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.

The Addams Family: "Christmas With The Addams Family"

Premiered December 24, 1965.

It's Christmas time and the Addams family is preparing for the holiday season.  The Addams' daughter Wednesday (Lisa Loring) hopes Santa Claus will bring her a Marie Antionette doll to use on her guillotine, while her brother Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax) wants a bow and arrow so he can shoot apples off the head of his Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan).  However, their Christmas spirit is diminished when their neighbor tells them there is no Santa.

Pugsley and Wednesday's parents Gomez (John Astin) and Morticia (Carolyn Jones) reassure them that Santa is real and they decide to take action.  They ask Fester to put on a Santa suit and climb down the chimney on Christmas Eve and deliver gifts. Unfortunately, Fester gets stuck and doesn't show up, so the family is forced to improvise.  

Gomez puts on a Santa suit and and visits Pugsley and Wednesday.  He brings them the doll and bow and arrow presents they asked for.

Grandmama Addams (Blossom Rock) also shows up dressed as Santa.  She gives them the same gifts Gomez brought.   

She's followed by the Addams' butler Lurch (Ted Cassidy)...

...Cousin It (Felix Silla)...

...and Morticia!

Each "Santa" gives the kids a doll and bow and arrow.  Which means they end up with five of each!

Will the Addams Family's attempts to play Kris Kringle convince Pugsley and Wednesday that Santa is real?

J.A. Morris says:
The belief in Santa Claus (or lack thereof) is an common trope of Christmas programming.  The topic is dealt with very nicely in "Christmas With The Addams Family."  

This is a very sweet episode that features the "creepy" and "spooky" Addams Family going the extra mile to make sure their children believe in Santa Claus.  It's a reminder that Morticia and Gomez had one of the best and healthiest marriages in the history of sitcoms and "Christmas With The Addams Family" shows they were also very good parents.  It's also nice to see their extended family of Uncle Fester, Grandmama, Lurch and Cousin It helping out too.

The plot of this episode isn't very complicated.  It's basically just a series of scenes that feature the cast in Santa suits and they eventually bump into each other!

The episode closes with the cast breaking the forth wall and singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" to the viewers, which makes me smile every time I watch it.  

"Christmas With The Addams Family" is a touching episode that serves as a reminder that families often go to great lengths to make Christmas a magical experience for children.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne

 Premiered December 10, 2021.

"Christmas was a letdown.  But New Year's is going to be perfect!"
-Lucy Van Pelt

Christmas is approaching and the holiday season is in full-swing in the Van Pelt household.  Lucy (Isabella Leo) and her brother Linus (Wyatt White) are excited because their grandmother is going to spend Christmas with them.  Linus is a bit nervous, since Grandma always tries to make him get rid of his security blanket.

Even though the year is almost over, Charlie Brown (Etienne Kellici) hasn't fulfilled most of his New Year's Resolutions.  When he visits Lucy's psychiatrist booth, she tells him his resolutions are too ambitious.  Lucy recommends that he should just try to complete "one realistic resolution" and then he'll be "covered for the year."  

Snoopy (Terry McGurrin) is happy to see his five siblings, who have come to visit for the holidays.  They spend time reminiscing over an old photo album and playing music.  His brother Spike (Rob Tinkler) has brought his camera along so that he can take a group photo of him and his siblings.  He has only one photo of the whole family, which was taken when they were puppies.  However, accidents keep preventing the photo from happening and Spike begins to feel unappreciated.  

When Christmas Eve arrives, Lucy is heartbroken when Grandma calls and says she won't be coming for Christmas.  Lucy believes that her grandmother didn't come because she didn't want to see her.  Lucy wonders if Grandma doesn't love her and worries that she isn't "lovable."  

The next morning, Lucy decides that in order to prove she's lovable, she will organize a huge New Year's Eve party.  The event will be called "Lucy's Gala: A New Year's Eve Celebration of Elegant Perfection!"

Lucy "volunteers" Linus into helping her plan the party.  She says "everyone" will attend the party, because she IS lovable.  Snoopy and his siblings are booked to be the house band.  She even rents an old ballroom for the party and writes new lyrics for "Auld Lang Syne" that celebrate her!

