Last night I watched season 4's holiday-themed episode 'Yes Virginia There Is a Liberace.' Such a great one. I gave it a 10 on the IMDb. I haven't written a review for it yet, because I think I will probably watch it again to figure out why it struck such a chord with me.
Are there other Christmas episodes, or was this the only one?
I believe it was the only one.
shareThanks for the reply! I looked up all the episodes on the show's wiki page and that was my conclusion as well. It looks like season 4 was the only time a new episode was broadcast at the end of December.
So we never saw Cecilia spend the holidays with her boys.
'Yes, Virginia, There Is a Liberace'
A Vegas Chri$tmas
For some reason, this episode seems to capture the 80s zeitgeist more than most offerings of this long-running series. It's the only Christmas-themed episode and as such, it shows us how people celebrated the holiday then. I think American society was more connected at that time, and we see it reflected in the Simons. Cecilia is throwing a big party and expects her sons to be there. Never mind the fact they're working on an important case and may not be able to attend. They've been hired by a little girl who would like her dad home for Christmas. So in a way the girl and Cecilia both want the same thing-- to be with family during this special time of the year. It's interesting the brothers are basically working for free, or else their payment will not come till later-- the girl's parents are financially strapped and it's because the dad owes a loan shark a huge sum of cash that he's disappeared.
There are some very charming moments as the main story plays out. In particular, viewers are treated to a great scene where Rick & A.J. try to appeal to a loan shark's sense of "decency" (they quickly learn he is not at all decent). They reach him by pretending to be carolers at a holiday gathering. In order to get away without being hurt, they have to hide among nativity characters on a front lawn. I thought the name of the loan shark was somewhat inspired-- his name is 'Eyeball.'
The last act of the story takes the Simons to Las Vegas. It should be noted that although he is mentioned in the title, Liberace does not turn up in this story. But there is some exterior filming that was done in Vegas, so it does feel authentic. We see the brothers and Town catch up with the little girl's father at a casino. The desperate man has taken the money he made by pawning his wife's ring, and is trying to make enough gambling to pay back the loan shark. Of course, the loan shark and his goons have also arrived at the casino. Since this is a holiday show and it must have a 'happy ending,' a long shot bet comes in and there is suddenly enough money to pay off the debt. Town takes the man and the crooks back to San Diego. We learn there are no more available seats on the flight, so Rick and A.J. have to spend Christmas in Vegas listening to a lounge singer. The final shots, after they break the news to Cecilia that they will not be home in time, are bittersweet. There is a Santa Claus, there is a Liberace down the strip, and there are two brothers who have each other.
I watched this (along with a few other different shows with Christmas-themed episodes), and while I found it largely enjoyable, I felt that there was something missing from Jameson Parker's performance in that final scene. It was probably just me and whatever mood I was in at that moment, but to my mind JP comes off as not believing in the material, or at least not investing anything in the final scene he has with Rick (and the turkey). I rated the episode a 6/10.
shareI will have to go back and watch the Christmas episode again after I finish the last few season 4 episodes. Maybe Jameson Parker is just not much of a sentimentalist and he can't really hide it on screen.
Did the other shows' classic Christmas episodes rate higher?
By the way, I was meaning to ask in the season 5 thread-- how do you arrive at your ratings?
I start with everything at an 8. After ten minutes, if I can see the episode is disjointed and the whole storyline is too convoluted, I finish watching it but take it down to a 7. I never go lower than a 7 on this show, because even the worst episodes still have a lot of nice moments in them. Conversely, if something is really clicking after the first ten minutes, I keep my rating of it at an 8, then I gradually move it up to a 9 or 10 by the end of the episode if I feel the whole thing was excellent. There are times when I want to rate an episode with a score of 8.5, but I usually round it up.
Okay, I just re-watched it. I loved the whole thing more than I did the first time. I'd forgotten about the shtick in the pawn shop where they pose as musicians. The guy who plays Eyeball is fantastic (Louis Giambalvo). The part at the end where they're brawling and the bet comes in while Rick wins the turkey at the same time was really well-played by everyone, even the minor characters. Perfectly choreographed.
I looked carefully at the last scene in the lounge. My first impression is that when A.J. walks in and sees the turkey at the table and Rick drinking, he feels it's all a little silly. There is also the presence of the singer, which reminds him of when he and Rick were caroling at Eyeball's party earlier in the episode. Jameson seems to be playing the whole scene a bit tongue-in-cheek, which contrasts with the way Mac is playing it, more sentimentally and with heart. It's definitely two different approaches/acting styles. Jameson might also have thought that with the turkey sitting at the table with them, it had to be played whimsically instead of seriously. Because Mac plays it 'straight,' that's almost funnier.
By the way, I was meaning to ask in the season 5 thread-- how do you arrive at your ratings?
I guess if I were grading it like a paper, a 7 would be a C. An 8 would be a B. A 9 would be an A. And a 10 would be an A+. I haven't seen anything that seems to be less than a C-.
Yesterday I finished the rest of season 4 and worked on my reviews. I will be adding the last few reviews on the Season 4 thread. Out of 22 episodes, a third of them earned a perfect score from me. But maybe I'm just an easy grader. :)
I consider 5 as being "average", with ratings higher and lower being the appropriate variances. 4 is slightly below average and it goes from there.
share