to this particular episode (which I watched yesterday evening while having dinner) was it wasn’t anything like I was expecting it to be.

When Andy first objected to Aunt Bee driving, I figured, based on when the show was filmed, it would be for some sort of dated reason, such as a sexist opposition to women drivers. Instead, he was simply concerned his elderly aunt would have issues paying attention and that reason actually made quite a bit of sense considering her character does seem to get very emotional and even confused over very minor things.

The part with Goober teaching her to drive was a little predictable, especially when he was acting like he made a major mistake. However, once again, the episode did prove to be a bit surprising because, instead of keeping her as a bad driver, she actually did learn from him. That part kept the episode from becoming nearly as predictable as I thought it would be and, when she did have that minor accident (resulting from her getting a little confused about which way to shift the car and backing into a tree), it I honestly did feel her disappointment a bit.

I thought the part with Andy accidentally rear ending her new car was a fantastic twist; mostly because it happened for the exact reason he thought she would have an accident. And, while I figured Bee would confess once Andy tried to take the blame for the dent in the fender, it was still very funny watching him have to be somewhat humble after being a little mean early on in the episode.

This episode was actually better than I thought it would be. It wasn’t nearly as predictable as I expected and managed to be funny quite a few times. I would definitely recommend taking the time to watch it if you come across it on TV.

My Grade: A