Fri, Mar 31, 2000
Dad Jim's 60 birthday is approaching, but the kids nearly forgot about it, and his accountant insists it's time to consider selling out to retire in wealth; the best bid seems to be offered by the modernist, commercial Garribaldi brothers he abhors as 'circus surgery'. While he's rationally convinced, it makes him so grumpy that he actually denies poor Robbie, who was mercilessly and bluntly thrown out of ex-bride Heather's apartment after the Las Vegas disaster -she even scolds his 'squandrous' peace offer of roses- permission to stay in the attic for a while again 'no longer a little kid', so he decides to bail out on the birthday dinner Syd planned and use good ice-hockey seats... Syd's patient Ted Lumley, a gentile TV salesman, asks her help to prep his precious private for a bris (Jewish circumcision) but chickens out, even if that probably cancels his marriage to Jewess Debbie... Joanie tries to make dog-walker Doug postulate for a more stable job, as junior executive in a pet-related company...
Fri, Apr 14, 2000
Idealist Heather is tickled pink she can work for this year's Earth Day regional committee, and presents her hand-picked stand-in: Robbie, who keeps doing bar evening shifts at the same time. Alas his social skills aren't matched by secretarial ones; dad doesn't have the heart to fire him, but sets a crafty hamster trap... Syd was excited that a New York med school reunion offers her another chance with hunky bachelor Eric, who even sent her flowers, but is preoccupied by lying patient Talia, whose baby needs a blood transfusion from her haughty black single father Marcus Weber, who refuses unless Talia dumps her charming white mate Jake, the baby's loving dad... Doug has a great innovating idea, the aromatic pet mating collar in functional colors, but promises his boss a prototype demonstration without having tested anything, Joanie helps while instincts don't. Actually his success comes at a surprising price...
Fri, Apr 28, 2000
Dad is reluctant to be Syd's friend photographer Monica Lang's American workers series vet, but a puppy abuse project gets him riveted. When his daughters see them getting on like a house on fire, they fear the younger woman might, once the fire subsides, leave him and keep the house... Robbie considers game shows a lame waste of time, especially Chuck Chance's 'Down on Your Luck' where contestants tell their pitiful loser story before playing the trivia quiz, but hearing the prize is $100,000 still gets a fan to give him Providence auditions specifics. The only hurdle is abusive quiz-master Chuck himself, but Robbie's rascal charm seemingly gets his assistant Andi Paulsen on his side.
Fri, May 5, 2000
Robbie is already in heaven expecting to win $100,000 on TV in two weeks, and generously roots for dads happiness with much younger Monica Lang, who his sisters sort of selfishly shun as step-mother-to-be. Syd's old friend John Currier intends to turn from workaholic to recreational angler after beating his pancreatic cancer; alas the oncologist tells her it spread hopelessly already... Joanie stupidly starts a fire in her Barkery and wakes up in the strong arms of part-time barman-fireman Burt Ridley; even better, he asks her out for lunch and calls her the only significant girl since he has both jobs, only after a passionate kiss lets her realize he's her secret Zorro... Quizmaster Chuck Chance's assistant Andy shows Robbie a trivia gossip book; he does well in Down On Your Luck, but wonders how many answers are in that very book... Syd invites Monica for a family dinner but sees her intimate with a younger man. John dies...
Fri, May 12, 2000
Robbie is cramming trivia for the next round of Down on Your Luck, his ticket to a chance of winning $100,000, but assistant Andi insists he can only succeed if she continues -as he suspected- feeding him answers, which would cost 40%, and his self-respect... Syd is not herself, obsessed with getting fat or going mad, even gets Alice in Wonderland day-dreams and faints feverish. Dad looks forward to an exhibition of Monica's photographs, including some with him, but didn't tell the kids in time. Monica has a new assignment, a month in Paris in all- and asks Jim along. Discovering her colleague Donald feels being in a Nicaraguan prison created a unique bond starts trouble when the reporter pair is urgently sent to cover a Karen (tribal) rebellion in Burma... Joanie feels her Burt is too much of a gentleman, but hopes that will change in old Bud & Darlene's 'exclusive' B&B Château D'Amour- alas she's rather put to domestic - and he to repair chores, by the time they're alone they doze off, in the morning the oldies even steal her elaborate breakfast. Syd is hospitalized for a CAT scan...
Fri, May 19, 2000
The Hansen family hopes to be strong and supportive now Syd is comatose, cause unknown, dreaming about ma and St.Peter introducing her 'in between' to paradise or return to life, a paradoxical choice her body and heart must make. Andy suggests Robbie will need the $100,000 prize to pay for Syd's long-term care, and announces she'll move on to an LA game show after his finale. Joanie is happy with Burt and his new Dalmatian puppy, kissing and dining yet absent-minded, but he is called for a huge fire, and gets trapped inside. After Syd gets convulsions only to revert to an even deeper state then coma, Jim remembers Syd was with him in a cloud of mosquitoes at the marina, Dr. Hopper concurs encephalitis is around. Robbie is not handed the answer but knows it anyway, only...
Fri, Oct 20, 2000
Vindictive vixen Andi sneaks in to vandalize Robbie's room; at O'Neill's he receives a packet- a live snake, which dad Jim recognizes as harmless patient Minnie. Robbie doesn't tell to spare dad worrying, she blackmails him to meet her in the empty studio- she's waiting with matches... Syd is released home, but revalidation starts with a month minimum. At first she refuses the conventional physiotherapist Goodlander being replaced by college hunk John Hemming, who based his play-wise approach on his crippled dog Earl's spontaneous revalidation. Heather is back at the practice and gets even more attached then Jim to two temporarily abandoned pedigree pups, only one of which actually gets a new owner, or... Burt is Joanie's dream-prince, unhurt in the big fire, but most unwilling to suspend dating during Sid's revalidation. Despite a fall from the treadmill, she drives to the clinic, and has a mild accident on the way back in Joanie's car. She nearly runs to Norwich, but John intelligently wins her over to his thought-trough therapeutic touch.
