Night Court: "Billie's Valentine"

Premiered February 14, 1985.

It's Valentine's Day in New York City.  Judge Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson) has feelings that he hasn't yet expressed for his court colleague, Public Defender Billie Young (Ellen Foley).  He plans to ask her out for a Valentine date, but she already has plans.  

She's head over heels for David Towers (Geoffrey Scott), a very wealthy Public Relations executive with an impressive list of accomplishments.  David has a romantic dinner planned for them.

Cupid's arrow has also struck the heart of Bernie (Martin Garner), who runs a newsstand in the courts building.  He asks the court's bailiff Selma (Selma Diamond) if she'll go out with him, but she's not interested.  Bernie tells if she's still not interested by midnight, he'll leave her alone.

When night court begins, Billie is surprised to see David enter the court as a defendant!  She thinks its some sort of Valentine prank. 

However, David has been arrested for grand larceny and pickpocketing.  It turns out that David lied about his wealth, he's actually a habitual criminal.  Billie is shocked and distraught and storms out of court. 

In spite of his criminal record, Billie still loves David.  She later visits him in jail and says she'll wait for him while he serves his sentence.  Her Valentine's Day gets even worse when David breaks up with Billie.  

While Harry has feelings for Billie, he also doesn't want to be hurt.  So the judge visits David to confront him.  Can this Valentine's day be saved?  

J.A. Morris says:

"Billie's Valentine" is a solid holiday episode.  Lots of Valentine episodes involve someone getting their heart broken and that's what happens here.  Harry likes Billie, so he could try to catch her on the rebound.  Since he's a good person who genuinely cares for her, he tries to be a bigger person and talk David into reconsidering.  

This episode gives us plenty of Valentine's Day atmosphere.  In one of the best moments of "Billie's Valentine," David hires a man (Larry Gelman) to dress up like a Valentine heart and sing to Billie.  

We get some presents with hearts on them, Bernie hitting on Selma and Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) trying in vain to get a Valentine date.  

I wouldn't call "Billie's Valentine" a "classic" episode, but it's fun and like all holiday episodes, it's a nice way for Night Court fans to get reacquainted with the series' great ensemble cast.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Valentine hearts.

RigbyMel says:

"Billie's Valentine" is an amusing episode from the second season of Night Court.    As J.A. Morris points out above, the holiday tropes abound -- we've got hearts and flowers and candy and romantic rivalry/disappointments galore.  

The regular courtroom zaniness of the series frequently featured cases on the docket that tied in thematically with the general theme of the episode and this installment features a comic elderly couple who have gotten arrested for starting a fight in a restaurant during their 65th anniversary party.   Their interaction in the courtroom indicates they might be better off going their separate ways, but they refuse on account of their (retirement age) children!  

Billie's personal and professional troubles regarding larcenous David, Bernie's fruitless pursuit of Selma and Harry's sacrifice on Billie's behalf are all both funny and touching.  

This Valentine's episode is a lot of fun even if it's not in the upper echelons of  television.  It reminds us to be careful of others' feelings on Valentine's day since hearts can be fragile and easily bruised. 

Billie confronts a broken heart in a more than metaphorical sense! 

"Billie's Valentine" is worth a look if you're a fan of Night Court or of holiday themed sitcom episodes in general. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

3 Valentine hearts.

Parks and Recreation: "Galentine's Day" (2010)

 

Premiered February 11, 2010.

What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, Leslie Knope and her lady friends leave their husbands and their boyfriends at home and just kick it breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas!
-Leslie Knope

It's the day before Valentine's Day in Pawnee, Indiana.  Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Pawnee's deputy director of Parks and Recreation, has gathered her women friends and colleagues for her annual celebration of Galentine's Day. 

 Leslie's friend Ann (Rashida Jones) and her boyfriend Mark (Paul Schneider) are celebrating their first Valentine's Day together.  

Leslie asks her mother Marlene (Pamela Reed) to tell her romantic story about falling in love with a lifeguard who saved her from drowning in 1968.  Marlene fell in love with the lifeguard, they got engaged, but their parents didn't approve of the relationship and she lost touch with him.  Leslie's lawyer boyfriend Justin (Justin Theroux) offers to track down Marlene's long-lost love and reunite them on Valentine's Day.      

Knope and her Parks and Rec staff are also busy planning and organizing a Valentine dance for Pawnee's senior center.  

Justin locates Marlene's lifeguard in Illinois and decides to bring him back to Pawnee.  His name is Frank Beckerson (John Larroquette), he's a bit eccentric, has led a nomadic life and is prone to panic attacks.  When Leslie meets Frank, she changes her mind and tries to prevent the reunion. Unfortunately, Frank sneaks away from them and goes looking for Marlene at the seniors dance.

The music at the dance is provided by Mouse Rat, a local rock band fronted by Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt).  They perform rock versions of standards like "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Under My Skin."  

