617/The Caper

Show Outline

It's Paul's birthday, which according to history, is a recipe for disaster. And this year is no different, in spite of the best efforts of Jamie. She even invites Hal and Maggie(the next door neighbours), but only because she needs to borrow room in their refrigerator. And true to form, what's supposed to be a joyous occassion - something Paul's birthdays almost never have been - turns into not only a disaster, but a whodunnit mystery. That's because Hal and Maggie, in the course of the evening, have a prize Cezanne lithograph stolen. Everybody at the party becomes a suspect, except Marvin, who is threatening to sue Paul because Murray bit him (with provocation). In the end, a mystery is solved, the truth is known, and Paul's birthdays can turn out to be fun.

Commentary

This episode had some funny moments, but was kinda disappointing. I don't much care for Marvin's character; I don't much care for these kind of sporatic episodes; and, where was Mabel?!? [Not to mention Lisa, Fran, and Mark] This sounds very critical, but I did find it strangely entertaining. It was the second episode in a row (after last week's "Coin Of Destiny) that was not what you'd think of as your typical Mad About You episode, but it was, again, fun to watch. All this entertainment, my love of the show, and the fact that it did not have a completely predictible ending has me giving this episode a "6".