Episode 402--"life class"

Writer Winnie Holzman Director Scott Winant Air Dates 10/2/90, 7/23/91 Guest Stars

Eric Rosse as Art; Christopher Curry as Dr. Eilerton; Holly Fulger as Hollis Amato; Andra Millian as Angel Wasserman; David Clennon as Miles Drentel

Nancy has difficulty being interested in sex after the hysterectomy.

Nancy is now teaching a life art class at the center. When she goes to the doctor for checkups she tries to bring up the issue of enjoying sex after the hysterectomy, but the doctor is somewhat preoccupied and doesn't really listen. Packing up Ethan's baby things to give to Hope for Leo, Nancy becomes nostalgic and daydreams of going to a gallery and seeing a handsome young man from her art class. At D.A.A., Miles rips apart a presentation by Angel and Hollis, after which Hollis leaves, upset. Angel goes to see Elliot, crying and asking to stay in his office since she can't work in her own. When Elliot gets home, he finds that Nancy is tired and upset with Britty for no particular reason. In class, Nancy works in particular with the man she had the daydream about. Later, Nancy dreams of the gallery again and seeing the young man. In bed with Elliot, she is somewhat unresponsive in bed and not interested in reaching a climax. Elliot suggests that she talk to a doctor, but she is offputting about it. Angel and Elliot brainstorm about the shampoo campaign. Elliot goes to pick up Nancy from the art center and they somehow devolve into an argument about whether or not he looked at the nude model and what this means about Nancy as a woman. Nancy tries to bring up the sex issue with Dr. Silverstein, but it doesn't go anywhere. Hope brings Leo to the office and while Michael is changing the diaper, he and Elliot talk about having women, such as Angel, for a friend. When Nancy arrives, Michael passes Leo off to her (and she holds him rather uncomfortably), and she finds Elliot working with Angel, then fumbles out the door. She daydreams of the gallery again and kissing the young man. At the dinner table, Nancy is cross with Elliot again, and they get into a fight in the bedroom after she finds out that Angel knows about the cancer. At the bottom line, she is frustrated and feeling that Elliot is stuck with her. Angel and Elliot continue to work together and she confesses that she was once attracted to him, but isn't anymore. Nancy goes back to the doctor and becomes quite irate with him, saying that she feels castrated as a woman. Nancy goes to the gallery and meets the model, but doesn't recognize her with her clothes on. To Nancy's consternation, the young man arrives as well and is dating the model. Nancy dreams of meeting the young man and talking with him about feeling dead inside and having lost the other woman, the person she was before. Hope asks if Nancy has been avoiding her because of the baby and Nancy admits that it's true. This somehow serves as a turning point for Nancy as she apologizes some to Elliot that night and they make love.

Fashion

Nancy wears glasses. Elliot wears a jacket pin.

Goofs

Jan has written in to note that when Nancy is giving her speech about what might have caused her cancer, her lips say "or maybe it was that red M&M I ate as a kid" but the voiceover says "red jellybean". Verrrry interesting...

Quotes

"All I do all day is open and close my blouse. How much more bored could I get?" --Hope, on breast feeding

Chris Ryerson has written in with this recollection:

"Wasn't there a scene in "Life Class" where Nancy reads Castrated Woman in the bathroom in the middle of the night after getting so upset with Elliot for discussing her and bringing the book home from Angel? Then the next day, armed with info from the book, she confronts her oncologist, or whoever it is who says, 'Let's play with your hormones.'"

Analysis

• Hmmm...the issues are interesting, but the timing seems to be all wrong. It's been almost six months since Nancy's surgery and she's just now feeling this way? I guess I would've thought these would be problems she and Elliot would have to face much earlier in the going, but what do I know? Maybe it was indeed the hormones and estrogen level, but my word, it was shades of Sybill from start to finish.