Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 4.7 “Close Encounters”

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, John Doe No. 6 returns.

Episode 4.7 “Close Encounters”

(Dir by Eric Laneuville, originally aired on November 20th, 1985)

This episode begins with a jolt. Dr. Victor Ehrlich is actually choosing to be ethical as opposed to just kissing up. Ehrlich is currently doing a rotation in plastic surgery, where he’s working with Bobby Caldwell. Caldwell already disliked Ehrlich before Ehrlich even joined the department. Caldwell’s opinion is not improved when he discovers that Ehrlich has talked a patient out of getting an eye tuck that Caldwell recommended. When Caldwell confronts him, Ehrlich argues that the surgery wasn’t necessary and that Caldwell manipulated the man into agreeing because Caldwell’s department is currently on the chopping block. When Ehrlich threatens to go to Dr. Craig, Caldwell sneers. Dr. Craig is the one who personally recruited Caldwell to come to St. Eligius. Ehrlich, on the other hand, is just “the hospital clown.”

Yikes. When Bobby Caldwell was introduced two seasons ago, he was mild-mannered and likable and clearly on the show because Mark Harmon looked good without a shirt on. This season, Caldwell has been arrogant and self-destructive. The fresh scar on his face has become a symbol for the scar on his soul. Personally, I think Bobby is a much more interesting character now. Every soap opera needs a villain and, by the time the fourth season started, St. Elsewhere had definitely become a soap opera.

As for Dr. Craig, he’s not there to talk to Ehrlich because he’s accompanied his daughter-in-law to her hometown in Clinton, New York. Yvonne (Suzanne Lederer) has been in a coma ever since Stephen Craig flipped their car. In this episode, she finally opens her eyes but she still isn’t speaking or mobile. Along with helping to transfer Yvonne to a new hospital, Craig has another reason for going to New York. He’s promised Ellen that he will return with their granddaughter, Barbara. However, when Dr. Craig spends the night there, he discovers that Yvonne’s parents aren’t the backward monsters that he assumed they were. He sees that they love Barbara and that they are taking care of her. Though he doesn’t say it, one gets the feeling that Dr. Craig realizes that Ellen mostly just wants custody of Barbara so she can have a part of Stephen. In New York, Dr. Craig finally starts to understand why Stephen and Yvonne designated Yvonne’s parents as Barbara’s legal guardians. Dr. Craig returns to Boston without Barbara. “I hate you for this, Mark,” Ellen says.

Meanwhile, astronaut Col. Chuck Cochrane (David Ackroyd) has decided that his seizure and subsequent dream were all signs from God telling him not to return to space. NASA, concerned that Cochrane is going to give the program a bad name, sends Captain Gloria Neal (Betty White) to the hospital. (Gloria mentions that she was sent by Major Healey, which is undoubtedly a reference to Roger Healey from I Dream of Jeannie.) Because Gloria went to medical school with Dr. Westphall, NASA thinks that she’ll be able to influence him to discharge Cochrane from the hospital so that he can be taken back to Walter Reed and forced to rejoin the space program. Westphall, however, decides to support Dr. Morrison’s decision not to discharge Cochrane. Westphall goes on to tell Gloria that she’s not much of a doctor anymore. She’s just a PR agent for the government. “So, I guess we won’t be sleeping together,” Gloria replies.

Ugh, Westphall. I know that I spent a lot of time complaining about Dr. Westphall, but this episode really epitomized everything that I dislike about the character. When he’s not depressed, he’s self-righteous. Whenever anyone disagrees with him, he starts talking about his experiences volunteering at a clinic in Ethiopia, as if that experience automatically makes his opinion superior to anyone else’s. In this episode, he decides that it’s his place to judge Gloria’s life decisions. Seriously, Westphall is the worst!

Finally, John Doe No. 6 (Oliver Clark) is back. He’s recovered from the surgery that initially left him comatose. He can speak and move again but he still has amnesia. He’s back in the psych ward. While watching television, he suddenly realizes who he is. He’s Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore Show! He decides that a fellow patient, Mr. Carlin (Jack Riley), is Mary’s friend Rhoda. Dr. Auschlander is Mary’s co-worker, Murray. He tries to throw a party in the psych ward and it’s awful because Mary’s parties are always awful! When he sees Gloria Neal walking down the hospital hallway, he thinks that she’s Sue Ann Nivens, the happy homemaker! “Excuse me?” Gloria asks, confused.

