Thoughts on Mad About You, episodes 72-76

 

via Amadeus3000

"Do you enjoy spending time with your spouse's family?"
*Paul and Jamie mull it over*
"... I'm gonna say yes, anyway."

-- Welcome back to How We Met Our Mabel. Sorry, but that's how I'm feeling about Mad About You right now. We're past the point of "Could Paul and Jamie be parents?" episodes to two seasons of "Paul and Jamie are going to be parents, and that's that!"* Okay, maybe I'm being dramatic, but seriously, The Mother is the only other sitcom character I can think of who got such an advance buildup.

*After that, it's three seasons of "Paul and Jamie are parents."

-- Season Four begins with "New Sleep-Walking PLUS," written by Paul Reiser and the first of three episodes directed by David Steinberg. Jamie begins the episode getting frisky with Paul, who has an interview with The Explorer Channel. She's in such a good mood because the Buchmans had great, uninhibited, talk-free, Paul-injuring, clock-breaking sex ... which Paul doesn't remember having. He apparently did it in his sleep. Ira's amused by the scenario, which he learns while being waited on at Klarik's by the new, improved Lisa. Not only can Lisa deliver a syllogism about how chinos and khakis aren't the same, but she's being groomed for something!
-- Paul ends up having his keys mailed to Ira's aunt in New Jersey. It's because they were in the pants Paul wore to the store, which Ira had gift wrapped because he needed a reason to talk to the clerk (Alexandra Bokyun Chun). Anyway, Paul goes to see Jamie and Fran, whose new clients are the cabdrivers union. He almost reveals the truth of the night before. Jamie hasn't been feeling well all morning, and Fran knows she wants to buy a pregnancy test. Meanwhile, Paul hits it off with Allison (Gates McFadden), who started off as a documentarian then sold out to be a TV executive. He scores a gig as The Explorer Channel's in-house director, which comes with a three-year commitment and "some plan with a 'K'." 

-- Jamie's awaiting the test results when Paul comes home. She's four days late. It could be nothing, but Jamie doesn't think she wants it to be nothing. It's not like the Buchmans have been especially careful. She didn't always put her diaphragm in, which Paul wasn't aware of. Jamie wants to make a baby. It will be beautiful and loved. Still, Paul says, what she did is like having sex with somebody when they're actually sleeping, which Jamie says is sick. Is Paul ready to be a parent? He's taking on a job for a grown-up guy with kids, after all. Jamie says she's ready. Paul says he's not. In the end, she's not pregnant. Now Paul's sad, which makes Jamie happy. They agree to try to conceive. Jamie throws out her diaphragm and they contemplate one more time their future baby's beauty.

-- Paul and Jamie's path from adults to adults with dependents includes purchasing "The Parking Space." It's written by Billy Grundfest and features the return of Richard Kind, who'll be a semi-regular for Season Four. Paul reveals to Jamie that for years, they've been on a waiting list. He figured they'd have a car by the time their names came up. Leo the garage attendant (Mark Schiff) is enjoyably three-dimensional, not at all amused by the Buchmans' hemming and hawing over such a purchase. It's a purchase-only situation. Upstairs, Fran and Ira are navigating their friends with benefits relationship. I have no memory how this plays out. I'm just fond of Leila Kenzle and John Pankow's chemistry and I like how two people on '90s TV (make that '90s NBC) can have a relatively uncomplicated coupling.

-- A family including 2-4 kids starts with the purchase of a parking space, Paul tells Jamie. They'll be embarking on their own Camelot, minus the two crappy songs at the start of Act II**. I can sympathize with Paul. I've spent years wanting a garage. Granted, I've never had to lie down in the street to protect a choice parking space, like young Paul had to do for Burt. Anyway, the Buchmans go to their bank, where they find out their credit is lousy. They apparently have enough to pay for the space, though. Paul and Jamie seal the deal, and Paul immediately experiences buyers remorse. "My certainty is a cry for help."

