Writer
Ann Lewis Hamilton
Director
Joshua Brand
Air Dates
4/11/89, 7/18/89
Guest Stars
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Writer
Director
Air Dates
Guest Stars |
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Holly Fulger as Hollis Amato; Andra Millian as Angel Wasserman; Rosalind Cash as Val Shilliday; Charlie Stratton as Drew; Richard Cummings, Jr. as Mark Harriton; Charles Levin as the doctor
Synopsis
Michael starts his new job at D.A.A. the day after Hope miscarries.
Summary
Hope goes in to have her pre-natal checkup while Elliot and Michael go to see Miles who puts them on the Spingherri car campaign. Hope calls and interrupts the meeting, which sends Michael down to the doctor's--there had been a miscarriage. She has the D&C immediately. Hope proceeds to be extremely functional, to an irritating point even. Elliot calls to tell Michael that they've been given an office and great salaries.
The next day, Michael goes to the office despite Elliot's offer to cover for him since Hope insists that he go. At home, Hope is dealing with her mother on the phone and begins to have a series of dream sequences about a birthday party with Janey. Angel and Hollis come to visit Michael and Elliot from next door and plant lots of little urban myths in their minds, including that they only design ads for tampons and douche. Melissa comes to visit Hope and watches her be unbelievably functional. Michael and Elliot try out the building, looking at the great stuff in the kitchen while avoiding the Spingherri campaign until they find out that Hollis and Angel are actually assigned to the Spingherri campaign as well, another of Miles' gladiator tactics.
Upon Michael's return, Hope continues to be frighteningly functional. She meets with her editor Val who gives her tough talk about taking care of herself. Michael and Elliot continue to struggle with the Spingherri while also struggling with not being the bosses anymore. Ellyn comes to visit Hope and tries to cheer her up, recalling how Hope went with her to get an abortion, and trying to sympathize. Miles offers to take Michael and Elliot to New York on a trip, which holds Michael up from getting to a parent conference and Hope gives him the weird suffering, slightly dazed treatment.
At the office, Miles moves the presentation up and Elliot decides not to call Michael and bother him. Michael and Hope have a fight over his new priorities and the new job, and whether or not losing the baby was actually a relief for Michael. They're slightly more civil in the morning, and Hope continues her dream images of the birthday party, but now we see it was actually for the new baby. Michael finds Elliot asleep on the couch, having worked through the night.
Michael goes home and finally talks it all out with Hope. In the end, Hope finally starts to grieve and confess that she's worried Michael blames her, that she somehow was responsible for the miscarriage (which of course he doesn't blame her for).
Notes
Michael had a moustache once Ellyn had an abortion at 20 (the father was Bobby Jeskie whose primary appeal was "good forearms") Angel and Hollis appear for the first time The D in DAA is for Drentel The first thing Elliot set up in the office was the basketball hoop Michael is still somewhat cool toward Miles.
Quotes
"Oooh, kids from the first marriage. They look like woodchucks. Some orthodontist is going to buy himself second home off this pack." --Elliot, regarding the pictures on Miles' desk
--"Yeah, eggs and, oh, napkins." --Hope
--"Napkins?" --Michael
--"Well, Kotex." --Hope
--"Whoa, Hope, I can't buy those." --Michael
--"Sure you can. I'll give you a note." --Hope
"If you ask me, you oughta go home, get a basket of Tastee Cakes, and pig out." --Val Shilliday
"What's wrong with Steadman? He seems even gloomier than usual." --Miles
Analysis
"I completely agree that Hope is "annoyingly functional" after the miscarriage. This was yet another illustration of how she can internalize her pain and bitch at everyone for trying to help her through a tough time. Pretty believable for the ice-princess. What I found to be unrealistic, however, was Hope's apparently good physical condition just hours after the D&C. I miscarried a few years back in much the same manner and also underwent a D&C. While this is not the most serious of procedures, it's pretty darn uncomfortable post-op because of the nearly-hanging-upside-down-in-the-stirrups position that one is in for the duration. I remember being quite sore and very groggy all afternoon. (The next day I felt fine, physically)."
"For someone who is suppose to have a degree in (I'm assuming) journalism, this woman can't communicate worth a flip. I understand that she needs Michael's support during a very difficult time, but isn't this the same woman who was riding him in the previous episode with "there is a job, isn't there?" And, "This wasn't suppose to happen. Not to us. And it scares me, can you appreciate that?" And still, "I could stop playing leap frog with the Visa cards." Can't anyone write this character's mood with some consistency? He does get the job and she bitches about that too. Geez, Hope was a model candidate for Prozac. No wonder the poor guy carried the world on his shoulders."