Date of airing: April 17, 1999 (CBS)
Nielsen ratings information: 9.63 million viewers, 6.5/13 in Households
written by: Dan Freudenberger
directed by: Todd Pfeiffer
I guess the writers were still finding ways to immobilize Gary, to make it harder for him to get out there on the streets of Chicago and save lives, so that the prevention of bad and deathly headlines are going to be an issue for him for the entirety of an episode. And maybe, just maybe, those attempts were also included in the story to give time and attention to the other characters. As Gary was locked in quarantine for more than half of the episode, it was Marissa's day to shine, and while she was only second fiddle in the story of Emmett Brown, who returned as Marissa's taxi driver and boyfriend, and future attorney, it was still nice to see that Marissa had something more to do again. She has been a criminally underused character this season, with her work in the season-opener "Blackout" being the most memorable of the entire series so far, simply because she went out there and did not get stuck at McGinty's.
This episode was quite helpful in reminding us all that Emmett is still part of Marissa’s life, and that he and Marissa can take over Gary’s duties easily when needed, while also striking up a necessary connection with strangers, helping them be save and find the good things in the long run. If you think about it, the paper sent Gary to isolation, just so Marissa and Emmett can deal with Walter Stites, and Emmett can save his judicial future in the process. Possibly because Gary's hyperactive ways of helping people would not have helped Mr. Stites at all, because the old man needed a bit more than just someone saving his life and then running away again. Not to mention that the paper, via the monkey, gave Emmett a chance to still practice law – so, the paper not only helped Mr. Stites, but also Emmett, and possibly even his romance with Marissa?
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| After being bitten by a monkey, local man exhibits behavior similar to that of a monkey. |
I did like the idea of Gary in quarantine. If that would have been the A plot, it could have been a great opportunity to show what Gary is all about when he cannot run through Chicago and save lives, when he had to roll his thumbs for a change and just sit on his butt and think about his thoughts. It would have been the opportunity for Kyle Chandler to show off some of his comedic chops, which he partially did when he acted like a monkey as the research woman was watching the monitor. I also found it hilarious that the research woman watching him was profiling Gary like she was watching a serial killer case, in which the serial killer had not been acting out yet. Does this mean that Gary is seen as a man with severe cases of paranoia and schizophrenia when they do not know about the paper? Honestly, that might be awfully neat and helpful to Gary, because that way no one is going to be interested in what he is doing, and he would not have to try to explain what he is doing. Except of course, you are an attractive woman, maybe in love with Gary, but hesitate to make the next move because he behaves like a paranoid schizophrenic.
In the meantime, I found it quite convenient that Gary was able to read the smaller articles and headlines of the paper from across the hallway, with a piece of glass and at least six feet of distance between him and the monkey's cage. I could not, but then again I kind of have crappy sight already. But the monkey should have been peeing and pooing all along the paper already, yet Gary was still able to read the paper, let alone carry it around in the end. I guess the monkey decided to be nice and not relieve itself on Gary's paper?
The story of Mr. Stites was okay. It was a standard procedure for the writers, to create a dramatic backstory for a throwaway character, and it was one of those stories that did not excite me, let alone made me remember it for the time being. The only reason I will remember it for at least a little bit is because of Red Buttons, and how it looked like he was playing one and the same character in his later career stages. However, Buttons' appearance in this episode had me think once more that the writers and producers of the show decided to rebuke the network notes of making this show hipper and younger, so they went back to the old days. Crumb came back in the previous episode, an A-list Hollywood star from the past guest-starred in this episode, and the characters who were supposed to make the show more hip and young were absent. No Henry, no Erica, and just a minute or two with Patrick. Yes, everything the show was supposed to do at the beginning of season three... the show is no longer doing that.
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| Your next all-time favorite romantic couple on television: Emmett and Marissa. |
Finally, I was impressed how much screentime Emmett had. It is almost like he was a main character of the show during this episode, by definitely getting more screentime than Marissa, whose help Gary has asked for. He also definitely had a character arc here, and one the writers could continue to follow up on in future episodes if the character sticks around to be Marissa's love interest, maybe even husband at the end of the series' run. I would have wished for that screetime to belong to Marissa though, but then again, Marissa seemed to have her life under control at the moment, while her boyfriend is still unknown to the audience. Now I am hoping the guy will not just disappear between seasons or turn out to be another one of Marissa's psychopathic boyfriends. I would not mind if Marissa keeps holding on to Emmett and be in a proper romance with him, just for the sake of a little more continuity in the show.
