All Episodes Talk: Gavel Gabble

[David T. Cole]

The best and worst of Night Court.

[David T. Cole]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[SanLynn]

This isn't a memorable story line per se and I don't know that anyone else feels this way but, after watching reruns on Encore, I really find myself liking the first season a lot more than I used to. And even more than some of the later seasons.

 

I especially liked Dan more that first season because he seemed like a more well rounded character to me. And his relationship with the public defender Liz, played by Paula Kelly, was one I especially enjoyed. The professional respect and actual camaraderie was much more fun for me than those later seasons where he was mostly a punch line and we only got to see glimpses of the actual human underneath.

 

And, of course, there was Selma. I adored Selma Diamond in that role. I find I keep those episodes on my DVR for a lot longer than the later seasons.

Edited April 27, 2014 by SanLynn

[BizBuzz]

I was doing some internet surfing looking for something in particular about Data from TNG and I came across this, and about died:

 

[FormerMod-a1]

Oh yeah!  So different from Data, but I love it.  I never knew until long after these eps aired and I saw Brent Spiner at a Star Trek con and he talked about it.  You could have probably seen the "Roh?" question mark over my head.  I just love Brent Spiner.  "We ate the Necco Wafer."

[Bort]

I especially liked Dan more that first season because he seemed like a more well rounded character to me. And his relationship with the public defender Liz, played by Paula Kelly, was one I especially enjoyed. The professional respect and actual camaraderie was much more fun for me than those later seasons where he was mostly a punch line and we only got to see glimpses of the actual human underneath.

Of all the non-Christine public defenders that revolving-doored their way through, Liz was my favorite. Dan's rapport with her was great but I still liked his relationship with Christine best. Because as much as he was dying to get into her pants, he still respected her. One of my favorite episodes with them was the one where he blew his chance to get into an exclusive men's club just to save her from sleeping with the club's head sleaze ball. I totally shipped them.

[Happytobehere]

Watching the reruns on Encore, I too forgot that while flawed, Dan was basically a decent guy in the first season. Makes you wonder how the show would have differed if Paula Kelly wasn't let go.

I am also realizing how painful the repeated attempts to force a Harry and Christine pairing was as I think the actors give a great friendship but non-romantic vibe. Truth be told I think MP had better chemistry with JL than with HA.

[FormerMod-a1]

I also thought Christine and Dan would make a better couple/had better chemistry.  I thought it was interesting how they kept pairing Harry off with the different women on the show.  The first season there was a flirtation with Lana, and then Billy and then Christine.  I have no problem with him in romantic stories, of course, but it seemed if there was a female main character of similar age they had to have a flirtation, and sometimes it was more.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just saw an episode recently that really felt like a filler episode... still pretty funny, but definitely out there. It was called "Still Another day in the Life". 

 

Best part was seeing Wily E. Coyote :P. 

[SanLynn]

I think those definitely were filler episodes but those are some of the only ones from the later years that I consistently watch. They are a bunch of fun especially like you said with the Wily E. Coyote or the mailman who talked so slow or Brandon Tartikoff showing up and letting them make fun of him. I laugh myself silly no matter how many times I see them.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Anyone been watching eps recently? Been rather busy lately... so I need my Night Court fix :3.

[FormerMod-a1]

Encore Classic has circled around to the beginning again.  The pilot will air at 6pm CDT.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Cool. Will probably be watching them again. Really love this show for what it's worth, any wackiness aside.

[VCRTracking]

Looking back I think at least a third or more of the episodes must have been devoted to hostage situations! I don't have an all-time favorite but I love the lines from the one where a nut who thinks he's from the future has a working laser gun and has it pointed at two Hispanic dilinquents who have a knife on Dan.

 

Favorite lines:

Roz(with hand reaching under jacket for gun): I can pick him off clean from here sir!

Judge Stone: Without hitting Dan?

Roz: Well if you're going to tie my hands!

