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Syd's illness - Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) - takes a critical turn as the
show ends its second year. Comatose Syd passes through a
mysterious portal and discovers a beautiful resort-like
place where she must decide whether or not to return to
consciousness, while Jim keeps a bedside vigil. Fireman
Burt (guest star Jon Hamm) comforts Joanie during this
trying time while Robbie is caught up in a potential
scandal with the game show.
SYD IN WONDERLAND #222 Syd wonders if she's mad
as a hatter when she endures a chronic headache that
lands her in fitful hallucinations straight out of "Alice
in Wonderland" as she encounters a grinning Cheshire
cat, a tardy running rabbit and an imperious caterpillar,
among other bizarre characters. Equally odd, Joanie and
her hunky fireman friend Burt (guest star Jon Hamm) aim
to get away for a weekend at a quaint bed-and-breakfast
operated by an old couple who charm their exhausted
guests into doing their chores. In addition, Robbie has
second thoughts about competing for a big payday on a
televised game show, and an uneasy Jim begins to feel out-of-step
with his free-spirited girlfriend Monica (guest star Mary
Page Keller).
LOVE IS IN THE AIR #221 Things heat up between Jim and Monica (guest star Mary Page Keller) much to Syd's chagrin. Joanie is rescued from a smoke-filled Barkery by a dashing fireman (guest star Jon Hamm), and Robbie continues to rake in the cash as a contestant on a game show hosted by Chuck Chance (guest star Ed Begley). Guest starring Angela
Featherstone (Andi),
Dan Lauria, Jon
Hamm (Burt/Zorro),
Samaria Graham (Izzy), with Mary
Page Keller (Monica),
and Ed Begley Jr. as Chuck Chance.
TAKING A CHANCE ON
LOVE #220 Lonely widower Jim
starts spending time with Monica, a photojournalist
friend of Syd's from California; Syd and Joanie aren't so
happy about her father being involved with a woman nearly
half his age; Robbie auditions to be a contestant on a
game show, "Down on Your Luck," and has a run-in
with the alcoholic host.
FAMILY TIES #219 Syd tries to help bring
a family back together when a young college student (guest
star Rachel True), married to a man whom her family
disapproves, suffers serious complications with her
pregnancy. Meanwhile, Robbie and Jim barely make it
through the week when Robbie fills in for Heather (guest
star Dana Daurey) at the clinic. Dog Boy (guest star Tom
Cavanagh) departs Joanie and Providence for good.
DON'T GO CHANGIN' #218 It's Jim's 60th birthday
and the Hansen clan decide to throw him a surprise party
and convince him not to retire. A patient (guest star
Robert Romanus) of Syd's asks her to perform a ritual
surgery so he can convert to Judaism. Robbie and Heather
(guest star Dana Daurey) realize that they may not be cut
out for each other and Joanie gives Dog Boy (guest star
Thomas Cavanaugh) the confidence to follow a dream.
THE STORM #217 A Northeastern storm pounds Providence, and Syd's medical clinic could be shut down after a state inspection cites its leaky roof just as she tries to save the life of a pregnant Cambodian woman (guest star Michelle Krusiec) and her unborn baby -- while the fisherman/father fights for his life at sea. At the same time, Joanie is trapped alone under a fallen tree inside the Hansen home while her own baby is just out of reach, while a windblown Jim prowls the streets looking for a missing and blind basset hound patient. Oblivious to this, impulsive Robbie heads off to Las Vegas to marry Heather (guest star Dana Daurey) and displays an alarming gambler's itch. Guest starring Tom
Cavanagh (Doug),
Richard Riehle (Simon), Samaria
Graham (Izzy), Michelle Krusiec (Dong Lou), with Dana
Daurey (Heather).
Co-starring Toni DeRose (Patrice).
DO THE RIGHT THING #216 The Hansen sisters try to help two wayward gents get on the right side of the law. Syd gets mixed up in a mystery when an attorney persuades her to coax her patient, a dying ex-con, into surrendering a secret he plans to take to his grave; Donna offers a reluctant Robbie the ammo he needs to shoot down Heather and Charlie's wedding plans once and for all; Joanie is thrilled when Doug returns to Providence, but has to think fast to keep her oddball crush from being jailed for "liberating" unwanted dogs from the pound. Heather escapes from the altar at her wedding to flee with Robbie on a bus, where they kiss. Guest starring Nick Chinlund (Daniel), Tom
Cavanagh (Doug),
Josh Daugherty (Charlie), Harrison Young (Ellison), Samaria
Graham (Izzy),
with Dana Daurey (Heather) and Victoria
Principal as
Donna Tupperman.
