Episode 405--"the haunting of d.a.a."

Writer Ann Lewis Hamilton Director Joseph Dougherty Air Date 10/30/90 Guest Stars

John Rugle as the janitor; Richard Cummings Jr. as Mark Harriton; Peter Frechette as Peter Montefiorre; Holly Fulger as Hollis Amato; Andra Millian as Angel Wasserman; David Clennon as Miles Drentel

Synopsis

Michael is forced to fire employees from D.A.A. on Halloween.

Summary

Hope, Melissa, and Nancy sit on the porch, carving pumpkins and trying to dissuade Ethan from going as Freddy Krueger for Halloween. Miles has unearthed a model of the D.A.A. building that Duncan Arthur put together, telling Michael that Duncan died in the office. Then he tells Michael that D.A.A. needs to lighten the load and fire some people.

Elliot is up a tree on the Mr. Dent campaign and since Michael won't give him extra money, Elliot figures out that things are bad and people are going to get fired. Michael wants Elliot to look at the list of names and Elliot doesn't want to help. Miles has announced a masquerade Halloween party for D.A.A. Michael has trouble sleeping and Hope wakes up to talk to him about work. Elliot is also worried about what's going on at work, especially since people come to commiserate with him usually.

Elliot brings in Melissa to brainstorm on toothpaste and she runs into Miles, which is a little creepy as usual. Michael pulls Elliot aside to see the list, which now includes Hollis, and Elliot refuses to help tell people, saying that Michael is starting to sound like Miles. Michael digs a whole peanut out of the plaster in the wall of his office, then goes to talk to Hollis. She takes it fairly well, until she realizes that Angel isn't being fired as well. Working late that night, Michael thinks he hears noises and finds that it's just the janitor.

Elliot blows off steam about it to Nancy while Melissa is there working on the Mr. Dent campaign. After one meeting on Mr. Dent, Miles is excited and ready to run with the campaign even though Elliot and Michael are convinced it's not ready yet. Elliot is ready to sign off, but Michael puts the brakes on it and this leads to an argument between them about the good of the company.

Michael is working late again, talking to Miles, when the power goes out. Miles tells him that Duncan Arthur was enormously fond of peanuts, and that he died whlie watching the final game of the Cardinals/Twins World Series there in the office. Miles presses him not to care about the employees and to let them go, and Michael argues back when an electrical circuit blows and sets fire to some papers.

Elliot talks to Ethan about what he could be besides Freddy and they come up with a solution. Michael doesn't dress up for the costume party and looks quite silly, though someone asks him if he's going as Karl Draconis. Melissa goes looking for the bathroom and finds Miles sitting on the stairs as a blues character, playing "Ode to Joy" on the harmonica. Michael sulks off and finds the janitor in his office, staring at the model, claiming that he's Duncan Arthur. Duncan tells him that he died at home and that Miles is scared, lying, uncertain, and running out of time. Michael confides in Elliot that he wants to save DAA, but Elliot doesn't actively sign on.

Notes

• Melissa is going to go as Al Pacino for Halloween
• Miles' back has been acting up
• Michael's office was once Duncan Arthur's
• Someone named Evan was embezzling at the Michael and Elliot company
• Possibly the first occurrance of "Janey Byrd" nickname
• Ellyn and Angel both light up cigarettes

Music

Laurie Anderson's "The Day the Devil" (written by Peter Law Gordon from the album Strange Angels) plays during the mass firing scene

Fashion

Melissa has one long earring and heavy black eyeglasses.

Hope wears that robe kimono thing. Her hair is going longer again, but it's curled under and in, which looks odd.

Something is up with Nancy's hair--she wears scarves over it though it doesn't seem to have thinned all that much.

Elliot's jacket pin is back and so is some of his hair around the collar.

Michael is wearing a dark suit with a red power tie.

As for the Halloween party, Hope goes in some kind of Egyptian costume, Melissa as Marilyn Monroe, along with six other people, including Ellyn, Elliot as a gypsy, Nancy as a princess, and Angel as an Arabian bellydancer.

Quotes

"Teeth, white, male, strong, Aryan nation." --Melissa's attempt at free association

"Brush your teeth or I'll kill you in your sleep." --Elliot's worst pitch

"If you brush your teeth, we'll buy you a car." --Melissa's pitch

Analysis

• Joseph Dougherty was asked about this episode in an interview:

Q: I recognize Ernie Kovacs' Nairobi Trio as the band at the party in "the haunting of d.a.a." Who were in the monkey suits? Anyone we'd know? (Kovacs sometimes used celebrity friends like Jack Lemmon).

A: I fear there is no one of any significance in those suits. But the question makes me kick myself; I should have gotten into one of the those outfits along with a couple of other writers. Speaking of "the haunting of d.a.a.", the Marilyn Monroe who shares a cigarette with the similarly costumed Polly Draper is the same female impersonator who entertained in the drag bar in "the other shoe."

One of the people you see getting fired by Michael...is a distinguished gentleman with a beard and a great mane of white hair. That’s Nick Meglin, the editor of Mad Magazine. He visited the set shortly after the Mad parody of the show was published (“thirtysuffering”*) and Ann Hamilton and I sort of adopted him...or maybe he adopted us. Nick provided some of the drawings hanging in Billy’s apartment in “never better.”

• The scene in which Michael fired Hollis was hard to watch. I don't recall it being that horrible the first time I saw it. I must be growing up. Or maybe it was getting fired for the first time myself recently. And Michael didn't look quite as sorry as he probably should have when firing her (personal opinion on firing practices).

• Michael has put his foot over the edge of the abyss and is just waiting to put his weight down on it. He believes he can save the company, but to do so would mean playing the game and he's already paid the cover charge.

A 1991 NY Times article noted "the show's producers have decorated the reception area of their offices with a Mad magazine spoof titled "Thirtysuffering."

The Thirtysuffering spoof can be seen in its entirety here.

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