Since Charlie Brown is still working on his resolutions, Lucy assigns him to be in charge of decorating the ballroom.  She asks Peppermint Patty and Marcie to build an ice sculpture of her face!  Everyone is excited about attending the New Year's gala, but Lucy's desire to throw a "perfect" party gets in the way of having a good time and her demands start to get on everybody's nerves.

Will the party be a smashing success?  Will it prove that Lucy is lovable?  Can Charlie Brown complete his resolutions?  Will Spike be able to take a new family photo?  

J.A. Morris says:

I'll cut to the chase and say that Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne is a very good special.  For starters, we don't have many movies, specials or episodes that are built around New Year's Eve, so it's nice to add another to that short list.  This special begins in mid-December and shows Lucy decorating for Christmas, so I think it can also be considered a Christmas special.  

What jumped out at me was that the creative team behind For Auld Lang Syne really "gets" the Peanuts characters.  They're all very similar to the kids we've seen in dozens of specials over the past five decades.  The voice actors are also all good fits for their characters.  Isabella Leo, who portrays Lucy, does a great job as the special's lead.  Longtime fans of Peanuts specials will be glad to know this special includes a scene where Charlie Brown visits Lucy's psychiatry booth and we also get to see Lucy leaning on Schroeder's piano.

Jeff Morrow's music won't make you forget Vince Guaraldi's immortal tunes, but it's fun and appropriate for a Charlie Brown special.  

Lucy is the focus here and it's nice to see her doing something other than calling Charlie Brown a "blockhead."  For Auld Lang Syne shows that she's a complicated character who gets upset when she believes she's not lovable.  

Since this is a new special, I don't want to go into too much more detail about its plot, but I'll add that it features a nice mix of sentiment and humor.  

Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne is a lot of fun and is highly recommended.  Is it as good as A Charlie Brown Christmas?  No, but few things are.  This special is a worthy addition to the holiday specials canon and I expect to watch in during future holiday seasons.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!

RigbyMel says:

Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne is a sweet addition to the Peanuts holiday special family.   

The story which features the normally confident Lucy feeling vulnerable because of her grandmother's decision not to visit for the holidays, which provides an interesting twist and gives depth to our dear fussbudget.  Lucy is still Lucy, but it's endearing to see a slightly different side of her.  

In re. Lucy being Lucy, I really like that she was able to rent a party venue for her New Year's Eve gala by using nickels collected from Charlie Brown via her psychiatry booth.  Her attempt to force Linus to wear an Elton John inspired stage getup is also pretty amusing (although perhaps not as amusing for Linus). 

The subplot involving Spike wanting to take a family photo with Snoopy and the other siblings was also quite cute and touching.   It's nice to see the Snoopy siblings again and I feel that lots of people can relate to Spike's frustration about taking a good group photo.   

As J.A. Morris says above, I feel the writers of this special really do have a good handle on what makes a Peanuts holiday special tick.  They have a good feel for all of the characters and their interactions.  There are sweet moments that are interspersed with melancholy and also some very funny bits and it is a winning combination that I suspect would make Charles Schulz very happy.  

For Auld Lang Syne takes a gentle and touching look at what can happen when our holiday expectations don't match up with reality and a fun way to spend time with these beloved characters. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 candy canes! 

The X-Files: "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas"

Premiered December 13, 1998.

It's Christmas Eve, somewhere in Maryland.  FBI Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) has called his partner Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) to a stakeout of an abandoned mansion.  Scully is a bit annoyed, since she has lots of Christmas presents to wrap. 

Mulder tells her that on December 24, 1917, two star-crossed lovers named Maurice and Lyda killed each other in a suicide pact.  Their ghosts haunt the mansion every Christmas Eve.  In fact, every couple that has lived in the house since then has all died tragically on Christmas Eve.  Scully doesn't believe in ghosts and dismisses Mulder's story.  

Once they enter the house, Scully notices a clock that is keeping perfect time.  They investigate further and notice a fireplace where the fire has just been extinguished.  The agents notice a creaking under the floor boards, so Mulder lifts up the boards and discovers two dead bodies.  Scully and Mulder realize that the bodies bear a strong resemblance...to themselves!  