 

Dan(to Future man): Why are you mad at me? I was trying to put away these yo-yos!

Latino punks:(simutlaneously) Yo-yos?!

Dan: Uh...legal  shorthand for men of honor! Muey maaacho!"

 

Future Man:(who's wearing a silver Buck Rogers outfit): I just want someone to listen to me!

Dan: Then stop wearing a Jiffy-pop bag.

Edited November 15, 2014 by VCRTracking

[FormerMod-a1]

And we're back to season 1 again.  Looks like the 2nd or 3rd ep?  Sorry I missed the very first.  I love watching the evolution of the characters, like how Dan went from being more pompous to a sex addict.  :-P

[roseha]

The show has finally started showing on the LAFF channel, four different eps a night!  I've just watched two from Season One from 8-9 PM Eastern, and Two from Season Seven (I think) are coming up soon at 10-11 PM.  I haven't seen this show in so long.  An ep with John Astin as Harry's father Buddy is coming up!

 

I do agree that Dan and Christine had the chemistry, even with his flaws he respected her.

[tominboston]

I just chanced across the reruns on LAFF a couple nights ago and I'm so happy I did. I was a big fan of the show during its original run and had pretty much forgotten about it. Now I'm revisiting an episode or two almost every night. It's still funny and the chemistry between the characters still works. Now I need to catch up with the discussion here.

[Lili]

The show doesn't seem to air anywhere here, currently (I don't have Laff). Oh well, I plan to get one of the Season DVDs of this soon. I'll think I'll get Season 2, as it some episodes that I seem to be rather interested in..

[mikesgirl99]

I've got all nine seasons on DVD and binge watch them regularly. The criminals are a blast.

[Lili]

I just got Season 2 on DVD. I watched the first three episodes, and I thought they were great. I'm also considering to get Seasons 1 and 3. But the seasons after that seem to be rather expensive.

[AntiBeeSpray]

16 hours ago, Lili said:

I just got Season 2 on DVD. I watched the first three episodes, and I thought they were great. I'm also considering to get Seasons 1 and 3. But the seasons after that seem to be rather expensive.

Try to keep an eye out for sales. That's how I get seasons for other shows like M*A*S*H and The Simpsons.

[VCRTracking]

Reading that creator Reinhold Weege left after season 6 on Wikipedia everything suddenly made sense. So that's why those last three seasons were terrible! It was like the "gas leak" season 4 of Community with out creator Dan Harmon. All these bad story choices: Christine marrying and getting knocked up by that horrible cop, that unfunny blind guy running the cafeteria newstand, Phil dying, and him turning out to be a millionaire who left Dan his fortune to a then his identical twin brother shows up and cons him out of it, Harry dating that reporter, just....ugh.  As I posted above I did like one episode from season 7, "Futureman" written by Larry Mlodinow Scott Rubenstein. It was their only script on the show but it was a bright spot in a middle of mediocrity reminded me of the Weege years.

Edited December 21, 2016 by VCRTracking

[AntiBeeSpray]

19 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

Reading that creator Reinhold Weege left after season 6 on Wikipedia everything suddenly made sense. So that's why those last three seasons were terrible! It was like the "gas leak" season 4 of Community with out creator Dan Harmon. All these bad story choices: Christine marrying and getting knocked up by that horrible cop, that unfunny blind guy running the cafeteria newstand, Phil dying, and him turning out to be a millionaire who left Dan his fortune to a then his identical twin brother shows up and cons him out of it, Harry dating that reporter, just....ugh.  As I posted above I did like one episode from season 7, "Futureman" written by Larry Mlodinow Scott Rubenstein. It was their only script on the show but it was a bright spot in a middle of mediocrity reminded me of the Weege years.

Yea I remember the later seasons. They were really messed up.

[Lili]

You know, I wish Billie Young appeared in other seasons besides Season 2. I wonder what happened to her anyway.

