"Because It's Hillman"

Last night during dinner I watched what was maybe the worst episode of the Cosby Show I have ever seen. "Hillman" (episode #325), perhaps better known as the "Because It's Hillman" episode (search for that phrase). This is the season 3 finale, where Cliff and the whole family (including Sondra, and Cliff's parents Russell and Anna) go to Hillman College for the retirement of the school president. Do you remember being bored by the longwinded speeches at your own graduation, or maybe the graduation of a relative? Well get ready to be bored all over again by several speeches about what it's like to be a "Hillman Man" and a LONG song sung by Clair. I normally kind of like the Hillman stuff, but this episode just shoves it down your throat. The episode is bizarre, it's like watching a home movie (and sometimes it appears to have been shot that way!). I don't think this is when the show jumped the shark - for me that would be either cousin Pam or Olivia's arrival, whichever happened first - but this stands as perhaps the worst episode during the golden age of Cosby.