Christmas With Dave Foley #1: Newsradio "Xmas Story"

And now, this month's special feature: Christmas With Dave Foley. We've got about a dozen holiday things to talk about (no, really!), so let's get started, shall we? 

Newsradio's first Christmas episode came during their first full season, and it's a nice twist on the old Christmas tropes. Messages of kindness and generosity are spoken, but not actually observed by any of the characters. (Even Dave's big generous gesture seems hard for him -- he has to psyche himself up for it.) Jimmy James has dropped the ball on gift-giving, so he scrambles to make up time. Meanwhile, Bill has another stalker, roleplaying as a charity Santa. (I don't spend a lot of  time looking for metaphor in this show, but one of the few times Andy Dick truly injured himself during a pratfall on this show, he slipped on money. True meaning of Christmas. Think about it, folks.)

Sidebar: I've always had this weirdly specific fan theory about Newsradio: they're all a family. (I know, I know, but hear me out.) Dave and Lisa play the parents, of course, even when they're not really a couple. They have to reign in their three unruly kids (oldest Joe, middle child Beth, and the youngest, and strangest, Matthew). The bickering couple next door (Bill and Catherine) are always popping in to borrow a cup of sugar and sow discord, while the family's eccentric, rich Uncle Jimmy constantly brings odd gifts and weird situations into the house.

Double Sidebar: Back in the day when I was playing with the idea of writing my own Newsradio fanfic, I wanted to write a fantasy episode wherein the cast all played out those roles, with canned laughter and all, but I couldn't find the right framework for it. Was it all a dream? Whose? And for a show with such a rich history of noncanon fantasy episodes, how could I ever do it justice?

That family dynamic is, like in the best episodes, front-and-center here. Dave and Lisa really have to step up and fix Jimmy's gift situation for Matthew's sake, while trying to keep their own sanity. They're so focused on reconciliation they can't even enjoy their Miatas. (Is that plural right? I feel like "Miata" should have one of those faux Greek/Latin plurals, like "Miati" or "Miatae.")

In fact, everyone else is so focused on Matthew's problem that Bill gets little attention from his coworkers in this episode. The whole show, he's ignored and laughed at, and his whole story plays out with nobody else around. (The AV Club reviewer called it "Snuffleupagus all over again.") At this point in the series, we knew little of Bill's early life, but I imagine holidays at the McNeal house weren't particularly happy, so for Bill this particular Christmas is just another example of "good times."

As an episode of Newsradio, I rate this 7/10. Everybody gets at least one big laugh, and it's a good example of how everyone plays off everyone else. I'm a nerd, but I'd rate this one a whole point higher if, at any point, anyone did any radio-related business.   (There are plenty of places in Manhattan to buy a radio.)
As a Christmas show, I rate this 8/10. There's plenty of gifting and discussions of holiday heart. Bill even learns a moral lesson or two, which isn't always true for the show.
As a feature for Dave Foley, I rate this 6/10. He doesn't get to play a lot of different things here, but his default Dave Nelson is so thoroughly lived-in and nuanced, even this early in the series. Like Bob in The Bob Newhart Show, he's the center of the show, but not the most obviously funny person in it; his job is mostly to react. Later in the series, Dave would get to do bigger and broader things (and sometimes it went a leeeeeetle too far), but this is centered, stable Dave at his best.

The Space Ghost Halloween Collection, Chapter One

Others have said it, and I'll agree: Clay Croker was a weird comedic genius: one of the founding minds behind Adult Swim, and one of the primary voices in my beloved Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In his honor, we're watching three four episodes of the show, with some spooky guests. (None of the eps are embeddable, though they're all currently free-to-stream, so click on through. I'll wait.)

Episode the first is from Season Two, entitled "Girlie Show."

Spacey has arranged a tribute, of sorts, to Women in the Entertainment Industry. Moltar shows us a montage of womanly arts, thanks to the Turner/MGM film library, (Zorak, of course, wants a tribute to Jack Klugman instead, so he goes on strike.) Fran Drescher appears, and Space Ghost, naturally, falls in love with her.

And after Ghosty learns that Fran is married, and Zorak taunts him with the idea of her (speculative) marriage to The Professor from Gilligan's Island, Carol Channing attempts to bolster his spirits with her upbeat, sparkling joy. (It doesn't work, partly because she also turns down his advances.)

