Bob Newhart Show 1.14

His Busiest Season

Bob is having a tough Christmas. Maybe it's because he doesn't know how to handle the holidays. Maybe it's because everyone is going crazy over this holiday called Christmas. Maybe it's because he just can't win this Christmas season.

His wife is taking care of Christmas obligations, as they ponder over which type of gift basket people should receive from them. Bob feels like they should only give to people from whom they received. In addition, it doesn't feel like the way Christmas should be since they don't have little children or tons of people around.

That is when Bob gets the ultimate idea for a Christmas Eve party (starting immediately). He finds all the people from his office and hosts a party...the only thing is, Bob is a psychiatrist. His patients are in all different sorts, and Bob finds him self even more depressed than ever. He realizes that he has made a mistake and is actually hosting a bad party. The realization that it was a bad party, makes everyone realize taht they are having a good time being miserable.

In order to have a great Christmas, does that mean we have to be around people who make us miserable, that we are only willing to put up with? How often do I get sick of Christmas because people frustrate me, it takes too much out of my bank account, or I didn't get the "magic of Christmas" like I'd hoped?

Maybe if I accept that Christmas isn't all bubblegum and gumdrops, I will actually figure out what this whole season is all about. I've heard going to Luke 2 would help.

Boy Meets World 1.10

Santa's Little Helper

It is no secret that Christmas is the best holiday of the year. It is not an opinion, no one else has a different favorite holiday, Christmas trumps every other day. Unless you're Shawn Hunter. Or Morgan Matthews.


Mr. Feeney is reading from "A Christmas Carol," and all seems to be going well and bright. However, Shawn's dad lost his job and he is not looking forward to Christmas this year, despite the fact that he is talking so highly of all the presents he hopes to receive. Corey finds out about the misfortune of the Hunter clan, and selflessly decides to give one of his presents, a new basketball, to Shawn for Christmas. This further angers Shawn, as he does not want to be seen as a charity case, and confuses Corey. He doesn't understand why Shawn does not appreciate the gift he sacrificed. Feeney, in all of his wisdom, let's Corey in on the secret of charity: not expecting anything in return (even a thank you!).

Minkus, the class know-it-all and royal pain, is collecting money for Mr. Feeney's gift, demanding five dollars from everyone in the class. Shawn, who obviously can't afford it, passes up his opportunity to be put on the card. Corey uses this as an opportunity to do something for Shawn that does not require a reward. Claiming that he owed Shawn money, he pays Shawn's portion and gets his name on the card. Shawn has no idea until his name is read from the list by Mr. Feeney in his thanks for his special gift.

While I seemed to sympethize with Shawn, the real person I would like to focus on is Corey. How many times am I giving? Sure, I may think more of giving around Christmas time, but how often am I thinking of ways to give to those who care about me in appreciation for what they have done? Who do I know in a tough situation, who is being too prideful to ask for help? When I give, do I seek out a thank you, or am I satisfied that I gave?

Morgan is meanwhile dealing with the fact that a mall Santa has a heart attack and feels like it's her fault. She feels at her whit's end, until a special Santa (looking a whole lot like Mr. Feeney) comes and pays her a special visit.

I wish I had Mr. Feeney as a neighbor.

The Nanny 4.19

Fran's Roots

Everytime I see this episode, I think of Family Matters, and if you'll bear with me, you'll see why. Fran is told by a visitor that she was switched at birth and that her real mother is actually a black woman. This information shakes Fran,but above all rattles her "mother" Sylvia. Meanwhile, a play that Maxwell Sheffield is having difficulty coming off the ground, which nearly makes Max and CiCi MIA when these important events take place.

Fran is willing to accept that she has a new mother, but Sylvia will not allow these events to actually happen. She fights every attempt that Fran makes to get in touch with her possible family, usually to the extent of running to the closest food spread. This is kind of telling at who the real mother actually is...poor Sylvia having to deal with the fact that she actually was there for Fran while she needed her, and while she may not have had loads of money as Lila Baker, she gave what she had. She only wanted what was best for Fran. Being a parent is not who gave you life, but who showed you how to live life. Even if Lila Baker was the one who gave birth to Fran, it was Sylvia who raised her.