Of course, Betty White did play Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. (St. Elsewhere itself was produced by Mary Tyler Moore’s production company.) Even more interesting, however, is that Jack Riley previously played Mr. Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show. Oliver Clark also appeared on The Bob Newhart Show, playing Mr. Herd, who was a member of the same therapy group as Mr. Carlin. As such, viewers who had previously seen The Bob Newhart Show (whether during its original run or, if you’re like me, via reruns) would have known that John Doe No. 6 was actually Mr. Herd. The episode’s biggest mystery is easily solved by those with a knowledge of television history. At the same time, it’s also interesting to note that Mr. Carlin presumably recognizes John Doe No. 6 but has yet to let anyone know.

It makes for a bizarre but enjoyable episode. Bobby is turning into a monster. The Craigs are headed for divorce. Dr. Westphall just insulted Betty White. But even with all that, it’s hard not to get caught up in John Doe No. 6’s joy. He’s going to make it after all!

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 4.6 “Lost and Found In Space”

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, it’s not just the patients who need to be stitched up.

Episode 4.6 “Lost and Found In Space”

(Dir by Robert Becker, originally aired on November 13th, 1985)

Bobby Caldwell lives!

Things were looking pretty bad for Bobby last week. As you may remember, he picked up a waitress, took her to his Cape Cod home, and then ended up getting slashed across the face when she pulled a razor blade out from under her tongue. This week, Bobby is wandering around the hospital with a huge bandage on his face and telling everyone that he had an “accident.” It’s only to Dr. Turner that he confesses that he was attacked by the waitress. Bobby claims that he responded by punching her and that he then called the police.

Bobby spends this episode in a truly foul mood. Not only does he have a bandage on his face but he’s also been told that the Hospital Review Board doesn’t feel that he’s performing enough surgeries for the residents to really get the training that they need. (“We’re a teaching hospital,” Dr. Craig explains.) Bobby pressures an old man into getting a face lift that he really doesn’t need. Even Victor thinks that the surgery is unethical. I mean, when you’ve lost Victor Ehrlich….

Meanwhile, Dr. Westphall is finally released from the hospital after fainting due to the Malaria that he brought back from working abroad. Westphall is depressed about the whole thing. Westphall is always depressed. Even when his daughter comes home to help out, Westphall is depressed to see her. Cheer up, Westphall!

After weeks of trying to lose weight, Elliot discovers that he’s actually gained three pounds. What’s worse is that his girlfriend, Marcy (Jeannie Elias), lost weight at the same time that Elliot was gaining weight and, when she sees that he’s just as heavy as ever, she dumps him.

Amongst the patients, Pru Dowler (Amanda Wyss) and Buddy Askew (Mark Baker) are two developmentally challenged teenagers who end up “procreating” (as Luther puts it) in Pru’s hospital room. Dr. Craig takes it upon himself to discuss what happened when Pru and it’s just as awkward as you might expect.

Col. Chuck Cochrane (David Ackroyd) is an astronaut who collapses while giving a speech. In the hospital, he has nightmares about being trapped in space. The whole storyline brought to mind The Ninth Configuration, a film that perhaps not coincidentally starred the future Donald Westphall himself, Ed Flanders.

The highlight of this episode was undoubtedly William Daniels’s performance as Dr. Craig. With Dr. Westphall recovering his illness, the day-to-day tasks of running the hospital fell on Dr. Craig and he was not at all happy about it. On this show, William Daniels is always at his best when Dr. Craig is in a bad mood. Before going on rounds, Dr. Craig predicted that Dr. Morrison would show up late and have some overly complicated excuse. Morrison did just that and it was hard not to smile at Craig’s exasperation. At the same time, it is made clear that the main reason that Craig is upset is because his granddaughter has been taken away from him. It was hard not to feel bad for him, even when he was biting everyone’s heads off.

