...tonight that ABC re-aired Episode #212: "Samantha’s Magic Potion" which originally aired December 17, 1970.
After experiencing a huge slump at work for the past several clients, Durwood begins to think that Endora has been fooling around however, when she pops into breakfast one morning she gives her witches’ honor that she has done nothing of the sort. Samantha assures him that should be sufficient proof and he heads off to work.
At work, Larry suggests that if Durwood doesn’t get out of his slump he may be out of work but will give him one last shot with the Harmon’s Savings and Loan campaign and he approves of Durwood’s ideas just as Mr. Mortimer, er, Harmon arrives. Durwood begins to show off his ideas (which include a grasshopper, a hippie caterpillar, and a ladybug walking into Harmon’s Savings and Loan) but before he can finish Mr. Mortimer, I mean, Harmon gets up and walks out saying it’s too far out and cutesy. Larry promises Mr. Harmon that they will come up with something better and insists Durwood go home to come up with them.
Durwood is furious when he gets home and begins yelling for Endora who still says she’s not to blame and she pops out. Realizing that there really may be something going on, Samantha suggests they call in Dr. Bombay to diagnose Durwood with a spell and possibly find who cast it. After Samantha throws out a distress call to the atmospheric continuum, Dr. Bombay pops in wearing football gear having just tackled his nurse. He has also brought his computerized hexometer, an invention of his designed to diagnose the presence of witchcraft on or about a person. The hexometer, a close cousin to an electronic keyboard, also has a line from it ending in a partial coonskin cap with a deflated balloon at the end which he places on Durwood’s head. He zaps up a candelabra and plays a mess of notes on the hexometer which cause the balloon to inflate with exhaust which will determine if magic is the cause of Durwood’s woes. The exhaust is clear which indicates Durwood is filled with witchcraft as mortal exhaust would be dirty. Dr. Bombay then says that the image of the guilty party will appear on the screen of his hexometer as he begins to play some more however the atmospheric continuum seems to be strangely scrambled and so there is no way of telling. Having diagnosed Durwood, Dr. Bombay pops out to make a pass at his nurse leaving Durwood still feeling at a loss.
The next morning Samantha finds that Durwood isn’t getting out of bed because he’s given up as he feels he can’t fight all the witchcraft. She’s appalled at his lack of motivation and so she leaves him in his misery to think of a way to convince him he is wrong. She soon returns to the bedroom with what looks like a glass of orange juice but she says is a potion that will give Durwood the power to be master of any situation. Realizing what this could mean, especially where Endora is concerned, Durwood agrees. Samantha tells him he must drink the potion and recite a few words and then turn around three times. He’ll know it’s working when he sees himself glow purple and he does. Feeling reenergized he returns to work where he was supposed to be giving a different presentation to Mr. Harmon but he breaks out the bugs again. Disgusted, Mr. Harmon begins to leave but Durwood insists that he sit down and listen and when Larry tries to protest, Durwood invites him to be quiet. He continues with his presentation which includes the tagline that “Harmon’s Savings and Loan there are no small investors; they are as big as you are, whoever you are.” It clicks with Mr. Harmon and he immediately signs.
When he arrives at home, Durwood doesn’t seem thrilled that he got the campaign and admits to Samantha that it doesn’t feel right to be able to have everything you want no matter what. She admits to him that the potion she gave him was just a drink and that she did it to give him confidence and that in the future he should learn to trust in himself more.
This is one of my least favorite episodes. It not only is a remake of "The No-Harm Charm" but there are some lines taken from "A is for Aardvark" as well...it also seems like there are other episodes used here, like we've heard the lines before.
And Endora popping in at the end seemed so weird, as though she wasn't even there, or Sam and Durwood didn't even notice her except for Sam to say, "Stop paying attention to her, and start paying attention to me."
The only good part of the episode was Dr. Bombay but it seemed like it was unnecessary. I did like how Samantha called him though: "Calling all stations from Hong Kong to Pompeii! Come in, if you read me, Dr. Bombay!" Dr. Bombay: "Dr. Bombay here..." Samantha: "Nevermind your pills, forget your thermometer, come on the run with your trusty hexometer!" He does use this keyboard device again in practically every episode following though he never uses the raccoon/balloon attachment to see if there is a spell on anyone. I also liked the sound effect when he made the inflated balloon disappear - it was a combo of a magic sound effect and a balloon popping.
Other than that, this episode is DULL, DULL, DULL!
This episode was the answer to a Jeopardy question in 2004 when it was said “This show had Samantha giving Durwood a potion to boost his confidence.”
Two days later the National Women’s Political Caucus was formed and co-founder Gloria Steinem delivered an Address to the Women of America in which she spoke of revolution for the races and sexes, and the hope of a society that is based on humanism, where the roles of people will not be defined by their race or sex, but what they chose or earn.