Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 3/29/26 — 4/4/26


Baywatch (Tubi)

I reviewed Baywatch here.

Decoy (Tubi)

I reviewed Decoy here.

Degrassi: The Next Generation (Tubi)

My review of Degrassi will drop tomorrow.

Freddy’s Nightmares (Tubi)

I reviewed Freddy’s Nightmares here.

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I reviewed Highway to Heaven here.

Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock)

My review of Homicide will drop tomorrow.

It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Apple TV)

Watching this charming animated special is an Easter tradition that I share with Erin Nicole.  You can read her thoughts here.

The Love Boat (Parmaount+)

I reviewed The Love Boat here.

Nero Wolfe (YouTube)

I watched an episode of this classic detective series on Tuesday.  Maury Chaykin was a great Wolfe and Timothy Hutton was a wonderful Archie Goodwin.  The late James Tolkan also appeared in the episode, wearing an eyepatch.

Saved By The Bell (Tubi)

My review of Saved By The Bell will drop in 30 minutes.

Show Me A Hero (HBO Max)

“….and I’ll show you a tragedy.”  I rewatched this 2015 HBO miniseries on Wednesday.  The miniseries dealt with the fight over low-income housing in Yonkers, New York and it starred Oscar Isaac as Nick Wasicsko, who went from being elected mayor at the age of 28 to committing suicide 6 years later.  Supporting roles were played Catherine Keener, James Beluhsi, Peter Riegert, Jon Bernthal, Winona Ryder, Alfred Molina, and Carla Quevado.  The show was written by David Simon and each episode was directed by Paul Haggis.  Not surprisingly, several actors from The Wire popped up in small roles.

Show Me A Hero really impressed me when it originally aired.  Rewatching it, it still held my attention but I could see that the miniseries was a bit more heavy-handed than I remembered and that Simon and Haggis were clearly more interested in the political storyline than they were in the stories of the people who eventually moved into the new housing developments.  Some of the performances were better than other.  Catherine Keener and Winona Ryder both overacted while, cast as the show’s three mayors, Belushi, Isaac, and Molina all gave strong performances.  Carla Quevado was exceptionally good as Isaac’s wife.

In the end, Show Me A Hero works best as a portrait of an ambitious politician who peaked too young, suffered due to things out of his control, and then spent the rest of his life trying to regain his lost promise.  Some people feel that Nick Wasicsko was a hero.  This miniseries ultimately focuses on the tragedy.

St. Elsewhere (Daily Motion)

I reviewed St. Elsewhere here.

TV 2000 (NightFlight Plus)

Jeff and I watched an episode of this old 80s music program on Friday night.  John Kassir, who played the kicker on 1st and Ten and who would later voice the Crypt Keeper on Tales From the Crypt, was one of the hosts.  He was a bit hyperactive.

 

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.14 “Whistle, Wyler Works”


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.

This week, we learn why almost all of Morrison’s patients seem to die.

Episode 3.14 “Whistle, Wyler Works”

(Dir by David Anspaugh, originally aired on January 2nd, 1985)

It’s another busy day at St. Eligius.

  • Having finally found a kidney donor, Dr. Westphall performs the transplant.  Tshalla (Larry B. Scott) gets a new kidney but Dr. Wyler is shaken to discover that, while he’s been working in Africa, surgical techniques in America have progressed to the point that Wyler now feels undertrained.
  • Having managed to alienate even the super patient Dr. Morrison, Mrs. Hufnagle is now working her “charm” on Bobby Caldwell.  Caldwell tells Hufnagle that she doesn’t really need plastic surgery but Hufnagle seems to really want it.
  • Victor freaks out when he’s not included to assist in Dr. Craig’s latest big surgery.  A chance meeting with Ellen Craig leads to Victor confessing that his father died when he was young and that he’s always been looking for a new father figure.
  • Ellen snaps at Mark for not understand how much Victor looks up at him.  Yay!  I always like it when Ellen stands up to Mark.  That Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels were (and are) married in real life always adds an extra snap to these scenes.
  • Elliott appears to have a crush on one of Nurse Rosenthal’s daughters.  There’s no way that’s going to end well.
  • Dr. Chandler returns from vacation (in reality, Denzel Washington was probably busy filming a movie) and deals with a patient (Jay Tarses) who is also a bigamist.
  • When the representative of a fly-by night medical school approaches Luther and tries to get him to enroll, Auschlander kicks the smarmy representative out of the hospital.  Before the rep leaves, he mentions that St. Eligius already has at least one of his school’s graduates on staff.
  • Yep, it’s Jack Morrison.

