Thursday, August 14th, 2009
10.00 Night Court
01.00 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman
01.30 Catweazle
Night Court. Season 2, Episode 2. "Daddy For The Defence"
Hilarious. Possibly the strongest episode I've seen so far. Markie Post makes a great first impression and her chemistry with Harry Anderson is amazing. Plus it's always good to see Eugene Roche.
John Larroquette gets all the big laughs, but it's a strong episode for the whole cast. Selma's romance is still ongoing and her storyline in this episode is very funny. This is the funniest that she has been on the show, and Selma Diamond shows off her skills for comic timing.
But this is Christine's episode. In fact, this is like a pilot for a Night Court show where Christine is the star and this is her first day on the job. She's the normal one, and the rest of them are nuts. And funny, too.
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Episode 2. Mary collects her grandfather from the police station.
Not quite as dynamic as the opener, but still a damn fine episode. The family copes with the news that Grandpa is a flasher. That stuff is funny. The stuff about the singer (Loretta) drags a bit, and things come to a high point for the final scene. Once again we see Mary and her husband in the bedroom. It's a rethread of the scene from Episode One, so it doesn't pack quite the same punch, but it's still a strong and effecting scene. Very human. Very sad.
Catweazle. Episode 3. "The Curse of Rapkyn" Carrot deduces that there's a curse on his father's farm and enlists Catweazle to help fight it.
Hilarious. The best episode so far. There is a distinct plot and a lot of good comedy and slapstick as the story gets told. Catweazle and Carrot have developed a wonderful friendship at this stage. They are contankerous and affectionate in equal measure. Carrot inadvertantly causes poor Catweazle to have a lot of mishaps in this one, and it's laugh-out-loud funny when the poor wizard retorts by calling him names in disgust. Best bit: Carrot sends Catweazle tumbling down into a well. We hear a splash, grunts of pain and the single word 'maggot!' spat up at the boy.
Sam is also proving to be a great source for comedy, always arriving in when Carrot is doing something secretive and being highly puzzled as the young lad tries to explain away his odd actions.
Slapstick, insults, and misunderstandings. The backbone of good comedy when they are handled correctly. And the handling here is perfect.
Highlight? Night Court (Markie Post)
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