SEASON ONE: Episodes 13-18
13. “All These
Things Will I Give Thee” – Airdate: January 7, 1992
Writer: Lynn Marie Latham
Director: David Carson
Synopsis: The Sloans offer Linda a
position as office manager in the hopes of weakening the union’s chances of
being voted in. After the birth of
Emma, Gina moves in with the Sloans and struggles with Ruth’s “modern” views of
childrearing. Jeff offers a solution
for the “tension” he and Ginger have been experiencing.
Introduces: Local 311 of the National
Labor Alliance; WREQ, the “Voice of Greater River Run”; Caroline’s upwardly
mobile aspirations to “become” Ruth Sloan; first mention of polio
Missing Character: Sarah
Metcalf
♫Song:
“Moonlight Serenade” – Glenn Miller
Memorable Line: “I can’t
dance, I can’t act, and I can’t give speeches.
You wanna get engaged?” (Jeff)
Historic Moments: Gina
moves back in with the Sloans. Mike
learns that Gina is Jewish. Jeff
proposes to Ginger (again), and this time she accepts. The Haileys visit the Sloans for the first
time. Ruth and Gloria actually agree on
something. The union is voted in, and
Charlie is voted President of the new local.
Inconsistencies, Bloopers, and Plot Holes:
Would Ruth really just leave her fur coat draped across a couch for Caroline to
find? Why is the union allowed to hold
another meeting in the Metcalf home when Anne has strictly forbidden it
repeatedly? We could swear that the two
twerps at the factory (Jack & Ed) have switched places – the one that Linda
addresses as “Jack” in an early episode is now called “Ed” by Charlie during
the pro-union speech scene. At
the end of the previous episode, Jeff was seen boarding a bus for Hollywood to
fetch Ginger, unaware that she was already heading home to River Run. But the original ABC version of this episode features a scene (deleted
in the TV Land version) of Jeff bartending at the roadhouse as Hank and Charlie
argue about the union. Then, only five
to ten minutes later, we see Ginger meeting him as he gets off the bus, having
just returned from Hollywood. So HOW
could he have been at the roadhouse during Hank and Charlie’s argument? Perhaps this is the only instance where TV
Land actually made the right decision by cutting a scene!
Great Unanswered Question: At the
end of the “Union! Union!” scene, why are two extras in the foreground
violently yelling directly into each other’s faces?
Did You Know?: Ruth’s
chinchilla coat costs $5500, more than the “wage slaves” at Sloan Industries
make in two years. The union is voted
in 296 to 252. Ginger got her job at
WREQ through her cousin.
Insider Trivia: Mimi
Kennedy (Ruth) suggested the idea of having Ruth get involved in Gina’s
childrearing (“Ask Mimi Kennedy” The Viewer Jan. 1993).
Critique in a Nutshell: We enjoy
the nice parallel between Linda reduced to serving coffee for the union and the
rival file clerk serving coffee for management – a victory for labor is not a
victory for feminism. While the series’
sympathies are clearly with the union, it continues to portray both sides
even-handedly. This episode is full of
important plot points (the union vote, Jeff and Ginger’s engagement) that are
not to be missed, though Meg finds it plodding and missing the cleverness and
wit that characterizes the show, while Brent believes it offers a complex
consideration of the union conflict.
Meg’s grade: B- Brent’s
grade: A-
14. “When It
Rains, It Pours” –
Airdate: January 14, 1992
Writer: Bernard Lechowick
Director: Bruce Seth Green
Synopsis: Unaware Mike Jr. is dead,
old army buddy Bill Caswell arrives in town, stirring up both painful emotions
and suspicions. Grandma Davis enters the
hospital, and Abe and Gloria are frantic when they lose the gall bladder that
Grandma Davis insisted they keep for her.
Al announces that he has been reassigned to Cincinnati, hoping Anne will
offer him a reason to stay in River Run.
