This episode never aired, so I saw it today for the first time as I finish the DVD set on the series.
After a fabulous first season where Bob is drawing his comic book character Mad Dog, the second season-I call it that loosely-consisted of 5 episodes that aired and three more that never went on the air. This is the next to last episode.
We open with a Christmas wedding scene in Bob's new home. One of many things that bothered me about this "Season 2" is that the McKays suddenly have a new home, with never a mention about moving or being in a new home. We see that Bob is best man for Whitey, the lead guy in the print shop part of his new job at Schmidt Greetings. We get a glimpse of the bride and are quickly whisked to memories of "last Christmas" when Bob was instrumental in bringing the couple together.
Now Bob is supposed to have just started running the company a few weeks ago. Did we suddenly time leap ahead a year? Otherwise, how is it he was running the company "last Christmas"?
At any rate, Whitey has suddenly become a character that makes Gilligan look like a Rhodes scholar. In this flashback-which is most of the episode-he tells Bob he's worried because his girlfriend is coming to the Christmas office party and he feels uncomfortable because he doesn't get to see her much because they live a couple of hundred miles apart. He says he's not happy with them being so far apart most of the time.
Bob flippantly says, "You could marry her." Whitey takes it almost like it was a direct message from God. He begs Bob to go with him to buy an engagement ring. Pete hears this plan and insists he go along because the others will be suckers and pay too much.
Pete does get the jeweler to drop the price 40% even after the jeweler's little granddaughter comes in asking if they'll be able to have lunch today. The man tells her they cannot afford it. Pete thinks they are being conned and still quickly gets him to drop his price.
We return to the office and Whitey's intended, Veda, comes in, looking like she's about to give birth. Before Whitey can panic too much, she reveals that she was playing a prank and removes a pillow from under her shirt. Whitey says he loves jokes, then adds, "that wasn't funny...thinking you were having some other guy's baby." Hilarious, thinks nobody watching.
Whitey quickly tells Veda he wants to tell her something. He suddenly starts searching all his pockets and panics when he can't find the ring. He then reveals he put it down on the desk that receptionist Chris uses.
I'm yelling time out! "Who would put an engagement ring on a desk in a central office that he does not use and leave it there while a few dozen people are milling about at this big office Christmas party?"
We learn that Trisha wrapped up the box, paying no attention to what was in it, as she was wrapping gifts for a dozen or so orphans who are in the next room. Again, how on earth does any agency or charitable group wrap up presents blindly and just distribute them to the children randomly? One present might be a toy good for a 4-year-old girl, that is presented to a 12-year-old boy, or vice-versa.
Whitey rushes into the room with the kids to try to find his valuable ring. Meanwhile, Veda cannot understand where he went and starts figuring he wants to break up with her. Chris, the always sarcastic one, tells her she's correct, and explains to Kaye that her lie will make Veda all that much more surprised.
We have a prolonged scene where Whitey and Bob have to make trades before getting the ring back, where Bob gives a little girl his high school ring in a trade for the engagement ring. The little girl would never be able to wear either the woman's or the man's adult-sized ring, but that is not something that is mentioned.
We return to this year's Christmas-I guess over a year after the last episode-and at the wedding the preacher asks the groom IF he has a ring to give the bride. Not do you each have a ring to give the other-the way it's normally been done for over a century. Of course, best man Bob has forgotten to bring the ring, so he whips off his own ring-which surely will not fit the bride at all.
Nothing in this entire show is more than mildly funny. It is mostly stupid. None of the plot points work, every one of them is quite stupid.
The episodes of Bob in charge of the greeting card company were all quite disappointing. Chris was a particularly annoying character, with a sarcastic, I-don't-give-a-darn attitude toward everything way. Almost every sentence is some sort of sarcastic put down. And most of them are things that nobody could think up that quickly-they sounded scripted.
Pete, the son of the company's owner is a most unlikeable, conceited, whining, dishonest person. He was, more than anyone else, the star of each episode this season-other than Bob-and he was so little fun to watch I think I'd say the way his character was written was the single biggest problem this second season had.
I think this was the worst of the second season's shows. I felt offended that they think I'm too dumb to realize the illogic of so much that happened. I can only give it a 2.
