hschmidtlondon Reviews

Sex and the City: Critical Condition (2002) Season 5, Episode 6

The Face

[7/10 · 28 April 2024]

If any episode shows how self-centered and narcissistic Carrie has become, it's this one. She was going in and on about Nina and Aidan and ignores poor Stannie trying to talk about his relationship. I am glad Stanford finally pointed it out to her. Carrie talked to Steve about Aidan and the break up. I don't know why she is so surprised that Aidan would have been devastated after their break-up. She broke his heart twice. I'm surprised all she got was a face from Nina.

Charlotte gets the apartment in the divorce settlement and meets her future husband.

Miranda is having trouble with Brady who is constantly crying. She feels like a bad mother. She is sleep deprived with greasy hair and none of the group seem to care much. Her neighbor gives her an oscillating chair that quiets Brady from his incessant screaming.

Samantha, after getting a guilt trip from Carrie, goes to Miranda's to babysit and gives Miranda her hair appointment. The chair malfunctions while she is babysitting and Brady starts screaming again. However, Sam improvises by placing her new Magic Wand vibrator in the chair. Hysterical.

Sam giving reviews of "vibrators" At Sharper Image was also a funny scene. I wonder how many Rabbits and Magic Wands were sold after these episodes aired?

Heather Graham shows up for a cameo at the end and people seem to hate her performance. Whatever. It's not like she was ever Meryl Streep.

Sex and the City: Change of a Dress (2002) Season 4, Episode 15

I Couldn't Help but Wonder

[8/10 · 27 April 2024]

I remember watching this episode 20 years ago and being mad at Carrie for throwing away this relationship. She was becoming an unlikeable character.

Here's a guy who loved her, even with all her tantrums, superficiality, and selfishness, hegave her a second chance. He put up with her being friends with Big. I don't know why Aidan loved her in the first place. He was thoughtful and sweet, kind to her friends and wanted to commit. For a 35 yo single New Yorker a bf like Aidan should have been a life vest and not an anchor. Perhaps Carrie didn't feel she deserved happiness and so she sabotaged the relationship. Either way she was whiny and petty immature and selfish. I wish Miranda would have smacked some sense into her.

The scene by the water fountain was heartbreaking. I wanted to reach through the screen and give Aidan a hug.

I wondered why the writers couldn't have had them living together with a long engagement. Is it because they just had that storyline for Charlotte?

I remembered this episode also for Samantha's great line about catching monogamy from you people. What a great line. It was about time for Sam to have a relationship. Her sexual escapades were getting stale and it was a great way to change up her character.

Sex and the City: Easy Come, Easy Go (2000) Season 3, Episode 9

Easy Come, Easy Go

[7/10 · 21 April 2024]

This was a funny episode. Samatha's speech about giving a man a blow job is up there with America Ferrera's speech in Barbie. Plus, SATC put the phrase "funky spunk" into the lexicon. This was the episode also where Charlotte got engaged and it wasn't the storybook proposal she dreamed about.

Rewatching this series after 20 years, I am struck by how weak and selfish Carrie was in regard to her relationship with Aidan. Big moves to Paris, gives no thought to Carrie when he does so or even lets her know this big life move will happen. He returns engaged to Natasha and then marries her once back in NYC. In the meantime, Carrie moves on, meets Aidan, a sweet, cute boyfriend who loves her just the way she is, doesn't play games, and would do anything for her. He's like a loyal puppy. You'd think Carrie would be happy, but no, she prefers the man who treated her like dirt and would never commit. I never could figure out what was so wonderful about Carrie's relationship with Big that she would want him back after how he treated her.

Later on in the episode, Big tells her he can't stop thinking about her, starts a little stalking when she is not with Aidan. He finds her at the hotel where she is working (because Aidan is fixing up her apt) gets her in an elevator and tells her he loves her and kisses her - and Carrie goes off and has sex with Big!! She has no concern that he's still married and only reached out to her because his marriage is in trouble, or that she has a serious boyfriend.

I couldn't help but wonder, does she only want the man she can't have or does she have no self respect?

The Facts of Life: The Beginning of the Beginning (1988) Season 9, Episode 24

Disappointment of a Finale

[3/10 · 17 December 2023]

The final episode is a continuation of the previous one where Blair is the new Headmistress of Eastland dealing with a student who wants to get kicked out of school. Instead of studying for a make-up exam, the student and a few friends go to the Chug-A-Lug. I liked this story when they did it the first time - when new student Jo dared Blair to go with her.

NBC did our girls dirty wasting time on a pilot for a spin-off - an inferior show to the original. There is no proper TFOL finale with a heartwarming and nostalgic send-off. No walking down memory lane with the gang after 9 seasons of this beloved sitcom. Fans of this show were deprived of a finale to send the girls on their way after 9 years.