Jeff and Ginger’s Pre-Cana classes are quickly interrupted when Jeff
receives news that he has been invited to try out for the Major Leagues.
Introduces: Bill Caswell, Father Dreher
Missing Characters: Robert,
Charlie, Caroline
♫Songs:
“I’ll Never Smile Again” – Tommy Dorsey; “Don’t Be That Way” – Benny Goodman;
“It’s Been A Long, Long Time” – Harry James
Memorable Line: “The way
I see it, I’ve already proven everything I need to prove…in the area of proof.”
(Jeff)
Parallels and Echoes: Bill
Caswell encourages Mike to invest in new homebuilding, which Mike and Ruth
undertake on their own in the second season.
’40s Slang: Dogface
Historic Moments: Anne and
Al have sex. Jeff is invited to Spring
Training.
Inconsistencies, Bloopers, and Plot Holes:
Why does Jeff take Ginger home after Pre-Cana classes only to meet up with her
again at Brandstaetter’s shortly thereafter?
Why are there snow shoes hanging in the Metcalf basement?
Great Unanswered Question: Why does
Abe ask, “Woman, where are we gonna get another gall bladder at this time of
night?” as if the time of day were the only obstacle in locating a surgically
removed human organ?
Did You Know?: Hank
served in the 83rd Infantry.
Linda and Mike Jr. had their first date at Brandstaetter’s. This episode mentions the “Bluegrass State”
of Kentucky, where Brent and Meg reside.
Critique in a Nutshell:
Anne and Al’s romance is truly sweet (Meg gets giggly during Al’s scenes), and
there isn’t any greater example of the show’s terrific use of irony than Grandmother
Davis’s reaction to the Japanese-American patient. But any episode featuring Bill Caswell automatically forfeits one
full letter grade. B
15. “That’s The
Way The Cookie Crumbles” – Airdate: January 28, 1992
Writer: Lynn Marie Latham
Director: Anita Addison
Synopsis: Jeff gets the jitters as he
prepares to leave for Spring Training.
When Al invites Anne on a daytrip to Cleveland, Anne struggles with
temptation and guilt over their previous indiscretion. The Davises resort to working second jobs in
order to save money for their own business.
♫Songs:
“Sing Sing Sing (With A Swing)” – Benny Goodman; “In The Mood” – Glenn Miller;
“I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” – Tommy Dorsey
Memorable Line: “My guess
is gambling – I’d put money on it.” (Mike)
Parallels and Echoes: The scene
in which the Sloans confront the Davises with the “cookie test” is repeated
verbatim, with the roles reversed, in a fantasy sequence in #41-“Shabbat
Shalom.” The Sloans suspect Abe of
infidelity, which Mike is actually guilty of (almost) in Season Two.
‘40s Slang: Dish
Historic Moments: Abe
begins working as a cook at Purl Roadhouse.
It’s finally established that Jeff is a right fielder.
Inconsistencies, Bloopers, and Plot Holes:
Sammi Davis-Voss (Caroline) is clearly wearing a wig at Jeff’s going-away
party, presumably because she had already bleached her hair blonde. It doesn’t seem realistic – either for the
characters or the times – that Abe would offer such fatherly advice to Jeff, a
person he barely knows. Tammy Lauren
(Ginger) pronounces Father Dreyer’s name as “dryer,” even though she pronounces
it “drayer” in every other episode.
Did You Know?: Purl
Roadhouse has been open for twenty-five years.
Cleveland is the sixth largest city in America with over 870,000
inhabitants (in 1945). Gloria
apparently gives rather bad haircuts.