When Scully runs out of the library, a door slams behind her.  Mulder opens it and discovers the doorway has been bricked over, trapping him.

Suddenly, a man (Ed Asner) appears and asks Mulder what he's doing there.  He analyzes Mulder, telling him that his quest to learn the truth will drive him insane and that he tolerates Scully's skepticism because he's desperately lonely. 

Elsewhere in the house, Scully encounters a woman (Lily Tomlin).  She says that Scully's life must be "awful," since she spends so much time with Mulder chasing after things she doesn't believe in.  The woman states that the only pleasure Scully gets out of life is proving Mulder wrong.  

Scully and Mulder soon learn that the people in the house are the ghosts of Lyda and Maurice.  Will Mulder and Scully make it out of the mansion alive? 

RigbyMel says:

I remember seeing this creepy and festive episode of The X-Files back when it originally aired.  It made quite an impression on me then and holds up well 20+ years later.  There are also some aspects of the episode that have an unexpected and interesting resonance in light of references to the 1917/18 flu pandemic and our current ongoing coronavirus situation. 

"How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" is a Christmas cracker of a ghost story as well as a meditation on loneliness during the holiday season or otherwise.  It's also essentially a 4 person play with the not-necessarily benevolent spirits played by the delightful Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin wrecking pop-psych havoc upon Mulder and Scully's own loneliness and their fears about their worst impulses.  The quality of the acting makes or breaks an episode like this and all 4 actors are definitely up to the task. 

The Christmas season is literally the darkest time of the year and so we often celebrate with lights and warmth and feasting to counteract the darkness.  However, that darkness also manifests in the sense of loneliness and melancholy that many experience during the season. 

Moreover, there is a wonderful tradition of ghostly tales and stories associated with the holiday season with which "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" slots in nicely.  There are even some direct references to the granddaddy of all ghostly Christmas tales, A Christmas Carol -- we see a clip of the Alistair Sim version of the tale on Mulder's TV late in the episode.  Also, corpses under the floorboards really takes the whole tombstone with your name on it thing on it to another level in terms of Christmas Yet To Come!

Although Maurice and Lyda's analysis of our heroes has some truth to it, the ghosts miss the fact that ultimately Mulder and Scully's friendship/partnership is more important to them than their flaws as individuals.  When Mulder and Scully are able to actually communicate (in pools of blood) they are able to overcome the ghosts' head games and make their escape from the haunted mansion.  Their ghostly encounter leaves them with a new and deeper appreciation of their friendship and for the spirit of the holiday season.  They even exchange gifts with each other -- aww! 

I also guarantee that you will never hear Bing Crosby's version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" in quite the same way after watching this episode.  

This X-Files episode is heartily recommended -- but not for the faint of heart. 

RigbyMel's rating:

4 candy canes! 

J.A. Morris says:

I'm mostly in agreement with my co-blogger here.  The X-Files was a show I usually watched when it aired and I remember enjoying this episode when it premiered.  

I'll echo what RigbyMel said about the light and darkness that are both present during the holiday season.  "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas" begins in an extremely dark place, with a story of two lovers who took their lives on Christmas Eve.  However, at the end of this episode, Mulder and Scully realize that there is more goodness than darkness in the world and that having each other (even if they drive each other crazy at times) is better than having no one.  

I'm a big fan of both Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin and they're great in "How The Ghosts Stole Christmas."  Both actors bring the perfect amount of humor and horror to their characters and they play well off Duchovny and Anderson.  

One thing I noticed while re-watching this episode:there are few traditional Christmas symbols to be found here.  No Christmas trees, no Santas, no wreathes, no Nativities.  We get a quick glance at Mulder and Scully's Christmas gifts at the end, but that's it.  Yet this is most definitely a Christmas episode in every other sense.  

During its run, The X-Files generally had two types of episodes:(1)"The Monster Of The Week" Episodes and (2) Episodes that built on the big conspiracy that lurked in the background of the series.  I always preferred the "Monster" episodes and this holiday episode certainly falls into that category.

"How The Ghosts Stole Christmas" is recommended to all fans of Christmas entertainment who like a little bit of darkness and horror to go with their eggnog and hot chocolate.  It's especially recommended for fans of Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes!