Determined to experience and overcome life's turbulent seas, Annie faces problems head-on to make a better and stronger future for her girls, Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli). Cuddly-cute attorney David (David Masur) is always supportive of Ann's decisions and offers legal and logical advice. Interruptions are a constant as Romeo-superintendent Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington, Jr.) barges in via his pass-key on each and every problem facing the Romano family.
Ann constantly has to fend off ogling-eyed letches that lust after the fact that she's a "divorced" woman. Social situations such as "Chicago Rendezvous" find Annie trying to decide whether to spend a platonic(?) weekend with a pilot who provides her airline tickets to Chicago. "The College Man" shows Julie's jealously when her blind date is infatuated with her divorced mother instead of her.
David Masur outdoes himself as the family friend in "Father David" when he agrees to chaperone a high school basketball team end-of-the-season party. "David Loves Ann" is a tender show where David asks Ann to marry him and gives her one week for a decision. You might be surprised at faithful David's activity in "David Plus Two."
Dwayne Schneider, the romantic super, outshines the cast in "Super Blues" when he mistakenly barges into Ann's party when she, in fact, had called him to fix her garbage disposal. He retreats to his apartment to save face; and, when Annie realizes the reason he left, she follows him to soothe his feelings, and they end up laughing and having a greater respect and appreciation for each other.
Daughter Julie is constantly creating turbulence with her independent opinions, and Barbara is always playing the mediator soothing everyone's tensions, especially when Julie's boyfriend Chuck wants her to go "All the Way". The series ends with a visit from Father Ed, where he invites the girls to his upcoming marriage.
One of the features of this presentation is a retrospective One Day at a Time Reunion released in 2005 with Bonnie Franklin, Mackenzie Phillips, Valerie Bertinelli, Pat Harrington, Jr. and featuring Shelley Fabares and Nanette Fabray, among other stars. I thoroughly enjoyed every episode in Season One, and am certainly looking forward to being further entertained by the family and friends in One Day at a Time as future seasons are released.
