When Becker and Jake attempt to learn more about Reggie, the new proprietor of the greasy-spoon diner that houses Jake's newsstand and Becker's cigarettes, they discover that the lithe brunette proves hard to read in this entertaining, sometimes incisive installment of "Becker," the gritty, witty medical comedy set in the Bronx.
After inveterate curmudgeon Becker takes a jab at the price-gouging incompetence of hospitals to open "Tell Me Lies," he and Jake turn their attention to an irritable Reggie, upset about a letter she just received. When pressed to elaborate, she relates the Dear Jane letter she got from a long-time lover, a baseball player on the (then-)Florida Marlins she began living with in 1991 who had been nevertheless skittish of commitment, writing to tell her he was marrying someone else. Ouch. Becker and Jake feel sheepish for needling her to share more about herself.
Meanwhile, back at John's office, Margaret is on the phone pleading with their medical-supply vendor to release their latest order on credit, a knowing nod in Russ Woody's sly, often pointed script to the state of Becker's practice in a rather impoverished neighborhood where, as we learn shortly, patients sometimes barter for their medical services, which sets up an elaborate deal Margaret works out with the vendor. But when Becker asks a patient (Eugene Lee) who is heading down to Florida for baseball's spring training if he can help him identify a Marlins player from 1991, the patient tells him it's "a waste of time" because the Marlins didn't even exist until 1993. Reggie lied to Jake and John. But why?
No prizes for guessing that Reggie's next tale is also a fabrication, but what turns out to be a mundane explanation about the letter is itself a setup for establishing the ground rules between her and Becker as their burgeoning relationship, in whatever form it takes, is sure to be a prickly one. Elsewhere, Becker's compassion emerges in quiet fashion during his sporadic chess game with elderly Mr. Schmalen, with Becker remarking that "until Medicare covers loneliness," he'll continue to indulge him.
Schmalen is played by industry veteran Noam Pitlik, best-known as the principal director of the highly acclaimed "Barney Miller," in his final role; Pitlik died in February 1999, just a few months after "Tell Me Lies" first aired, and subsequent airings have dedicated the episode to his memory. Pitlik's parting shot is a literal one as Schmalen, who might also have an alternative to Margaret's medical-supply woes, delivers a zinger to Linda, who manages not to be too annoying this time around.
The most riotous moment in "Tell Me Lies" comes when Becker examines single mother Teresa (Annie Wood) struggling to raise her four children who, when he asks if she has any help with them, replies that her new boyfriend, not enthusiastic about the kids, might feel differently if he had one of his own. Becker, through Woody's biting social commentary, delivers a blistering lesson that includes a hilarious game-show analogy---and you'll never look at Velcro the same way again.
Furthering the character development of the "Becker" ensemble while providing laughs and points to ponder, "Tell Me Lies" takes another encouraging step down a promising path.
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?
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