214/The Late Show

Show Outline

Fran has some news for Ira. She may be “late”. This is a result of them sleeping together in Atlantic City (Episode #210/A Pair Of Hearts). After getting over the initial shock, Ira and Fran set out “secretly” tell Paul and Jamie, by dropping hints. Before long Paul and Jamie are drawn into thinking Fran and Ira may be expecting, but just not with each other. For Fran, it’s Sergio, the “swarthy” doorman at her Apartment building. For Ira, it’s Ursula, the waitress at “Riff’s”. Paul and Jamie even try to hide the fact from each other. Near the end, Jamie’s trying to have Ira not get shot at by mobsters, and Paul is giving Ira $200 and buying paint for Fran’s apartment, so she can sell it. Finally it dawns on Paul and Jamie what’s going on. “How stupid are we?”

Commentary

This is a funny episode on the one hand, and an episode which is tiring on the other. I love how the lines of the story intertwine. Somehow things are juggled in such a way that it stays funny without wearing you out completely. This was the second episode I taped and it reinfoced that my decision to tape Mad About You was a good one. The way Paul and Jamie echo each others words, and thoughts was part of the romantic charm of the show. Overall, it's an episode which, while not a great one, is funny from the start and steadily builds on it 'till the end.