via Getty Images
"How does this happen all of a sudden?""It's not all of a sudden. Why do you think I kept saying we need time together? I kept pushing for us to get away together. I knew something was going on."
"With Berkus?"
"With us. This guy is not the problem."
-- I'm not in the mood to do a moment-by-moment recap of "The Award" and "The Finale," the episodes that concluded Mad About You's fourth season. For starters, this post is at least a month overdue and even I get a little bored when Thoughts On goes into detail overdrive. If you have questions or want a specific scene explained, please let me know in the comments.
-- David Steinberg directed all four episodes in today's batch, which were written by Ron Darian, Seth Kurland, Larry Charles, Victor Levin, Billy Grundfest and Paul Reiser. Of the six writers, Charles was the only one credited for all four episodes. Assuming Wikipedia is right, Helen Hunt won her first Emmy for "The Finale." She and Reiser are excellent throughout, but I suspect her win was clinched following Paul and Jamie's nearly 10-minute two-hander scene which serves as the climax to "The Finale, Part III." Reiser didn't win the Emmy for 1995-96. He lost to John Lithgow. Assuming it's correct, Reiser's submission was "Dream Weaver." I dunno, maybe he did the gentlemanly thing and deliberately chose a weaker episode to let Helen stand out?
-- Over the course of four episodes, Paul and Jamie's marriage is put to the test. There's tension because once again, she's the sole breadwinner, plus Paul doesn't seem to be actively looking for work. Jamie's also still not pregnant, she and Paul aren't spending much time together and her job isn't any less demanding. While Paul will spend much of "The Finale" angry and coping with Jamie having kissed Doug, it's Mr. Buchman who nearly went back to the apartment of a fellow filmmaker (Sofia Milos). I was initially angry that MAY seemed to be placing more weight on Jamie's transgression than Paul's, until I realized that it wasn't. The show acknowledged the duel between whether or not Paul and Jamie's problems came suddenly (Paul's argument, although it came after he learned of the kiss; he earlier mentioned recent troubles to Ira) or had been building (Jamie's argument). As "The Finale" progresses, it becomes apparent that his aggression is a façade.
-- Weed's been nominated for a Silver Sprocket! Jamie convinces Paul that they should attend. The day of the ceremony, Jamie learns that she and Doug have to fill in for Brockwell at a fundraiser in Albany. Paul doesn't like that Jamie's traveling with Doug and that she's not going to be there for him. Jamie, to her credit, goes to the trouble of leaving Paul a supportive phone message. (Hey, It's Before Everyone Had a Cellphone!) As a result, Jamie and Doug miss their train.
-- Paul befriends Sarah (Milos) at the Silver Sprockets, which he's attending with Mark. Dr. Devanow has to leave due to an emergency caesarian section and Paul's seriously considering not sticking around. He's bantering with Sarah when it turns out that Weed won! Paul planned to give a speech that would unmistakably show he's the bigger man compared to the Explorer Channel's yutzes. It's forget in the excitement of the moment, replaced by goofy delight.
-- Soon after, Paul learns that Jamie never made it to her hotel room. She and Doug had been playing gin rummy and commiserating about how neither presently has much of a life. Jamie decides not to go to the Albany fundraiser. Paul later finds out Jamie arrived at the banquet just after he and Sarah left together. Paul and Sarah never shared anything other than banter and a walk, but the possibility was there. Against Ira's advice, he considers telling Jamie about what happened.
-- We're up to "The Finale, Part 1." Lisa and Sanford are engaged! Their party is scheduled for the 12th, the same day as Burt & Sylvia's anniversary. The Klariks have booked a museum. The Buchmans have booked the Abe Vigoda Room of the 2nd Avenue Deli. It's where Burt proposed to Sylvia over a plate of pickles. Meanwhile, Fran and Mark are getting back together!* "It's like 1983 all over again!" Fran's planning to quit the Brockwell campaign. She might even have another kid. Jamie's unable to share her anxiety with Fran or Lisa. She ends up doing so with Doug. A hug becomes a kiss.
*I'm wondering if the powers that be seriously planned to reinstate Richard Kind as a regular, or keep him as a recurring guest. Surely they knew he was attached to Spin City, which premiered in September 1996.
