Newsradio was on the air for too short a time, just one of the many casualties of our country's dearth of mental health care. (Wow, sorry, I really WANTED to lighten things up.) And in season three, they made two great Halloweeny episodes. This first one is set on the most wonderful day of the year, and actually aired on Halloween Eve, 1996. I hope you've seen it, since we're, as always, spoilertasmic from here on out.
As a Newsradio superfan (no, really, I have the costume and everything), I'm no longer capable of being surprised by anything in this episode, or even remembering my first impressions. But, there are a lot of great, memorable moments in this episode.
Probably most notably, this is the episode that let Dave Foley wear a dress. At the time, he was still best known for KITH, and the audience cheers at his reveal. Of course, it happens because Dave and Lisa are scrapping over who's in charge, and they have to outdo each other to impress Mr. James. (Jimmy's line about zig-zagging is still one of my twenty most-quoted sayings from the show, and his completely dry delivery is just another example of his brilliant, unpredictable characterization.)
The rest of the staff are in costumes too, and they're all reflections of their personalities: Beth's ballerina, Catherine's queen, Joe's doctor (how in god's name did Jimmy correctly guess he's an alien autopsy coroner?), and Matthew is ...not pulling it off.
Sidebar: This is the first time I've seen this episode out of context, without other episodes around it, and I was really struck by the gay jokes. Even considering Andy Dick's complex sexuality, I'm surprised how casually the writers threw around stereotypes for a quick and dirty laugh. (I expect Joe to say thoughtless things, but Jimmy's almost dismissive description of Matthew's costume feels out-of-place, both from his character and on this show.)
Oh, but Bill's not interested in costumes. He's doomed, y'see. In retrospective, one of the show's creepier moments is when the psychic predicts Bill's death. (I know, I know, I'm sorry! Lighter and funnier! I promise!) So he meets a woman who helps him put things in perspective and live one day at a time.
So the older lady (the actress is best-known from Donnie Darko) reminds Bill, and all of us, what Halloween's about -- death comes for us all, which is why "tonight, we dance!" And, fittingly, the episode ends with a quick moral lesson for Bill, and then a funny dance. (Why, it's like Matthew put himself into the mind of a robot.)
As an episode of Newsradio, I rate this 8/10. Everyone has something to do, and most of it's both in-character and funny.
As a Halloween episode, I rate this 6/10. Sure, it's a Halloween party, and everyone's in costume, but there's nothing scary and not even a spooky song (sorry, Jimmy, but The Hokey-Pokey will never be spooky).
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