It’s already been established that Jack got his medical degree from a Mexican medical school.  In this episode, it’s further established that, whereas most doctors spends years in medical school, Jack graduated after six months.  Jack explains that he still passed all of the tests that he was required to take but that he was also given credit for his life experience of working as a pharmaceutical rep.

Dr. Westphall is not amused.  If someone could learn how to be a doctor that quickly, Westphall says, wouldn’t we all being doing it?  Westphall points out that he put his reputation on the line to keep Jack around as a second-year resident.  Westphall also says that this explains why Jack always seems to be misdiagnosing his patients and …. well, I think Westphall has a point!

This was not a bad episode, though I’m a bit weary of this Dr. Wyler storyline.  Wyler doesn’t do much other than feel sorry for himself.  I’m far more interested to see where things will be going with both Victor and Jack.

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 3/22/26 — 3/28/26


1st & Ten (Tubi)

I reviewed 1st & Ten here!

The Addams Family (YouTube)

Cousin Itt came to visit!  I watched an episode of this classic sitcom on Wednesday with my friend Dani.  She was celebrating John Astin’s birthday.

Baywatch (Tubi)

I reviewed Baywatch here!

CHiPs (Prime)

I reviewed CHiPs here!

Dance International Magazine (NightFlight+)

Everyone on the program was dancing and I danced while watching.

Decoy (Tubi)

I reviewed Decoy here!

Degrassi: The Next Generation (Tubi)

Look for my Degrassi review tomorrow!

Diff’rent Strokes (Tubi)

Tubi showed me a random episode on Thursday.  Arnold and his stupid friend Dudley took up smoking.  Dudley’s father went to the hospital to have a lung removed.  I think there was a message in there somewhere.

Freddy’s Nightmare (Tubi)

I reviewed Freddy’s Nightmares here!

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I reviewed Highway to Heaven here!

Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock)

Look for my Homicide review tomorrow!

Lonesome Dove (Tubi)

I binged Lonesome Dove on Wednesday, as a tribute to both Texas and the late Robert Duvall.  It was a great adaptation of a great book.

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I reviewed The Love Boat here!

Miami Vice (Prime)

I reviewed Miami Vice here.

Nero Wolfe (YouTube)

I watched two episodes of Nero Wolfe on Tuesday.  These episodes featured Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin.  Seymour Cassel was in one of the episodes.  I enjoyed the episodes, even if I did have a hard time following the twists and turns of the mysteries.

Night Flight (NightFlight+)

On Saturday, I watched an episode of this old music video program.  It was a countdown of the top music videos of 1983.  I like the music of the 80s.  It was very energetic.

Pacific Blue (Tubi)

I reviewed Pacific Blue here!

Saved By The Bell (Tubi)

This week’s review will drop in 90 minutes.

Saved By The Bell: The New Class (Prime)

I reviewed this week’s episode here!

St. Elsewhere (Daily Motion)

I reviewed St. Elsewhere here!

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.13 “Dr. Wyler, I Presume”


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.

This week, a famous doctor comes to St. Eligius.