Fri, Oct 27, 2000
The police questions and suspects Robbie, who didn't even know the studio burnt down. Andi repeats her scary blackmail threat, but even Heather's heirloom wedding ring proves paste... John has a hard time making Syd realize she needs time before she can resume work normally, then encourages her to. She's suspicious about her nearly fatal judgment call causing a malpractice lawsuit and her too-good-to-be-true stand-in Dr. Jordan Roberts, who convinces the board of a major building project... Burt accepts Joanie's request to join her at costumed ball against inhibitions, but finds her about to make love with another 'Zorro'. Jim seems a bad dog-trainer, but actually diagnoses pup Fearless with curable ear-disease, still no miracle...
Fri, Nov 3, 2000
When Robbie tells a detective he knows nothing about Andi's fire, he's served a subpoena. Burt consults Syd medically about his poor performance in Joanie's bed, then plans a day rest before major quality time. Jim calls in canine behavior counselor B.J. Maximus about hyperkinetic puppy Fearless who raids all the family's footwear, in her view a bid for picking order supremacy. Syd meets John's patient Beckca, a dancer who refuses proper care, even free diagnosis, before risking permanent injury at an untimely audition, and suggests John systematically has improper relationships with clients...
Fri, Nov 10, 2000
Despite all her evildoing, Robbie helps arsonist Andi to a waitering job at O'Neill's and even dealing with her lazy Public Defense attorney, who feels her case is hopeless if tried, given Chuck Chance's willingness to testify against her. She tries to jump bail... Syd is declared physically healed, but didn't regain her muscle control. John offers therapy as needed, but tells her it's time after she treated illegal laborer Francisco Aguilar for a leg wound and seeing his eight year-old boy Carlos has a split pallet arranged a pro deo by Dr. Mark Leggett, who at the last moment, after she got the pair released by Immigration, bails out so she operates herself. Afterward she thanks John for the kick in the pants, he finally can offer a post-professional, intimate relationship. ... Burt checks in for an erectile operation, but is desperate to hide that for his fellow firemen. Henry Pillup wants Jim to make his parrot stop chattering, but then finds him too silent...
Fri, Nov 17, 2000
Skateboarder Jamie Rohan bumps into Syd's car and hurts his wrists; his mother is furious to get a call, as Syd used his late hyperactive big brother Scott's name which she read on his skateboard, and he takes his ADHD tranquilizers, with adverse effect... Robbie still wants to help Andi, whose public defender Lou Keppler is ready to throw in the towel, so he goes begging with sole witness Chuck, who suggests a deal, if she can sell a format to the TV network... Burt's operation was a success, but he cannot get aroused in the next 72 hours. Jim gets a red-dyed goat from three youngsters, as it turns out team mascot raiders... Syd accepts John's unusual taste, but temporarily dumps him when he's seen with Cheryl until he explains she's less about him than his filthy-rich family.
Fri, Nov 24, 2000
When Robbie generously obliges a beggar's plea for food, instead of waiting for an omelet the apparent scumbag takes off with his benefactor's wallet and keys, yet stops when Robbie hurts his head chasing and claims it wasn't him, the police threw him out- indeed, a careful colleague found his things, so Robby brings food to the shelter and offers grumpy Dwayne, who plays guitar, a gig at O'Neill's, only to have it refused. Jim gets a circus's confused chimpanzee Danny and is railroaded into attending his overbearing suitor Cynthia Blake's Thanksgiving party, while none of the family is up to it anyhow. Syd is invited at John's grand family feast, makes a fine first impression on his ma Constance Hemming and gets Social Services officer Alex's permission to put up apparently abandoned girl Anchee for a week. The Hemmings family discretely donates an EMG and Chinatown P.I. Simon Chang... Burt proposes a place to Joanie to move into together and shouts a fancy restaurant, where he clearly doesn't tolerate noisy children... Dwayne turns up, but insists he must have his own guitar back, pawned for $800, beyond Robbie's means to advance, so he rents one- a waiter recognizes his artistic playing... Jim figures out the ape uses sign-language, to say he's called Rocket and home-sick...
Fri, Nov 24, 2000
Robbie's protégé Dwayne not only bail out again after telling how badly he misses his late wife, he's the police's only suspect for the theft of his guitar from the pawnshop; Robbie sells his comics, Dwayne accepts to sing at the family Thanksgiving. Joanie feared announcing her pregnancy would have chased Burt, but he stays. Chimpanzee Rocket's last revealed talent, painting, allows identifying his training center, so he can be reunited with his handler after two years. The Hemming money allows Chinatown P.I. Simon to find Anchee's parents by posting a reward; ma Constance's influence also gets the hospital finally to offer Syd a surgeon's job, but she refuses it and even tells John to take distance from ma's influence or they're through....
Fri, Dec 15, 2000
Robbie's Christmas bonus at O'Neill's depends on organizing a charity toys drive, so he goes to a cheap sale, but finds out painfully it's run by a malicious mall Santa and his matching midget elf, Barnabus Finkel, who is fired after a public fight and turns up in the pub. Betting the meager $150 toys budget makes the disaster complete, save for a Christmas miracle... Syd is supportive of Joanie's second pregnancy, and her dad is clearly disappointed. Exposure to mischievous kids at her doctor's office tests Burt's preparedness for the burden of fatherhood. Her mean nagging about punctuality makes it even worse, so she fears to have chased the second accidental father away even before the birth.