As a blood test soon reveals, and much to the happiness of Lila Baker's black sons and Sylvia, Fran is not the daughter of Lila Baker. Sylvia has an adverse reaction to this news as she sees the fancy home and money that Fran (obviously her biological daughter) could have. Fran becomes content with the family and situation she is in because of the relationships she has made with the Sheffield family.

Fran's new mother is played by Telma Hopkins who also plays Harriet's sister Rachel on Family Matters. The uncanny resemblance between these two shows comes to life when I see her on this show, as both of them contain a "neighbor-like" character who invades the lives of a typical American family. In addition, the nasal quality of the invasive characters is a trademark for both of these shows.

So this explains why Aunt Rachel left Ritchie to the Winslows...she was going to go find Fran!

Doogie Howser 1.5

The Short Goodbye

There comes a time when we want our freedom. Especially when we are making our own money, and making decisions that will save a person's life. This is the case with our recurring guest, Doogie Howser. He wants a new car, not wanting to continue driving the station wagon (I am jealous!). Also, case in point, Doogie makes $28,000 a year! As a doctor, he should know he's getting ripped off and go after the hospital rather than his parents. Deciding to move out, he gets to work finding a new place, which he figures out is harder than he thought.

Meanwhile, a very popular singer is wrestling with a surgery on her voice she needs to have. She is petrified of the repercussions, and not feeling comfortable with the possible outcome. The hospital is in a frenzy trying to handle the security getting ready for Charmaigne the Lady Gaga of Eastman. Vinnie--very antsy to meet Charmaigne--poses as Doogie so he can meet the ever popular pop star.

Vinnie gets the opportunity examine her and check her heart, but he isn't quite sure where her heart is (he's mesmerized!).
At one point, he has to explain why he is not getting the right place for her heart:

"Well, sometimes when the heart moves, you can get a different perspective..."

Isn't that true? We have certain convictions or beliefs that we believe and live by, and then something happens. Maybe we start hanging around different people, perhaps our favorite TV show starts issuing an agenda that contradicts our convictions, or maybe we just stop caring. During that time, we do get a new perspective. We see what could happen, or we see how another person sees it, but we also can see why we posed that standard in our lives to begin with. Yes, we can get a new perspective, but it doesn't mean that it's the best perspective. We don't have to accept that measure for our lives. Sometimes, it takes a new way of looking at things to bring us back to our main point.

Just like Charmaigne.

Just like Doogie.

Doogie sees eventually that the life he had with his parents was just what he needed for this point in his life. Charmaigne sees that she needs this surgery no matter the cost for her health and future. Both see things from a different perspective and learn how to handle issues with the heart.

They learn from each other.

Golden Girls 3.7

Strange Bedfellows

With the election day just behind us, it's fitting that the Golden Girls would be involved with their share of getting out the message to vote. In this case, specifically Blanche. Their friend, Gil Kessler is running for city council, and the girls are active, helping him with his campaign. Blanche is dedicated to seeing that his campaign is going smoothly, and offers to drop some papers off at his house. Things start to get exciting when Gil is on the news for entertaining a lady friend, and in his interview claims that it is THE Blanche Deveroux! His claims that he is having an affair with Blanche not only upsets, but comes at the resistance of Blanche. This surprises the rest of the girls, but they don't know if they can really believe her because of the embellishments and other lies she has told in the past.

There is plenty of proof that Blanche could be lying. All she has to rely on is her testimony--even Gil Kessler is verifying that the report is correct. Blanche becomes more and more upset until she confronts Gil Kessler and convinces him to come forward to clear her "good name" (I mean, remember she's known as being the town hussy). He does come forward with the truth, costing him the race and the further demolishing of his character. While everyone feels sad that they accused her, Blanche is the one who has to learn the lesson.

We are characterized by what we do. If we embellish the truth, we will be known for blowing things out of proportion and when it comes to something really great happening, people will doubt its credibility. If we are always grumpy, people will expect us to be grumpy and adjust their behavior just to be around us...or stop coming around altogether. If we live our lives with honesty and integrity, when we get accused for something we didn't do, it will be that much easier to get others to believe us.