**Who knew Paul didn't like "If Ever I Would Leave You"?

-- Leo, still annoyed, won't let the Buchmans out of the deal. Not only that, but Jamie's warmed up to the idea of having the space. She and Paul are done half-assing their situation. They're going to buy a car, maybe even Mark's. He's selling because there's too many memories, including of that "stupid schlep across the count." Leo ends up giving the space away, which is a problem because the Buchmans want it. They're back on the waiting list, once again at the bottom. Still, Paul and Jamie gaining a car is a small step for themselves and a giant leap for Buchman kind (including errand-running Murray).

-- Next up, "The Test," directed by Michael Lembeck and written by Kenny Schwartz & Rick Wiener. It's a clip show, so I don't have to write much. Waiting for a bus, Paul and Jamie take a Cosmo quiz on the health of their relationship. The issue Jamie's reading is from April 1995, with cover girl Heather Locklear. Actual articles included "Ivana Trump tells why it was good for her." The questions range from whether or not Paul and Jamie believe in love at first sight (clips from "Met Someone") to whether or not they get along (the montage includes "Natural History" and "The Last Scampi") to who runs the household (Murray montage). Jamie and Paul complete the quiz and it apparently doesn't look good. After a montage of great and/or romantic moments, like the kiss at the end of "Up in Smoke" and sharing a bubble bath in "Love Among the Tiles," Jamie asks "What do they know?"

-- David Steinberg also directed "The Good, the Bad and the Not-So-Appealing," written by Victor Levin. Helen Hunt won the Emmy for 1995-96 for "The Finale," but I like to think "Not-So-Appealing" was her alternate submission. Sylvia invites Paul and Jamie to lunch at her and Burt's. It's interrupting some necessary errands, like taking care of the laundry (all that's left is a thong and a pair of tube socks), but Jamie wants to go. She also wants to tell Sylvia about her and Paul trying for a baby. What, is Jamie expecting a big hug and a big kiss from her mother-in-law?

-- Sylvia's not dying, but she decides she wants the family to decide in advance which of her and Burt's belongings they'd like to inherit. This can be a touchy subject. I mentioned apparently alienating my grandma because I didn't show enough enthusiasm for her dad's paintings. Debbie Buchman's fighting with Sharon, who's attempting to call dibs without actually coming over. Debbie is supportive of Paul and Jamie's family planning, but questions why Jamie would want to tell Sylvia. The gag is repeated twice more, with Burt and Ira. Between this, Sylvia doesn't want to part with Paul's bronzed baby shoes. She is willing to give Jamie a vacuum sealer and responds on-point when Jamie delivers her big news. "Oh, good for you. I'll get the bags."

-- Jamie's hurt by Sylvia's lack of affection. Sylvia thinks Jamie's needy and over-sensitive, insisting that she did make an effort with her former sons-in-law. Burt, who bought stock for his newborn children, wants to make up for purchasing U.S. Cyclamates for Paul. He attempts to give his son a money clip, which Paul knows is not a war heirloom. Burt has the right idea about the whole experience: "No matter when I die, it's gonna piss me off." Sylvia, meanwhile, laments that "I'm dying and we spend the whole day on (Jamie)." 

-- Sylvia's outfit in this episode is all-black. Jamie's is all-white. The familiar Ennio Morricone music plays as the two prepare for a woman-to-woman in Sylvia's kitchen. It's an unfair fight. Jamie wants to know what she can do to get through to Sylvia. She'll beg. She'll crawl. She'll change the way she talks. She'll wear a shirt backwards and cut her hair. "Those are not the right scissors, darling." At this point in my rewatch, I'm really, really liking Cynthia Harris. From what I understand, some audience members got sick of her and Louis Zorich in later seasons. I remember TV Guide (or was it Entertainment Weekly?) complaining about overuse of Burt and Sylvia. Anyway, "Not-So-Appealing" ends sweetly (Jamie discovers that Sylvia did gift her the bronze shows) and tartly (Jamie calls to think Sylvia. "It's Jamie ... Buchman."). 

-- A second future Spin City castmember, Alan Ruck, reports for his year-long MAY duty in "I Don't See It." Ruck's joined by another Twister castmember, Wendle Josepher, who plays his assistant. If that wasn't enough familiar faces for Helen Hunt, the episode's also directed by her father, Gordon. It's written by Brenda Hampton, just before her long-running TV show that debuted in 1996, 7th Heaven. "See It" starts off with a slightly Seinfeldish plot, then goes back into How We Met Our Mabel.

