Thoughts on Mad About You, episodes 46-50

 

via Amadeus3000

"Tell me it's true, baby, tell me it's true!"
-- Uncle Van (Stemple?), ?-1994

-- We're entering the midpoint of original recipe Mad About You. The show's made it to a third season and it feels like the creative team is changing its focus. Paul and Jamie's longevity as a couple has more weight. Previously, their shared routine, comfort with it and each other and aging could be the focus of a gag, like the encounter with the sexually active couple in "Love Letters," or a few scenes, like Jamie accepting she's no longer in her 20s. Now it's starting to carry whole episodes.
-- The batch begins with "With This Ring," a two-parter and the final episodes directed by Tom Moore. It's written by Danny Jacobson and Jeffrey Lane. Paul and Jamie want to be alone on their second anniversary, but the lunch invitations are coming in. Meanwhile, there's very little food in the apartment. Paul, who previously cleaned up a mess involving cooking oil, visits the store of Kim and Tammy (Darrell Kunitomi and Patty Toy). Mark's working there as a produce sprayer, stocker and deliveryman. Paul buys a hot dog, to Mark's disgust. Mark's adopting a stop and smell the roses attitude, plus Buddhism and minimalism. This from a man who fell asleep during Gandhi and was the first one of Paul's friends to get a shiatsu chair. Mark tries to get Paul to chant with him, as it will bring Paul whatever he wants. In the process, Paul discovers he lost his wedding ring.

-- It's not the first time Paul lost his ring. He and Jamie previously had a big fight over it and whether or not Paul wants to look married. Meanwhile, Jamie has convinced Lisa that today, not tomorrow, is the anniversary date. While Jamie thinks about how they're getting photos of other couples' babies, Paul continues his search. Meanwhile, Fran is disturbed that Mark doesn't want anything in the divorce, except her. He's gonna keep chanting until he gets Fran back. Still, he lets Ira know he's at peace that he hooked up with Fran. Jamie discovers that Paul lost his ring, resulting in a dumpster dive. No luck, but they find out that Hal and Maggie eat Spam and stole their TV Guide, plus that Brenda Vaccaro lives in their building and doesn't recycle. Jamie and a smelly Paul end up upstairs in time for a surprise party.

-- While the Buchmans wash up, Fran tries to convince Mark she's moved on with Ira. Mark ends up guiding Paul through meditation and Paul realizes his ring fell into the hot dog vendor's cart. He's forced to buy every hot dog remaining in a warehouse worth of carts, to the tune of $600, so the sextet can search the carts. By 11:50 p.m., it's looking hopeless. Paul admits how much he loves his wedding ring, and of course, what it means to wear that right. Lisa finds the ring, which Jamie confirms by pointing out its engraving. Lisa can't believe the ring has the wrong date.

-- The next day, Paul and Jamie open their presents. He gave her a big gift. She gave him a smaller gift. Hers is a Swiss army knife. His is a cotton candy maker, a joke on how the second anniversary is the cotton anniversary. Neither is all that impressed with what they got. Over at Kim and Tammy's, Mark has decided that Buddha is testing him regarding Fran's unwillingness to reunite and Tammy is due to give birth. The Buchmans are asked when they'll have kids, resulting in a simultaneous "Maybe soon" from her and "Not for some time" from him."

-- Back in their kitchen, Jamie reminds Paul that they always said they'd have kids after a couple of years. So, isn't two a couple? Paul says a couple is sometime between two-10 years, closer to the latter. I'm fascinated by this dialogue because at least one pair of my married friends said they were on a five-year plan. With that in mind, we could say Paul and Jamie's plan began in either December 1989, February 1991, May 1992 or May 1994. Anyway, back to the episode. Paul wants to be ready for the kind of questions his and Jamie's kid will ask. 