This was not a happy episode. No one in the hospital seems to be doing well. Bobby is bitter. Dr. Craig is angry. Elliott is feeling defeated. And Westphall …. well, he’s just Westphall. Fortunately, the strong cast and the smart writing made up for the fact that St. Eligius isn’t a happy place right now.

Seriously, I could watch William Daniels yell at people all day.

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 4.5 “Slice O’Life”

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, it’s a busy few days in Boston.

Episode 4.5 “Slice O’Life”

(Dir by Eric Laneuville, originally aired on November 6th, 1985)

Oh, the drama!

Elliot is still struggling to lose weight.

Fiscus is having an early midlife crisis, especially when a cancer patient (Todd Susman) philosophically accepts that the treatment is going to leave him impotent. The patient has lived a life with meaning. What has Fiscus done?

Dr. Craig finally admits to Ellen that he knows he was too hard on their now dead son. They are both preparing to raise their granddaughter, Barbara, in their home. However, Yvonne’s parents (Ramon Bieri and K Callan) arrive in Boston for a visit. They are so blue collar and, in Dr. Craig’s eyes, unsophisticated that they almost seems like caricatures of what the rich think the poor are like. They reveal that Stephen and Yvonne asked them to serve as Barbara’s legal guardians in case anything happened. At first, Ellen refuses to let them take Barbara. “Get your wife in check,” Yvonne’s father says. “I’ll see you in court,” Dr. Craig replies.

After complaining about feeling like he has a cold and then getting upset about the Hospital Board not immediately approving all of his projects, Dr. Westphall collapses in the St. Eligius stairwell. It turns out that he has Malaria. Apparently, a self-righteous attitude and a bunch of impractical ideas were not the only things Westphall brought home from Ethiopia.

Finally, Bobby spends another weekend up at Cape Cod. He picks up a local woman. They have what Bobby is probably expecting to be just another one night stand. The woman, however, has a razor blade that she’s hidden under her tongue (yikes!) and proceeds to slice Bobby across his face.

AGCK!

Up until that ending, this was a fairly typical episode of St. Elsewhere. It looked like the big drama was going to be the Craigs temporarily losing Barbara. Instead, the drama is that Bobby might be dead!

Oh, poor Mark Harmon. When he first started playing the role on this show, Bobby was portrayed as being a nice guy who was a little boring. The show really had no idea what to do with him, other than have him occasionally take his shirt off. For the fourth season, the show’s writers turned him into an arrogant hedonist. On the one hand, I’m sure there are a lot of doctors like Bobby Caldwell. On the other hand, the change really does seem to have come out of nowhere. And now, he might be dead. I guess the lesson here is to stay away from Cape Cod!

The attack on Bobby ultimately overshadows everything else that happened in this episode. I will say that, before Bobby got attacked, I was enjoying Dr. Craig’s rather snobbish reaction to Yvonne’s parents. As for Dr. Westphall …. eh. Westphall’s kind of become a one trick pony. He’s depressed and he wants the world to know it. I know quite a few people like Dr. Westphall in real life, which is probably why I get so annoyed with his character on the show.

Seriously, Westphall, cheer up!

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 4.4 “The Naked and the Dead”

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Life is getting dark in Boston!

Episode 4.4 “The Naked and the Dead”

(Dir by Leo Penn, originally aired on October 30th, 1985)

This episode opens with Dr. Craig in an even worse mood than usual. There’s two newspapers in Boston and they each have a totally different weather forecast. One says that the day is going to be warm and sunny. The other says to expect rain. How is Dr. Craig supposed to know whether or not take an umbrella to the hospital!? Ellen, meanwhile, is preparing for Stephen’s funeral, which is going to be held later in the day.

Yes, Dr. Craig does go to the hospital on the day of his son’s funeral. He says that he has no choice because his patients need him but it’s obvious that the hospital is his way of avoiding the grief and guilt that he feels over the death of his son. Ellen worries about whether or not Stephen will be buried in a comfortable suit. Dr. Craig yells at a post-op patient for smoking and eating too much. They’re both dealing with their sadness.