Saved by the Bell 3.2

Zack's Birthday Party

Everyone loves being at the beach. Especially the creative minds behind Saved by the Bell. The whole gang comes out for an exciting summer. Jessi, Zack, Kelly, Slater, and Screech are all part of the resort staff while Lisa is living life to the full...all in Lisa's family beach house. That is the life!

In this episode, they are all getting acclimated to their new positions. They are excited to all be together, but there is one thing standing in there way: Mr. Carosi. For Zack, it's two things: Mr. Carosi and his daughter (queue the castle lightning and a dooming score). They have their hotel run a certain way, and the likes of Zack Morris cannot sweet-talk their way out of anything. Stacey (who attends college on the east coast) does not enjoy the surfer-types and makes sure that he knows it.

Zack's birthday is approaching and the whole gang is trying to plan a surprise birthday party. They have all the plans ready, except for one thing--the location. They finally decide to sneak in a birthday party after-hours at Malibu Sands, but it takes a lot of cohorting and secret devising to keep it from him. They pull it off, but just as Zack is blowing out his candles, in comes Mr. Carosi to announce that they are disobeying company rules and are all fired. At just the right moment, Stacey comes in to tell her dad that she gave them the okay. When all is said and done, Zack and Stacey reach an understanding and we know that there is much fun to be had at Malibu Sands in weeks to come.

Jessi's role in Zack's party was to buy the cake. She couldn't get a free moment, and as she was telling the bakery what to put on the cake, she couldn't get her message across to make the cake say "Happy Birthday, Zack." She was getting frazzled in her attempt to keep it a secret, and kept covering up by disguising her caller's identity. Doesn't the same thing happen to us when we don't know if we want people to know things about us? We start talking about what we care about, only to chicken out and start discussing a completely irrelevant topic. Just when people have a way in, we pull the plug. It could be we are hiding our family situations, our finances, or even our faith. Too many distractions threaten the transparency that we have, and we have to shoulder away to make sure we aren't found out. That's how we get "Happy Wrong Number by the Sea."

Doogie Howser 1.3

A Stitch Called Wanda

How would you like to have a doctor who is only 16 years old? Imagine having that same doctor being your boyfriend! Wanda Plenn becomes the sixteen year-old Doctor Doogie Howser's steady girlfriend in this episode. They are out with Vinnie and his current girlfriend celebrating their official couple status, Wanda starts having pains that signal her appendix must be removed.

Wanda is immediately taken to the hospital where Doogie realizes that he has to be the doctor who assists Wanda's surgery. She panics, but has to relent because her life is at stake. When she finally comes to after the surgery is complete, she finds out Doogie saw more of her than she would have liked. Subsequently, she breaks up with Doogie because of the embarrassment she faces just by seeing Doogie.

Doogie had put a lot at stake. Not only was he given a hard time by Wanda's parents, he had to face the head physician at the hospital. However, it's Wanda's reaction that has the most affect on him. She feels violated. She is scared that Doogie knows too much about her. She also has to realize (with help) that she was confusing embarrassment with anger.

Being violated for whatever reason carries a whole process of pain to deal with. At this point, Doogie has to see where Wanda was coming from, imagining the personal view of his patient, who happens to be his girlfriend. He was there just to save her life, not to go beyond his boundaries as a boyfriend. He cared on two levels--as a boyfriend and a doctor.

This was a very interesting episode because we have to see how Doogie functions on a professional and personal level, and his professional integrity in question. He passes the test, but Wanda almost fails. She just couldn't handle it. It's interesting that this is quite similar to how we react when we let someone in, and they end up getting a little too close. It's an accident, but it could be that we witness something in their life they don't want us to see or we are in a situation at work where we find out that they are not perfect. In any situation, it's how we handle it and how they see us deal with it that will determine if the friendship will survive. Can we be like Doogie?

If you want to watch this episode (because you missed it on The Hub), you can watch it here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/84/doogie-howser-md-a-stitch-called-wanda