Critique in a Nutshell: Jeff’s on
his way to Spring Training, Anne and Al can’t keep their hands off one another,
and the Davises are struggling to start up their own business…but all this we
KNOW already. In other words, little
happens in this episode that advances the storylines, and most of the cast
barely appears. We do, however, enjoy
Anne’s cookie story and the fact that Jeff sweetly never lets on to Ginger that
she has mistakenly purchased him a catcher’s mitt. B-
16. “Bad
Connection” –
Airdate: February 4, 1992
Writer: Bernard Lechowick
Director: Lorraine Senna Ferrara
Synopsis: Jeff and Ginger can only
argue as they both face disappointment in their career goals. To make matters worse, while away at Spring
Training, Jeff catches the eye of sympathetic and sultry barmaid Judy. As Union demands increase, the Sloans hire
Caroline in the hopes that she might prove a willing spy.
Introduces: Judy Owen; Caroline’s new blonde
hair; Ginger’s amorous radio station colleague Paul; Jeff’s annoying Indians
teammate Jay
Missing Characters: Abe,
Gloria
♫Songs:
“Till The End Of Time” – Perry Como (requested but not played); “Says My Heart”
– The Andrews Sisters
Memorable Lines: “You
don’t want Little Emma to grow up like Big Ruth” (Charlie); “Who no let them –
uh, who didn’t let them in?” (Ruth); “It’s a small price to pay to keep our
granddaughter here. You know perfectly
well that if Gina were to leave this house I wouldn’t sleep nights for fear
she’d enroll the baby in Hebrew School or God knows what. Now I need a martini.” (Ruth); “Vendetta,
right. See, your English is getting
better every day.” (Charlie)
Cheesiest Moments: The “Jeff
at bat” scenes play like shopworn clichés, complete with the obligatory
last-minute homerun in slow motion. The
accompanying music sounds like the theme from Forrest Gump mixed with
Blues guitar. Meg groans especially
loudly when Judy covers her ears to remind Jeff to tune everything else out when
he’s at the plate.
’40s Slang: Swell; Aces; “Good night,
nurse!”; Cuppa (British slang)
Historic Moments: Caroline
is hired by Sloan Industries. Charlie
learns that Gina is Jewish. Linda and
Bill’s first kiss. Jeff and Ginger both
receive other romantic offers. First
episode to end in a cliff-hanger.
Inconsistencies, Bloopers, and Plot Holes:
Near the end of the opening scene, Jeff has a long stray hair hanging from his
right cheek. As Paul comes on to
Ginger, she is shown from the front pulling her hair out from under her scarf
and then from the back pulling her hair out again.
Great Unanswered Question: As Jeff
helps close the bar, Judy remarks, “You do that like you’ve done it
before.” But what other way IS there to
place a chair upside-down onto a table-top?
Did You Know?: The phone
number for WREQ is BLackburn-530. Linda
didn’t know how to drive. Jeff’s
uniform number is 9. Jay mentions
Indianapolis and Cincinnati, both cities where Brent has lived.
Insider Trivia: Lynn
Marie Latham recalls, “I remember the moment we cast
[Kelly Rutherford]. We were looking for
someone who could bring to the show a feeling of the ’40s characters that
Gloria Graham and Virginia Mayo played.
Kelly came in, and we were all in shock, because she walked in with this
air of Gloria Graham. She just stole
the part. Walked away with it” (Mark Lorando “3-night Stand Becomes
Homefront Romance” Newhouse News Service 1992).
Critique in a Nutshell:
For us, Judy is a welcome addition to the cast. The scenes among the Sloans, the Haileys, and Gina are sharply
written, but Bill’s “aw shucks” courtship of Linda induces only eyerolls. B
17. “Getting To
First Base” –
Airdate: February 18, 1992
Writer: Lynn Marie Latham
Director: Bruce Seth Green
Synopsis: Jeff continues to struggle
with Judy’s advances. Thanks to
Caroline’s information that the union has no strike fund, Sloan Industries
locks out its workers during contract negotiations. Linda faces a major decision when Bill Caswell abruptly proposes
marriage.
Introduces: Coach Zelnick and his
outrageous stories; Judy’s awful pink and cream baseball cap; the SWW factor –
“Sleeping With your Wife”
♫Songs:
“There Goes That Song Again” – Russ Morgan
Memorable Line: Well,
perhaps you should just hear it from Ginger herself.