Episode 3.13 “Dr. Wyler, I Presume”

(Dir by Mark Tinker, originally aired on December 19th, 1984)

This week’s episode opens in the hospital gift shop. Dr. Craig is excited because a Nobel Prize-winning surgeon, Dr. George Wyler (David Wayne), is traveling from Africa to St. Eligius. Wyler is bring along a man who needs a kidney transplant. They are hoping to find a donor in Boston.

Dr. Auschlander, who is an old friend of Wyler’s, is a bit more nervous. Craig tells him not to worry so much and then grabs a carnation that he puts on Auschlander’s lapel.
As Auschlander starts to leave the gift shop, Craig says, “Don’t forget to pay for that.”

It’s a brilliant opening for a pretty good episode of St. Elsewhere. It’s always interesting to see the usually arrogant Dr. Craig in fanboy mode and one gets the feeling that, if he’s impressed by Dr. Wyler, than Wyler really must be as brilliant as everyone says.
And maybe he is! It’s hard to say for sure. When Wyler arrives at the hospital, he’s avuncular and obviously intelligent but we really don’t learn much about him, beyond the fact that he’s an old friend of Auschlander’s. The rest of Wyler’s scenes feature him and Auschlander sitting around and talking about how they’re both getting older. It’s not boring, largely due to the performances of Norman Lloyd and David Wayne. But, after all of the build-up, it’s a bit anti-climatic. That said, according to the imdb, Dr. Wyler appeared in a total of three episodes so I imagine things will develop.

While this is going on, Nurse Rosenthal is having a mid-life crisis. Her 45th birthday is coming up and she doesn’t want to celebrate it. She’s not amused when the nurses get her a stripper. Usually, I would have sympathy for a character who hates the idea of getting older but I’m a little bit tired of Nurse Rosenthal and her poor-me attitude. I get that she’s upset that her adulterous affair hasn’t been going well but maybe she should take that as a sign to stop sleeping with married men.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Hufnagle, the patient that no one likes, continues to get on everyone’s nerves. She’s even managed to alienate Elliott! I actually feel bad for Mrs. Hufnagle. Yes, she complains a lot but being in a hospital is a scary thing. I get the feeling that the doctors and nurses getting annoyed with her is probably the most realistic part of the series. Dr. Morrison is now Hufnagle’s doctor and that worries me. Morrison’s stories always end in the most depressing way possible.

At the tv station, Victor is told that his medical segments are not popular with viewers and that he needs to make being sick sound more pleasant than it is. Victor records an upbeat segment about how wonderful it is to go the hospital.

At the hospital, Victor assists Dr. Craig in removing an live exploding bullet from a woman who was shot in a robbery. Victor worries that the bullet could explode as he removes it and end his medical career. Fortunately, the operation is successful but Craig still tells Ehrlich that he’s a disgrace.

Ouch!

Hey, this was a really good episode. It was well-acted. It wasn’t too depressing. Dr. Craig got to snap at a lot of people. The best episodes always feature Dr. Craig going off on someone. St. Eligius may not be the best hospital but, this week, it was the most entertaining.

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.11 “Homecoming”


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.

This week, the heartbreak continues!

Episode 3.11 “Homecoming”

(Dir by David Anspaugh, originally aired on December 5th, 1984)

What a depressing episode!

Actually, it’s not totally depressing.  Dr. Elliot Axelrod (Stephen Furst) survives his first night as the attending-on-duty and he even convinces cranky old Mrs. Hufnagle (Florence Halop) to go back to her room.  He also handles things when a patient collapses in the hallway.  One can be sure that Elliot will be given absolutely no praise for his good work because he never is.  But at least, he was there and he proved himself to be more competent than anyone gives him credit for being.

Now, for the depressing stuff:

Nurse Rosenthal is continuing her affair with Richard Clarendon.  This wasn’t depressing because of anything that happened in this episode.  Instead, it’s just depressing that any time was devoted to these two boring characters.

