Just one episode removed from the pilot and already "Becker" was snapping into place. Yes, John Becker bursts into Reggie's diner with his gripe about having to ride with weirdos on the bus because his car broke down, recalling his extended haranguing from the pilot, but Reggie and Jake soon corral his ranting and go about their own conversation as Ted Danson, Alex Desert, and Terry Farrell fall into seamless bantering as if they've been needling each other for at least half a season already.
Also bolstering "Take These Pills and Shove 'Em" is Marsha Myers's first script for the medical-based sitcom set in the Bronx that quickly developed an earthy flavor to go with the gritty setting and offbeat characters. Myers spreads her zesty ripostes around the cast---even a customer (James Lorinz) gets into the act before getting dinged by Jake and Reggie---while cooking up a varied batch of patients at Becker's practice.
First up is hypochondriac Mrs. Cooper (Lin Shaye), so familiar to Becker and Margaret that they pick the TV programs from which she chose her latest ailments, while Linda scares the willies out of a young man scheduled for an MRI with lurid tales about being buried alive as Shawnee Smith begins to hone Linda's dopey-devious persona that can become exasperating in extended portions.
At the center of Myers's narrative is Mr. Marino (Peter Siragusa), a diabetic plumber non-adherent with his therapy who, unbeknownst to him, suffered a minor heart attack, thus inciting Becker's wrath. Incensed himself, Marino storms out of the examination room, eventually compelling Becker to visit him at home, where he meets Marino's wife played by Carol Ann Susi years before her voice became notorious as Wolowitz's mother in "The Big Bang Theory," the culmination of her supporting career that began in 1974 with the horror/sci-fi cult favorite "Kolchak: The Night Stalker."
At the office, Danson is falling into a smooth cadence with Hattie Winston, whose Margaret is developing into the ensemble's reliable backbone still capable of mustering righteous smackdown when necessary, particularly with Becker, who is respectful, and perhaps even grateful, for her implicit command of his practice. In only its second episode, "Becker" shows that it has the right medicine at the proper dosage.
REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?
Also bolstering "Take These Pills and Shove 'Em" is Marsha Myers's first script for the medical-based sitcom set in the Bronx that quickly developed an earthy flavor to go with the gritty setting and offbeat characters. Myers spreads her zesty ripostes around the cast---even a customer (James Lorinz) gets into the act before getting dinged by Jake and Reggie---while cooking up a varied batch of patients at Becker's practice.
First up is hypochondriac Mrs. Cooper (Lin Shaye), so familiar to Becker and Margaret that they pick the TV programs from which she chose her latest ailments, while Linda scares the willies out of a young man scheduled for an MRI with lurid tales about being buried alive as Shawnee Smith begins to hone Linda's dopey-devious persona that can become exasperating in extended portions.
At the center of Myers's narrative is Mr. Marino (Peter Siragusa), a diabetic plumber non-adherent with his therapy who, unbeknownst to him, suffered a minor heart attack, thus inciting Becker's wrath. Incensed himself, Marino storms out of the examination room, eventually compelling Becker to visit him at home, where he meets Marino's wife played by Carol Ann Susi years before her voice became notorious as Wolowitz's mother in "The Big Bang Theory," the culmination of her supporting career that began in 1974 with the horror/sci-fi cult favorite "Kolchak: The Night Stalker."
At the office, Danson is falling into a smooth cadence with Hattie Winston, whose Margaret is developing into the ensemble's reliable backbone still capable of mustering righteous smackdown when necessary, particularly with Becker, who is respectful, and perhaps even grateful, for her implicit command of his practice. In only its second episode, "Becker" shows that it has the right medicine at the proper dosage.
REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?