Dr. Westphall, meanwhile, deals with his nonstop depression by coming up with new (and impractical) community projects for the hospital. In this episode, he leaves Tommy with a babysitter so that he can try to persuade the Board of Directors to fund his latest project, a clinic devoted to battling malnutrition. The Board turns him down. Westphall returns home a depressed. That’s nothing new. Westphall is always depressed. That said, this was the first episode in which I really felt as if I understood Westphall’s depression. Westphall feels guilty because, for all of his medical training, he still doesn’t understand his son’s autism. So, instead of dealing with Tommy, Westphall throws himself into the hospital. He’s really not that much different from Dr. Craig.

While that’s going on, Bobby hooks up with a physical therapist at the hospital. Nurse Lucy (Jennifer Savidge) steals his scrubs and we get the sight of a half-naked Mark Harmon running through the hospital. Meanwhile, an aspiring teenage photographer (Robert Romanus — DAMONE FROM FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH!) is beaten up when he sells some bad drugs to the other inhabitants of the group home where he lives. The photographer is dead by the end of the episode. It’s just that type of day.

This episode ends with Dr. Craig and his wife going to the funeral. It’s raining, of course.

Wow, what a depressing episode! Fortunately, the strong ensemble cast kept things bearable, even though there wasn’t much happiness to be found over the course of the hour. Still, I worry about Dr. Craig. He really does seem like he’s just a few days away from snapping. Hopefully, he’ll express his grief at some point. It’s not good to hold all that in. We know there’s a bar near the hospital and Dr. Craig seems like he’s on the verge of becoming a regular.

Are things going to continue to get dark or is Boston going to see happier day? We’ll find out next week!

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 4.2 “Fathers and Sons”

Posted on July 10, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Dr. Craig’s son returns home.

Episode 4.2 “Fathers and Sons”

(Dir by Mark Tinker, originally aired on September 25th, 1985)

In this episode, we discover what Dr. Westphall did after he left St. Eligius. After checking Tommy into a special school for autistic children, Westphall went to Africa and volunteered his time at a clinic. Now that he’s returned to Boston, he wants St. Eligius and its residents to follow his example. In fact, he’s requiring it. He wants to set up a free clinic. He wants to set up a charity. He tells the residents that they will now be required to volunteer in the community. He’s planning on shaking things up. Auschlander tells Westphall that not all of his plans are practical. Westphall says that he doesn’t care.

Westphall also proceeds to move back into his old house and he retrieves Tommy from the school. (Tommy responds by hitting Westphall.) It’s actually pretty easy to see what’s happening here. At the end of the previous season, Westphall was determined to move on with his life. He was going to leave his depressing house. He was going to admit that he couldn’t raise Tommy by himself. However, now that he’s returned to Boston, Westphall is returning to his old life while expecting St. Eligius to change. Westphall is channeling his personal frustrations into the hospital. I don’t think this is going to go well.

Speaking of change, Luther is training to become a paramedic. In this episode, he rides around in an ambulance with two bickering paramedics who are also a couple (played by Adam Arkin and Melanie Chartoff). This storyline allowed the action to move beyond the confines at the hospital and, at times, it almost played like a parody of a more traditional medical show. Luther becomes a stand-in for the viewer, watching as the domestic drama unfolds in between medical emergencies.

The majority of the episode revolves around Dr. Craig, who is not happy that his son, Stephen (Scott Paulin), is visiting with his very pregnant wife, Yvonne (Suzanne Lederer). When we last saw Stephen, he was a hotshot Ivy League medical student with a bright future ahead of him. Then he got busted for drug possession and Dr. Craig stopped speaking about him. In this episode, we learn that Stephen is now a student at Ohio State. Stephen claims that he’s no longer on drugs but it’s obvious that Dr. Craig is never going to be able to forgive Stephen for letting him down. That said, Dr. Craig does soften a bit when he talks to Yvonne and she lets him feel the baby kicking.

At the end of the episode, Stephen is driving down a street in Boston. He’s just had dinner with his parents. Yvonne is in the passenger’s seat. A quick shot of Stephen’s eyes reveal that he’s high on something. Yvonne screams as Stephen crashes the car. Yikes! That’s a frightening way to end things!