After her apartment is broken into while she’s in the shower, Clancy (Helen Hunt) moves in with Jack.  Jack and Clancy make for a cute couple but, watching this episode, it’s easy to see that their relationship is doomed. Clancy is young and enthusiastic.  Jack is young but he moves like an old man and he’s already been through a lifetime’s worth of tragedy.  Sadly, Clancy living with Jack does not last longer than one night.  Clancy says that Jack acts like he’s offended by having her stuff in his apartment and she’s right.  Jack is still mourning his wife and not ready to live with anyone.

Lois Wegener (Mimi Kennedy) comes home from being out of town and discovers that her husband, Andrew (John Schuck) is becoming progressively weaker from the experimental bone marrow treatment that he’s going through in an attempt to save the life of their daughter (Brandy Gold).  Everyone at the hospital is impressed with Andrew’s courage but it’s obvious to me that this is not going to have a happy ending.

Kathy Martin is still in the psych ward.  During this episode, she gives Fiscus the note that Shirley Daniels gave her after Shirley shot and killed Peter White.

And finally, it wouldn’t be a depressing episode without a Westphall storyline.  Westphall’s daughter, Lizzie (Dana Short), comes home from college for the weekend and, without asking Westphall ahead of time, she brings along her new boyfriend, Rick (Casey Seimaszko).  Lizzie assumes that Rick will be sleeping with her in her room.  Westphall is not thrilled to hear about that.  (It doesn’t help that Rick isn’t wearing a shirt when he and Westphall first meet.)  Lizzie gets angry.  Westphall points out that his dead wife would not have approved.  Lizzie argues that she is now an adult and can do whatever she wants.

And you know what?  I am totally on Westphall’s side here.  It’s his house!  Lizzie isn’t the one paying the bills.  If Westphall doesn’t want Rick sleeping in her room (and, I might add, there are other rooms in the house where Rick could sleep), then Rick doesn’t sleep in her room.  When I was younger, I probably would have been on Lizzie’s side but now that I’ve gotten older, I see Westphall’s point and Lizzie comes across as being a spoiled brat.  I mean, if she wants to stay in the same room as Rick, they can get a motel room.  How expensive could one be in 1984?  This episode ends with Lizzie telling her father that she’s leaving.  “Lizzie!” Westphall says but she’s already gone.

See what I mean?  This was a depressing episode, even by St. Elsewhere standards.  That said, it was also a good episode.  Ed Flanders, David Morse, Helen Hunt, Stephen Furst, Mimi Kennedy, they all gave wonderfully empathetic performances.  Your heart may hurt for them but you can’t wait to see what happens next.  Sometimes, life is depressing but, like the characters on this show, you have to moving forward.

 

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.10 “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”


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.

This episode proves that Dr. Cavanero is the worst.

Episode 3.10 “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”

(Dir by Bruce Paltrow, originally aired on November 28th, 1984)

The struggle is real.

Seriously, I am thankful that someone uploaded St. Elsewhere to Daily Motion.  With the show no longer on Hulu and Prime only having the first season available, Daily Motion is pretty much the only place where I can stream the show.  That said, the sound quality is not great.  The sound quality wasn’t particularly good when the show was on Hulu either but at least then I could turn on the captions.  The Daily Motion uploads don’t have that option.  I had to strain to hear the dialogue and, as a result, this review is not going to be as in-depth as it could be.

What I can tell you is that Dr. Cavanero is now one of the least sympathetic characters that I have ever seen on a television show.  Last week, Dr. Christine Holz (Caroline McWilliams) told Cavanero that she was a lesbian.  This week, Cavanero blabbed that information around the hospital, leading to a lot of homophobic comments from certain members of the stuff.  (Not surprisingly, Victor Ehrlich was there to say something stupid.)  Cavenero admitted to Christine that she found Christine’s lifestyle to be “unnatural.”  Christine smiled sadly and left Cavanero’s apartment and left the show.  Keep in mind, Dr. Holz was portrayed as being a brilliant surgeon and bone marrow expert.  It probably would have been good to keep her around the hospital for a little while but nope.  Sorry.  Dr. Cavanero — who really hasn’t done anything of note since the first season — felt uncomfortable.

