Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 3.6 “The Bulls Change Hands”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

This episode was confusing.  Is syndication to blame?

Episode 3.6 “The Bulls Change Hands”

(Dir by Stan Lathan, originally aired on September 9th, 1987)

Diana no longer owns the Bulls!

That was the main plot development to be found in this cluttered episode of 1st & Ten.  As I’ve mentioned before, the episodes of 1st & Ten that are available on Tubi are the heavily edited versions that were sold into syndication as opposed to the original, R-rated versions that appeared on HBO.  With quite a few of these episodes, it’s obvious that entire plotlines have been pretty much chopped out.  That certainly feels like the case here because, despite having watched the episode, I’m still not totally sure how Diane lost the Bulls in the first place.

What I do know is that she threatened to expose Teddy’s insider trading.  Teddy responded by leaving the country but, before he left, he gave his ownership shares to his daughter, Jill (Leah Ayres).  Teddy explains that this makes Jill the owner of the Bulls.  But my understanding was that Teddy only owned half the team so it seems like that would mean Jill and Diane would now be co-owners.  Perhaps I missed something in an earlier episode or maybe some line of dialogue was cut out for syndication, I’m not sure.  What I do know is that Jill now owns the Bulls.  The first thing she does is break up with Yinessa because she can’t be both his boss and his girlfriend.

In her final locker room speech, Diane orders the Bulls to win because Diane is taking Jill to court and she wants the team to be in the playoffs once she returns as the owner.  It’s not a bad speech but again, I thought Diane still owned at least half of the team.

Meanwhile, Yinessa is back as quarterback.  And he leads the Bulls to their first victory of the season.  His new wide receiver, Billy Cooper (Michael Toland) catches the game-winning pass.  At the same time that Billy is scoring, some guy who we’ve never seen before is shooting at him from the roof of the stadium.  The police arrest the guy and Billy later discovers a bullet lodged in his helmet.

Bubba’s sex therapist (Penny Johnson) is now obsessed with him, despite Bubba’s attempts to set her up with with Jethro.  I have a feeling that the Jethro/Bubba storylines were the ones that really got left on the cutting room floor when it came to editing these episodes for syndication.  Jethro and Bubba have been with the show since the beginning and they’ve got prominent billing in the opening credits but, when it comes to their roles in the episodes themselves, it seems like the only thing that happens is Bubba says that he needs to get laid and then the two of them disappear for several weeks.  When they do finally reappear, Bubba is always in some sort of new trouble with his wife.

Speaking of marriage, in this episode, TD Parker finally confesses to his wife that he’s been having an affair.

TD apologizes.  His wife tells him to get out.  Agck!  I can see where this storyline is heading but OJ Simpson fighting with his wife still lands differently in 2026 than it probably did in 1987.

This episode was a mess but I guess Jill is the owner of the Bulls now and Teddy’s fled to South America.  Can’t the Bull just concentrate on playing football and earning their paycheck?

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 3.5 “Illegal Use Of Love”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

With their best player now dead, the Bull begin their new season.

Episode 3.5 “Illegal Use Of Love”

(Dir by Stan Lathan, originally aired on September 2nd, 1987)

Uh-oh, TD Parker is cheating on his wife with assistant, Kay (Alexa Hamilton).  TD explains that his wife is upset about the amount of time that he’s putting in with the team.  She feels that he’s neglecting his family.  She doesn’t even like football anymore!

Yep, TD has a lot of excuses for cheating on his wife but don’t think that he’s a bad guy or anything.  As he tells his mistress, everything is fine except for….

As I’ve said before, probably the most interesting thing about 1st & Ten is the way that everything that OJ Simpson says now has a double meaning.  At the time this was filmed, OJ was just a former football player who had become a likable if not particularly versatile actor.  Watching it today in 2026 …. well, words land differently.

As the Bulls, the team is in trouble.  Their season opener against Baltimore is a disaster.  Yinessa is still out and demanding a new contract before he’ll play so, instead, he sits in the stands and watch as the backup quarterback throws interception after interception.  Later, he tells Teddy’s daughter, Jill Schrader (Leah Ayres), that all he wants to do is play football.  If that’s the case, why not sign your stupid contract and play football?  Seriously, when did Yinessa get so whiny?