SIBLING RIVALRY #215 Syd treats a woman (guest
star Jana Marie Hupp) whose mother, grandmother and
sister have suffered from breast cancer and is
considering a radical surgical procedure that may spare
her from getting the disease. Also, Syd and Joanie are
attracted to the same guy (guest star Josh Coxx) and
Heather's mom Donna (guest star Victoria Principal) seems
to have designs on Robbie.
THE APARTMENT #214 Robbie finds himself in
the middle of Heather's (guest star Dana Daurey) feud
with her manipulative, seductive mother (guest star
Victoria Principal) who's against Heather's engagement.
Meanwhile, Syd moves in to the seemingly perfect
apartment and Joanie turns to Syd when it appears that
Hannah (Emily and Elena Bodkin) may have contracted
tuberculosis from one of Jim's "patients."
THE REUNION #213 Syd has mixed feelings
as her 15th high school reunion nears while everyone is
eagerly awaiting the return home of her best friend (guest
star Susan Walter), a successful celebrity author,
businesswoman and TV show host who is seen as the perfect
homemaker, but Syd suspects her excessive tidiness
borders on a mental health disorder. Elsewhere, Robbie
panics when he learns that his friend Charlie (guest star
Josh Daugherty) intends to ask Heather (guest star Dana
Daurey) to marry him, and Jim tries to rescue a
rambunctious ferret from the clutches of a shotgun-bearing
grouch (guest star Dion Anderson).
MOTHER AND CHILD #212 Syd plays detective to
save the life of a young patient who may have been a
victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Eager to be
certified as a family physician, Syd decides to study
with an old med-school professor. But when he accuses her
ailing patient's mother of foul play, a conflicted Syd
feels there's more to the story and becomes determined to
prove it. Her diagnosis: familial Mediterranean fever (fMf).
Meanwhile, Joanie wrings her hands over Hannah's
application to a posh preschool, Robbie enlists Jim's
culinary expertise to reach Heather's heart through her
stomach, and Heather's old boyfriend Charlie returns.
THE KISS #211 Yearning for a dreamy
romance, Syd discovers a handsome, 19-year-old Russian
art prodigy who's been kept hidden in a loft since
childhood by his late grandmother for fear of
deportation, but unfortunately, Syd learns that he has a
huge brain tumor -- and an appreciative eye for her.
Meanwhile, Joanie searches for the masked man dressed as
Zorro who passionately kissed her at a costume party
before dashing off, and a perplexed Robbie scratches his
head over Heather's (guest star Dana Daurey) romantic
mood swings when he shares her apartment as a platonic
roommate.
HOME FOR THE
HOLIDAYS #210 Will Christmas prove to
be a wonderful life for Sydney Hansen? It's two days
before Christmas and Syd wonders if her return to
Providence has meant anything at all. Another dream
visitation from Lynda à la It's a Wonderful Life
inspires Syd to preserve the Hansens' holiday traditions.
Chaos reigns as a Christmas-tree mishap sends an
unconscious Syd on a long, strange trip in which she
envisions the family's lives without her. That's when the
lady doc finds her entire brood gone astray: Robbie's in
jail; Joanie's pregnant (again); and Jim's wed to an
obnoxious neighbor. Worse yet, Syd also finds herself
hitched to sleazy ex-beau Jerry! Meanwhile, in the real
world, all of the Hansens seem to have big plans except
for Syd: Joanie and Hannah are going to spend a few days
away with Ritchie and his family; Robbie plans to sell a
shipment of hot toys at a huge profit right through
Christmas Eve; and Jim is invited to a cozy dinner party
by the lovestruck Mrs. Blake. To top off everything, an
HMO rep makes an offer to buy the clinic as a satellite
care facility.
