SEASON ONE
TITLE: Pilot -- Romantic Improvisations
SUMMARY: Recently married couple Paul and Jamie Buchman, bothered by the
fact they haven't had sex in five days, plan a romantic evening, but Jamie's
sister Lisa and friends Mark and Fran Devanow ruin the evening, prompting Paul
to call his friend Selby. As the episode ends, Paul and Jamie end up having sex
on their kitchen table.
RUMINATIONS: Like any nitpicker, I tend to go easy on Pilots, since a
fair amount of time usually passes between the filming of the pilot, and the
first episode of the actual series.
GREAT LINES: "What's she doing here. We're supposed to have foreplay in
eleven minutes!" - Paul, upset that Jamie's sister has ruined their plans.
TRIVIA 1: Besides this episode, how many other times has Jamie imitated
Paul?
TRIVIA 2: What comedy duo does Jamie compare Paul and Selby to?
CHANGED PREMISES: -Towards the end of the episode, Jamie comments that
she thinks Lisa knows about the intercourse on the kitchen table incident. Paul
then says that Selby also knows. Then in "Happy Anniversary", when Paul and
Jamie go at it again, Fran is the one who comments on it. By this point in the
show Selby has been replaced by Ira, and Lisa makes no movements, has if she
can't really hear it. Did Fran already know, or did someone tell her? And for
that matter, why did Mark act like he already knew?
CONTINUITY AND PRODUCTION PROBLEMS: -Is it just me or does Murray look a
bit bigger in this one episode than he does for the rest of the series?
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Once, in "How To Fall In Love."
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Abbot and Costello.
TITLE: Sofa's Choice
SUMMARY: Jamie manages to sweet talk Paul into going to the furniture
store to look at at a couch. Paul accepts it and is ready to leave until he
finds out it's a love seat. While Jamie goes off with Fran to shop for close,
Paul and Mark head off to look at pants, where Paul ends up hyperventilating
after Mark mentions something Jamie said while being examined in the stirrups.
RUMINATIONS: In this episode, Murray makes his second debut. Not many
people know that Murray was actually played by two dogs. Smiley in the Pilot,
and Maui in Sofa's Choice and every episode thereafter.
TRVIA 1: What amount of time does everything in the world take,
according to Paul?
TRIVIA 2: What other pieces of furniture are mentioned besides couch and
loveseat?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -I don't blame Paul for reacting the way he did when
Mark talked about examining her. After all, no one wants to picture their wife
in that position. But after seeing "Met Someone", one has to wonder why he did.
That episode establishes that Paul already knew Mark's profession, and
therefore should've known that at some point he became Jamie's OBGYN.
CHANGED PREMISES: -This episode suggests that Jamie and Paul waited at
least five months to buy a couch. Yet, in "The Wedding", all the scenes show the couch. Keep in mind that episode took place
eight months before the pilot.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Four hours.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: A divan and a settee.
TITLE: Sunday Times
SUMMARY: Disturbed by a dream Paul had about doing nothing in
particular, Jamie decides they need to do something. But Lisa, a Gay Pride
Parade, anmd Selby (who pulls a Rosie Ruiz to win the Chelsea 10K race), along
with indecision, ruin their plans. As the episode ends, Paul's dream comes true
when he and Jamie sit on the couch, eating potato chips, and watching the
Weather Channel.
GREAT LINES: "Wow! Wonder if it's anyone I know." -Lisa, after hearing
Paul say that body parts were found in Jersey.
TRIVIA 1: What has Paul NEVER seen Jamie wearing?
TRIVIA 2: What does paul mistake for a rock?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -This episode marks the first time that Selby has
actually thought anything through. This isn't really anit, I just thought I'd
note it.
- The streets below Paul and Jamie's window seem awfully quiet for a Gay Pride
Parade, especially considering the number of heterosexual people who march in
those parades as well.
CHANGED PREMISES: -In this episode Paul says he's NEVER (emphasis his)
seen Jamie in a hat. But in "Cold Feet", we saw that Jamie wore a hat to the
ice rink where Paul proposed to her!
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: A hat (kinda gave it away in the changed premises).
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: A pumice stone.
TITLE: Out Of The Past
SUMMARY: When Selby brings Paul news that his old girlfriend Lynn
Stoddard is in town, Paul is filled with excitement, followed by guilt, finally
culminating in blithering idiocy after he invites Jamie to Riff's to meet her,
and Jamie accepts. While there, Jamie learns that Paul and Lynn were never
lovers, and that Lynn didn't like him in that way.