There’s a brief sign of hope during the Baltimore game.  Dr. Death intercept a pass.  But then Dr. Death runs the wrong way and gets tackled behind the other team’s goal line.  A local sports commentator says that Dr. Death and Mad Dog (who blocked while Death was running the wrong way) are idiots.  He’s correct but he retracts his statement after Death and Dog threaten to destroy his car.

The Bulls need a quarterback.  Teddy goes behind Diane’s back and arranges a trade for arrogant Johnny Valentine, the coke-addled quarterback who Diane kicked off the team the previous season.  Diane gets angry but what can she do?  Teddy owns half of the team….

For now!

TD’s mistress shows TD some financial reports that show that Teddy has been making his money through insider trading.  TD is shocked.

If anyone knows about illegal….

It looks like Teddy might be in some trouble.  It also looks like Diane might be in some trouble as well because the other owners think that she’s failed to control the drug use on her team.  (They’re not incorrect.)  We’ll see what happens next week but I have a feeling that a change is coming.

And really, that change can’t come a minute too soon.  Even with the steroid storyline, this season has been a snoozefest so far.  Here’s hoping things perk up next week!

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 3.4 “The Comeback Trail”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

Some will never play the game….

Episode 3.4 “The Comeback Trail”

(Dir by Stan Lathan, originally aired on August 26th, 1987)

The Bulls are in disarray!  Yinessa is in the hospital and might never play again.  Diane wants to trade John Manzak for a new quarterback but TD Parker explains that Manzak is actually one of the best players that they have.

Then, OJ — I mean TD — heads to the locker room and catches Manzak shooting up steroids in the bathroom.  TD tries to take the steroids away from him and Manzak …. well, Manzak doesn’t appreciate that.

Manzak apologizes and explains that, after ten years of injuries, he needs the steroids to play.  TD orders him to stop using them.  Manzak doesn’t listen and during the next practice, he collapses on the field.  TD runs out to him and checks his pulse.

OJ would know!

So ends the saga of John Manzak.  He just wanted to play football but he took too many steroids and collapsed dead on the practice field.

How will the Bulls survive without him?  We’ll find out next week!

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 3.3 “A Loaded Gun”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

This week, OJ Simpson argues with his wife.

Episode 3.3 “A Loaded Gun”

(Dir by Stan Lathan, originally aired on August 19th, 1987)

With Yinessa continuing to hold out for more money, Teddy thinks that he’s come up with a solution.  He tells Yinessa that he will personally take out an insurance policy on him so that Yinessa can work out with the team, despite not having a contract.  Yinessa agrees.  TD Parker tells all of the defenders not to touch Yinessa because they cannot risk him getting hurt.

“Anyone who touches Yinessa is going to wind up in Buffalo!” Parker tells them.

Unfortunately, John Manzak has been taken too many steroids.  As a result, the first thing he does is sack Yinessa.  Yinessa is injured.  As he’s rushed to the hospital, Diane tells Teddy, “Thank God you got that insurance policy.”  Teddy looks worried — uh oh, it looks like someone didn’t get that insurance policy!

At the hospital, a doctor tells Diane that Yinessa has a detached retina and he’ll probably never play football again.

Meanwhile, TD is having trouble in his marriage.  He forgets his wife’s birthday but TD’s secretary (Leah Ayres) sends flowers and buys a gift.  Unfortunately, TD’s wife sees through the entire ruse.  She and TD argue.  And because TD Parker is played by OJ Simpson, it’s hard not to worry whenever anyone argues with him.

Hey, that’s a good point, OJ!  Let’s move on!

Also, in this episode, Bubba goes to therapy because he hasn’t been able to make love to his wife since she gave birth.  Jethro goes with him and pretends to have a shoe fetish.  This led to another patient hiding his shoes.  1st and Ten is a comedy that rarely makes me laugh but I have to admit that I did chuckle when Jethro started talking about how much he loved shoes.

Other than the therapy scene, this was a pretty serious episode.  Yinessa might never play again.  John Manzak is going crazy due to the steroid abuse.  (Is he going to be sent to Buffalo?  I don’t know how he’s going to handle that!)  The kicker is still looking for a wife so he won’t get deported.  And Diane has no idea what’s going on with her team.

How will the Bulls ever make it to the championship game!?

I guess I’ll have to keep watching to find out.

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & 10 3.2 “A Second Chance Once Removed”)


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

This week, OJ Simpson makes things awkward.