-- The Buchmans' first lunch is at Riff's, with glued-to-her-phone Debbie Buchman (Robin Bartlett makes her first appearance), her son Noah (Andrew J. Ferchland) and Lisa. Noah's bratty but not out of control, doing things like "playing" his recorder (later repeated by Lisa), banging his silverware and not wanting to eat his burger. Paul, who briefly wins Noah over with a story about how they make crayons, adopts the "maybe soon" attitude toward having kids. Jamie's now feeling "not for a while." A kid, Paul says, will be like Murray but in overalls. Jamie noticed things like Debbie not getting to have a bite of her meal, having countless toys in her purse and that her hair's thinning. Jamie's dream sequence has the Buchmans preparing to visit grandma. "I'm not taking the baby, we've got too much stuff."

-- Lunch No. 2, at Sylvia's, includes her teasing Paul over when he was a boy and liked "mushed potatoes." Like her daughter, Sylvia has never actually been seen eating. "Two years. Who would have thought it?" Sylvia also shares Paul's origin story. Sharon Buchman is two years older. Burt and Sylvia saw Gigi and, seduced by his Chevalier impression, Sylvia ended up having sex with Burt right there on the kitchen table (like mother, like son). "What? I didn't wipe it off?" Home and stuffed, Paul and Jamie talk about how beautiful Sylvia is and what features their baby could have. Paul's dream sequence has Jamie cooing over their baby, the monkey.

-- After the third lunch, where Fran tells Jamie that having a kid is like seeing Europe ("It's a pain in the ass, but you gotta do it.") and Ira estimates that a kid is a $3,000 per month/$40,000 per year endeavor, Paul goes back to Kim and Tammy's. Naturally, she goes into labor. Points for originality, though, in that (a) there's plenty of time before it's absolutely time and (b) Mark doesn't deliver Baby Rose. The Buchmans see her soon after. "I just stopped to smell the Rose." Jamie wants to be pregnant. Paul agrees because he's in love with her. And at his home, Bob Newhart might have thought, "... and the horse you came in on, Reiser."

-- Jacobson & Lane also wrote "Escape from New York," the season three premiere and second episode directed by David Steinberg, who'd become MAY's primary director for several seasons. Summer in the city is coming to a close with a vengeance. Paul spent the season directing episodes of Mr. Science. Because the air conditioner's broken, the Buchmans go out to eat. There's a seafood place Fran recommends that's close by, but no points for guessing where Paul and Jamie go. Outside Riff's, conversation lands on a clam place on the Jersey shore that the Buchmans liked. It's never directly stated, but I get the impression they went to this place in the summer of 1990. Now what was the place named? Stefano's? Roberto's? Vito's? Boyd's? Eduardo's? It's the last weekend of summer, Jamie says, and possibly their last chance to have fun. Why, next year, she could be pregnant and Paul could have another project.

-- Fran lends Paul and Jamie her car, which I guess is the least she can do since she's got Jamie's old job. Hey, it was previously Fran's job, but the point is, Jamie's hurt. The jury's out over whether she's more hurt that Fran has the job, or has been there since last Monday. More possible names are tossed out while driving. Pepe's? Lupe's? The Buchmans get a call. It's Sylvia, who is giving her old couch to Lisa. Back in the day, she and Burt used to sleep on the fire escape. Since the change, the heat doesn't bother her. Paul: "What change?" Freddie's? Ira, sporting an obvious toupee, arrives. He got a thing in the mail, Sylvia explains. Alone with Jamie, Sylvia responds to Jamie's plans to study corporate finance by saying that she likes the name Barbara if it's a girl. Sylvia also tells Paul that Ricky Gold, his ex-assistant, directed what I'm guessing was a summer blockbuster. And Paul didn't know this how?

-- Lisa, who's dating her mailman, Dennis (he sees her every day and gives her things), is slow to realize that Ira's hair is fake. While the quartet prepare to move the couch to Lisa's fifth floor apartment, Paul sees that "they're towing Murray." At the impound lot, he's furious at Paul and loving to Jamie. Paul doesn't like that Jamie's willing to bribe Murray. "If our kids get towed, I might buy them a burger." After Paul apparently traps himself in the car outside Riff's (not really), the Buchmans finally make it to Jersey. 

