Sam Leaps Into:
Gilbert LaBonte, the owner of a popular bordello.
Objective:
Protect one of his ladies from her abusive husband.
Date:
8-4-61
Location:
New Orleans, Louisiana
Memorable Quote:
Of all the partners in the whole wide world that I should have to pick, and what do I end up with? The Prudent Prince. ~Al
Of all the partners in the whole wide world that I should have to pick, and what do I end up with? The Prudent Prince. ~Al
Highlight:
I love when Sam runs in on Jake beating Gina and calmly says, "Why don't you try that on me?"
I love when Sam runs in on Jake beating Gina and calmly says, "Why don't you try that on me?"
Lowlight:
Not a big complaint, but the plot line with Gilbert's relationship to his fiancée and her leaving in the end didn't add much to the story.
Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
- The producers did a good job of making this house feel like the Old South, and the "Dixie" doorbell was a clever touch.
- This episode originally aired 5 days before the infamous "day the cable went out," a date that will live in infamy in the Sweedo household. What am I talking about? Read my Strictly Business post to find out.
Final Analysis:
I didn't remember one single thing about this episode, but I enjoyed it and liked the way the story unfolded. The Gina character was well crafted and complex, and the actor playing Jake did a good job. Interesting that the entire episode save for the scene at the hotel took place in the bordello, but it nevertheless moved at a good pace, and the ending was clever in the way that Sam set up Jake. Ranking it 20 out of 45.
In this episode, I'm a fan of the way Sam does the 'photo' scene - 'my school has a graduation photo' and tricks the antagonist into being in it and 'oops' now there's a photo of him with a scantily clad woman.
ReplyDeleteLike you, though, I don't like the storyline with his fiancee - it feels tacked on and out of place.
My favorite parts of this episode were Sam's stall tactics with the group of Osmans (or whoever those guys with the funny hats were) to help delay Gina leaving the place. The entire interaction between the Southern belle prostitutes was usually pretty interesting too, and I always enjoyed David Graf as the omnipresent 80s and 90s TV character actor, in this case playing the sheriff. He reminds me a lot of Minnesota's own Garrison Keillor. And while I was curious about Jake's real connection to Gina, the payoff disappointed and I thought the scenes of Gina and Sam bantering were too slow and drawn out. It wasn't a disaster for a lower-budget episode but not one that did a lot for me. I'll rank it between "The Great Spontini" and "Freedom".
ReplyDelete