Episode 3.2 “A Second Chance Once Removed”

(Dir by Stan Lathan, originally aired on August 12th, 1987)

With Coach Denardo no longer around, Diana has kept her promise and promoted Fred Grier to head coach.  However, Diana’s boyfriend and the new co-owner of the Bulls, Teddy, wants to hire T.D.’s old college coach, Red Macklin (John Robinson).  Though T.D. isn’t comfortable with the idea of betraying Fred or doing anything behind Diana’s back, he does agree that Macklin would be a better coach.  After an argument with his wife, T.D. flies out to his old college.

T.D. doesn’t do a very good job of selling the team to Macklin.  Macklin finally says, “You don’t want to be the head coach of the Bulls, do you?”  T.D. says that he does but the position has already been given to Fred and T.D. doesn’t believe in doing things without being upfront with everyone because …. well, I’ll let T.D. explain it….

This episode is a good example of what happens when one of a show’s main characters is played by someone who is now best-known for somehow getting acquitted of stabbing his ex-wife and a waiter to death.  Even the most innocuous of lines seem to take on an entirely different meaning.  I have to admit that I cringed every time T.D.’s wife called and said that he was working too hard and spending too much time with the team.  No, I wanted to yell, don’t make him mad….

As for the rest of the episode, it largely dealt with training camp.  Veteran defensive player John Manzak (John Matuszak) fears that he won’t make the team.  There’s a young rookie who seems to have more energy and strength than him.  However, Manzak has a secret weapon …. steroids!  I cannot imagine that this is going to end well.

Meanwhile, the government wants to deport the Bulgarian kicker, Zagreb (John Kassir).  Zagreb applies for political asylum but it turns out that his father is some sort of official in the Bulgarian government and, as such, Zagreb would not be in any danger if he was sent back home.  (I don’t really follow that logic, to be honest.  Communist dictators, like Zagreb’s father, are notoriously unsentimental when it comes to their children.  Fidel Castro had children all over the world and he didn’t leave Cuba to a single one of them.  Instead, Justin had to settle for Canada.)  Diana has a solution, though.  They have to find Zagreb a wife.  Again, I cannot imagine that this is going to end well.

Meanwhile, Yinessa is still holding out for money, Bubba is still arguing with his wife, and I’m still not sure what Jethro does on the team.

This episode of 1st & Ten …. actually, it wasn’t that bad.  I could actually follow the story for once and it didn’t feel like it had been cut to ribbons for syndication.  John Matuszak actually gave a very touching performance as a player who might be past his prime.  Hopefully, things will work out for him.  We’ll find out next week!

Late Night Retro Television Review: 1st & Ten 1.4 “The Slump”


Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Wednesdays, I will be reviewing 1st and Ten, which aired in syndication from 1984 to 1991. The entire series is streaming on Tubi.

This week, cocaine comes to the locker room.  Actually, cocaine was probably already there.  Now, there’s more cocaine.  Football, right?

Anyway….

Episode 1.4 “The Slump”

(Dir by Bruce Seth Green, originally aired on December 16th, 1984)

This week’s episode starts off with some full front nudity as wide receiver Mace Petty (Marshall R. Teague) takes a shower with a blonde woman.  Suddenly, a bearded man steps into the shower, accuses Mace of seducing his wife, and points a gun at him.  OH MY GOD, IS MACE GOING TO DIE!?  (And who is Mace, anyway?)

Oh wait, it’s a prop gun.  Ha ha, it’s practical joke.  Those crazy Bulls.

With the required HBO nudity out of the way, the plot kicks off.  The Bulls are in a slump.  They’ve lost their past two games!  In order to turn things around, Diane makes a trade for a talented wide receiver.  (Ha!  TAKE THAT, MACE!)  Butch Cassidy (Michael Toland) may be a good athlete but guess who has a cocaine addiction!?  Butch is soon snorting in the men’s room.  When he has to take a drug test, he uses a groupie’s urine instead.  When the results come back, it’s announced that Butch is pregnant.  Butch is kicked off the team.  Maybe the Sundance Kid can take his place….

