Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing Hang Time, which ran on NBC from 1995 to 2000.  The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, Silk’s aunt dies and Julie nearly kills another player.  It’s a dangerous time in Indiana!

Episode 6.3 “The Gospel According To Silk”

(Dir by Miguel Higuera, originally aired on October 7th, 2000)

The team is confused as to why Silk never wants to go to kareoke night with them.  They decide to follow Silk to find out what he does after each game.  They discover that he goes to a church so, of course, they decide to follow him inside so they can find out what he does in there.  Uhmmm …. it’s a church.  What do they think he’s doing in there?  Seriously, the people were the worst about not giving anyone any privacy.

Anyway, it turns out that Silk and his Aunt Charlotte (Jennifer Holliday) sing in a gospel choir.  (Have I mentioned how much I dislike gospel music?)  While sitting in the church, the team demands to know why Silk hadn’t been telling them that he sings in the choir.  Uhmmm …. people, you’re in a church!  You’re interrupting a rehearsal!  You’re in a place of worship!  LEAVE SILK ALONE!  He doesn’t have to tell you about every single aspect of his life.

Anyway, now that Aunt Charlotte has been introduced to everyone, she does what every guest star on this show does and she goes to the school to watch the Tornadoes practice.  Charlotte also tosses the ball and makes a few baskets.  Charlotte explains that she can do anything with “faith and a little prayer.”  Then Charlotte goes home, has a heart attack, and, despite all of Silk’s prayers, dies.

Uh-oh, Silk is losing his faith!  Fear not, though, Charlotte’s ghost appears to him at church and tells him not to despair.  Shows like Hang Time were always a bit cringey whenever they attempted to deal with religious faith but Danso Gordon did a good job portraying Silk’s pain and his eventual acceptance of Charlotte’s passing.

As for the B-plot, Coach K and Mary Beth competed to win a car by seeing who could stay in it the longest.  In the end, they both lost because they were both outside of the car when time ran out.  Or something.  It was dumb and it definitely felt out-of-place in this episode.

Episode 6.4 “The Enforcer”

(Dir by Miguel Higuera, originally aired on October 14th, 2000)

“I was watching the tape of our first three games,” Coach K tells the team at practice, “and I wasn’t happy with what I saw….”

Uhmmm, Coach K, the first episode of the sixth season had the team on the verge of making the playoffs and bragging about their undefeated season.  Why are you only now watching the tape of your first three games?

(The real answer is that NBC showed the final 26 episodes out-of-order.  The fun answer is that Coach K is just extremely slow.)

Coach K is worried that Julie isn’t being aggressive enough.  In their upcoming game against Montrose, the Tornadoes will be facing Dave Carter (Riley Smith), a player who is so good that he’s going to go straight from high school to the NBA despite the fact that he looks way too short to be a basketball player.  Dave’s NBA dreams are shattered with Julie knocks him down to the floor and he tears some ligament in his knee.

Guilt-stricken, Julie loses her competitive edge.  Fortunately, when she goes to visit the wheelchair-bound Dave in the hospital, he tells her that he doesn’t hate her and that she has to “take the shot.”  So, Julie gets back to normal and Dave …. well, I guess he’s going to be stuck in Indiana for the rest of his life.  As always, the important thing is that Julie’s doing better.

Meanwhile, a malfunctioning ATM gives Kristy thousands of dollars.  Unfortunately, it also causes both she and Mary Beth to have bad luck until they give the money away.  As bad as their luck may be, at least they weren’t put in a wheelchair by Julie.  Seriously, poor Dave!

I’m being a bit snarky but this wasn’t a bad episode.  Learning how to deal with guilt is an important lesson and Hang Time deserves some credit for addressing it.  That said, it’s still hard not to notice that the NBA-bound Dave didn’t really appear to be that good of a player in the first place.  I mean, considering that Dave, who we were told was the best player in the history of Indiana high school basketball, didn’t appear to be better than any of the Deering players, shouldn’t the entire cast by NBA-bound?

Next week: Silk is offered a scholarship and a special guest stars shows up for movie night!