Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing St. Elsewhere, a medical show which ran on NBC from 1982 to 1988.  The show can be found on Daily Motion.

Oh, Dr. Westphall, what’s got you upset this week?

Episode 3.17 “Give The Boy A Hand”

(Dir by Janet Greek, originally aired on January 23rd, 1985)

Dr. Westphall’s daughter, Lizzie (Dana Short), comes home from college.  At first, Westphall is happy to have her home.  So is Tommy, Westphall’s several autistic son.  Still, he gets the feeling that Lizzie isn’t telling him something and we know he’s right because nothing good ever happens to Dr. Westphall.  Sure enough, Lizzie’s boyfriend shows up unannounced and Westphall discovers that Lizzie is struggling in college.  Lizzie reveals that she’s miserable away from home.  She wants to drop out and return home so that she can take care of Tommy.  Westphall tells her that’s not an option.  Lizzie gets angry and goes back to school.  Westphall ends up sitting in his house, alone and in the dark.

Agck!  Seriously, Dr. Westphall, can you get any more depressing!?

Meanwhile, Mrs. Hufnagle is back in the hospital.  When Dr. Chandler introduces himself as her new doctor, Hufnagle says that she doesn’t want him as her doctor.  “May I ask why?” Chandler asks.  “Because you’re colored,” comes the response.  Chandler explains that he went to Yale and graduated at the top of his class.  Hufnagle says that’s due to Affirmative Action.  In the cafeteria, Chandler begs the other doctors to take over as Hufnagle’s doctor.  “Go away!” the other doctors say.  Chandler is stuck with Hufnagle and, despite her original comments, Hufnagle decides that she’s okay with that.  Maybe she noticed that Dr. Chandler is played by a young Denzel Washington.

Dr. Woodley continues to treat pregnant teenager Maddy (Lycia Naff).  Meanwhile, Maddy’s idiot boyfriend (Timothy Van Patten) tried to set up a drug deal that went to pieces when one of his partners overdosed and was rushed to the ER, where he subsequently died.

Finally, Ehrlich has been on the local news, presenting a daily medical commentary.  However, when he tries to present a commentary about treating the disabled with respect, he tells a joke about a man who went to the hospital, had his legs accidentally amputated, tried to sue, and was told he didn’t have a leg to stand on.  After the station is flooded with complaints, Ehrlich is fired.  He gets the news right before he does his final commentary.  Ehrlich sings I’ve Got To Be Me on the air.  Later, he gets drunk and goes to the hospital, where he tells Dr. Craig that he feels like he’s forgotten what made him love being a doctor in the first place.  Ehrlich thinks he should quit medicine.

“It’s too late for that,” Craig replies.

“That’s it!?” Ehrlich, who was hoping for better advice, replies.

Craig sighs and gives Ehrlich a retractor of his very own.  Ehrlich thanks Craig and then makes a dumb joke.

“Just can’t help yourself,” Craig says.

The Ehrlich stuff was entertaining.  Ed Begley Jr. and William Daniels make for a great team.  Otherwise, this was a somewhat bland episode.  How many times can we watch Dr. Westphall get depressed?  Seriously, the man needs someone to tell him a good joke.

Paging Dr. Ehrlich….