TRIVIA 1: What is Jamie able to do in this episode?
TRIVIA 2: In what year was Paul's tape of Lynn filmed?
CHANGED PREMISES: -This episode gives the impression that Paul and Selby
have been friends since at least college. So, I have to ask, where was Selby
during "The Wedding" and "Cold Feet"?
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Soothe Paul and get in a little plug for herself.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: 1975
TITLE: Paul In The Family
SUMMARY: An unexpectedly long visit by Jamie's parents turn her into a
raving lunatic who brides Lisa with cold cash and cab-fare into sharing the
experience. And Lisa delivers.
GREAT LINES: "NO! And if I did, which I don't, I wouldn't tell you
because I wouldn't realize it, that's the way it works." -Lisa, after her
parent's ask her if she has "that bulemia thing again."
TRIVIA 1: What, according to Gus, is Canada best at?
TRIVIA 2: When Paul asks if he can change his order, what does the guy
at the pizza place tell him?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -When Jamie asks Paul if he vaccumed the curtains, he
responds with, "No. Did you dust the top of the Chrysler building?" There is
just one problem with this scenario. Later in the show, Paul comments about the
stages that Jamie goes through whenever her parents show up. So why didn't he
know that the anal-retentiveness was just part of the stages?
CHANGED PREMISES: -This episode establishes Jamie's father as the
obsessive parker, but in "Bedfellows" and every Burt episode afterwards, Paul's
father is the guy with obsession with parking spaces.
CONTINUITY AND PRODUCTION PROBLEMS: The hallway between Paul and Jamie's
bedroom and living room seems larger in this episode.
- They seem to gain an extra closet that disapears in "The Tape."
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Bacon, hockey, and pipes.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: No. (New York Style Pizza).
TITLE: I'm Just So Happy For You
SUMMARY: Paul's film about a peanut vendor at Yankee Stadium is rejected
by PBS the same day that Jamie snags a major advertising account. Her victory
party soons turns into a defeat party as Selby, Lisa, Fran and Mark decide to
comfort Paul.
TAG: Excerpts from Paul's documentary featuring Vackey.
GREAT LINES: "There's a gynecologist limboing in your living room." - Selby, after entering the kitchen.
TRIVIA 1: What rumor does Ike not want to spread?
TRIVIA 2: What does Paul say that causes Ryan (Fran and Mark's son) to cry?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: - The episode "The Apartment" establishes that Selby
has lived in New York a VERY long time. Yet in this episode, he doesn't know
that the Russian Tea Room is a resturant! You know, "I don't want to have tea
for lunch." I've NEVER been to New York and I knew.
- As mentioned before, Selby was unaware of the true nature of the Russian Tea
Room. Yet in the same show, he knew the name of Jamie's account, even when Paul
didn't. AND, he referred to the British actors on PBS as "lousy scone heads." I
find this a little odd.
CHANGED PREMISES: -Towards the end of the episode, Jamie talks about the
stairmaster in her office.. Several episodes later, we get to see her office.
No sign of the stairmaster.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: The rumor that George Steinbrenner is a nice guy.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: "Ryan, the muffin man is dead."
TITLE: Token Friend
SUMMARY: As Jamie, Paul, Fran, Mark, and Ryan get ready to head off to
the circus, circumstances force the Devanows to stay behind. When Paul and
Jamie get to the subway, Paul is suddenly reluctant because Howie Balinger, a
fellow film school student turns up as the token clerk. Paul and Jamie end up
filling in for Howie after he gets angry and runs off.
GREAT LINES: "Is this a huge thing I'm asking you to go? Love, honor,
and buy the tokens?" -Paul, trying to get Jamie to buy the subway tokens.
RUMINATIONS: This is a wonderful episode. As always, Steve Buscemi plays
a wonderful psychopath. Another wonderful moment is the Japanese buisness men
speaking Japenese with English subtitles and vice-versa.
TRIVIA 1: What was the Buchman's wedding song identified as?
TRIVIA 2: What is the name of Howie's supervisor?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: - Why was Murray being so mean to Mark in this episode?
The reason was never established.
CHANGED PREMISES: - This episode states that Paul goes to the circus
EVERY YEAR (emphasis mine). Yet, throughout six seasons, this is the ONLY time
Paul has ever even mentioned the circus.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Color My World.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Raul.