-- What are they going to do about their future? Are they going to have a baby? Will Paul make another movie? Was the restaurant named Clemenza's? Is Paul going to stop talking like a movie mobster? As it turns out, the restaurant is Clamenza's. It's closed. But hey, Paul and Jamie did get out of the city. And their story has a happy ending. On their door is a menu to Clamenza's, which has relocated to their neighborhood (it was the place Fran recommended). They have free delivery. "Clamenza's!"

-- Okay, now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, the batch concludes with two comparatively lighter episodes. "Home," written by Jack Burditt, is another episode where Murray's in the spotlight. He and Sophie, Hal and Maggie's dog, are sharing a forbidden relationship including sex. The episode begins with Paul putting on West Side Story, making enough noise to annoy Hal (now played by Jim Piddock). Maggie's mad at Jamie for not extending courtesy to her when her umbrella failed and it's raining. The Buchmans and Conways square off to the "Overture." Later, the dogs share a moment on the fire escape to "Tonight" and when things are at their worst, "Somewhere" plays.

-- Shortly after the noise and rain moment, Paul and Jamie discuss the possibility of their building going co-opt. Would they consider buying their apartment? Jamie admits she's never thought they'll be there forever. This is interrupted by a now friendly Hal and Maggie, who it turns out are faking it because they'd like to obtain the Buchmans' apartment to proceed with an expansion of their place. Before the other shoe drops, the Conways and Paul are obligated to take part in a four-way movie date. Mr. Wicker reveals Hal and Maggie's plans, making Jamie furious (until she sees how much they're willing to pay).

-- Using the Conways' tickets with Ira, Sylvia learns about Paul and Jamie's possible move. There's an apartment that's available in her and Burt's building. She spends several days trying to entice Paul and Jamie to see it. Meanwhile, Sophie spends the night with Murray and when the Buchmans return her to the Conways, they discover Sophie's pregnant. Ira thinks it's sweet, the pairing of a show dog and a big, good-natured slob, like Jamie and Paul. "(in unison) Thank you." The Buchmans see the apartment, which is ideal, but two floors away is still too close to Burt and Sylvia. She takes it in stride, understanding the importance of knowing when a place is home. "(about her apartment, slightly paraphrased) It was 1954. People knew these things."

-- Back home, Murray wants so much to see Sophie. Jamie decides that he's taking responsibility for his actions. The Buchmans and the Conways get into another fight. "Tea and The Beatles. Since then, it's been nothing but trouble with you people." It's interrupted by Sophie giving birth. If I didn't love Murray/Maui already, I loved him when he was pacing while outside the delivery room. Paul and Hal aren't sure if they should go in. Maggie seeks boiling water, which Jamie provides ... for her tea. Wicker did the actual animal delivery. Paul and Jamie realize that it's a rather special experience to have in their home, which is what the apartment is. Paul also gets revenge on Hal, singing "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" in the shower, by flushing the toilet.

-- Finally, we have "Till Death Do Us Part," an enjoyably silly episode written by Jacobson. Jamie's uncle Van has died. He was a prankster, with antics including putting golf balls in Theresa Stemple's turkey with Paul's help. Jamie loved Uncle Van and she knows he loved him, which are the only two points she (repeatedly) makes while delivering the eulogy. Paul also puts his foot in his mouth by saying how sweet Uncle Van was, like he was from another family. Anyway, Van was cremated and the Buchmans get the urn.

-- Lisa suggests scattering the ashes in South Dakota, since Van drove a DeSoto (Paul explains there's no connection between the two). Jamie and Paul end up discussing whether or not life stops with death. She believes Van's golfing in the afterlife. Paul comments that as usual, one of Jamie's relatives comes for what's supposed to be a night and ends up staying for a week. Jamie doesn't wants to dump the ashes in the Hudson, since it's so dirty. Back to the mortality bit: Paul believes that death allows nice couples like themselves to have a break from each other. Jamie doesn't want a break from Paul. Meanwhile, they keep moving the urn on and off the dining room table. Paul ends up dropping a bit of Salisbury steak, which Jamie is trying to serve like hamburgers, into the urn. Shortly after, the couple come up with the idea to scatter Van, who loved horse races, in a winner's circle.

