Night Court Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Marathon-Thon-Thon-Thon-Thon
Diana Keng
at
.
There are times when the episodic nature of sitcoms contradicts the expected continuity in their narrative.
Case in point, Night Court Season 1 Episode 10 continues the thread of Neil's crush on Abby established on Night Court Season 1 Episode 8 but reverses the gains Abby and Olivia made on Night Court Season 1 Episode 7.
Meanwhile, Dan's sentimentality over the bench pushes Gurgs's scheming buttons, introducing a new potentially recurring character, Bert, the gator-owning head of maintenance.
Fun fact: the production number for "Train Court" (Night Court Season 1 Episode 7) indicates that episode was filmed after this one, which may explain the de-evolution of Abby and Olivia's relationship.
The show's airing order hasn't followed the production order beyond the premiere where Night Court Season 1 Episode 1 and Night Court Season 1 Episode 2 were broadcast, but this is the first instance where the narrative has clearly been jumbled.
If they'd aired in the order they filmed, Abby's thirsty need for Olivia's camaraderie here would be satisfied by their bonding after the train delay adventure.
Also, Neil's interest in Abby would've been introduced eight weeks before he meets Rand instead of only having two weeks to develop.
Please let me out! I’m claustrophobic and agoraphobic, which means I’m seldom okay.
Rand
There are other clues in the dialogue that this episode was meant to air later in the season.
Abby comments that Rand "actually exists" to the courtroom crew. To my memory, no one's questioned his existence. Yet.
Also, Rand makes no comment about Abby's apartment's German beer hall location, so perhaps she's moved?
It may seem strange to nitpick at continuity on a sitcom, but despite how close they've kept to the style and formula of the original series, the show has evolved from the reset model of classic half-hour comedies.
There have been carryover details from each weekly offering, and we've gotten to know more about the characters. We've learned enough that we can make predictions and theorize with some authority about where their lives are going.
Neil: Gurgs, what’s going on?
Gurgs: Well, I went into the judge’s chambers to do my primal scream therapy when I saw a guy with a knife, and I did an actual scream which wasn’t therapeutic at all.
Olivia: Oh god, was it the foot perv who’s always asking people their shoe size or the guy who sells the olives?
Dan: Well, just know that if it’s the guy who eats soup with a fork, watch out. He’s pretty good with that thing.
Gurgs: No, it’s a brand new creep.
According to the production order, Rand's appearance wasn't meant to happen until the third-to-last half-hour of the season. How will they play his return Upstate, stringing it out for the next month and a half?
It seems a bit of a shame. While it's a bit early to add a new regular, Pete Holmes as Rand contrasts Abby's post-move-to-New-York persona better than Faith Ford's Mama Gina.
Also, dropping her self-realization that living on her own in New York has changed her into the middle of the season leaves a long time gap until the potential decision to cut her ties with Upstate which some might project as a season finale sort of element.
At the same time, Dan comes to the epiphany that he cares for the roots he's put down in the courthouse.
There are so few people or things that I like in this courthouse. I’m not going to live in a world where the bench gets taken away, and Neil can stay?
Dan
The bench symbolizes his history there and even commemorates his first court win.
This is the first time Gurgs teams up to scheme with Dan. She's worked with Abby to find an apartment and Olivia to find an office.
Neil may still have a strike for messing with the building directory, but he did confide in her about his crush on Abby, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she trots out her very particular set of skills to help him out.
It seems that Gurgs thrives on having a project or mission to complete.
It keeps her life interesting and, for the most part, helps out those around her.
Bert: I get attached to inanimate objects too. I mean I’m not one of those weirdos who marries a boat or anything. Unless, um, do you know any single boats?
Gurgs: Not right now, but boats’ girlfriends always havin’ accidents.
Above all, she accepts everyone for who they are, and whatever floats their boat is okay in her books as long as it doesn't mess with someone else's boat.
Even after pegging Rand as a knife-wielding weirdo at first encounter, she's happy he's there as long as Abby's happy he's there.
Quick aside, isn't there another door into Abby's office? Couldn't the knife-wielding weirdo escape that way?
For people who've worked in this building this long, they don't seem to know where the doors are, like when Remecca circumvented the Meg Ryan metal detector by using the other entrance to the courtroom on Night Court Season 1 Episode 9.
Dan: Change is part of life. You either accept it or one day a guy tries to take your bench away and you briefly consider dressing it up like a very tall weird-looking man and sneaking it past a near-sighted maintenance worker.
Abby: Is that a metaphor?
Dan: I wish it were.
In the long run, it's unlikely that Abby will ever lose her "Upstate-ness," but her life in New York will continue to change her perspective on the world and its people. That may include Rand eventually.
There's a sense that Dan letting go of the bench could foreshadow Abby letting go of the commitments she made Upstate.
Speaking of "Upstate-ness," exactly how do the residents of the real Skaneateles feel about how they're being represented?
Rand and I have run some marathons back home. Upstate, they let horses run it too. Which I know doesn’t seem fair but it kept us motivated.
Abby
While the Internet tells me their population is a booming 7,112 residents, they must have more than two traffic lights.
Abby: Maybe we could run together. Y’know, having a partner makes the time go faster.
Olivia: Mmm, I don’t think so. I run alone. I’m a lone wolf.
Abby: Wolves run in packs. I should know, Upstate, wolves run in the marathons too. Keeps the horses motivated.
Now that we've learned the marathons Upstate allow horses and wolves to compete, there should probably be a disclaimer added to the town's website.
An intriguing point to note is how Abby checks in with Dan on how he likes Rand. It makes me wonder what Rand's relationship with Harry was.
Dan's role as court curmudgeon is well-established. This shift to being Abby's father figure has been subtle but pronounced.
Rand: It’s nice to finally meet your friends. I think Gurgs is your Kramer.
Abby: And Dan is my Mare of Easttown.
This leads me to ask again if he and Sarah ever had a child. If they didn't, is this Dan's opportunity to be a parent and maybe the chance to learn the challenging lessons that position entails?
When you watch Night Court online, consider the dynamics at play.
Did the hiccup in continuity bother you?
Will Abby choose her life in New York over her roots Upstate?
I can't imagine Neil's crush going anywhere, but will things change (again) when Abby learns about it?
Who thinks the bench will be back next week? Hit our comments with your odds on that!
Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.