The good news is that The Bulls still win their next game, breaking the slump.  And Bob Dorsey earns Diana’s trust by telling her that Butch has a drug problem.  And the Arcola Brothers attempt to keep the Bulls from serving beer at the stadium is thwarted when Diana has a bunch of helicopter fly in the beer.  (That way, no one has to cross the picket line that the Arcolas have set up outside the stadium.)  Finally, Carl Witherspoon gets a new contract and the rest of the team gets jealous because Carl is now a “millionaire” but then Carl points out that he’s a terrible negotiator and he actually got screwed over on the contract.  He then agrees to take the team to Hawaii.  No wonder they won that game!

This episode was actually better than the previous three.  That doesn’t mean it was particularly good but still it wasn’t terrible.  (And that’s what we mean by “damning by faint praise.”)  If nothing else, Michael Toland gave a good performance as the cocky but self-destructive Butch Cassidy.  I also kind of like the chemistry between Geoffrey Scott and Delta Burke.  They’re good together.  As far as episodes of bad shows go, this was a good one.

Retro Television Review: One World 3.13 “Hitting On A Guy”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Fridays, I will be reviewing One World, which ran on NBC from 1998 to 2001.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

The Cast of One World

On January 6th, 2001, One World aired not only the finale of their third season but also the final episode of the series.  All stories and shows must come to an end and we have reached the end of One World.  For one last time, here’s the One World theme song.

Does anyone else find it weird that the show never bothered to update their opening credits, despite the fact that Brandon Baker hit a major growth spurt and cut his hair after the first season?  Seriously, it just seems incredibly lazy.

Episode 3.13 “Hitting on a Guy”

(Directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally aired on January 6th, 2001)

Dave and Karen have been named the Foster Parents of the Year!  Marci decides to throw a big party for them at …. can you guess where? …. Miami’s “hottest under 21 club,” The Warehouse!  Unfortunately, the kitchen crew refuses to work for the party because they haven’t been paid for the week.  (Why would Marci, who is just the assistant manager, have to deal with payroll?  Where’s The Warehouse’s owner?)  Fortunately, the entire family decides that they’ll do the cooking themselves.  But …. IT’S THEIR PARTY!?  Who cooks at their own party!?  What type of party is this?

Meanwhile, Jane is dating a nice guy named Ralph but he reminds her of her former foster brother, who was also named Ralph and who was abusive.  Because she’s thinking about the Bad Ralph, she beats up the Good Ralph.  Jane comes to terms with her anger and apologizes to the Good Ralph.  Good Ralph says thanks and then runs off.

Having lost Good Ralph, Jane still shows up at the Warehouse party and gives a speech about how thankful she is for the Blakes.  Dave rewards her by giving her a piece of Cake and that’s how the series ends.

And I have to admit that I was a little bit moved by all of the Blake kids giving their testimonials, though I honestly doubt I’ll remember anything about any of them a week from now.  I was also surprised that the show did not end with Karen giving birth.  I imagine that any other TNBC show would have.  In the end, One World ended with a lot of unanswered questions.  Will Ben ever find success as a musician?  Will St.  Neal ever get into college?  Will Sui ever make the Olympic team?  How long until Maci gets fired from her job at the Warehouse?  Will Cray ever come to terms with having a black grandfather?  (Seriously, that whole episode was weird.)  Will Jane ever find a stylist who understands how to make her hair look good?  Sadly, these questions will never be answered.

One World is a show that attempted to bring some edge to the TNBC brand.  Occasionally, it came close to succeeding.  Usually, it was a bit too much like California Dreams with juvenile delinquents instead of a rock band.  One of the huge problems with the show was that the Blakes themselves had very little chemistry.  Watching the actors perform opposite each other, it was hard to believe they even knew each other’s names, let alone lived together.  Alisa Reyes and Michelle Krusiec (who played Marci and Sui) were the strongest performers on the show but they were rarely given enough to do.

Staring next week, I’ll be reviewing something new in this time slot.  Until then, we’re all living in one world!

Retro Television Review: One World 3.11 “Roots” and 3.12 “Say Cheese”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Fridays, I will be reviewing One World, which ran on NBC from 1998 to 2001.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

The Cast of One World

This week, with the end of the series in sight, the Blakes confront the past.

Episode 3.11 “Roots”

(Directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally aired on December 2nd, 2000)

When Dave and Karen go out of town for the weekend, the Blake children decide to turn their house into a Bed & Breakfast.  Like, how the Hell do you even do that on short notice?  It’s like the Blakes decide to do it and then, an hour later, they’re full booked and Marci has a registration desk set up.

