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Original Air Date: May 2, 1988 Review completed May 25, 2008 "Poor Margaux" Margaux is busy being her own snooty self when news comes out that her father's investments have taken disastrous turns. Virtually overnight, Margaux goes from the rich lifestyle she has always enjoyed to utter poverty, including the loss of her treasured doll. Punky and Cherie, despite the less-than-kingly treatment from Margaux in virtually their entire friendship, sacrifice a ski trip to buy the doll back. Margaux is quite touched by this, but even more touched when her father manages to recover his fortune. Margaux repays the ski trip, but doesn't seem to have learned much else. Does this episode do more with friendship? Not much more, but more than those examples, yes. That would actually be about where I would rate it... but that's far, far ahead of myself. Start on snow shoveling, something I see a lot around here in winter and even... well, I didn't do much of it because I was a lazy doink. My brother cleaned up on every snow day though. And none of this has anything to do with the episode, I just wanted to mention the first scene somehow because of the nostalgia factor of the snow stories. Henry's "more of a prick" make over bugs the crap out of me. Come on old man, you forget fighting through an ulcer and the U.S. Government pretty darn quick. Now he doesn't even want to pay for a ski trip even though he's supposed to. I realize kids can grate on the nerves more than non-parents realize, but I know quite a few parents of teens these days and they all agree that fair is fair. For all the time Margaux has been the target of characterization complaints on here, at least she started as a joke concept. Henry started as a main protagonist. One more thing about this wisp of a set-up: "It was either you or that little old lady on a stretcher." Ski stories are fun. There, that was far more discussion than this little bit of set-up warranted. Let's get to the real story. Hmm, I wonder if that exterior shot is Oak Lane. Anyone else remember that line from the first Christmas special? I'll bet the writers don't by this time. Never mind Oak Lane, though, is that Punky's jewelery box that the one of the dolls is standing on top of?! It even plays music! You got to see this to believe it:   That is funny. I'd say that Margaux's characteristics were being exaggerated for this episode, but... I don't see any difference from the last season. It's funny that the script probably calls for Margaux to be even snootier than usual, and you can't see a single bit of difference. At least her schtick is played well, and points for the fake leg cast. I just don't get her pulling skis out of a closet full of dresses. After we get to the real plot point of the episode, the scene setup almost makes it look like we are going to get caught up to the rest of the characters. That would have been cooler. I am at least relieved that no one goes into the usual zinger routine when Margaux explains the situation. This show hasn't gone two seconds without a punch line ever since Brandon came back from Joey's. It does provide some major fodder for the "it's all a joke" ending, though, with the "...why do we like her?" part. Henry and Punky's talk just pulled the "...why do we like her?" joke again. What was I on when I wrote that "power of friendship" line? It's probably some cross-contamination from other things I'm working on. At any rate, at the 15:20 mark, I'm feeling a bit foolish for that line. I'm feeling not so foolish on the next scene, though. Humanized Margaux is an odd thing to adjust to this late in the game, but she mixes well with the joke touches (I could even give a pass to not knowing what an oven was). The butler buying the house is also a fun touch, exactly the kind of role reversal this show used to pull off all the time. It's an odd throwback and a fun, even if I know going in that it will last for two full minutes. As a quick aside, what is going on with the "We'll be right back..." message right in the episode footage? The original bumpers have been lost forever, but they put one (and ONLY the one) on this episode? At the end, we have an O. Henry twist where Margaux doesn't learn a darn thing. I was asked on the forum (in a sideways fashion) what I thought of the ending, and I replied that I'd have to wait until Sunday to tell because I really didn't know which way to take the point. To hate it would mean not liking the fact that Margaux's character is and always will be stuck in neutral for the entire series. To like it means that it's a somewhat hypocritical opinion given how long the reviews have trumpeted character development and moaned about Margaux being such a two-dimensional being, not to mention completely discarding the point of the really nice scenes where Margaux tries mostly in vain to understand Punky and Cherie's sacrifice. I can't honestly hate the ending. After so long of seeing Margaux drawn flat to the page, I guess I just accept the fact that she will remain so and just enjoy the joke. Some joke, given that it leaves us with two-and-a-half developed characters in the series, but I've got to draw a line somewhere. After spending the entire third season seeing Margaux as a walking punch line, I am really sick of coming up with new ways to say that it's a shallow concept. At least it's been admitted now, and I'll accept that. Such an admission is a real kick in the front of the pants after watching Season One again for the screen caps, but reality has to intrude sooner or later. Or rather, sitcom reality, where almost any situation can be resolved in thirty minutes less commercial time. Let me close on that analogy. This episode does not work in reality. In sitcom reality, it is very close to a best possible situation. It's badly flawed in comparison to some of the classics, but it's still pretty good, and show some range that has been lost recently. I can't really ask for more because it would be against the nature of the product. Just like Margaux. Let me duck the tomatoes. - Jimmy Vibes |