TITLE: The Apartment
SUMMARY: While Paul and Jamie are planning their last Will and
Testament, the subject of Paul and Selby's old bachelor pad, which he now
sublets, comes up. After an extended fight about the subject, Paul hands the
lease over to the new tenant.
TRIVIA 1: What unusual event does Selby reminisce about in this episode?
TRIVIA 2: What act does Mark refer to early in the show?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -Paul honestly considers cryogenics in this episode. I
guess he hasn't heard. They only freeze the head.
-Kramer's appearence in this episodes creates nits on seven different NBC
shows, so I'll leave it alone.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Microwave Clambake
TRIVIA 2 AMSWER: The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (organ donation to the
layman).
TITLE: Riding Bacwards
SUMMARY: On a train trip to Conneticut to spend Thanksgiving with
Jamie's parents, Paul and Jamie are doing fine, Mark and Fran begin to fight,
while Selby and Lisa are just friends. But on the return journey, the converse
is true.
TAG: Jamie playing 76 Trombone with a cello (big mistake)
GREAT LINES: "I don't know, I wanted the leg room, I had to kill
somebody she came to mind." -Jamie explaining why she used the "going to his
mother's funeral" excuse.
TRIVIA 1: On which date did Jamie order the Veal Chop?
TRIVIA 2: How much did Lisa pay Selby to act like her boyfriend?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -This may be more of a changed premise but, how come
this is the only time we've seen the Buchman's actually visiting Jamie's
parents? They usually drive down to New York to annoy her in her own home.
-In one episode (the title escapes me at the moment) Jamie says she won't eat
Veal because of how cruel they (don't ask) are raised. So why did she order
veal while she was still dating Paul?
CHANGED PREMISES: -As mentioned earlier, Jamie orderd veal chop on a
date with Paul. This was established as the moment when they knew they were
meant to be. But what about the events in "Cold Feet"? That episode establishes
the ice rink as the deciding moment.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Thier third.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: $50.
TITLE: Neighbors From Hell
SUMMARY: Paul and Jamie get off on the wrong foot with the neighbors
across the hall, first by accidentally giving them food poisioning. Subsequent
steps to improve relations only make matters worse. As the episode ends, the
Conway's take off with the Devanows, telling the Buchmans they don't like them.
TAG: Jamie conducting an imaginary conversation to impress the Conways.
TRIVIA 1: What did Fran get at the beginning of the show?
TRIVIA 2: What did Paul say they had with Jerry Lewis (see tag)?
CONTINUITY AND PRODUCTION PROBLEMS: -The laundry room in this episode
must've been remodelled between this episode and "Ovulation Day."
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: An Industrial-strength facial.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Bastille Day.
TITLE: Met Someone
SUMMARY: The story of when Jamie met Paul begins with a chance encounter on a Sunday evening, followed by Paul's hard work to locate Jamie and
then some fast talking to turn that encounter into a date.
TAG: The retelling of the Rose Bowl story.
RUMINATIONS: This was a great episode. It does away with some nits, but
also creates brand new ones, which is a nitpicker's dream. And, despite my
strong dislike for flashback shows, this episode is probably one of my all time
faveorites.
GREAT LINES: "Well, y'know, born and raised in New York!" -Paul, after
Jamie says, "That was very considerate."
TRIVIA 1: What alledgedly killed Jamie's parents?
TRIVIA 2: Who did Mark have the dream about?
CONTINUITY AND PRODUCTION PROBLEMS: - Do Phobe and Ursula have another
sister? Cause Paul's date early in the episode looks exactly like them!
(snicker).
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Beams.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Pierce Brosnan.
TITLE: Maid About You
SUMMARY: After Jamie hires a maid behind Paul's back, they start to find
her a big help. But when her feelings for Paul aren't reciprocated, she goes
into a funk and becomes unable to clean.
TAG: Murray gathering socks.
GREAT LINES: "So we don't need a maid we just need the threat of one."
-Paul, after seeing Jamie cleaning the apartment for the maid.
TRIVIA 1: What was Masha in?
TRIVIA 2: What does Fran say Mark doesn't have?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -So, why did Jamie clean up the apartment for the maid?
I mean, what's the point?
-This episode is the last episode with Selby, who goes forgotten until a breif
mention during the 5th Season.