Meanwhile, a far more serious storyline is taking place.  With the help of St. Neal, Cray tracks down his grandfather and is shocked to discover that his grandfather is black.  Cray is so shocked that he runs out of the Warehouse.  (Of course, their first meeting was taking place at Miami’s “hottest under 21 club.”)  Cray explains to Neal that he’s not a racist.  He was just shocked to discover that he wasn’t the same ethnicity as his adoptive parents.  However, anyone who has been watching this show knows that Cray is not Caucasian because he’s clearly not.  (In real life, Brandon Baker is half-Filipino.)  So, it’s kind of hard to believe the Cray was that stunned to discover that he was a person of color.  Fortunately, it turns out that Cray’s grandfather has the patience of a saint and forgives Cray for running away from him because of his skin color, which …. I mean, that’s really fucked up, isn’t it?  Cray’s grandfather comes over for dinner and explains that Cray is a fourth black, a fourth Puerto Rican, and half-white.  Again, his grandfather seems like a very nice man but again, Cray ran out of the Warehouse specifically because his grandfather has black skin.  WHO IS THAT FORGIVING!?  The grandfather tells Cray about his family and tells him that he’s always missed him.  (“Awwwwww!” the audience says.)  Cray accepts his black grandfather and says that he loves him.  (“Awwwww!” the audience repeats itself.)

To be honest, TNBC was always at its worst whenever it tried to deal with racial subject matter.  One World had the most diverse cast of any of the TNBC shows but the characters were still often just stereotypes.  TNBC shows were required to wrap up their stories in 20 minutes and that’s not really something you can do when it comes to dealing with race in America.

Episode 3.12 “Say Cheese”

(Directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally  aired on December 16th, 2000)

Jane’s birthday is coming up so Dave wants to get a picture of the entire family together.  This leads to everyone discussing the past three years and …. you got it.  It’s a clip show.

I think this was originally meant to be the final episode of the show and it would have been a nice note to wrap up on.  However, because TNBC always showed episodes out-of-order, there would be one more episode of One World.  We’ll review that one next week and then, it will be time to move on to another show!

Retro Television Review: One World 3.9 “Jane Cops Out” and 3.10 “Marci’s In Hot Salsa”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Fridays, I will be reviewing One World, which ran on NBC from 1998 to 2001.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

The Cast of One World

Wow, I’m nearly done with this show!  Yay!

Episode 3.9 “Jane Cops Out”

(directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally aired on November 18th, 2000)

Ugh.  It’s a Jane episode.  I actually liked Jane during the first season and for the first half of the second season but she’s been pretty much unbearable during the third season.  There’s a difference between being edgy and just being annoyingly rude.  Of course, if I was living with the Blakes, I’d probably develop a bit of a bad attitude as well.

Anyway, in this episode, Jane gets a job at a SCUBA gear store and starts dating the owner’s grandson, a rookie cop!  Jane is copping out …. oh wait, that’s what the title says!  Jane freaks out over dating a cop because she’s a former criminal.  The cop freaks out because all of his coworkers have arrested Jane in the past.  Jane being a criminal is a bit like Neal being a genius or Ben being an alcoholic, in that it’s one of those plot points that’s never really been that convincing but which the show tends to randomly bring up.

In the B-plot, Dave’s snoring is keeping everyone awake.  Eh, who cares?

Episode 3.10 “Marci’s In Hot Salsa”

(directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally aired on November 25th, 2000)

I’ve often stated that Sui is my favorite character on this show.  Marci is a close second.  Unfortunately, Marci rarely seems to get to do much.  With this episode, she finally get to be at the center of the main plot but it turns out that the plot is pretty much lifted from the “Dancing Isn’t Everything” episode of California Dreams.

Feeling that she doesn’t have any one thing that she’s good at and worried that she’s destined to be the average member of the family, Marci decides to make dancing her thing.  She enters a salsa contest that is, of course, being held at the Warehouse, Miami’s “hottest under 21 club.”  I would think this would be a problem, as Marci is also the assistant manager of the Warehouse and usually, employees are not allowed to enter contests that their employer is sponsoring.  But no matter!  By this point, The Warehouse pretty much only exists to cater to the whims of the Blakes.