After a fabulous first season where Bob is drawing his comic book character Mad Dog, the second season-I call it that loosely-consisted of 5 episodes that aired and three more that never went on the air. This is the next to last episode.
We open with a Christmas wedding scene in Bob's new home. One of many things that bothered me about this "Season 2" is that the McKays suddenly have a new home, with never a mention about moving or being in a new home. We see that Bob is best man for Whitey, the lead guy in the print shop part of his new job at Schmidt Greetings. We get a glimpse of the bride and are quickly whisked to memories of "last Christmas" when Bob was instrumental in bringing the couple together.
Now Bob is supposed to have just started running the company a few weeks ago. Did we suddenly time leap ahead a year? Otherwise, how is it he was running the company "last Christmas"?
At any rate, Whitey has suddenly become a character that makes Gilligan look like a Rhodes scholar. In this flashback-which is most of the episode-he tells Bob he's worried because his girlfriend is coming to the Christmas office party and he feels uncomfortable because he doesn't get to see her much because they live a couple of hundred miles apart. He says he's not happy with them being so far apart most of the time.
Bob flippantly says, "You could marry her." Whitey takes it almost like it was a direct message from God. He begs Bob to go with him to buy an engagement ring. Pete hears this plan and insists he go along because the others will be suckers and pay too much.
Pete does get the jeweler to drop the price 40% even after the jeweler's little granddaughter comes in asking if they'll be able to have lunch today. The man tells her they cannot afford it. Pete thinks they are being conned and still quickly gets him to drop his price.
We return to the office and Whitey's intended, Veda, comes in, looking like she's about to give birth. Before Whitey can panic too much, she reveals that she was playing a prank and removes a pillow from under her shirt. Whitey says he loves jokes, then adds, "that wasn't funny...thinking you were having some other guy's baby." Hilarious, thinks nobody watching.
Whitey quickly tells Veda he wants to tell her something. He suddenly starts searching all his pockets and panics when he can't find the ring. He then reveals he put it down on the desk that receptionist Chris uses.
I'm yelling time out! "Who would put an engagement ring on a desk in a central office that he does not use and leave it there while a few dozen people are milling about at this big office Christmas party?"
We learn that Trisha wrapped up the box, paying no attention to what was in it, as she was wrapping gifts for a dozen or so orphans who are in the next room. Again, how on earth does any agency or charitable group wrap up presents blindly and just distribute them to the children randomly? One present might be a toy good for a 4-year-old girl, that is presented to a 12-year-old boy, or vice-versa.
Whitey rushes into the room with the kids to try to find his valuable ring. Meanwhile, Veda cannot understand where he went and starts figuring he wants to break up with her. Chris, the always sarcastic one, tells her she's correct, and explains to Kaye that her lie will make Veda all that much more surprised.
We have a prolonged scene where Whitey and Bob have to make trades before getting the ring back, where Bob gives a little girl his high school ring in a trade for the engagement ring. The little girl would never be able to wear either the woman's or the man's adult-sized ring, but that is not something that is mentioned.
We return to this year's Christmas-I guess over a year after the last episode-and at the wedding the preacher asks the groom IF he has a ring to give the bride. Not do you each have a ring to give the other-the way it's normally been done for over a century. Of course, best man Bob has forgotten to bring the ring, so he whips off his own ring-which surely will not fit the bride at all.
Nothing in this entire show is more than mildly funny. It is mostly stupid. None of the plot points work, every one of them is quite stupid.
The episodes of Bob in charge of the greeting card company were all quite disappointing. Chris was a particularly annoying character, with a sarcastic, I-don't-give-a-darn attitude toward everything way. Almost every sentence is some sort of sarcastic put down. And most of them are things that nobody could think up that quickly-they sounded scripted.
Pete, the son of the company's owner is a most unlikeable, conceited, whining, dishonest person. He was, more than anyone else, the star of each episode this season-other than Bob-and he was so little fun to watch I think I'd say the way his character was written was the single biggest problem this second season had.
I think this was the worst of the second season's shows. I felt offended that they think I'm too dumb to realize the illogic of so much that happened. I can only give it a 2.