CONTINUTIY AND PRODUCTION PROBLEMS: -Was that piano there before? Cause
in the last episode, that wall was blank.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: The Soviet Navy.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: A spot.
TITLE: Togetherness
SUMMARY: Producer Jamie gets to hire the director for the "I Still Love
New York" campaign, and she picks Paul so they can work together. But soon the
couple finds out how much togetherness is too much.
TAG: Jamie playing Monopoly with and ad-lib by Paul at the end.
TRIVIA 1: What were Paul's codewords?
TRIVIA 2: What did Paul not want to be called in front of the teamsters?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -With the exception of the alternate reality in "Up In
Smoke", this is the only time Jamie has truly had this much control over a
Ferrer/Gantz project.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Logaritihim, spittoon, Estes Kefauver, and paramecium.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Sweetie.
TITLE: Weekend Getaway
SUMMARY: A spontaneous escape to the countryside doesn't immediately
cure Jamie's blues, but once it does, she's all for staying on permanently,
making apples, tilling soil, or running a Chinese resteraunt.
TAG: Chinese takeout delivery from NYC to Pine Jct. VT.
TRIVIA 1: Where was the apple butter bottled?
TRIVIA 2: According to Gunther (from group), what do Paul and Jamie have
in their apartment?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -So Lisa doesn't have an ironing board? Why? Everything
else she doesn't have she ends getting from her mom.
CHANGED PREMISES: -This MAY not be a nit, but this is the last time Paul
and Jamie go on a trip without Murray.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Brooklyn.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: A Bauhas Ming vase.
TITLE: The Wedding Affair
SUMMARY: The episode begins with Paul and Jamie preparring for a
wedding. At the wedding, Paul unwittingly reveals a secret about the bride to
her father. After this, Paul badgers Jamie into telling him one of hers. He is
soon sorry he did.
TAG: Paul and Jamie dancing at the wedding.
TRIVIA 1: What do Paul and Jamie end up giving the married couple?
TRIVIA 2: Where is Stan Franklin now?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -This episode suggests that Paul and Jamie have many
friends. Yet in every other episode in the series, it's always them, Fran, Ira,
and Lisa. Why don't any of these other friends show up?
CHANGED PREMISES: -Jamie says that she slept with Stan Franklin after
seeing the toaster and realizing that she was about to share a toaster with
someone. Yet in "Cold Feet" when Paul and Jamie move in together, there's no
toaster in sight! I know, pick, pick, pick.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: The nut-pick.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: London.
TITLE: Love Among The Tiles
SUMMARY: While preparing for a Valentine's Day party at Fran and Mark's,
Paul and Jamie end up being trapped in their bathroom. They pass the time by
painting toe-nails, giving mutual facials, using antacid tablets as food, and
more.
TAG: Murray the dog, not the accountant, summoning help at Mark and Fran's.
RUMINATIONS: This is definately one of my favorite episodes of all time.
Not only is it hillarious, it reminds me of one of my favorite Bob Newhart Show
episodes. In "Caged Fury," Bob and Emily are trapped in the storage room of
their building. Some of the scenes in that episode are similar to scenes in
"Love Among The Tiles." Now, I don't know if the creators had Bob Newhart in
mind when they wrote this episode, but if they did, kudos.
GREAT LINES: "He was a Roman preist who defended the Christians, and was
beheaded by Claudius II on February 14th, 269 A.D." -Jamie, answering Paul's
comment that "No one even knows who this St. Valentine guy is!"
TRIVIA 1: What does Jamie "figure out"?
TRIVIA 2: What was in the facial cream?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -Not a nit, just a thought: Is "concuss" really a word?
-Numerous episodes have stated that Jamie is the "smart one." So why does she
try to get someone's attention by throwing something out the window? She knows
the full story of St. Valentine. Why doesn't she understand gravity? And for
that matter, why does she almost go along with Paul's plan of using her as a
batteing ram?
CHANGED PREMISES: -So, what ever happened to Lisa's valentine? He is
never heard from again.
CONTINUITY AND PRODUCTION PROBLEMS: -Fran's apartemtn sure changes alot. See "Maid About You."
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Victoria's big Secret.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Aloe, lemon, and avocado.
TITLE: The Billionaire
SUMMARY: An extremely energetic and eccentric billionaire wants Paul to
make a film about him. Meanwhile Paul hires a new editor-cameraman who is
anything but energetic.