This was a good episode. It appears that, with the start of season four, the showrunners finally figured out that Dr. Craig was the most interesting character on the show. William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett are both excellent in this episode.

I just hope the baby will be okay.

Icarus File No. 29: 1776 (dir by Peter R. Hunt)

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The year is 1776. The British have landed in Canada and are now marching towards New York with the intention of putting down a revolultion that has sprung up over issues like unfair taxation. In Philadelphia, John Adams (William Daniels) is frustrated by the refusal the second Continental Congress to take up debate on whether or not the 13 North American colonies should announce their official independence from Britian. Every day, Adams steps into the chamber and demands that the Congress take some action. And, every day, his fellow deletates sing, “Sit down, John!”

Yes, you read that correctly. They sing it.

Based on a 1969 Broadway musical, 1776 features a lot of singing, a lot talking, and not much else. This is a film about the debate surrounding the writing of the Declaraiton of Independence that sometimes feels as if it’s telling its story in real time. It’s no shock when Benjaming Franklin (Howard Da Silva) continually falls asleep at his desk or when Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) sings that he’d rather be home. This is a nearly 3-hour film that feels like 3 months. Some films about the Revolutionary War emphasize the brilliance of the Founding Fathers. Some films emphazie the struggle to be free. Other films emphasize the daily violence of serving in the army. 1776 captures the monotony of being trapped in a room full of cranky middle-aged men who will not stop talking. The film dutifully captures every debate and controversy. When John Adams shouts at everyone to get on with it, it’s hard not to sympathize until you realize that Adams himself is a huge reason why nothing ever seems to get done. There’s only so many hours in the day that can be devoted to singing songs.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about 1776 is that it was realsed in 1972. Nothing about 1776 suggests that it’s a product of the same era in which Bob Fosse was redefining the musical with Caberet and Francis Ford Coppola was refefining the historial epic with The Godfather and John Boorman was risking the lives of Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight to capture a weekend rafting trip. There’s nothing about Peter R. Hunt’s direction to suggest that this film was made in the same era that saw Robert Altman playfully reinventing genres ranging from the service comedy to the detective film to the ensemble musical. At a time when American directors were rebelling against convention and experimenting with new ways to tell stories, 1776 is a lengthy, dramatically inert and stagebound Broadway adaptation. In style and look, it feels like a cinematic product of the 1950s or the early 60s, a film that was made when Hollywood’s only competition was from television. Even Thomas Jefferson’s longing for his wife (Blythe Danner) is played discreetly. When she finally does show up in Philadelphia, Jefferson closes the shudders. When John Adams and Benjamin Franklin notice that the shudders are still closed hours later, it’s treated as a moment for everyone in the audience to turn red as they try not to giggle. They’re having sex, the audience is meant to think, Good thing they’re married! It’s a moment that feels as natural and human as Sandra Dee looking over her shoulder and winking as she goes off with Troy Donahue.

The key to understanding 1776 is to be found in the opening credits. “Produced by Jack Warner.” By the time 1776 went into production, Warner had been a Hollywood mogul for 54 years. He started his career in the silent era and he built Warner Brothers into one of Hollywood’s most successful studios. When he was younger, he was the one breaking the rules, making gangster movies and turning actor like James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Edward G. Robinson into stars. However, by the time he made 1776, Warner was the last of a dying breed. Despite having greenlit Bonnie and Clyde, one of the seminal “Now Hollywood” productions, the older Jack Warner had little use for the Hollywood counterculture. 1776 was reportedly a pet project for Jack Warner, a film that he took a strong hand in producting and which he expected would sweep the box office and the Oscars. Warner recruited the majority of the show’s Broadway cast to appear in the film. Warner personally ordered the remove of a musical number that seemed to discreetly critcize the Vietnam War. Warner even went on TV to promote the film. During an interview on the Merv Griffin Show, Warner launched into a triade about “pinko commies.” I imagine Warner had a point about the communists but it still was probably not the right way to promote the film in the 1970s. While other films invited the counterculture into Hollywood, 1776 was essentially Jack Warner shouting, “Stay off my lawn!” with the voice of William Daniels.