-- Jamie and Fran are trying for a gig with the mayor's office. They're being interviewed by Lance Brockwell (Ruck), whose name sounds familiar to Paul. Jamie's wearing an uncomfortable bra, which she manages to take off without removing her shirt. She doesn't have enough time to hide it before Brockwell enters, resulting in some fun physical comedy for a few minutes. In other business news, Ira makes an unsuccessful bid at expanding Buchman's Sporting Goods into the mall marketplace and Paul's interviewing a supposed Titanic survivor (Eric Christmas). Honestly, these parts of the episode felt like filler.

-- Paul remembers where he knows Brockwell. Back in the day, Brockwell handled licenses and permits. He wouldn't permit Paul to film coyotes, which resulted in Paul losing a job. Paul ended up sending a nasty letter to the weasel bureaucrat. A visit to see Brockwell results in Paul once again invoking Camelot ("C'est moi."), Brockwell revealing he loved the letter (it was his first bit of hate mail and it helped him be less by-the-book) ... and Paul revealing he and Jamie are trying for a baby. Could she get pregnant soon?

-- With her and Fran's golden opportunity possibly fading away, Jamie is pissed at Paul. "(to Fran) No, I'm not going to divorce him." That said, it would be like Jamie going to The Explorer Channel to reveal that Paul hates birds. Paul wants to know what's Jamie's plan. How important is having a baby to her? She doesn't like that there's a double standard because she's the mommy. "... I'm the mommy." The Buchmans resolve that Jamie can be a bureaucrat and a mommy, with Paul's help. She and Fran get the job.

-- Great Moments in Shilling and Not Shilling: The package for "Snac Wells" ("PLUS"), ad for The Professional ("Test") and box of "Tlde" ("Not-So-Appealing").

-- Hey, It's the Mid-90s!: Two from "Not-So-Appealing." Sylvia's disapproval of Martha Stewart continues. She thinks she needs a drink. Burt's also shocked that Ira bought coffee, (the not name-dropped) Starbucks in fact.

-- Today in Classic TV: Six months ago, Lisa was drinking milk and watching Hogan's Heroes ("PLUS"). The Buchmans' library includes CBS: Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye. Mark doesn't want the Buchmans to buy the car from him, talking about a Perry Mason episode. "It was the closest Della came to losing her job." Ryan and Fran routinely watch Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman together (all "Space"). Paul says his parents' couch would be nice for Fred Sanford ("Not-So-Appealing").

-- The Buchmans Go Broadway: Besides Paul's Camelot diss, there's the ads for Damn Yankees and The Phantom of the Opera ("Test") and Paul insisting that salmon sing show tunes ("Not-So-Appealing").

-- Continuity Corner: Jamie has outstanding student loan debt from her time at Yale ("Space"). Burt and Sylvia live in Apartment 5C. Not only that, but their building looks smaller than it was in "Home" and the layout has changed. "Escape from New York" had me believing the front entrance was adjacent to the kitchen. In "Not-So-Appealing," the front entrance is unmistakably in the living room.

-- Before the Credits: Even after being caught by Paul, Jamie keeps singing "Copacabana" ("PLUS"). A cranky Paul causes Murray to go to Jamie, who warned him ("Space"). Murray watches his humans have a circular conversation about cantaloupe ("Test"). Paul accidentally gets his finger caught in Jamie's hair ("Not-So-Appealing"). Paul gets Jamie to do the Twist with him, then helps her balance the checkbook ("See It").

-- Under the Credits: Murray doesn't want to talk with his humans about their baby plans ("PLUS"). Murray takes the car for a drive ("Space"). Sylvia's glad to have Murray come over, but she wants him off the couch ("Not-So-Appealing"). Jamie demonstrates the bra removal move and Paul does the same with his boxers ("See It").

-- Ratings Roundup: For the 1995-96 season, Mad About You aired at 8 p.m. on Sundays. It faced off against Cybill, The Simpsons, Lois & Clark and Sister, Sister. While 60 Minutes usually led the night, most of MAY's timeslot rivals were competitive. For this batch, MAY frequently came in at No. 3. The TV movie crown goes to CBS' A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin (reprising their Broadway roles), plus John Goodman and Diane Lane.