711/The Honeymoon

Show Outline

At a charity auction at Beth Israel Medical Center, Jamie is really interested in bidding on a vacation package which promises to be the honeymoon they never had. Unfortunately, Jamie, who's distracted by Paul's one-nurse fan club, Diane, bids on the wrong item. So they're stuck with a "Royal Bouncer" - a giant inflatable castle for kids to play inside of. Diane's new boyfriend, the Buchman's new baby doctor, Dr. Lee, comes to the rescue by referring Paul and Jamie to his uncle who is a travel agent specializing in honeymoon packages.

Paul and Jamie have Lisa agree to stay in the apartment until they return, but that turns into a disaster when Lisa begins to break the house rules. First she makes long distance calls (to Scotland), then she decides to play in the "Royal Bouncer" and she gets stuck. So she calls Ira, who calls Marvin, who makes enough noise to attract the attention of Maggie, and finally therapist Sheila. Each end up stuck in the castle until Paul and Jamie get home.

But Paul and Jamie are having troubles of their own. That's because, 1) Dr. Lee and Diane follow the Buchman's to the same hotel, and, 2) the walls of the hotel seem to be exeptionally thin, allowing everything to be heard. The thing both couples hear which makes so much trouble is Diane and Paul both calling out Paul's name during sex. They aren't together, but it still causes trouble. Jamie is so upset, as is Dr. Lee, that she ends up talking to Diane while Dr. Lee pleads with Paul to let Diane "go". By the time everything is settled, Paul will forget Diane, and Jamie is having her hair done up by Diane.

Commentary

Thank God this particular episode wasn't centered around a felony crime. It was centered around being attracted to someone other than your spouse, but at least that's an issue which is a bit more realistic than last week's grand larceny. And because I wasn't wondering why Jamie was doing something illegal, I found this episode much funnier and more enjoyable to watch. It also helped that the writing was kept fairly light, as it generally has been for most of this season. Parts of the plot were a bit thin - like everyone getting stuck in the "Royal Bouncer", but the actors (most notably Anne Ramsay re-appearing as Lisa) kept things funny enough to overlook the deficiencies. I didn't laugh constantly, but it was fun to watch.

It was, as always, great to see Lisa included in the show. She never disappoints as her neurotic and rebellious self. But I wondered, where was Mabel? I don't even recall any references to her, and I've seen the episode twice now. I guess Mabel's already gone off to college. It was a bit surprising to see Diane back in the mix. Hasn't she caused enough trouble for Paul and Jamie's marriage? And what is it with Paul still having some interest in her? Yea, she's pretty, but it's not like Jamie's unattractive. And I must admit Jamie's relative tolerance with Paul's flirtations is a bit surprising. It has made for some funny moments, though, and it's much better that seeing Jamie take a toy from right out of a baby's crib.

It's not hard to see that the writer's are stretching things to come up with material. It's also not hard to see this series has just about run it's course. It's still fun to watch, and as a big fan of the show I still love it. But it's gotten a bit silly and the lack of continuity is really bad this year. For now, though, forget all that. This episode was no milestone, but it was fun enough to rate a 7.5. I'd also like to add that I appreciate Paul's light-hearted approach to his character. He obviously sees the end in sight, but at least he's trying to enjoy himself.