(Originally, Christine and Cavanero were supposed to have a romantic relationship but Cynthia Sikes, the actress playing Cavavero, objected to the storyline.  As a result, the story was rewritten and perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Cavanero comes across as being a bit of a homophobe.)

Meanwhile, Dr. Chandler was concerned when he discovered that a neighborhood woman (Beah Richards) was practicing medicine out of her apartment.  This storyline at least gave Denzel Washington more to do than usual, which was good.  St. Elsewhere, at least so far, has often tended to underuse both Chandler as a character and Washington as an actor.

Jack’s friend (John Schuck) insisted on doing an experimental kidney procedure to try to save the life of his daughter (Brandy Gold) and Dr. Auschlander finally gave his approval for it to be done.  I would say that was a good thing except for the fact that Jack’s storylines hardly ever have a happy ending.  There’s a reason why Morrison is the most depressed resident in the hospital.

Nurse Rosenthal continued her affair with Richard Clarendon, even though Richard’s wife (Beverly Sanders) is now working at the hospital.  Wow, that’s going to be awkward.  In fact, I hope it’s really awkward.  I’m tired of Nurse Rosenthal and her holier-than-thou attitude.

Dr. Craig testified at a city council hearing.  The poor sound quality kept me from fully understanding what the hearing was about but at Dr. Craig told everyone off.  It’s always fun to watch William Daniels tell people off.

Here’s hoping the sound will be a bit less muddy next week!

 

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 2/8/26 — 2/14/26


The Winter Olympics (All week, Peacock and NBC)

I wrote about Korey and Cory this week.  On Tuesday, I watched as they won the Silver Medal in a match with Sweden and I have to admit that I was depressed for the rest of the day.  That’s nothing against the Swedish team.  They did a good job and they earned the win.  It’s just that I had gotten so invested in Korey and Cory that it was hard for me to accept that 1) it was over and 2) it ended with them coming in second.

I’ve watched the Olympics off-and-on since then but I have to admit none of the other athletes have really captured my attention the way that Korey and Cory did.  I do like our hockey teams, because they’re all blue collar and they don’t talk badly about my country.  Our skiers appear to be a bunch of spoiled rich kids.

I’ll definitely rewatch the figure skating.

Also watched and reviewed:

  1. Baywatch (Tubi)
  2. CHiPs (Prime)
  3. Decoy (Tubi)
  4. Degrassi: The Next Generation (Tubi)
  5. 1st & Ten (Tubi)
  6. Freddy’s Nightmares (Tubi)
  7. Highway to Heaven (Tubi)
  8. Homicide (Peacock)
  9. The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)
  10. Miami Vice (Prime)
  11. Pacific Blue (Tubi)
  12. Saved By The Bell (Tubi)
  13. Saved By The Bell: The New Class (Prime)
  14. St. Elsewhere (Daily Motion)

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.9 “Up On The Roof”


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.

This week, an arrest is made.

Episode 3.9 “Up On The Roof”

(Dir by Eric Laneuville, originally aired on November 21st, 1984)

It’s another busy day at St. Eligius.

