Date of airing: October 3, 1998 (CBS)
Nielsen ratings information: 10.97 million viewers, 7.3/14 in Households
written by: Alex Taub
directed by: Randall Zisk
Can it be that the second season was just something of a lazy and random attempt at keeping the show alive, no matter what kind of audience was tuning in or what the entertainment press was writing about the show? Was the second season just one of those instances of television where the writers barely cared about the rules they have established previously, and just went with whatever story they could come up with?
Two episodes into the third season, and Gary's paper did exactly what it was supposed to do for Gary. It is here to annoy him sometimes, because it constantly changes the headline. It is here to give him as few clues as possible when it comes to preventing a disaster, so that Gary is going to have to run through the city to save people. It is also here to put Gary in front of Sophie's Choice: save one or save the other(s). And as we have come to see a couple of times at this stage, most notably in the first-season episodes "The Choice" and "Faith," and even back then I said to myself that Gary will never learn the lesson the paper gives him. Sometimes you simply need to save the one to also save the other. This is the superpower of the paper: When Gary has made his choice of which person to save, it also means he is indirectly saving another person, as accidents in this series universe of Chicago happen via a string of happy coincidences that are all connected.
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| Detention on Saturday for all three of them! |
Also, the paper is about to change Gary's life for a little bit, as the
original Buffy Summers, Kristy Swanson, made her first of many appearances as both a staff member of McGinty's, as well as Gary's potential love interest. It is not too much of a spoiler when I say that Erica is going to become an
important figure in Gary's life throughout this season, because that fact was essentially broadcast in the way she was established in the story, how she immediately made an impression on Gary, and how her life immediately was all about her son Henry. And let me tell you, I am definitely not excited about the prospect of having to endure Henry as the typically annoying child character on broadcast television – they mostly suck because they do stupid things, never learn from their mistakes, and are always in the way of other characters and their screentime. I mean, the boy almost drowned twice in this episode already, so I don't think that Henry will ever do something right here. Maybe he should have a fear of bridges after this hour, judging by how often he was falling from them?
Kristy Swanson was fabulous here. It is a shame that she became something of a terrible person lately (being an anti-vaxxer is just the beginning here), but I guess not all of the actors I once had a crush on during my teenage years became protesters for the progressive cause. At least there is EARLY EDITION, and I immediately liked her character, even if she happened to be a bit underdeveloped in this episode, as the writers gave her the generic elements of a sorry-ass life with a crappy ex-husband and a generally poor life as a single mother with no steady jobs or friends to call for help. Half of America seems to live like Erica did before this episode, so there isn't anything new or exciting about her, making it easier for the audience to accept her as Gary's future love interest. Although after this episode, I am wondering what Gary would see in her.
But Erica came into the show with enough backstory to give her something to do immediately, which is a good thing. Single mother, low on cash, her checks are bad, and she might be a little emotional at times as well, considering she is dealing with all of this bullcrap right now. It makes her a character who could be given loads of possible storylines from the get-go, as the writers did their best to create an issue for her in the show that needs resolving at some point. It also helps that Henry is around as well, giving her trouble, and giving Gary and Erica an excuse to hang out and have conversations (it is always easier to talk about children and how stupidly annoying they are sometimes). In fact, this episode did a good job of introducing Erica, her son, her story, her connection to Gary, and making sure that she wasn't just a random character of the week who needed help and used Gary as an impromptu therapist.
By the way, where was the bridge in the opening scene, when Gary was catching Henry from falling into the river? Henry fell out of the sky in that one, which makes things hilarious – a story literally fell into Gary's hands, apparently.
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| Mister Bigshot almost ran over the star of the show. |
Meanwhile, I was happy to see that Patrick is also a recurring character, and that he is just the slightly funny comic relief for the show. Someone like Chuck, but who does not know about the paper and figures that it is a splendid idea to make money off of it. A young dude who doesn't ask questions and does what he is told. A young dude who also knows how to handle his little patrons at the bar – his scene with Henry was cute, and the right way to treat a child waiting for its mother. Patrick is also good for Gary to ask for help, because Patrick never challenges his boss about anything, giving Gary relief when it comes to not having to explain to anyone how he knows what he knows. Patrick seems to be up for anything. But maybe Patrick should be a bit more ... well-versed, maybe? The man kind of seems like he is not the smartest of the bunch.