-- Jamie really needs to talk to Paul. They keep getting interrupted. Burt wants to pay for the anniversary party. Lisa's seeking advice about what to wear at the engagement party. Debbie wants to bring Joan. Jonathan the caterer (Randl Ask) has Egyptian food to sample. Fran and Mark are enjoying their second (end of) virginity. There's still the matter of whose party will change its date, Lisa's or Burt & Sylvia's? Complicating matters is that Burt hates Zigmund Klarik. And there's still the ticking time bomb of Jamie's guilt over kissing Doug. Once the Buchmans are alone, and with less than six minutes left of Part I, she tells all to Paul.
-- Rewatching "The Finale," I found myself paying attention to time. Reiser doesn't have dialogue for at least a minute after Jamie's reveal. Paul reveals his and Sarah's walk, which wasn't just a walk, but then says Jamie's not entitled to a wow. Even now, I'm still pissed at him for saying that. Part I ends with Paul leaving the apartment, possibly for good. He goes to Ira, while Jamie goes to Lisa. Lisa, who's been playing Twister with Sanford (Billy Morrissette), takes a beat to (understatedly, to the show and Ramsay's credit) acknowledge the atypical situation of her being someone asked to give advice. Jamie's remorseful, telling Lisa she may have screwed up what might have been a nice life.
-- After a failed attempt at getting Paul and Jamie to share a phone call, complete with more of Ira's adlibbing and Paul declaring he wants Murray back*, things aren't looking good. In Part I, we learned the Silver Sprockets took place the previous Friday and in Part II, Doug tells Jamie that he didn't sleep at all last night. Obviously, Bradley White couldn't stay on MAY, but during this scene, I thought, "Oh, damn the consequences!" A guilty Doug wants he and Jamie to just be friends. The problem is, she's already told Paul about the kiss. And, oh crap, Paul finds Jamie and Doug together in an elevator. As annoyed as I was by Paul's constant passive aggression as "The Finale" went on, I'll admit he knew how to press Jamie's buttons. "Honey ...?" "... Oh, me." A little later, "How nice, you both get along." Paul and Doug end up alone together, with Paul going into macho mode and threatening Doug "if you ever touch my wife again."
*Alas, how Murray feels about the separation is never explored.
-- Paul's angry sadness is put on hold when he, Ira and Mark go to a karaoke bar. Both of Paul's friends know what it's like to have a marriage end. Mark offers himself to either be hit or be kissed. Paul figures that he's got to be kissed rather than do the kissing himself. The trio blow off steam with an endearingly sloppy and fun performance of "Your Cheatin' Heart." It's at times like this I wish I had seen Kind and Pankow when they played the gangsters in Kiss Me, Kate on Broadway. Anyway, Paul gets kissed by a patron (Peggy Mannix) who believed the story that it was his birthday.
-- Now's the perfect time for a famous guest star, right? (I didn't think so, either.) It's not Ed Asner's fault. He's as funny as ever as Zigmund Klarik, who made millions after exceeding Burt's bid for the exclusive rights to sell hula hoops. A confrontation takes place at Burt and Sylvia's. Paul informs Jamie that his parents don't know about their trouble before saying she looks pretty. Paul and Jamie are outraged that Klarik wants to bribe Burt and Sylvia to move their party. He offers $10,000, which they agree to.
-- Lisa and Sanford's party is a hit, even though Paul and Jamie's (physical) distance is noticeable. She leaves after Paul takes one more opportunity to twist the knife, this time with Burt's words about trust. Before I go into the two-hander, I want to say a few words about sitcoms and supposed game-changer moments. A Different World's fifth season was nearly ruined for me because of how labored Dwayne and Whitley's courtship became. They were engaged, then broke up during November sweeps, then seemed to be even further apart for February and May sweeps, before reuniting for good in the last minutes. ADW is certainly not the only show to play the "Will they break up/get back together?" card. Friends easily abused that privilege, while Frasier overall didn't, perhaps because it abused the "Will they hook up?" card. Mad About You ended its fourth season a few days after Seinfeld aired "The Invitations," which in my opinion is much more of a game-changer than "The Finale" ever will be. That being said, I don't hate "The Finale." I never could.