THANK YOU PROVIDENCE (TWO-HOUR
SPECIAL) #208/209 A special two-hour
Thanksgiving episode about the real meaning of the
holidays. Joanie and Robbie learn about new dimensions to
charity. The story is a complex and loving appreciation
of community. When Syd makes an impromptu trip to
California, she expects to return to Providence in time
for the Thanksgiving festivities, but her efforts are
thwarted at every turn. Along the way, she meets three
female travelers and they make it home to Providence from
Denver in an eventful car trip. Meanwhile, Joanie
overcomes her fear of the dog pound by helping a young
courageous girl provide a pound full of pups with their
finest - and last - supper; and Robbie helps a buddy plan
a reenactment of the holiday's origins with half of
Providence, and even less funding, but gets the short end
of the stick when his partner-in-crime disappears.
SAIL AWAY #207 Although Kyle (guest
star Tom Verica) is on the mend physically, he decides
that to really recover he must get away from the helpful,
but pitying friends and family, including Syd. Meanwhile,
Joanie and Robbie try to find a way to let Jim down
easily when he's replaced by a younger vet/host on the
"Ask The Vet" show. Music: Manhattan
Transfer's " It Wouldn't
Have Made Any Difference".
THE PHANTOM MENACE #206 Struggling to cope with
the loss of his arm - and his self-esteem - Kyle asks Syd
to help a hard-living baseball prospect pass a physical.
Syd's concern over Kyle's painful recovery - and their
complicated relationship - is heightened when she notices
that Kyle's sexy therapist takes a special interest in
him. Meanwhile, a panicky Joanie and Robbie have second
thoughts about featuring their wooden father on a cable
access veterinarian program designed to draw, not repel,
viewers to their Barkery store.
HE'S COME UNDONE #205 Syd hires a
new doctor at the clinic to cover for her as Kyle begins
to lose his battle against cancer. Meanwhile, Joanie and
Robbie recruit Jim to give a lecture at the shop in hopes
of scaring up customers; Kyle lost his arm to an
infection; and Syd learns a disturbing secret about the
new doctor.
YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE #204 Syd is unsure about
Kyle's proposition to take their relationship to the next
level by camping together in the Grand Canyon for two
weeks; Joanie bids Doug, her goofy Barkery employee,
adieu after the cops sniff him out as a dog thief.
Meanwhile, Robbie - who believes Doug stole money from
his wallet - kicks himself for playing matchmaker when he
arranges for a clumsy friend to meet equally klutzy
Heather; and Syd tries to repair her past with her mom by
helping an alcoholic reconnect with her bride-to-be
daughter. Nielsens: rank 14;
season rank 17; rating 10.4; 10.5 million homes; share 20;
13.83 million viewers
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY #203 Joanie gets
an unpleasant surprise when Hannah's father comes to her
first birthday party with a new bride; Syd offers the
guest house to Kyle while he undergoes chemotherapy; and
Robbie gets wrapped up in a lie he told Heather about his
sexuality to avoid dating her.
THE LETTER #202 On the
first anniversary of Lynda's death, the Hansens agree to
celebrate her life with a memorial dinner until Jim
causes a family uproar when he confesses that a missing
secret letter that he wrote to his wife just before her
fatal heart attack might have caused the calamity.
Elsewhere, Sydney stays close to the athletic Kyle (Tom
Verica) when he learns he must undergo a traumatic
surgery. Joanie must make a painful decision when she
discovers that the obedient employee (guest star Thomas
Cavanagh) in her dog store eatery has been behaving more
and more like a canine.
THE THIRD THING #201 In the
second-season opener, Syd's troubles come in threes. An
out-of-control Mercedes smashes through the wall of the
clinic; a confused young woman thinks Syd kidnapped her
baby and holds her at gunpoint; and Helen is shot and
considers a career change. Meanwhile, Kyle refuses chemo;
Joanie lucks out in her hunt for an assistant but flips
out when Hannah refuses to start walking; and Jim tries
to help a feuding family reunite for the sake of their
sick pet.
CREDITS Filmed in
Los Angeles and Providence, R.I., by John Masius
Productions in association with NBC Studios. Starring: Melina
Kanakaredes, Mike Farrell, Paula Cale, Seth Peterson,
Concetta Tomei.
Creator: John Masius. Executive producers: John
Masius, Bob DeLaurentis. Co-executive producers: Michael Fresco,
Tim Kring. Supervising Producer: Monica Wyatt. Producer:
Antoinette Stella. Co-producers: Kevin G. Cremin, Arturs
Rusis. Music: Bennett Salvay and W.G. "Snuffy"
Walden. Editors: Lance Ganderson, Robert Bramwell, Fred
Peterson. Casting director: Susan Bluestein. |