April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), another Parks and Rec employee, attends the dance with her "gay boyfriend" Derek (Blake Lee) and his boyfriend Ben (Josh Duvendeck).  Derek and Ben spend most of the evening mocking the senior citizens. 

April, who normally joins in with their mockery, gets tired of them and seems to be genuinely moved by the senior couples who are still very much in love. She also seems to be developing a bit of a crush on Andy. 

Will the reunion of Marlene and Frank lead to a rekindling of their youthful passions?  Or will it be a Valentine's Day disaster?  

J.A. Morris says:
This is a good Valentine's Day episode.  It's a tribute to "Galentine's Day" that fans of this series have been inspired to organize their own Galentine's Day celebrations.  

Lots of romantic stories involve "the one that got away."  This episode shows us that sometimes it's best to remember the good parts of the past and not revisit them.  

For Galentine's Day, Leslie gives everyone a mosaic portrait made from the crushed bottles of their favorite diet soda.

For some people, Valentine's Day is treated like a big deal.  For others, it's just a reminder that they're single.  I appreciated that "Galentine's Day" features several different Valentine's Day experiences.  Ann and Mark's relationship is in a good place and they have a good time.  Leslie is beginning to have question her relationship with Justin.  The normally cynical single April is moved by the older couples' love on display at the dance.  

Parks And Recreation had one of the best ensemble casts of any recent series, some of them are still among my favorite actors.  In addition to the regulars, "Galentine's Day" also features John Larroquette and Pamela Reed, two of the best character actors of the last 40 years.  They're both great here and their reunion is a highlight of the episode.  I also liked Mouse Rat's "rock" version of old standard love songs.  

If I have any problems with "Galentine's Day," it's the same problem I had with every episode of this (otherwise great) series.  By the time Parks And Recreation premiered, I'd had enough of the "fake documentary"-style comedy shows, best exemplified by UK and Us versions The Office.  However, being a fan of holiday episodes, the story and acting in "Galentine's Day" make it rise about the series' usual "documentary" storytelling device.  

"Galentine's Day" is recommended for fans of these actors and fans of (somewhat) unconventional Valentine programming.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Valentine Hearts.


RigbyMel says:

"Galentine's Day" is a great episode of a great series.   I must part company with my esteemed co-blogger's objections to the faux-documentary format of the show.   If it's well done -- as it consistently was on Parks and Rec -- it allows for some fun direct address moments. 

I quite like the way that Parks and Rec manages to balance sweetness with the absurd and this episode manages to do well by that balance.  Andy isn't quite sure about performing standards rather than Mouse Rat's original tunes at the senior dance, but manages to do a good job with the standards regardless, thereby feeding into April's growing feelings for him.  I also appreciate that April grows to see that her "ironic" relationship with her gay boyfriend isn't really very fulfilling.   

Leslie loves the *idea* of reuniting her mother with her lost love, until said lost love turns out to be a bit of a disappointment in reality.  The distance between ideas and reality can often throw a wrench into relationships.  

Speaking of said lost love and his quirkiness, John Laroquette gives a great  comedic performance in this episode.  I also appreciated the meta-humor inherent in that Leslie asks Frank if he was ever a lawyer, since Laroquette has played lawyers in several other series over the years (including Night Court, The West Wing and Boston Legal).  However, this character has to answer the lawyer question in the negative.

We see all kinds of different relationships playing out in the course of this episode.  Ann and Mark and celebrating their first Valentine's Day together, senior citizens are still in love after decades of being together, Tom (Aziz Ansari) is unsuccessfully (and rather gauche-ly) trying to get back together with his ex, April is realizing her feelings for Andy, and Leslie is discovering that maybe she and Justin aren't going to work out in the long run.  And of course, there's the main plot point of Leslie and Justin trying to reunite Leslie's mom and her long lost love. They pack a lot of character development into a 22 minute episode but it's so well written that it doesn't feel overstuffed.

I also love that the concept of Galentine's Day -- a celebration of one's female friends as articulated on the show --  has spilled over into real life.   

"Galentine's Day" is recommended for anyone who enjoys smart and well written comedy with a holiday flair. 

RigbyMel's rating:

 4 Valentine Hearts.   

Everybody Hates Chris: "Everybody Hates Valentine's Day"

Premiered February 9, 2006.

"I wish somebody would give me a Valentine's Day card that says something besides 'I hate you.'"
-Chris

The time is February 1983 in Brooklyn and Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching.  The holiday is a big deal for everyone at school...except for Chris (Tyler James Williams) and his friend Greg (Vincent Martella).  

The only Valentines Chris gets are from racist school bully Joey Caruso (Travis T. Flory).