-- Attention passengers, we are now in the "shit is getting real" portion of our recap and yes, I am going to give the play-by-play. Jamie's not going to leave Paul, she says while hitting him in frustration. Paul says "I don't like our home," he's so tired of not talking to Jamie and that he doesn't trust her anymore. After Jamie makes it abundantly clear how sorry she is for kissing Doug, she and Paul go to the park. The instant vs. gradual debate includes Paul wondering about the kiss in excruciating detail. "Where were his hands? Where were your hands?" Jamie reveals she never even made it to Albany, she came back because she wanted to be with Paul. A breakthrough happens when Paul says he hates that he's going to be 40 and is asking Jamie "pedestrian" questions like where the guy's hands were.
-- "I just always assumed that you and I would be immuned (sic) to this kind of crap." "Well, we're not." Jamie starts talking about how hard she's been working over the past year. Paul insists that he believed in her, but she says he also liked it. He liked not having her around "because that meant it was okay for you to not be around, so that way everything was even and nothing would be your fault." When was the last time they had dinner together, Jamie asks. What about having fun together on a weekend, or making love because they wanted to rather than in an attempt to conceive? They're talking, Jamie says, but nobody's saying the truth. "This isn't working. I reach out for you and you're not there and I'm certainly not there for you."
-- Paul and Jamie are doing so much for a baby that's not coming. "No, it's not (Paul's fault). God, what is wrong with you?! It's like you're a child! ... I'm not saying that!" (The vein that divided Helen Hunt's forehead into east and west regions deserves supporting actress recognition.) The conversation takes an interesting turn, with Jamie saying "if there's something wrong, it's me" and that she fears Paul will leave her because she can't have kids. "Well then, shame on you! Shame on you if that's what you think of me! That I would leave you." Jamie's attraction to Doug is suddenly re-categorized as (or perhaps it always was) a preemptive strike against Paul possibly leaving her. One more digression: remember when I started these recaps (on the other Pop Culturists site)? We had some discussion over whether Paul is mad about Jamie or Jamie is mad about Paul. Everything they've said would indicate it's equal, but Paul still asks the tough question.
-- "How can you doubt my love for you?" "Because I do." "Well, then, you know what? You will never get it." If she can't have kids, he can't have kids. Whatever happens to Jamie happens to Paul. It happens to them. She thought she got that. Paul and Jamie are both pretty damn good. "And yet nobody here is happy," he says. Jamie goes back to what she said when she met Paul, that two people being together forever is not realistic. She thinks it's too hard and he agrees. It looks like this is it for the Buchmans. "I don't know how to do better than this," she says. Paul goes for another walk, staying out all night.
-- Seriously, if Reiser had submitted "The Finale," he'd also have an Emmy. Paul comes home, taking in his and Jamie's living room before coming to the bedroom. He's putting things in a backpack ... until he sees Jamie asleep on their bed. He strokes her hair and she wakes up. Paul and Jamie both apologize, saying they just want and love each other. "I don't care how hard it is," he says. (That vein is still trying to upstage Helen.) Big kiss, tender sax on the soundtrack, Paul onto the bed, fade to black, and "Three Weeks Later," it's official. Jamie's pregnant. See you in September, viewers!
-- The Buchmans Go Broadway: Brockwell can't attend the fundraiser because he's got Show Boat tickets ("The Award").
-- Great Moments in Not Shilling: Lisa's drinking not-Budweiser and Burt and Sylvia have not-Diet Coke ("The Finale, Part II").
-- Hey, It's the '90s!: Zigmund lets everyone know that he thought Sanford was gay ("The Finale, Part II" and "Part III").
-- Continuity Corner: Paul and Ira pass the Little Sisters of Mercy Thrift Shop and we learn that in addition to Fran and Mark becoming a couple in 1983, she met Jamie in 1987 and that Burt and Sylvia have been married for 45 years ("The Finale, Part 1"). Buchman's is located on 8th Avenue ("The Finale, Part II").
-- Ratings Roundup: "The Finale, Parts II and III" aired as one episode. It ranked No. 1 for Sunday, May 19, 1996.
-- Next up: We take a brief break and I watch Twister for the first time in at least 20 years.
No comments:
Post a Comment