1776 was a last attempt to hold onto the old way of making movies. It was a film about a revolution that was desgined to thwart another revolution. The Continental Congress was menaced by the British. Jack Warner was menaced by the shadows of Coppola, Scorsese, and Friedkin. It would be Jack Warner’s final film as a producer. He died in 1974, still one of the towering figures in the history of Hollywood. Of the old time moguls, only Adolph Zuker and Darryl F. Zanuck outlasted Jack Warner.

When Hamilon first came out in 2025, it was often described as being the antidote to 1776. Hamilton was entertaining where 1776 was stodgy. Well, maybe. 1776 may lack great songs but it doesn’t really have any truly bad ones either. Instead, it’s just a very middle-of-the-road show, inoffensive and designed to keep the tourits happy. Hamilton was viewed as being revolutionary when it was released but now it feels a bit gimmicky, with both the show and the almost religious initial enthusiasm for it feeling like somewhat embarassing artifacts from a different era. (From the coverage during the Hamilton’s heyday, you would think no one but Lin-Manuel Miranda had ever written about Alexander Hamilton or Aaron Burr before.) There is a great film to be made about the Continental Congress but it probably doesn’t invovle any singing.

As for 1776, William Daniels is amusing when he gets frusrated and Blythe Danner is far prettier than the real Martha Jefferson and the film itself is a forgettable tribute to the great men who foudned a great country.

Previous Icarus Files:

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 4.1 “Remembrance Of Things Past”

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, we begin season 4 of St. Elsewhere!

Episode 4.1 “Remembrance of Things Past”

(Dir by Bruce Paltrow, originally aired on September 18th, 1985)

This week, we start a new season of St. Elsewhere!

Dr. Cavenero is no longer listed in the opening credits. She’s not even mentioned in this episode, leaving her absence as a mystery. The last time we saw her during the third season, she was suffering from a cold so maybe she died. From what I’ve read, the real reason that she’s gone is because Cynthia Sikes, the actress who played her, objected to a season three storyline that would have featured her coming out as a lesbian.

From the start of this epiosde, St. Eligius seems like a happier place. A lot of that is because Dr. Westphall is gone. (That said, he’s still listed in the opening credits so we know, from the start, that will return.) Doctors Craig and Aushlander are a bit overworked having to cover Westphall’s duties but still, the residents seem to be a bit more hopeful than usual in this episode. Westphall’s perpetual glumness is no longer there to drag everyone down.

Morrison and Chandler have a conflict over a Vietnamese patient. Morrison wants to give the patient the best care possible. Chandler is upset because his older brother died in Vietnam and he feels like the patient doesn’t appreciate the sacrifice that Americans made during the Vietnam War. Morrison, of course, was an anti-war teenager. (There’s a reason why Helen Hunt calls him “boomer.”)

The whole Morrison/Chandler storyline felt a bit too heavy-handed to be effective. While I can believe that Chandler would have his own strongly-held opinions about the war, I have a hard time believing he would be as unprofessional as he was in this episode. Still, all of this does lead to a great scene where Morrison goes to Craig for the type of advice that he would usually get from Westphall and Craig responds by telling Morrison to get over it and concentrate on his job.

Seriously, I’ve been waiting for three seasons for someone to tell Morrison that.

Alfre Woodward joins the cast as Dr. Roxanne Turner, an OB-GYN. In this episode, she counsels an infertile couple. Dr. Turner wasn’t in much of the episode (and Alfre Woodard is not included in the opening credits) but I get the feeling that both she and the couple she was counseling are going to be around for a while.

The episode’s main storyline featured an amnesiac known as Joe Doe No. 6 (Oliver Clark). After John Doe escapes from the psychiatric ward and steals a suit, he’s mistaken for Dr. Jonas Wisner, who has beent sent to St. Eligius to evaluate its teaching program. John Doe No. 6 has a great time pretending to be Dr. Wisner and the doctors enjoy spending time with him. Unfortunately, the real Dr. Wisner (Joseph Ruskin) shows up and the fun ends.

Oh, how I loved watching John Doe No. 6 interact with the staff. Not only did it allow me to see the show’s characters through someone else’s eyes but it was also just an enjoyable storyline. It was a reminder that the hospital can be an entertaining place when Westpall isn’t wandering around the hallways.