After 3/4 of the episode is taken up by the Eastland story, we get less than 5 minutes of the actual show we care about: Tootie announcing she got into the Academy of Dramatic Arts and is moving to London, Rick comes back to surprise Jo. Natalie isn't even there - she calls in for 30 secs from Soho - why is she missing from the finale? Apparently, you can pack up your life and fully move in 1 episode (Natalie was deciding what to pack in the previous episode). Blair walks in just in time to be in a group photo. The final picture has Pippa instead of Natalie. It's just all wrong.

There are many TV shows with bad finales, some are cancelled before they could film one, and others combined a finale and spin-off, but this is the most non-finale, finale of a show I've ever seen. What a disappointment. The fans deserved better.

The Facts of Life: The Beginning of the End (1988) Season 9, Episode 23

Not the Wrap-Up Expected

[5/10 · 17 December 2023]

As the series winds down Blair learns that Eastland has run out of money and will be closing. She is upset at the news, and asks her dad for the money to save the school. He tells her that he won't help and won't give her the money. Blair, instead of rallying the board or finding donors, decides to liquidate her trust fund (!) and buy the school. The Headmaster promptly quits, and after solving 1 fight between roommates, Blair decides she can be the new Headmaster. Guess those law school dreams are out the window! Are we supposed to believe that Blair would give away all her money and become - gasp - middle class?

I read in the trivia section this was a proposed spin-off for Blair. Spin-offs are fine, but why waste the last 2 episodes of this series. It would be nice to walk down memory lane with the characters and begin to wrap-up 9 years of stories without spending the bulk of the episode on new characters and situations. As Natalie is packing for Soho, it would've been a good time to recall some fond memories.

It's fun to spot Mayim Bialik, Seth Green, and Juliette Lewis among the Eastland students. There's also a few familiar faces among the faculty.

NBC decided not to do the spin-off. A good decision. Why do TFOL 2.0? Especially when A Different World was just starting. A better spin-off would've been with the Blair and Jo characters.

This episode was a 2-parter. I hope that the finale gives a proper send-off to this series and doesn't waste the majority of the time on the spin-off.

St. Elsewhere: The Abby Singer Show (1988) Season 6, Episode 21

The End is Near

[7/10 · 10 December 2023]

The series is winding down. I found the series overall to be enjoyable, even if there were some characters that were less so. It had some groundbreaking topics for the time. Sad the only thing it gets remembered for is the ending.

Ehrlich is missing and his parents return to help Lucy find him. The storyline with his parents being spies has been a ridiculous one. You just have to go with it. I'm just glad it's a Victor-free episode.

There is the Doctor of the Year rewards dinner and most of the staff is attending. During the dinner a fire breaks out a few floors below and the staff is trapped until the Boston FD can save them. Some, like Victor's parents, decide to have a sing along; others, like Morrison's dad, are helping to keep the smoke out of the ballroom. Speaking of balls, Novino reacts by fishing around in Jack's pants at the table. The fire isn't the only thing getting hot.

There is a brief episode of "As the Craigs Turn" with Ellen realizing she never let Mark show weakness. Not sure why she is even at this dinner - seems to have a thing for dating right in front of Mark.

The great Lanie Kazan shows up to visit Wayne. Wayne suggests she volunteers so she can do something with her days & Kiem lets her try pediatrics. She is working with Nurse Ratched and after being chastised for every little thing, she bolts. She has a sweet conversation with Kiem about picking up her life after her husband died. Kiem tells her she has to live her life. So she decides to go to Paris (great idea!) and maybe buy a condo in NYC (another great idea if she held that real estate until now).

Fiscus decides to go to Nicaragua and volunteer as they need doctors. Even Elliott's dad (who came to clean out his son's locker) calls him a fathead. Good luck dealing with curly hair in that humidity.

Chandler is offered an attending role at St Eligius by Gideon. Roxanne shows up out of the blue and he is thrilled to see her. Didn't she leave and never bother to tell Chandler she wasn't returning? Gotta love TV relationships. Chandler decides after his father never shows up, that he hates medicine. He makes a flip decision to throw away medicine and his career to follow Roxanne to Mississippi. That seems mature. I wonder what happened to that Denzel guy? Did he ever do anything else after this show?

Griffin finds out he passed his boards and has tested positive for AIDS. Not sure why the Mark Harmon/AIDS storyline was so short, but this dolt had a whole arc. Never warmed to the Griffin character who seemed like a subpar replacement for Bobby.

One more episode to go. Will be interesting to see how everything gets wrapped up.