This is in stark contrast to Chris' younger siblings.  His brother Drew (Tequan Richmond) has multiple girls giving him Valentines and calling him at home. This annoys their mother Rochelle (Tichina Arnold).  She says Drew needs to tell the "fast little girls" to stop calling their house. 

Chris’s sister Tonya has a boyfriend (Imani Hakim).  This enrages their father Julius (Terry Crews), because he’s overprotective about his daughter. 

He walks Tonya to school, meets her boyfriend and puts the fear of God in him to stay away from Tonya. This makes the poor little boy cry. 

Chris' romantic prospects improve when he develops a crush on a girl named Tangee Brown (Raven Goodwin), who rides the same bus.  Unfortunately, Tangee has a boyfriend named Clyde (Daniel E. Smith) who treats her badly. When Clyde manhandles Tangee, Chris intervenes and offers Tangee his seat. 

Since no one has ever looked out for her like that before, Tangee gives Chris a Valentine. Chris doesn't mind that it was originally intended for Clyde.

Will Chris finally have a happy Valentine's Day?  

J.A. Morris says:

I was a fan of Everybody Hates Chris during its run and this is an enjoyable holiday episode.  It wouldn’t be a stretch to call it an anti-Valentine’s Day episode since very few of the principal characters actually get to celebrate the occasion with their “Valentine.”  This episode sort of reminds me of the ending of Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.  

At the same time, Caruso keeps leaving hateful Valentine cards in Chris’ locker (one tells Chris to "Please go back to Africa and take your mother with you”).  I’m sure Chris Rock got similar notes slipped in his locker in real life.  Rock, in his narration says "even though I didn't like Caruso, I didn't think he deserved to be cursed out by my mother."  This viewer thinks Caruso deserved much worse than that.  

“Everybody Hates Valentine’s Day” features a good critique of the double-standards that boys and girls face in relationships.  Julius is furious when he learns Tanya has a “boyfriend,” but joyous when he hears that Drew has lots of girls chasing him. 

Rochelle feels exactly the opposite about her children’s “romances” and does everything she can to keep girls away from Drew.  I’m hoping that kids who watched this took the episode’s message to heart.  

If you’re not familiar with Everybody Hates Chris, you can still enjoy this episode.  I recommend "Everybody Hates Valentine’s Day" to everyone who’s had a less-than-perfect experience on February 14.  

J.A. Morris’ rating:

3 and a half hearts.

RigbyMel says: 

This is a solid holiday episode from the first season of Everybody Hates Chris. 

The comedy of dealing with crushes around Valentine’s Day is relatable, as is parental consternation at their progeny showing evidence of growing up.    

Julius and Rochelle’s respective concern about other people’s Valentine interest in Tonya and Drew is both touching and ironic.  As J.A. Morris says above, there is a fair amount of room for satire regarding the double standards facing boys and girls in relationships and “Everybody Hates Valentine’s Day” mines this rich vein of comedy adeptly.   It is interesting to note that 11 year old Drew has grown women inappropriately chasing after him for the holiday, while 10 year old Tonya has her overprotective dad inappropriately intervening with her little “boyfriend”. 

I really wish Caruso had gotten more of a comeuppance for his racist bullying of Chris in this episode.  It was nice that a teacher noticed and tried (unsuccessfully) to give Chris a card, but I wish we'd seen a more forceful intervention.  (Perhaps that’s not a realistic expectation for a show set in the early 1980s though?)  

As with quite a few other Valentine’s Day TV episodes, hardly anyone actually gets what they really want for the holiday (with perhaps the exception of Julius and Rochelle enjoying the extra candy).   

“Everybody Hates Valentines Day” is an enjoyable comedic take on the holiday and is recommended. 

RigbyMel’s rating:

3 and a half hearts

What's New, Scooby-Doo: "A Scooby Doo Valentine"

Premiered February 11, 2005.

Note from your trusted holiday reviewers:
2019 marks the 50th “birthday” of the world’s favorite mystery-solving Great Dane, Scooby-Doo.  Scooby and the "meddling kids" of Mystery Inc. have appeared in lots of holiday specials and episodes.  Throughout the year, we’ll be reviewing several of these.  We start with this Valentine’s Day offering!:

Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) and the Mystery Inc. gang return to their hometown of Coolsville after a long road trip.  It's almost Valentine's Day, which excites Daphne (Grey Griffin), who says it's her favorite holiday.  The next day, they all them receive Valentine cards signed “your secret admirer.”  

The gang learns that teenagers have been disappearing from the local Lover's Lane hangout.  Velma (Mindy Cohn) finds an adhesive at the hangout and thinks it may be a clue.  

Shaggy  (Casey Kasem) runs into his old girlfriend Rachel (Joey Lauren Adams), who is covering the missing teens for the local paper.  

Shaggy and Scooby run into their respective ex-girlfriends, Rachel and Roxanne.