However, towards the end of this episode, Westphall showed up at the hospital. Craig and Auschlander were happy to see him. Westphall asked if he could have his old job back. Of course, he can! Really? Didn’t Westphall walk off the job? But apparently, he can just wander back into the hospital while wearing his hobo cap and all is forgiven.

The episode ends with Chandler taking an impromptu trip to Washington D.C. and visiting the Vietnam War Memorial. As I watched this, it occuured to me that the memorial was still fairly new when this episoe aired. Once I realized that, I understood why the show included the Morrison/Chandler storyline. It pays to know history.

Season 4 is off to a good start! I just hope Dr. Westphall doesn’t drag everyone back down.

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.24 “Cheers”

Posted on June 19, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, season 3 comes to an end.

Episode 3.24 “Cheers”

(Dir by Bruce Paltrow, originally aired on March 27th, 1985)

It’s Easter at St. Eligius and, of course, everyone is a bit depressed. While the patients in the Children’s Ward prepare for the annual Easter egg hunt (and are told about the magic Golden Egg), a man who dresses like Jesus is attacked by a bunch of vagrants and wheeled into the Emergency Room. Meanwhile, Dr. Craig is shaken to learn that his mentor, Dr. David Domedion (Dean Jagger), is suffering from dementia and Dr. Auschlander worries about his wife as she undergoes heart surgery.

And yet somehow, Dr. Westphall still manages to be the most depressed person in the hospital.

I have to admit that, over the course of this season, I’ve grown a bit frustrated with Dr. Westphall and his nonstop depression. At least one terrible thing has happened to every character on the show but they’ve all managed to continue on with their lives and their careers. Dr. Westphall is selling his house and, as a result, he’s spent a year having an existential crisis. Dr. Asuchlander is terminally ill and he still manages to smile occasionally. I realize that I’m probably being too hard on Westphall but seriously …. cheer up, old man! People love you!

This rather dark and depressing episode features an odd moment when Westphall, Crag, and Auschlander go to a neighborhood bar and talk about life. Their conversation is serious but the bar is Cheers, which was the setting of a popular sitcom of the same name in the 80s. (Dr. Frasier Crane first appeared on Cheers, though he’s sadly not present in this episode.) While the doctors wrestle with their misery, the bar regulars make jokes.

Barmaid Carla (Rhea Pearlman) gives them a hard time when she discovers that they work at St. Eligius. In fact, the entire bar seems to groan at the hospital’s name.

Bar regular Norm (George Wendt) is also Auschlander’s former accountant. Norm apologizes for losing Auschlander a good deal of money. Then Norm goes back to drinking. Maybe don’t hire an alcoholic to be your accountant.

Postman Cliff (future PIXAR regular John Ratzenberger) tries to get free medical advice. The doctors aren’t in the mood.

It’s an odd scene but there’s still a definite charm to it. It’s as if the show’s writers were acknowledging how difficult it can be to take Westphall’s nonstop glumness and they were puncturing his self-absorption a little by having the cast of another show attempt to steal the spotlight from all of his problems. This episode seems to be saying, “There’s a world outside of St. Eligius and it’s full of day drinkers.”

Still, the scene is ultimately about Dr. Westphall. At the end of it, he announces that he’s done with being a doctor. He’s going to retire. He’s going to leave St. Eligius and presumably find a new group of people to depress. Well, good for him.

The episode ends with Westphall leaving the hospital, perhaps for the last time. As he leaves, he spots and picks up the Golden Easter Egg.

Hey, Westphall, that egg is for the kids!

Next week, we start a new season!

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.23 “Bang The Eardrum Slowly”

Posted on June 12, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, everyone’s thinking about death.

Episode 3.23 “Bang the Eardrum Slowly”

(Dir by David Anspaugh, originally aired on March 20th, 1985)

Every by the standards of St. Elsewhere, this was a depressing episode.