St. Elsewhere: Requiem for a Heavyweight (1988) Season 6, Episode 19

Elliott

[7/10 · 7 December 2023]

Busy episode. Craig, still barred from surgery, stops by the hospital to pick up his surgical instruments. He and Ellen have a friendly moment in the cafeteria with their granddaughter. It looks like she is warming up to at least being friends. Victor sees Craig and acts like life is great without him around - the wounded son routine.

Luther is getting a girlfriend - and it's Dionne from Clueless! They make a cute couple.

Helen's family comes to rehab and they hash out their resentments and likes. It all ends with group hugs.

A holdover storyline for Denzel with the hunger strike guy. Yawn. The born again resident talks to the AIDS patient about God forgiving sinners. I fast forwarded through that part.

A practical joke is played on Gideon where the camera in his office is broadcasting across the hospital. Ellen stops by to tell him and to break up with him. She kicks him to the curb. She runs hot & cold, doesn't she? Will she get back with Mark now? Stay tuned for the next episode of "As the Craig's Turn".

Fiscus has been relegated to the background since his dad died. I almost forgot he was still on staff.

The big story was about Elliott. Elliott is having trouble picking a specialty and keeps asking people what he should do. He faints in the ER, but it turns out he is having a heart attack. Tests reveal he needs a bypass and Craig can't operate. He is scared but makes it through surgery. Craig visits him post op and has a tender moment with Elliott. Is Craig going through a Grinch metamorphosis where his bitter heart is melting slightly?

The lawsuit against Craig is being dropped. Victor put in a good word for him with the widow. Awww. All is well in the dysfunctional pseudo father-son relationship.

The last scene: Elliott wakes up in his hospital bed and is agitated and disoriented. He thinks he is late for rounds. He looks over and sees a baby in the bed next to him, then it becomes a young man, and next an older man so he must be dreaming. Elliott gets out of bed and starts pulling off wires and catheters (ouch!) to get to the other bed. He says excitedly that he has figured out a specialty - Man. And then he keels over!

Hulu is missing the next 2 episodes. What the heck??? Is that a joke?

St. Elsewhere: Down and Out on Beacon Hill (1988) Season 6, Episode 16

A Very Dark Episode

[8/10 · 1 December 2023]

As the series is winding down it is getting quite downbeat - and it doesn't involve Morrison for once. Lucy loses the baby and Erlich's attitude is "oh well." He cannot even comfort his wife, running off to rounds and then whining to Morrison about not being ready to be a dad. I don't understand why the writers wasted so much time on this idiot of a character.

There was a story line with a punk couple and the girl has cystic fibrosis and doesn't care if she dies. Her boyfriend is played by Pauley Shore so I don't blame her.

Helen Rosenthal acts more erratic, moody and pops pills. Her family and Auchlander hold an intervention and send her off to rehab.

Mark continues his fall downward. He is barred from practicing at the hospital while the lawsuit is pending. The lamb with the artificial heart is dead and Victor morbidly made seat covers out of Flash. Mark gives up his house in the divorce, and gets mugged while walking to the Ivy Club, ending up at a homeless shelter wondering where it all went wrong. I kinda feel sorry for him even though he's a pompous ass.

Seems there is trouble in divorcee land. Ellen was mad at Gideon for locking Mark out of his office. She definitely seems to have a type: egotistical doctors. When is she kicking Gideon to the curb and ending this farce of a relationship. Doesn't she know Gideon is a bad dude? Hasn't she seen Robocop yet?

There was another storyline with Chandler and and the first year residents, but I tuned out. If only the writers knew then that they had Denzel in the ensemble, they might've written some better storylines for him.

I hope things get sunnier in Boston next episode!

The Jeffersons: Sorry, Wrong Meeting (1981) Season 7, Episode 14

Memorable Episode

[10/10 · 25 April 2022]

This is the one episode I remembered from the series. It still makes me gasp when the man used the N word about Florence and Louise. A bit too pat an ending where the son suddenly realizes he was wrong in his thinking, but a great episode nonetheless.

Severance: Half Loop (2022) Season 1, Episode 2

Intriguing

[7/10 · 17 March 2022]

This show reminds me of Black Mirror - there are shades of "The Entire History of You" in these first 2 episodes. This Severance world seems off and there is an undercurrent of menace. I wish they did a better job of visually showing the transition between the work person and the outie so we can understand how the switch happens.

I like the slower pace and I don't find it boring as I am interested to learn more about this world, like why don't they question the old computers they are using? Do they have the Internet? Why are they really there? Are they going to start to find hatches in the building? (LOST reference).

I am intrigued to see where it goes.