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Reviewed by Joel Zand
May 23, 2001
Season Finale
A Voice From Ed's Past, A Woman In His Future?
Young lawyers who move from large, big-city firms to smaller ones sometimes wonder what they might have missed, had they continued their 2400+ billable hour/a year, careers. Would they have made partner after seven years? Would they have achieved financial success and good fortune? Would they have come closer to finding true in the big city, instead of a small town? Does it really matter? In the show's season finale, Ed does some serious soul-searching.
Ron Frankel, Ed's ex-greedy asscociate colleague from Farmer & Sheehan, the fictional New York City white shoe firm, springs a surprise visit on the bowling alley lawyer. Reminiscing about their years of firm misery, Ed's interest peaks when he discover that his friend has made junior partner and is now fighting "the good fight" as an environmental lawyer trying to get his corporate clients to clean their acts up. If Ed ever wants to return to the firm, Ron explains, he'll have no trouble finding a spot.
Although he appears to give some serious thought to the offer, Stuckyvillians can rest easy knowing that Ed is here to stay. That's good news for clients like Mrs. Riley, a tenant, who turns to Ed and Stuckeybowl for help; they store her food in the bowling alley's refrigerator, because her landlord keeps turning off her electricity. As Ed helps the elderly Mrs. Riley do what most folks take for granted -- rent an apartment with working kitchen appliances - he realizes that nothing can convince him to leave the life he has in Stuckeyville right now.
Ed & Carol's Prom Date
The "almost kiss" that Ed and Carol missed out on last week lingers in the minds of these two confused romantics. Neither can stop thinking about the moment that could have been, but never was. "We're circling each other like Venezuelan flamingoes engaged in a complex mating dance," a frustrated Ed tells Mike Burton. This is serious stuff!
Ed and Carol go to the prom together as chaperones, treating viewers to a blast from fashion's past. Ed wears a sky blue tuxedo with a seriously ruffled shirt. Was the prom really a black-and-blue tie affair? Carol remains unphased by Ed's fashion sense. They dance and later share a quiet walk back to Ed's place where the lawyer bids Carol goodnight after she rebuffs his offer to walk her home. Is chivalry dead in Stuckeyville? Feeling nervous, Ed nervously asks Carol if she would like to come in for a drink. Beer is the beverage of choice (what else would bowling alley afficionados drink?), but just as Ed is about to get a couple from the kitchen, his doorbell rings. Who could it be? A client? Warren Cheswick? It's ex-D.A. Bonnie Hane! There's never a dull moment in Stuckeyville.
Outragiak Acts
A highlight of the season finale is Phil Stubbs' hair-brained attempt to get picked for the ficticious VH-1 TV show Outragiaks , a voyeuristic stupid stunts show modeled after MTV's Jackass, Stuckeyvillians are forced to endure Phil's idiotic antics as crazy Bobby Thunderbolt, with the help of Kenny and videographer Shirley. "Oh man, I am so drunk! I drank too much alcohol!" -Phil plays to the hardly hidden video camera. His shining moment is when Bobby Thunderbolt manages to become king of the junior prom and thanks his royal subjects. A court jester would have been easy, but a king?!
To everyone's surprise, the Bobby Thunderbolt audition tape lands Phil into the final rounds of the Outragiaks show tryouts. He's off to Gotham City, packing up boxes of necessary stuff like a giant mug collection. But before he goes, he makes a very important request from his boss: "Hey Bosco, once I get situated in Gotham, do you mind if I give your ex-wife a call?" Too bad that outrageous scene didn't make it into his Outragiaks tryout tape.
Jr. Prom Surprise
When Warren Cheswick learns that his friends actually have dates to the prom, and he doesn't, the teen resorts to drastic action. He calls the Happy Times Escorts to request the services of Tonya, a long-legged blond in a short red dress. Warren's entrance to the Jr. Prom will probably be talked about by Stuckeyville High Students for generations to come. "This is my favorite song!" Tonya eagerly tells Warren as the two bump and grind their way onto the dance floor. His friends Mark and Gavin are impressed. "Warren Cheswick is a God," Mark sighs.
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Despite his newly found attention at the prom, Warren remains depressed and confused. The girl he was really hoping to impress, Donna Tozzi , went to the prom with another guy. It's hard not to feel empathy for Warren. His nervous banter every time he speaks with a girl reminds viewers of teenage years gone by. Warren tries to think of himself on the cutting edge of cool. "What's zeroing down?" he asks Donna, when picking up his tux rental.
Stuckeyville locals and all of you Midwestern wannabes will have to tune in next fall to find out what really happened to Ed, Carol, Warren, Phil, Bonnie, and the rest of the gang this summer. If you join a bowling league, chances are pretty good that you'll be in shape when the gang returns this fall.
In a curious role reversal with the show's protagonist, Joel Zand is a New York solo practitioner who left his Midwestern roots behind to work with Findlaw. He has represented New York City landlords, tenants, and folks with pets in pit-bullesque litigation (always representing the underdog, of course). Zand received his J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Chicago.