RUMINATIONS: The pairing of Steven Wright and Paul Reiser for this and
future episode is pure comic gold. And Jerry Lewis was quite wonderful in this
episode as well.
TAG: Laborious mangling of Warren's name.
TRIVIA 1: What did Freddy Stadler do to Warren?
TRIVIA 2: Who's drum set did Paul get?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -So whatever happened to Ike and Stacey?
CHANGED PREMISES: -At the end of the episode, Freddy says their all
still friends. So why does he never show up again?
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: He licked Warren's eye.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Ringo's.
TITLE: The Man Who Said Hello
SUMMARY: Paul's father has his 15 minutes of fame following an incident
with Regis Philbin that embarasses Paul, and events progress to a point that
Paul is being viewed by all of New York City as an over-reactive son.
TAG: Excerpt from the sound-track of "Moby."
TRIVIA 1: How many people were were at the Theatre Royalle?
TRIVIA 2: What does Jamie's jacket do?
RUMINATIONS: So far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with this
episode. Kudos to the creators. Of course if this is anything like Phil
Farrand's review of "The Enemy" in the NextGen guide, I'm going to get alot of
e-mails on this.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: 1843 people, plus 6 usherettes.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Molt.
TITLE: Swept Away
SUMMARY: Jamie thinks that Lisa and her new boyfriend are moving too
fast in their relationship, so when they decide to move in together after a
week's acquiantance, she is unable to stay uninvolved.
TRIVIA 1: What word does Jamie think Micheal used too much?
TRIVIA 2: What does Lisa not like?
CHANGED PREMISES: -So Lisa and Jamie have a psychic bond? Then why do the following things occur?
"The Sample"- Jamie didn't know that Lisa was hot and heavy with the heir to the Klarik fortune.
"The Birth"- Lisa didn't feel the pain of labor with Jamie.
I'm sure there are more examples. I just haven't thought of them yet.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Actually.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Being happy.
TITLE: The Spy Girl Who Loved Me
SUMMARY: Jamie's new PR client is a former TV star idolized by Paul and
Ira in their childhood, and as they revert back to the old ways and compete for
star attention, Ira wins big.
TAG: Ira and Paul reviewing heroines after Spy Girl.
TRIVIA 1: Who did Paul say looked good in go-go boots and a bazooka?
TRIVIA 2: What does Ira think is so cool?
CHANGED PREMISES: -Previous episodes say that Mark is a gyneocologist. I
thought they only did exams. So why is Mark handling labor? Correct me if I'm
wrong.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Lisa.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: That he was used by Spy Girl.
TITLE: The Painter
SUMMARY: When Jamie hires an ex-boyfriend to paint the apartment, she is
a bit annoyed when Paul is not concerned by the prospect of her old flame being
alone with her. Trouble ensues however when Paul catches the painter and Fran
in bed together, after which she says Mark has left her.
RUMINATIONS: This is the first Mad About You episode where I actually
cried. It's a wonderful story, and certainly not the unrealistic type of
scenario seen on most sitcoms. Richard Kind and Leila Kenzle really shine here.
TRIVIA 1: What does Ira call Sherman?
TRIVIA 2: What movie does Mark refer to when discussing why he left?
CHANGED PREMISES: -So, Jamie dated Sherman in 1985? I thought she was
still with Alan at that point.
-"Love Among The Tiles" tells us that despite it's problems, the building is
still better built than Paul. So how is he able to kick down the bedroom door
in this episode?
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: A statue with pants.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Alien.
TITLE: Happy Anniversary
SUMMARY: At Paul and Jamie's first anniversary party, love blossoms
between Warren and Conie, while Paul tries to turn back the clock, but there is
no love lost between now seperated Fran and Mark.
TAG: Recreated wedding pictures of shoving the cake.
GREAT LINES: "No, a Range Rover. Can't ride a motorcycle. I don't have
an ass." -Mark, answering Paul's question "You bought a motorcycle?"
TRIVIA 1: What was on the cake?
TRIVIA 2: Who does Paul look like, according to Ira?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: -Although it was a nice way to bookend the season, Paul
and Jamie's actions on the kitchen table was totally inappropiate, not to
mention contradictory to Jamie's being worried about Fran earlier in the episode.
TRIVIA 1 ANSWER: Rosettes, ecru, and tiers.
TRIVIA 2 ANSWER: Roger Moore in Moonraker.
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Email: djdixon@dimensional.com