  • The last of the firemen (Stephen Elliott) is finally sent home.  At first, he’s bitter about all of the skin grafts and all the other work that Dr. Caldwell did on him.  But then his grandkids come in the hospital and room and shout, “Grandpa!”  And then he steps outside and is greeted by all the other firemen.  He leaves in a fire truck and Dr. Caldwell — the only angst-free doctor at St. Eligius — smiles and waves.  Finally, someone on this show gets a happy ending.
  • Ms. Hufnagel continues to get on everyone’s nerves with her constant complaints.  Dr. Fiscus dumps her on Dr. Axelrod.  While the show seems to want us to be as annoyed with Ms. Hufnagel as everyone else, I have to admit that I feel sorry for her.  Does she complain a lot?  Yes, she does.  But being in a hospital can really be scary.  I complained a lot whenever I was rushed to the ER because of my asthma.  I complained a lot when my mom was in the hospital.  I complained a lot when my dad was in the hospital.  I complained a lot when my aunt was in the hospital.  Sometimes, complaining is the only comfort you have.
  • Dr. Morrison is upset when a friend (John Schuck) is told that his daughter cannot be treated with an experimental dialysis machine.
  • Nurse Rosenthal continues to have an affair with Richard Clarendon, the labor negotiator.
  • Dr. Christine Holz (Caroline McWilliams) comes to the hospital to perform a bone marrow transplant.  Dr. Annie Cavanero invites Dr. Holz to come to her place for dinner.  Cavanero is shocked when Dr. Holz reveals that she’s a lesbian and the viewer is once again reminded that this show aired in the mid-80s.
  • According to what I’ve read online, the original plan was for Dr. Holz to become Cavanero’s romantic partner but Cynthia Sikes refused to kiss another woman onscreen.  This led to the storyline being hastily rewritten and it apparently also led to Sikes being fired from the show at the end of the third season.
  • Kathy Martin is still in the psych ward.  When Detective Alex MacGallen (Charles Lanyer) attempts to question her about where she was when Peter White was shot, he is informed by Kathy’s doctor that Kathy has an alibi.  Later, Shirley comes to the psych ward and slips Kathy a letter.
  • Shirley has been hiding the gun that she used to shoot Peter all over the hospital.  However, when the detective finally confronts her and reveals that he knows that she killed Peter, Shirley pulls the gun on him and then run up to the rooftop.
  • On the roof, Dr. Westphall and Jack take their turns trying to convince Shirley to surrender to the police.  After Shirley confesses and then demands to know why Jack didn’t make more of an effort to stop Peter, Shirley drops her gun and is taken into custody.

This was a depressing episode, even by the standards of St. Elsewhere.  Shirley has always been one of my favorite characters and I hate the idea that she’s now going to go to prison for killing Dr. White.  From a narrative point of view, someone had to shoot Peter.  That was really the only way his story could end.  Personally, I think it would have made more sense for Dr. Cavanero to be the shooter that Shirley.  I mean, if Cavanero was going to be written off the show anyway, killing Dr. White would have given her a decent exit.

Next week, I’m sure something else depressing will happen.  We’ll see!

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 2/1/26 — 2/7/26


Bar Rescue (Paramount Plus)

On Monday, I turned over to Fave TV so that I could binge Bar Rescue and I discovered that Fave TV no longer exists!  It’s been replaced by Outlaw TV, a western channel.  I was disappointed so I watched the Pirate Bar episode of Bar Rescue online.  I hope One-Eyed Mike was able to find another job about the tavern went out of business.  He was cool.

Baywatch (Tubi)

I wrote about Baywatch here!

CHiPs (Prime)

You can read my thoughts on CHiPs here!

Decoy (Tubi)

I reviewed Decoy here!

Degrassi: The Next Generation (Tubi)

You can read my Degrassi thoughts here!

1st & Ten (Tubi)

I wrote about 1st & Ten here!

Freddy’s Nightmares (Tubi)

I reviewed Freddy’s Nightmares here!

The Grammy Awards (Sunday Night, CBS)

Watching the Grammy Awards on Sunday, I realized just how boring modern music has become.  I can’t wait for someone new to come along and hopefully remind us of what it’s like to be surprised.

Highway to Heaven (Tubi)

I wrote about Highway to Heaven here!

Hill Street Blues (DVD)

This week, I binged the second and third seasons of this classic cop show.  It made for oddly calming background noise.  Poor LaRue, he was always getting in trouble.

Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock TV)

You can read my thoughts on Homicide here.

King of the Hill (Hulu)

“I don’t know you.  That’s my purse!”  I was depressed on Monday but watching a classic episode of King of the Hill cheered me up!

