Episode 106--"we gather together"

Story Susan Miller Teleplay Susan Miller, Edward Zwick, Richard Kramer Director Mark Cullingham Air Date

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11/17/87

Guest Star

Jack Blessing as Jeff Haggis, Melissa's dull date from Canada

Synopsis

It's a Wonderful Thanksgiving, Hope!

Summary

Hope doesn't want to host the usual Thanksgiving, but everyone else wants to come over so Michael caves in at last. Everyone makes plans while Hope holes away upstairs, looks at old photos and reminisces, thinking what it might've been like to meet Michael when they were younger. Gary and Ellyn team up for the cornbread stuffing and Melissa wants to bring her new and extremely bland boyfriend Jeff.

The day gets off to a horrible start as Janey is up and sick all night before, Jeff storms off when Michael and Elliot jokingly accuse him of stealing spoons, and Elliot and Nancy finally abandon ship for the golden arches. Michael then gets sick and Hope works herself to exhaustion caring for him and Janey, then faints as Gary and Ellyn arrive with great holiday cheer.

Hope has a hilarious fever dream in which Melissa shows her the future in which Michael marries Muffy Thorndyke, Melissa quits therapy and becomes a bag lady, Ellyn gets a new best friend, Elliot leaves Nancy to become a mime, and Janey ends up marrying Gary. Hope wakes up, declares how much she loves Thanksgiving, and everyone else shows up again at the house for one big happy, if slightly predictable, ending.

Notes

• Melissa's shrink is named Dr. Nessle/Nestle
• Grendel appears
• Janey slept through the night for the first time
• Nancy and Elliot met at 18
• There are at least 11 employees at the Michael and Elliot Company

Goofs

• Ellyn's mother's name is given as Adele, but she's called Marjorie in later episodes

Music

• "Fire and Rain", performed by Peter Horton (written by James Taylor), performed for the episode as Gary strums and sings a few bars in Hope's daydream

Fashion

Michael wears suspenders.

Quotes

"I think there's a Polaroid in an attic somewhere getting very, very old." --Hope, regarding why Gary still looks the same as in college

"Turkeys make soft squishy sounds when they fall. That sounded like a piece of the Skylab." --Hope, regarding the turkey that never got defrosted

"Any chance of food before the next Harmonic Convergence?" --Nancy

Analysis

• Hope manages to show all her concerns as a Mom without being a whiny, vengeful woman. Why couldn't they write her lines like this all the time?
• Jeff's last name is Haggis and he's from Canada, which makes me believe that it's a joke on Paul Haggis, who is probably Canadian given his involvement wtih Due South. Interestingly enough, Ken Olin went on to star in EZ Streets also created and produced by Paul Haggis.

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The dashed line marks the point where Lisa Stevenson Blackwell's original version of this page ended, and where Bob Fahey began adding material.

Two scenes shortened in Lifetime version - [1/06/07] Luiza Hirsch (Luiza@gmx.org) has both the Lifetime versions and the unedited versions aired in Germany. She writes:

The opening scene was cut short. It begins with close-ups of some of the photos that Hope is looking at, "explaining" them to Janey (on her lap). The first one shows a stunning Michael with really long hair in a pony tail and humungous sideburns (later to be seen in the animated memory of Ellyn and Hope meeting Michael and Gary). The second one shows Hope in college graduation gear. Hope comments about how young they both look ("This was your mom in a previous life").

The next scene they cut short is about 10 minutes into the episode. Gary is leaning against a counter in the Steadman kitchen, talking to Michael who frantically runs past him as the Westons arrive. The dialogue was cut. Michael in fact runs back and forth several times, walks into the adjoining dining room where Ellyn is slouching on a chair, fiddling with a pencil. Apparently there has been a fight between Gary and Ellyn over the stuffing recipe and Michael gives a fine example of shuttle diplomacy. Mind that the last sentence of the previous scene was Gary saying that he has a great recipe for stuffing.

Gary: I never said I wouldn’t collaborate with her on the stuffing.
Michael, racing past him into the dining room, carrying something: I don’t care.
Gary, as Michael comes back: I only said I have a special recipe.
Michael: Yeah, sure, you were very diplomatic about it. (Races back into the dining room with a tray). Excuse me.
Ellyn hissing to Michael: I didn’t mean to attack him personally.
Michael, mockingly: Of course not.
Ellyn: I only said I’m not interested in his recipe.
Michael: Gotcha. (Races back into the kitchen).
Gary: So?
Michael: No problem.
Gary: So she accepts chestnuts instead of cornbread?
Michael: Why don’t we use both?
Gary: We can use both but we have to do it at my house, not hers.
Michael: Ok, I’ll be right back. (Races into the dining room).
Ellyn, hissing at Michael: He’s making my life hell.
Michael: Calm down.
Ellyn: I just don’t understand why I have to have a Thanksgiving partner.
Michael, raising his voice: Ellyn, we’ve known each other for quite a while. I’ve never made a personal appeal to you before. Could you maybe find it in yourself to do me this extraordinary favor this one time? Make the damn stuffing with him and shut up.

Part of this shows Gary who can obviously overhear everything, as well he might, with only a swinging door between them. The whole scene has a real sitcom feel, like the entire episode.
Michael comes back into the kitchen and gives Gary a silent thumbs-up while he’s racing past him. This is when the Westons arrive.

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