Nice to see Dan growing more and more into the self-centered grump we always knew. 
Night Court revival
- Thread starter Amasov
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Pretty nice one this week. Nice to see a more serious side to Gurgs, deepening her character.
It still bugs me that they have Abby declaring the verdicts. It's supposed to be an arraignment court.
I feel they missed a joke opportunity. After the bit about Abby getting the Constiution stuck in her bra, I thought that when Dan was orating about the First Amendment, he was going to say something to Abby about how he knew the Constitution was close to her heart.
It still bugs me that they have Abby declaring the verdicts. It's supposed to be an arraignment court.
I feel they missed a joke opportunity. After the bit about Abby getting the Constiution stuck in her bra, I thought that when Dan was orating about the First Amendment, he was going to say something to Abby about how he knew the Constitution was close to her heart.
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Amaris
Guest
This one was a lot of fun, and a pretty good message too (though I don't generally believe working inside the system helps because the system is inherently corrupt towards certain outcomes). Neil getting advice from a kid about dating was great, and Olivia being jealous of a younger version of herself was funny, but she still feels like she's just there to spout catty one liners for the writers, and she deserves better.
As @cooleddie74 says, Dan's getting more like his old self as we go along, and I was cracking up at how he was using children to get dinners, alcohol, and god knows what else paid for by the court.
Also, Gurgs got more room to develop, and I loved it. Gurgs is already my favorite character of the bunch (though I really love Abby and Dan, of course), and this just gives me more of an opportunity to respect her principles as a character. She was faced with a difficult choice this episode, either stand for what she believes in, and be a good example for her nephew, or do her job and damage the respect she has for herself, and that her nephew has for her. Nice little situation she found herself in.
At the end of the day, Malcolm FX was still held for trial, though, and I can't help but think of that, and the show offers no real solution, which it isn't really expected to do, because even in the original Night Court, sometimes the answer was "the system needs fixing, but it's so much bigger than our little court room."
I admit I'm asking a LOT of a comedy show, but I'd had hoped after 40 years, we could have done better by now.
As @cooleddie74 says, Dan's getting more like his old self as we go along, and I was cracking up at how he was using children to get dinners, alcohol, and god knows what else paid for by the court.
Also, Gurgs got more room to develop, and I loved it. Gurgs is already my favorite character of the bunch (though I really love Abby and Dan, of course), and this just gives me more of an opportunity to respect her principles as a character. She was faced with a difficult choice this episode, either stand for what she believes in, and be a good example for her nephew, or do her job and damage the respect she has for herself, and that her nephew has for her. Nice little situation she found herself in.
At the end of the day, Malcolm FX was still held for trial, though, and I can't help but think of that, and the show offers no real solution, which it isn't really expected to do, because even in the original Night Court, sometimes the answer was "the system needs fixing, but it's so much bigger than our little court room."
I admit I'm asking a LOT of a comedy show, but I'd had hoped after 40 years, we could have done better by now.
I agree, but Gurgs has a point too -- it'd be even worse if there were nobody within the system trying to moderate its excesses. She can't change the system, but at least she can offer some comfort to the people caught up in it.
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Amaris
Guest
I agree with her there. People need allies in every corner of the legal system, but having allies is nowhere near as good as having the system overhauled, the oppression built in removed, and rebuilt based on equity and restoration. It's a band aid on a hemorrhaging wound, and while it's nice, it's not going to save anyone in the end.
Bearing witness to suffering that people have borne witness to for generations isn't going to fix anything. Being an ally is a good start, but we should have already moved from the start position a century ago.
I just did the Leon episodes of Night Court.
Abby has a sexy black (foster) brother, that she may not know about.
If her current relationship falls apart, this could be funny.
Abby has a sexy black (foster) brother, that she may not know about.
If her current relationship falls apart, this could be funny.
We need to start a Buddy Countdown to spitball the character's first appearance. Abby needs to spend time with her grandfather! I know John Astin is in his early 90s and may be largely retired from performing by this point but him showing up would be a golden moment for this revival series.
Again, all that is true, but I don't see how it means Gurgs shouldn't be working as a bailiff. It's not a zero-sum choice between the two. The problems need to be fought on every level.
Yes, true, but people still need help today, on a day-to-day basis. You're making big-picture arguments that do not invalidate Gurgs's choice to focus on the little picture. If nobody fixes the big-picture problems, then somebody still has to try to help individuals where they can.
I mean, if we're talking "should have," then we should have spent the past 50 years phasing out fossil fuels and preventing global warming. Does the fact that we failed to prevent that big-picture problem mean that nobody should now be performing rescue work to help individual victims of floods, hurricanes, etc.? Of course not. On the contrary, it makes their work on the individual level even more essential.
Ive been wondering if Rand isn't going to end up being their version of Vera or Maris.
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Amaris
Guest
I never said Gurgs shouldn't be there. I clearly stated that it was good because people need allies in every corner of the legal system. What I'm saying is that thinking in individualist terms only gets us so far. Gurgs alone can't fix it. Abby alone can't fix it. It's huge, the system is powerful, and has a vested interest in staying where it is. It takes communities to change it, not just bearing witness, but actively pushing back against the system itself. As a mass movement, people have to recognize the problem, then organize on a solution, and follow through. That last part is crucial.
She never said she could. But what she can do still matters. No single one of us can fix everything, but each of us can help as far as our hands can reach.
Would you kindly stop putting words into people's mouth? Amaris never claimed that Gurgs did anything wrong, or that she promised anything she couldn't keep. What she is pointing out is that the show (not the character) dealt with a systemic problem but wasn't willing to adress what would actually be necessary to solve that problem.
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Amaris
Guest
Exactly this, thank you!
Which is obvious, so I don't know why it needs to be harped on. It just comes off as dismissing what the story actually was about. It's like if you see someone rescue a person from a forest fire and the only thing you can do is complain that it doesn't solve all forest fires everywhere. No, it doesn't, but if that's the only thing you can say, it feels disrespectful to the good thing that person did.
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Amaris
Guest
Pointing out glaring flaws in the system is not disrespectful. More to the point, I took extra effort to point out I supported Gurgs in what she was doing, so you misunderstood. Assess that and move on. We can get back to talking about the show itself now.
You're both right. Now can we get to how that nurse will react when she finds out Neil lied to her? 
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Amaris
Guest
That's what I'm curious about, too. Seriously, Neil really stepped up this week. I'm wanting the same for Olivia. Her character had some funny moments, I wish I could describe what it is about her that doesn't quite click. She's funny, the actress is clearly talented, but it's like the writers want her to be too shallow to be a person. I'm not sure.You're both right. Now can we get to how that nurse will react when she finds out Neil lied to her?
ETA: I think I got it! Sometimes her dialogue is designed just to get a quick, cheap laugh reaction. By that I mean, you can tell it's designed solely to get a cheap laugh reaction, and too many of these lines are being used instead of developing more of her internal character or something like that.
She's like a much more one-dimensional version of early Dan. Even 1984 and 1985 Dan had deep moments of pathos and humanity.
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Amaris
Guest
Exactly. Dan, even in his cheap, shameless, tawdry moments, was still a deeper character. Olivia's not getting the chance to really do that as she seems to be used more for hot take reactions made solely to get a quick laugh from the audience. It just feels very cheap and shallow, and I think India de Beaufort deserves better.
When India de Beaufort gets material like this to perform she'll get an Emmy nomination.
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