-- Ira, revealed to be a member of Gambler's Anonymous, knows a horse owner. Maurice (Ernie Sabella) has "About to Be Glue" running. While at the track, Ira is tempted and Paul keeps getting bothered by racing fans trading vague comments. About to Be Glue has a 50-1 chance of winning. Van loved long shots, so Jamie puts a great deal of money on him. Paul: "Well, our children will work with their hands." Paul, alone with Maurice, is mistaken for an expert. "Ask Tommy. ... You can't get hamburger from Salisbury steak." Lisa, meanwhile, discovers the steak in the urn. "I can't believe you already ate." 

-- The race begins. Paul's hailed as better than Tommy, Lisa loses the urn and unplugs a TV while seeking help to find it, both Paul and Jamie hear the voice of Uncle Van and About to Be Glue wins! As for Van, his urn ends up in a trophy case, "the winner's circle." Now, of course, eventually that meat's going to get moldy and somewhere down the line, somebody will smell it, open the urn and wind up dumping out the ashes. Ah, but in the then and now, it's a nice ending.

-- Blooper: The Buchmans live in 11E in "Escape."

-- Great Moments in Not Shilling: Ira's "Diet Cola" can ("Ring, Part 1") and the not Heinz ketchup ("Death").

-- Hey, It's the '90s!: Ira justifies ordering a Zima by saying he's curious ("Ring, Part 2"). Lisa's red plaid funeral outfit looks like a costume from the not-yet-released Clueless ("Death")

-- The Total Waitress: "Ursula, some bread?" "No thanks." She also thinks Ira's name is Bill and Paul's is Dave and that their ordering drinks was just one of their Bill and Dave jokes ("Ring, Part 2"). Ursula's hot in her long, all black outfit, but thinks it's because of the weather ("Escape").

-- Today in Underwear: It was common for the Buchmans to see Mark get up from the shiatsu chair and go get dressed when they'd visit ("Ring, Part 1"). It's so hot, Paul's not bothering to wear pants. Taking a tip from Mr. Science, he's also kept a pair of Jamie's panties in the freezer ("Escape"). Paul catches Jamie adjusting her panty hose ("Mrs. Buchman, you're trying to seduce me."), which she ends up taking off in a fury, a surprisingly arousing situation ("Death").

-- Today in Classic TV: Faced with an egg, a tomato and 16 packets of duck sauce, Paul says that if he was MacGyver, he could make a jeep. Lisa thinks friends of the Buchmans have an ugly baby, a premise used the week before on Seinfeld ("Ring, Part 1").

-- The Buchmans Go Broadway: In addition to "Home," we have Mark offering to take Fran to Kiss of the Spider Woman, plus Paul disguising some chanting for the ring as singing "Oklahoma" and "The Trolley Song" ("Ring, Part 1"). I never noticed Riff's has a Dreamgirls poster ("Ring, Part 2").

-- Before the Credits: Paul keeps reading what Jamie's reading ("Escape"). Later, they converse only in murmurs, yummy sounds and grunts ("Home"). Jamie actually knows how thunder happens ("Death").

-- Under the Credits: The couple dine out on the fire escape ("Escape"). Sylvia cuddles with a puppy, saying a grandchild is a grandchild ("Home"). Ira commiserates with Maurice over how the race went ("Death").

-- Ratings Roundup: A range of 13.5 (for both parts of "Ring," which aired over one hour) to 15.9 (for "Escape"). MAY was in fourth place for all evenings in this batch. For the fall of 1994, its companion program was Friends. ABC aired My So-Called Life, CBS aired Due South and FOX aired Martin, followed by Living Single.