For a textbook sitcom, Night Court Season 1 Episode 9 is practically Shakespearean with its stark dramatic irony and role reversals.
Guest star Stephanie Weir chews scenery as Remeka, a surgically precise podcast journalist whose plan to expose the dirty secrets of our good-hearted — if only narcissistic — public defender nearly succeeds.
But, as with all good Shakespearean plots, the universe is right whether by the work of God or, in this case, the work of an audio engineer.
There’s some subtle fan service stuck in here with the storyline of Dan’s run for city council, plucking at the strings of the memory of longtime viewers of the OG series.
Back on Night Court (1984) Season 1 Episode 7, Dan loses his race to a dead man, while Harry avoids further advances but befriends the enchantress Carla Bee, played by the lovely Rita Taggart.
If Harry were still alive, Remka would have presented his encounter with Carla B. in a sordid and underappreciated manner.
Remeka’s introduction as a “social archaeologist” sounds like a bit of a hoax. Abby takes a liking to him for his inspirational and heartwarming nature.
Remka: Well, as an archaeologist, I always have my fossil brush and my pick axe, so I might as well stick around and see what’s under this pile of dirt.
AB: Hear that, guys? We’re about to brush and get selected.
Unfortunately, Remica’s strategy is more taboo and sensational than authentic.
To be fair, the storylines she follows — Dan’s vote-buying and Abby’s short-cutting — are legitimately newsworthy, but that’s not her objective. He is looking for ratings and scandal.
And that being said, maybe his low-brow shock jock past shouldn’t be a good enough reason for a cancellation.
Perhaps if she’d owned up to that past, her beleaguered audio engineer would have had less ammunition to take her down.
Or maybe not. I don’t claim to understand the podcast industry or cancel culture.
Is Dan Fielding’s rise from humble beginnings to the top – or bottom – in the judicial system one of the generation’s most remarkable feats? It is not my cup of tea to say this, but it is my pleasure to repeat it.
gentle
Now, Dan, I understand.
Dan Fielding has been a comedian in my television landscape since my formative years. His return to this revival anchors the show and shows how the actor’s comedic timing has become as old as the wine.
Of course, the visual hilarity of seeing Larroquette standing next to Melissa Rauch tickles my funny bone every single time. If they ever write a costumed Halloween episode, they need To dress him as the Mandalorian and him as Grogu.
Or maybe Groot and Rocket Raccoon.
Either way, Rauch will get some lovely ears.
I wanted to kill Remeka with kindness, not Cold War radiation.
AB
Abby and Dan team up to stop their nefarious activities from being broadcast on Remeka’s podcast, but their respective solutions are predictably different.
Abby leaves the upstate treats (all of which I researched and found to be as geographically authentic as the term “near-the-dish”), while Dan basically solves the situation with a radiation-liberated metal detector. tries to do.
Interestingly, a similar method was also used by some dirty cops. big EasyA film that took place in Larroquette and Fielding’s home state of Louisiana.
And speaking of his Louisiana roots, it doesn’t seem a little hypocritical of Dan to turn up his nose at “White Hots” when he enthusiastically serves up hogshead cheese, braised chicken legs, and fried gizzards at the end of the night. sinks into the key tray. Court Season 1 Episode 7?
I’ve never seen anyone so thirsty to come on a podcast. And I have several friends whose husbands went missing after joining a cult.
Gurgs
The incidental B-plot where Neil and Olivia pretend to be a couple to get Remeca’s attention is cut short embarrassingly.
Of course, this is classic network sitcom format, and twenty-two minutes rarely allow for two narratives to play out properly.
But I quite enjoy seeing the meek clerk and the cocky prosecutor fall into the stereotypical wretched lover roles.
Some funny traditional gender-role swapping ensues when Olivia’s commitment issues rear their head in their gag affair in the presence of Neil’s search for depth and meaning.
It also highlights the fact that – aside from Abby’s yet-to-appear fiancé, Rand – all of the main characters are living the life of singletons, whether by choice or circumstance.
Olivia makes reference to past relationships when she and Neil are talking about their partner, but we don’t see her trying to date.
Neil has been lonely in several episodes, including Night Court Season 1 Episode 8, where he admits to having a crush on Abby.
We saw what she looks like when she’s obsessed with someone in Night Court Season 1 Episode 3, but we haven’t seen her reconnect with that police officer.
And Dan, of course, lives on in the memory of his late wife, Sarah, and his only venture into dating in Night Court Season 1 Episode 4 finds him with Pyro, a psychopath with a grudge list.
What does this say about the emotional health of these advocates of justice?
Oh there is. Your sarcasm Third wheel in this relationship.
Indigo
Even in the original series, only Mac successfully partnered and had children while working at the courthouse.
This is an interesting idea. Honestly, it would take very little – except a change in lighting and soundtrack and the omission of the laugh track – to transform Night Court into a sobering look at the cost of the publicly funded legal system.
Oh, and you have to turn to Abby being her Mirror Universe hard-nosed, by-the-book alt self. Might have fallen off the car.
Huh. I think I just did an episode of Through the Looking Glass. Like the St. Elsewhere episode where he visits Cheers. I’ll see that. would you?
Now that we have fulfilled all our dreams, only death awaits.
gentle
As you watch Night Court online, reflect on some of the loose ends we left behind.
Did Olivia ever get her purse back? How did he explain how that defendant left the courtroom, and no one noticed?
Was Remeka’s Relationship Podcast Canceled Too? How long did Olivia and Neil have to continue acting?
Will Abby’s unorthodox ways continue to be scrutinized? Is this a Skaneateles thing? Or Harry Stone’s daughter?
Why the name of his hometown now? Is this a clue? Why?
What are you curious to know next about our Nighthawks?
Leave your docket in the comments below and call the court to order!
diana keng is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an outstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond until death. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Blue. She teaches, knits and dreams big. follow him Twitter,