Villainess Review: Marcy Eden (Perfect Strangers)

Even sitcoms aren't safe from the most heinous of villainesses. Genres that are most likely to feature villainesses include horror, thriller, crime dramas, science fiction, and especially political thrillers, but comedy is a rarity. A high-level villainess in a sitcom is in the same boat as a pitcher (not named Shohei Ohtani) hitting a home run (prior to the 2022 season), a perfect game, and a 60+ yard field goal. They are all rarities, but when they happen, it's a thing of beauty.

The sitcom in question is a surprising one: Perfect Strangers. We all know that show. It was another Odd Couple-esque sitcom, with the show starring Mark Linn-Baker as Larry Appleton, who moves from his Wisconsin home and his large family to live on his own in Chicago. The show also starred Bronson Pinchot as Balki Bartokomous, who is Larry's distant Mediterranean cousin, who delivers a surprise visit to Larry in the premiere episode. The series sees Larry instill what (he thinks) he knows about America's ways to Balki, often with very hilarious results. The show premiered on March 25, 1986, and actually had a small connection to another ABC sitcom. The third season introduced us to Harriette Winslow, who worked as the elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle, where Larry and Balki worked. JoMarie Payton appeared as Harriette during several episodes in Seasons Three and Four, with one episode seeing Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow. When Perfect Strangers became part of ABC's debuting TGIF lineup beginning with the Season Five premiere, the Winslows were featured in their own sitcom: Family Matters.

Regarding the featured episode, it was a two-parter: "The Men Who Knew Too Much," and Part 1 saw Larry announce some good news to Balki--they were assigned to cover a celebrity wedding. The celebrity in question was known as Darla Wayne, which made Balki beam, as she was part of his favorite soap opera, El Segundo. Actually, Darla Wayne is the name of the character; her real name is Marcy Eden, and she was getting married to Ed Albrecht, who was the Chicago Civic Affairs Commissioner. The wedding took place in Los Angeles, and upon arrival, Balki continues to record everything on his new video camcorder, including the happy bride herself.

Larry later sees another familiar face, in the form of Marco Madison, who is well known in the underworld. Larry and Balki see Marco again in the parking lot, but this time, he and his gang actually kill someone! In addition, Balki's continued knack for recording things results in the murder being caught on tape, and of course, they are on the run from the criminals. It gets worse for them by Part 1's end. The victim is identified as Richard Tracy, an undercover narcotics agent, and it's during that report that Larry and Balki are actually accused of being involved!

So entering Part 2, the duo not only have to evade being killed, they have to evade being arrested as well. They do end up being caught by the gang, and they demand the tape, but at that moment, Marcy appears, much to the delight of Balki, who believes that his favorite actress appeared to save the pair. Balki advised Marcy to save herself, as she is in a dangerous place, while also asking about an autographed picture that he sent for. Marcy's surprise response:

"Kill him first."

Balki's left confused, but Larry fills in the pieces. Not only was Marco running a drug operation, Marcy and her husband were in on it, and it's followed by Marcy ordering Marco to kill the pair and get the tape. Regarding the tape, Balki switched it--the video they received is actually a recording of a Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoon. So the gang now plan on killing the pair, but Larry and Balki manage to take down the gang in epic and hilarious fashion. As for Marcy, the criminal actress was arrested, with the story hitting the front page of the Chicago Chronicle.

The two-part episode, "The Men Who Knew Too Much," served as the seventh and eighth episodes of Perfect Strangers' sixth season, and aired on November 9 and 16, 1990. Teresa Bowman appeared in the two-parter as the evil Marcy Eden, though her appearance was quite brief. I see that a lot; characters who appear for a brief bit, only to be revealed as the Big Bad, though it's always amazing. Marcy Eden was no exception. In Part 1, Marcy is shown as a bride who is truly enjoying the festivities, but once Marcy turned heel in Part 2, we see her true personality as a ruthless criminal mastermind in that brief scene. That was terrific acting by Bowman, as we see her act out Marcy's ruthless nature, as well as her annoyance with Balki's fanaticism.

I also can't help but notice the difference in fashion in both parts. In Part 1, Marcy looks the part of a blushing bride with quite a bright smile, but Part 2 gives us a look that truly fits Marcy's heel persona as a criminal villainess. Marcy Eden was a delciously evil and vicious character; I enjoyed seeing her villainous side come out in that brief moment in Part 2, and regarding Teresa Bowman (whose brief filmography includes appearances in episodes of Dallas and MacGyver), she truly shined in this wicked role.

If you like this story and review, click the heart and the subscribe button, and feel free to comment below! Tips and pledges would be greatly appreciated, but only if you want to do so!

Check out Marcy Eden's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!