So, naturally, determined to charm his way into the third beautiful guest's heart, he calls for the lovely Alice Cooper. Yep, sometimes Thaddeus Ghostal doesn't know much about anything at all. Alice tells us that he was born wearing eye makeup, though he never killed or bit anything on stage, really. And then he's gone too, and Zorak takes over with a montage of Klugmania.

My favorite Zorak moment from this episode: I love that when Space Ghost warns Zorak to watch his mouth, he can't, since "it's too ... underneathy." (Also, like so many other episodes, there's a bit where Zorak and Moltar both laugh at Space Ghost, and the two laughs are very very distinct, even though they're both Mr. Croker.)

Sidebar: I should also point out that Don Kennedy also shows up as a voice in this, only his third appearance on SGC2C. He's best known these days as the voice of Tansut, though my father and Clay Croker both knew him best as a kiddie TV host in the 50s and 60s.  (My dad STILL quotes "The Ooey Gooey" at any occasion.)

As an episode of SGC2C, I rate this 6/10. It's a great early show, with plenty of banter between Space Ghost, Zorak, and Moltar.
As a Halloween show, I rate this 3/10. Alice doesn't get to do any scary stuff, but Zorak does mention The Twilight Zone. (The answer to his trivia question, by the way, is four!) The underscore to Zorak's Klugman montage is properly nightmarish, but short.

25 Days of Christmas #7b: "Marge Be Not Proud"

Well, holy crap, here's my last Christmas Simpsons, and boy is it ever good. It's "Marge Be Not Proud."

This doesn't appear on my compilation DVDs, which is why I watched it so far out of order. It's amazing to me just how different this show is from "'Tis The Fifteenth Season," the previous episode I reviewed. First, the story is simpler, but it's so much richer. Earlier in the span of any TV series, you can run out of character moments and things to do with the characters. The Simpsons compensates, first, by having hundreds of characters, and second, by externalizing more of the stories as the show gets older, with most of the plots and settings and jokes coming from outside the main body of the show proper. I don't want to go so far as to call that a weakness, but in my opinion it doesn't do anything to deepen or enrich the show, just extend it.

So, Bart wants a new, hyperviolent videogame for Christmas, but it's $60 and Homer and Marge can't promise him he'll get it. He becomes convinced that the only way to get it is by shoplifting, and he quickly runs into the brick wall of store security, and a quick PSA from Troy McClure. He does his best to hide his crime from his parents (especially Marge, who's been annoying him lately by treating him like a young little kid). Of course, nothing remains hidden in Springfield, and upon learning of Bart's theft, Marge becomes convinced she's caused this problem with overcoddling. Her solution isn't to punish Bart, but to start treating him more like an adult.

So Bart gets left out of a few wintry traditions, and by the time he wants to make a snowman of himself, all that's left is the gray slush on the bottom of the car. Marge isn't treating him with love at all, as far as he can see. He comes to the conclusion that he must make amends, and gives Marge the only thing she wanted for Christmas: a good picture of Bart, which she can use to mend the family portrait spoiled by the aforementioned store detective.

I wanted to write pages and pages of just how rich and emotional and funny this episode is, but I don't have to. There's a great review over at The AV Club that spells out most of the points I wanted to make, including the one about how Bart's new portrait brings balance back to the family.

There is one more wonderful piece of visual storytelling not mentioned there that deserves attention. The main part of the show ends with this shot: the Simpson house, with Bart's crummy gray snowman becoming clean and bright again, thanks to Christmas magic. Bart has been restored as a part of the family, not just with them, but made of the same stuff as them too. I've mentioned once already this week how much I love "Bart Sells His Soul," but this has a similar feeling for me, with a true, emotional redemption of that badass little kid. I haven't seen "Marge Be Not Proud" before today, and I'm embarrassed about that. This is a hilarious, heartfelt, perfect show.

As a Simpsons episode, I rate this 10/10. It's super-funny and character-based, with enough unspoken metaphor to really stick in your mind after.
As a Christmas show, I rate this 10/10. After all, Christmas is about family and redemption, and togetherness.

The Simpsons: Season 7