The Love Boat (Paramount Plus)

I reviewed The Love Boat here!

Miami Vice (Prime)

You can read my thoughts on Miami Vice here.

Pacific Blue (Tubi)

I reviewed Pacific Blue here!

St. Elsewhere (Daily Motion)

I wrote about St. Elsewhere here!

Saved By The Bell (Tubi)

My thoughts on Saved By The Bell will be dropping 30 minutes after this post.

Saved By The Bell: The New Class (Prime)

I reviewed The New Class here!

The Winter Olympics (NBC & Peacock)

I’ve been enjoying curling!  Go Korey and Corey!  I also enjoyed watching the Parade of Nations.  I had the volume down so I didn’t hear the booing that people have been talking about.  If I had heard the booing, I would have shrugged it off.  Other countries will always hate America, for the same reason that some people are still resentful towards the rich kids from high school.  When you consider what certain countries are on the record as supporting, it’s almost an honor to be booed by them.

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.8 “Sweet Dreams”


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.

I miss when this show on Hulu and available to rent on Prime.  The Daily Motion uploads are not the best (especially where sound quality is concerned) but, for now at least, that’s what I’m having to go with.

Episode 3.8 “Sweet Dreams”

(Dir by Mark Tinker, originally aired on November 14th, 1984)

This week’s episode was all about sleep and the dreams that might come with sleep.

Westphall, as usual, gets the most depressing storyline.  He can’t sleep.  He has insomnia.  Of course, he does.  Anything depressing that doesn’t happen to Dr. Morrison will inevitably happen to Dr. Westphall instead.

Dr. Craig tries to figure out why one of his patients died in his sleep with a terrified look on his face.  Can a nightmare cause someone to have a heart attack?

Dr. Cavanero diagnoses a man with sleep apnea.

Meanwhile, we get a peek at the dreams of three members of the St. Elsewhere staff.

Luther dreams of being kicked out of the hospital by two security guards.  Fortunately, ZZ Top is standing outside of the hospital and they order three women to kidnap Luther in a big red car and turn him into a sharp-dressed man.  Luther and his new friends invade the hospital, toss out the security guards, and invite Warren Coolidge to come hang out with them.  ZZ Top performs Legs, which seems odd since the song is about a woman who has legs and knows how to use them but Luther is the one getting the makeover.  Well, whatever.  It’s a cute dream and a nice break from Dr. Westphall looking depressed.

Both Victor and Jack agree to take part in a sleep study.  Victor is yanked out of the study by Dr. Craig but, before that happens, we do get to see Victor’s dream of washing up on an island that is ruled by Amazons.

As for Jack Morrison’s recurring dream, it’s just about as dark as you would expect when it comes to the only character who has suffered more heartache than Dr. Westphall.  In Morrison’s dream, he finds himself wandering around the deserted hospital.  He hears someone playing Led Zeppelin in the morgue.  He goes down there and discovers Peter White waiting for him.

Morrison and White speak.  Even in death, White is whiny and defensive.  Morrison repeatedly asks whether or not White was the ski mask rapist and, every time, White refuses to give a direct answer.  However, when Morrison is about to leave the morgue, White is suddenly wearing a blue ski mask.  Morrison wakes up from each dream with a jolt, terrified to face the truth about the man who he defended against his better judgment.

(I have to admit that, if I was a nurse or a doctor at St. Eligius, I would have mixed feelings about Morrison.  Yes, he seems to be well-meaning and he’s suffered his share of tragedy.  But the fact that he continued to be a friend — albeit with a certain ambivalence — to Dr. White would make me very uncomfortable.  I know that Morrison would probably point out that Dr. White was acquitted but everyone at the hospital knew he was guilty.  Everyone but Morrison, apparently.)

This was a good episode and a bit of a reset after all the drama of the Peter White storyline.  Well-directed, well-acted, and very atmospheric, this was St. Elsewhere at its best.