702/A Pain In The Neck

Show Outline

Paul and Jamie are taking care of Mabel and watching a movie. A particularly sentimental line has Paul mocking romance, while it gets Jamie to thinking they should renew their marriage vows. When Paul scoffs at this idea, Jamie gets upset. She's not dissuaded from her arguments when Paul suddenly begins complaining of a sore throat which rapidly gets worse. In fact she gets downright snippy and mean about his condition ("Let me see if I can find some, "stiffling, sneezing, my husbands a wuss medicine"). She has a temporary change of heart after learning Paul's doctor appointment has resulted in his being admitted to a hospital. The diagnoses is that he needs his tonsils removed. Her being upset returns when she meets Diane, the nurse pampering Paul. But just before he goes into surgery he professess very profound feelings for Jamie and her impact on his life. Not only doesn't this soften Jamie, it actually makes her more upset. In the end we find out how deeply Paul and Jamie care about each other, and also how delicate forgiveness is. Also, we hear Mabel's first words. Thanks to Sylvia and Ira trying to simultaneously teach Mabel to talk, hear first word isn't one most babies are remembered for. Thanks, Ira - you "schmuck"!

Commentary

Wow! There are so many things to comment on about this episode. First and foremost is the return of Lisa. I had no prior knowledge or warning she was going to show up and when she walked into 11D (the Buchman's apartment) I nearly spilled my lemonade. Did anyone else's jaw drop seeing her? It wasn't a bad reaction, just one of complete surprise. Actually, I hope she shows up a lot more. Can you imagine the wonderful possibilities of Lisa as a babysitter? Second, I almost grew to really think Jamie is turning into a bitch. She was not only unnecessarily snippy before Paul went to the doctor, but at the hospital, she was downright mean. My dad walked in just about the time Jamie was berating Paul for his serious professions (just before he goes into surgery) and said, "Gee, can you imagine being married to a woman like that?" I couldn't disagree. If Jamie's jealous of the nurse, Diane, then maybe it's because Jamie's finding out, from Paul's reaction to Diane's attentiveness, just how little attention she's paying to Paul. Third, wasn't it funny, ironic, and great to see William Christopher reprising his role as a priest?

These first two shows have been quite funny to me. Tonight's was peppered with great situational one-liners all through it. In spite of my dislike of Jamie's attitude and behaviour, I really liked tonight's episode. I thought it was hilarious to hear Mabel's first word was "schmuck". I laughed at Ira's first attempt at prayer. And I absolutely howled at the tag, when William Christopher, was asking God why he had to keep playing the role of priest. Did anyone else get this? In spite of my frustrations with Jamie, it was a wonderful, funny, almost "getting back to basics" episode for Mad About You if this season continues in this vain of humor, it should be well above average. Get rid of Jamie's bitchiness and it could be great. I give it an 8.5 for overall laughs and surprises. Lisa's return gets a seperate 10. That was a great/wonderful surprise!