Historic Moments: Bill
proposes to Linda. Jeff and Judy
kiss. First episode to repeat footage
from the previous episode’s conclusion.
First reference to Bob Feller.
Inconsistencies, Bloopers, and Plot Holes:
Meg suspects some of the “Jeff at bat” footage is repeated from the previous
episode.
Great Unanswered Question: Bill
comes out to the porch and wraps a shawl around Linda’s shoulders—A shawl? A SHAWL?!?!? When would Linda EVER wear a shawl? Just another reason to hate Bill Caswell.
Did You Know?: The black
janitor at the Sloan factory is named Jonas.
It is estimated that Jeff will sleep with Ginger 11,440 times during
their marriage.
Insider Trivia: Judy’s
storyline was intended as “the Homefront answer to Bull
Durham, with Rutherford as the beauteous baseball sage and Chandler the
young pup she seasons” (Mark Lorando
“3-night Stand Becomes Homefront Romance” Newhouse News Service
1992). The producers considered making
Robert Duncan McNeill (Bill) a permanent cast member and therefore purposely
left his character ambiguous until this episode – McNeill chose instead to take
a role on the CBS series Going to Extremes, which died a faster death
than even Homefront.
Homefront Drinking Game®: Every time Bill says or does
something cheesy, inane, or dumb, take a drink. Chug a whole bottle (or glass) when Bill proposes to Linda. It’s the only way to get through these
episodes.
Critique in a Nutshell:
By our scorecard, the arrival of Coach Zelnick and the departure of Bill
Caswell puts Homefront WAY ahead.
But while this episode moves major plot points forward, much of it feels
lukewarm. B
18. “No Man
Loyal And Neutral” – Airdate: March 4, 1992
Writer: David Assael
Director: David Carson
Synopsis: Jeff attempts to reconcile
with Ginger after she finds Judy in his room.
After Al, Charlie, and Robert are violently beaten by security guards,
Sloan Industries and Local 311 both realize that they are each infiltrated by a
spy. As Linda and Hank continue to
battle over the union, tragedy strikes the Metcalf household.
♫Songs:
“There Goes That Song Again” – Russ Morgan; “Old MacDonald” – Guiliana Santini,
Dick Anthony Williams; “Moonglow” – Artie Shaw
Memorable Line: “They
sure grow ’em feisty in Ohio.” (Judy)
Cheesiest Moment: Sarah has
to offer final words of uncharacteristic wisdom to Hank, presumably to make her
demise that much more tragic.
Historic Moments: Jeff
makes the Cleveland Indians team. Gina
moves out of the Sloan household (again).
Gina discovers that Caroline is the fink. Jeff offers to give up baseball for Ginger.
Inconsistencies, Bloopers, and Plot Holes:
How is it that Ginger knows how to drive and Linda didn’t? Would Ginger really have been able (or
allowed) to drive alone all the way from Northern Ohio to Clearwater, Florida –
a trip which, at the time, would have taken as many as 4-5 days? Jeff appears to have had the exact same dirt
on his uniform in the last three episodes.
Judy’s Southern accent has begun to disappear.
Great Unanswered Question:
Considering the postwar housing shortage, how could Gina return to the very
same apartment?
Did You Know?: Judy’s
husband was a B-17 tailgunner in the 5th Air Force who died over the
Pacific two years ago. He and Judy were
married only sixteen weeks.
Insider Trivia: In
response to Meg’s concern over Jeff’s running very…oddly…in the baseball
scenes, Brent has found that the cast and crew ribbed Kyle Chandler regarding
his painfully apparent poor athletic ability when shooting the baseball scenes.
Critique in a Nutshell: This
episode skips with surprising effortlessness between seemingly disconnected
story lines and tones, but the scenes with Linda, Sarah, and screamy Hank leave
a bad taste in our mouths, particularly when we know it will only get
worse. B
<Episodes
7-12 Home Episodes 19-24>