This week's episode just blew the roof off. So much more like a classic episode than anything so far. So zany, more centered on the courtroom, Blood Moon Binga. India finally seems to be getting comfortable as Olivia, "Oh good, now there's two of them". Faith Ford is still gorgeous. This one goes to 11.
I think it was very noticeable this week, but you're right, it has been a gradual process. She was getting there as Gurgs' office wife. Also, "Abracadabra Stone"
s04e07 "The New Judge" ... Dan disguises himself as a blind man and begs for spare change. I thought Dan was being propositioned by a homosexual Judge. O! It's Frank from Murphy Brown.
I don't know if I'd go that far, but it was nice to see the return of the more fanciful side of the old show. My favorite joke was the "sixth sense" exchange. I admit, I initially made the same assumption as Gurgs about how Dan and Gina knew each other. It would've been in character for Dan back then. For a moment, I was afraid it would turn out that Dan was really Abby's father. But that would've been way too melodramatic. How is that Abby could've gone her whole life without knowing her full legal first name? Wouldn't she have had to use it on her driver's license, tax forms, and other official documents? Has she never seen a copy of her birth certificate?
This one was a whole lot of fun! Gurgs' 7th sense comment cracked me the hell up. She was on fire this whole episode. Loved seeing Faith Ford as Abby's mom, Neil trying to impress her because he has a crush on Abby (understandable), Olivia's remarks about authentic love between parent and child as she becomes increasingly anxious because she's never had that, and Dan once again being the glue that holds it all together. The gallery was in fine form this episode, too, with all the silly winks and nods. This, of all the episodes, feels like it struck the right notes along with the original series, not a copy, but a harmonious chord. I think the cast and the writers are starting to really feel out the characters more, and it works better each week. This may be my most favorite episode so far.
I wondered the same thing. Has Abby never seen her own birth certificate? A great many jobs, especially governmental ones, require a copy of it. I think it was a pretty easy assumption that Dan might have been involved with Gail back in the day, before she met or married Harry. I also wondered how Dan wouldn't immediately recognize Gail. Like, did Harry leave town the instant she came back and they were married?
It was Gina, wasn't it? What they said was that Dan prosecuted her in Harry's court, she was convicted and went to jail, and when she got out, she tracked Harry down and they fell in love. Presumably that part happened shortly after the end of the series, so Dan wouldn't have been there for it.
Rule of Funny. I wonder if the woman with lycanthropy is any relation to Stefan Kopeckne (and I'm honestly surprised that my Young Frankenstein reference got so much attention, and my Barney Miller reference got crickets). Maybe his illegitemate daughter? With lycanthropy on my mind, I re-watched the Barney Miller episode that introduced Kopeckne (I have the first 3 DVD season sets). BTW, original Night Court creator Reinhold Weege has teleplay credit for that episode of BM.
I like how the episode ended on the surreal stuff the old show was known for. Only in this universe can a werewolf break out of handcuffs and howl at the Moon.
Yeah, Bull's departure from this planet was the only certainty when it came to the original leads. Harry and Dan were still vying for Christine's affections but the 1992 series finale could easily have happened before Gina was released from incarceration and came back looking for Harry.
i thought it was a good episode, but still feel like Olivia is still over-the-top, like an improv skit rather than an ongoing sitcom character. Regarding Abby's "real" name.... I am thinking that Abacadabra is what was in Harry's mind, especially when he calls her Abby. However, they might have agreed to "officially" name her Abigail (to spare her the inevitable ridicule), but whenever Harry says Abby, it is with his name in mind. And i think that adds more to her when she hears Abby. And did we get a new stenographer, or have we found a recurring character?
I hope the steno's a recurring character, I like him. He plays off of Olivia really well. As for Olivia, yeah, she's still a bit SNL skitty, but she's getting better, and I really am pulling for India because she's clearly talented, and she's doing the best she can with what she has. On the plus side, I do believe the writers are really homing in on what makes her tick, because the more I watch her, the more comfortable both of us seem to be getting with the role. Also, at the end where she's about to take Gina up on gambling her winnings only to see Abby and start shaking her head was just brilliant. It's a quick reaction, and she pulled it off very well.
I loved Faith Ford in this episode. I think it was a great idea to bring in a classic 80s/90s sitcom actress as Abby's mom and she practically stole the whole episode, even I agree with others that Dan, Gurgs, and Olivia were also on fire in this episode. I've been a fan of Olivia since the beginning so it's good to see most people are coming around about her.
Just for curiosity, checking real-world birth dates. Harry Anderson: 1952 Faith Ford: 1964 Melissa Rauch: 1980 Their real ages in 1992, when the series ended: Harry: 40 Faith: 28 Melissa: 12 Their real ages in 1984, when the series started: Harry: 32 Faith: 20 Melissa: 4 Using real-world ages, Abby would have been born 4 years before the show started, when Harry was 28 and Gina was 16.
I'm not a hundred percent on this, but there's a season one episode where Harry said he was 27, and a season 2 episode where he said that he was 32.