Marci enters the contest with one guy but discovers that there’s another guy who is a far better dancer.  Will Marci stay loyal to her original partner or dump him for the better dancer?  You can probably guess exactly what happens in this episode but I still liked it because it featured a lot of dancing and the audience applauded when Marci said she was looking forward to death of Fidel Castro.

In the B-plot, Neal is grounded when he comes home late.  (Was he grounded for helping Jane cheat on the SATs?  Anyone remember that?)  But he sneaks out and goes to a baseball game while Dave and Jane go to a modern art show.  Dave says he doesn’t understand modern art.  That’s because Dave’s a moron.

Just three more episodes to go!

Retro Television Review: One World 3.7 “Dad Strikes Out” and 3.8 “Sui’s In For Stormy Weather”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Fridays, I will be reviewing One World, which ran on NBC from 1998 to 2001.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

The Cast of One World

We’re all in this together now!

Episode 3.7 “Dad Strikes Out”

(Directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally aired on November 4th, 2000)

Occasionally, the writers of One World would suddenly remember some otherwise forgotten fact about their characters and build an episode around them.  In this case, they suddenly remembered that Dave is a public high school teacher.  At the start of this episode, Dave announces that the teachers are on strike and the high school is closed until further notice.  Dave says that the strike is going to go on for a long time.  So, I guess the school year is canceled and everyone will have to repeat their senior year.  St. Neal is especially upset about this and who can blame him?  He was supposed to graduate at the end of season 2!  Is he ever going to get out of that school?

At the mall, the kids decide to harass the new guy working at Corn Dog World, just to discover that it’s their Dad.  (This family is the worst!)  Since Dave is humiliating himself by taking on another job while on strike, St. Neal announces that all of the kids will get jobs as well.

Cray, who is 13, gets a job searching for alligators in the sewer.  Do they usually hire 13 year-olds for that type of work?  Jane gets as job as a dog walker.  Sui gets a job as a perfume sprayer at the mall.  Marci keeps her job as the assistant manager of Miami’s “hottest under 21 club,” The Warehouse.  Ben plays guitar on the street.  St. Neal makes money as a tutor.  Considering he’s been a senior for three years now, I imagine he knows all of the answers.

The kids also help their parents save money by doing home repairs.  “Is that roof safe?” St. Neal asks.  “I don’t know,” Jane replies, “that why I sent Cray up there.”  Okay, I will admit that line made me laugh.

Meanwhile, Ben dates a smart girl in order to win a bet with Marci.  But then he falls in love with her for real.  He begs her to forgive him when she finds out the truth and eventually, she does.  (“Awwwwwww!” the audience says.)  I’m sure we’ll never hear from her again.

Episode 3.8 “Sui’s In For Stormy Weather”

(Directed by Mary Lou Belli, originally aired on November 11th, 2000)

This episode starts with Neal and Ben making their debut as film critics on the local cable access channel and …. wait, what!?  Like how the Hell did this happen!?  THEY’RE IN HIGH SCHOOL!  What’s weird is that there’s no backstory that explains how Neal and Ben ended up with this gig.  Instead, Marci says, “I can’t believe you guys get paid to be movie critics” and everyone watching is just supposed to accept it.

To be honest, this is type of thing that would normally make me stop watching after the first few minutes but, because the title promised that this was a Sui episode, I stuck with it.  Considering that she’s both the coolest and the best-dressed of the Blake children, Sui has definitely not gotten enough storylines during season 3.

When Sui learns that there’s an opening for a weather girl at the station, she auditions for it and gets the job.  The manager of the studio is named Randy Gekko, which automatically tells us not to trust him.  No one decent person has ever been named Randy Gekko.  And sure enough, Randy is soon pressuring Sui to wear a bikini while reporting on the weather and telling her that he can make her a star if she cooperates.

To the show’s credit, Sui immediately realizes what Randy is doing and that it’s wrong.  One of the reasons why Sui is the best character on the show is because, while she’s often materialistic and a little flighty, she’s also smarter than people realize and she’s willing to stand up for herself.  (Full disclosure: Of all the characters on this show, Sui is the one to whom I tend to relate.)  In this case, she humiliates Randy on the air by announcing to the channel’s viewers (there must be at least half-a-dozen of them) that her boss is a sleaze.  Way to go, Sui!

In the B-plot, Cray considers piercing his ear to impress a girl.  It was a dumb plot and it had no place in a Sui episode.