She tells Shaggy that she has a new boyfriend, singer JC Chasez (himself) of the group NSYNC.  Rachel’s relationship with Chasez makes Shaggy jealous and makes Velma and Daphne very envious.  

The Scooby gang's attempt to solve the mystery of the missing teens gets complicated when Sheila (Rachael MacFarlane), who was attacked the night before, identifies them as the culprits who menaced her and kidnapped her boyfriend.  They’re shocked and confused by this accusation.  

Later, Mystery Inc. gets more Valentines, which ask them to show up at Lover's Lane at midnight.  They believe there’s a connection between the kidnapped teens and their secret admirer.    

Upon arrival, they’re ambushed by...themselves!  Or some sort of clones Mystery Inc. that also posses super-strength.  

Coolsville police officer McBride (Dan Castellaneta), who isn't crazy about the gang to begin with, gladly arrests Mystery Inc. and sends them all to jail!

Can Scooby and the gang clear their names and solve the mystery of the missing teenagers?  Or will they spend Valentine’s Day in the Coolsville Jail?

J.A. Morris says: 

I’ve been a fan of Scooby-Doo and his friends for a long time, and this Valentine episode was deliberately meant to remind us of Scooby’s earlier series.  It’s a fun episode and since Valentine’s Day doesn’t have nearly as many episodes as the “bigger” holidays, it’s always nice to have more Valentine-themed programming.  However, there are problems with “A Scooby-Doo Valentine.”

The “fake” versions of the Scooby gang display super-strength and the ability to jump long distances.  This is never explained during the reveal of the villain.  I admit it’s silly to look for “logic” in a Scooby-Doo cartoon, but I wanted to know where they got their enhanced abilities.  

The New Scooby-Doo Movies, an earlier series from the 70s, usually featured celebrity guests who often provided their own voice.  In the tradition of that series, this episode features a guest appearance of JC Chasez.  Many of you might not know who that is and will wonder why everyone is shocked when they hear he’s dating Rachel.  I’m thinking that Chasez’ group NSYNC had already peaked when this episode first aired in 2005, since they hadn’t recorded anything for several years.  

In addition to Chasez, “A Scooby-Doo Valentine” also features a guest voice appearance by actor/director Joey Lauren Adams.  She does a nice job as Rachel.  When she screams “GET OUT!” at Shaggy during the flashback sequence, viewers will likely be reminded of Adams’ performance in Chasing Amy.

I enjoyed the gang’s misadventures in this episodes and the “secret admirer” letters were a nice storytelling device for a Valentine’s Day episode.  We also get a funny flashback scene where we see younger versions of Shaggy and Scooby.   

“A Scooby-Doo Valentine” features a very strong cast of voice actors.  Frank Welker and Casey Kasem were the original voices of Fred and Shaggy.  They give great performances of their old characters and Welker also performs Scooby’s voice (Don Messick, Scooby-Doo’s original voice actor had passed away by this time).  Velma is voiced by Mindy Cohn, who my generation will remember as Natalie Green on The Facts Of Life.  

I enjoyed “A Scooby-Doo Valentine” but its dated pop culture references and plot holes keep me from giving it a higher rating.

J.A. Morris’ rating:

2 and a half Valentine hearts.

RigbyMel says: 

This Valentine’s episode is from the third season of What’s New, Scooby-Doo?, a 21st century update on the Scooby Gang featuring new adventures.    Interestingly,  “A Scooby-Doo Valentine” was written by Nahnatchka Khan, who is probably best known as the producer of shows like Fresh Off The Boat.  

Khan includes a lot of fun meta-references for longtime Scooby-philes, like Daphne’s mention of Sarah Michelle Gellar (who played the character in the live action Scooby-Doo from 2002 and its 2004 sequel) or the inclusion of a “celebrity guest star”.  She also works in a good red herring or two as to who the culprit for the kidnappings might be.    

As J.A. Morris says above, it’s nice to have another addition to the Valentine’s Day TV canon and there are secret admirer messages aplenty, plus it’s always fun to hang out with Scooby and his friends. However, there are also some holes in the plot that bugged me, such as the whole Scooby-doppelgangers' “super-strength without explanation” thing.   

Also, the motivation of the culprit seems a bit … thin considering the elaborateness of the kidnappings.  Then again, maybe that wouldn’t bother the intended audience of kids (whose nostalgic parents or aunties or suchlike might be looking in with a more critical eye than we did when we were watching older iterations of the series).  

Maybe it's that weird mix of nostalgia plus aiming at an audience that is too really young to have nostalgia for earlier iterations of Scooby-Doo that doesn't entirely work for me?    Meaning that in my estimation, “A Scooby-Doo Valentine” is enjoyable all-ages silly fun, but not a classic.

Valentine's Day reminds Scooby and Shaggy of their first love:Food!

RigbyMel’s rating: 

2 Valentine hearts