[Happytobehere]

UO #1: I never liked Billie.  The character and actress bugged.

UO #2: I hated the addition of John Austin to the cast.  I never liked the reveal that he was Harry's biological father.

[Sharpie66]

My favorite thing about Billie is that the actress was the female lead on Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."

[DXD526]

My UO is the opposite: I liked Billie. I never really liked Christine. She was whiny. I enjoyed the show in spite of her. 

[readster]

On 12/20/2016 at 11:22 PM, VCRTracking said:

Reading that creator Reinhold Weege left after season 6 on Wikipedia everything suddenly made sense. So that's why those last three seasons were terrible! It was like the "gas leak" season 4 of Community with out creator Dan Harmon. All these bad story choices: Christine marrying and getting knocked up by that horrible cop, that unfunny blind guy running the cafeteria newstand, Phil dying, and him turning out to be a millionaire who left Dan his fortune to a then his identical twin brother shows up and cons him out of it, Harry dating that reporter, just....ugh.  As I posted above I did like one episode from season 7, "Futureman" written by Larry Mlodinow Scott Rubenstein. It was their only script on the show but it was a bright spot in a middle of mediocrity reminded me of the Weege years.

I agree, that's when the show really started going down hill. Phil being this secret millionaire just was strange. I mean they never explained why he was like that. I mean I get it was slapstick, but it came off so out of left field. Even though I did like that Dan was acting more human afterwards, but when they returned him to his old self in the last season. Felt like everything with the character went out the door. The final episode was so odd, especially where Bull ended up going to Jupiter after they spent all that work getting him married, then divorced and then just done. The said that if the show wouldn't have been renewed last minute before they filmed the final episodes. The show would have had a better exit, but at that point in time, NBC was going through such a change in leadership and about to take off with their shows with "Must See TV" Nightcourt and other shows were to get thrown out to make room for everything. 

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, readster said:

The final episode was so odd, especially where Bull ended up going to Jupiter after they spent all that work getting him married, then divorced and then just done.

Christ, I forgot about Bull being taken away by aliens in the finale! I must have erased that from my memory. Ugh!

I just know most of the cast went on to other shows once it was over and I watched them all.  Harry Anderson went on to Dave's World where he played real life columnist Dave Berry. Markie Post went on to Hearts Afire a political sitcom(by the creator of Designing Women)where she starred with John Ritter, Charlie Robinson went on to Love and War, the short-lived Susan Dey sitcom(by the creators of Murphy Brown) replacing an actor who had died early on. John Larroquette went on to I think the best post NC show- his own self-titled series The John Larroquette Show. It had the spirit of the early seasons of Night Court but was even more darker(at least for a while) where John played a recovering alcoholic.

[readster]

Yep, Marsha Warfield went on to wrap up Empty Nest the final two seasons and after Charles Robinson various shows ended, he went on to be on Home Improvement and the short lived, Ink series with Ted Danson and Richard Moll found several voice over work in the Batman Animated series and Spider-Man animated series before doing various shows from Babylon 5, Highlander, Baywatch, Suddenly Susan, ect. 

[VCRTracking]

It's funny that after being mentioned on Night Court because Harry had his framed picture in his office and appearing himself so many times, young people would mostly know him from that Seinfeld episode "Velvet Fog? What the hell is a 'Velvet Fog?'"

I do like that one episode of NC where he's arrested and he tries to get Harry to release him "I'm on my way to Henry Mancini's house." and Dan scoffs "We hear that from every pimp and flasher!"

[Lili]

Yeah, Dan is quite the sarcastic character. I can kind of see why he became one of the show's most popular characters.

[FormerMod-a1]

And John Larroquette is an excellent actor.  The others were good, too, but he is really good.  I didn't notice when I initially saw the show (I was such a wee young thing then), but saw it when I watched it in syndication later as an adult.  And confirmed this opinion in seeing him on other roles since then.