Auschlander buys his morning newspaper and discovers that his old friend Dr. Wyler was murdered by revolutionaries in Africa. The terminally ill Auschlander finds himself thinking about his own death and how he’ll be remembered. Will he also only rate a small mention in the local newspaper? Will anyone care or will they just shrug off his death and go on with their lives? The only thing that kept this storyline from being unbearably depressing was the knowledge that, in real life, Norman Lloyd would live to be 106.

Elliot has been entrusted with Mrs. Hufnagle’s ashes. He spends most of the episode carrying them around in a cigarette box and thinking about how someone’s entire life can be reduced to just a small amount of ashes. After an unpleasant meeting with Hufnagle’s estranged son (Boyd Bodwell), Elliot and Fiscus spread Hufnagle’s ashes at sea. Alone amongst the doctors at St. Eligius, Elliot feels bad that Hufnagle checked into the hospital and died due to her doctors and nurses getting tired of dealing with her. Elliot has a point. Hufnagle’s son really should be suing the Hell out of that place.

Westphall …. oh Hell, you already know that Westphall spent this episode depressed. Westphall is depressed in every episode. He’s perhaps the most glum character that I’ve ever come across. Even when something good happens, Westphall finds an excuse to get upset about it. This week, he’s depressed that he’s moving out of his house. He’s also depressed that his son Tommy would rather watch cartoons than talk to him. Seriously, Westphall can be difficult to deal with. I’ve been in a bit of melancholy mood myself and watching Westphall does not help.

Dr, Craig is not so much depressed as he’s annoyed by the news that his son, Stephen, is engaged. Craig has never forgiven Stephen for getting hooked on drugs and dropping out of medical school. Ellen says that, as Stephen’s parents, they have to be supportive and happy for him. Good luck convincing your husband of that, Ellen.

Finally, Luther is deafened by a boiler room explosion. His hearing eventually returns but Luther finds himself haunted by how close he came to dying. I would be haunted by the idea of getting seriously injured at a hospital that appears to be as much of a death trap as St. Eligius.

What a dark episode! This was a difficult one for me to get through, though that’s not necessarily a criticism. It’s just an acknowledgement of the fact that St. Elsewhere didn’t hesitate or offer false hope when it came to issues of mortality. Next week, season 3 comes to a close. Let’s hope for the best!

Retro Television Review: St. Elsewhere 3.22 “Tears of a Clown”

Posted on May 29, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Send in the clowns….

Episode 3.22 “Tears of a Clown”

(Dir by Janet Greek, originally aired on March 13th, 1985)

Do you like clowns?

Then this episode is for you because there are clowns all over the hospital! When Dr. Chandler tells circus clown Bonko (Gina Hecht) that she should quit the circus because she has MS, her fellow clowns all show up at the hospital to support her. And yes, they wear their clown makeup! Bonko’s partner, Corky (Dennis Dugan), understands that Bonko is a born performer. As the episode ends, Bonko and Crky perform in an elevator and cheer up Andrea Fordham (Ann Hearn), Dr. Caldwell’s plastic surgery patient. Having had her declaration of love rejected by Bobby, Andrea could definitely use the cheering up.

Dr. Morrison needs some cheering up to. Working as a resident, a medical student, and a single father is a lot of pressure and his relationship with Clancy (played by Helen Hunt) isn’t bring him much relief. Morrison is suffering from insomnia and headaches and popping pills. He’s late to a timed exam and flunks. I swear, Morrison can never get a break. The only thing keeping him from being the most depressing character on the show is that Westphall somehow always seem to be even more afflicted with melancholy.

This episode features Westphall finally finding a condo that he can move into. He’s accompanied by Dr. Craig and they are mistaken for a couple by the realtor. Craig looks annoyed. Westphall looks glum. Westphall always looks glum!

Finally, Elliot discovers that Mrs. Hufnagle left him her entire meager estate. It’s also now his responsibility to spread her ashes.

After last week’s dramatic and emotional episode, this week felt rather lowkey. How you react to this episode will probably depend on how much tolerance you have for clowns.

It was an okay episode, even if it did ultimately feel like filler. After last week’s emotion-packed installment, this episode served to remind us that life goes on, even after Hufnagle dies and Shirley Daniels pulls a gun on everyone. That’s just the way things are in the city of Boston.