[1-19] Striptease

Writers: Jeff Lowell & Tim Hobert
Producers: Jeff Lowell & William Barnett
Director: Lee Shallat Chemel

Episode Length: 22:04
Guest Stars:

Victoria Dillard: Janelle

Cynthia Watros: Gayley (Stage name: Miranda Wright)

Faith Prince: Claudia

John Bland: First Reporter

Jordan H. Fischer: Second Reporter

Maria Gabriella: Third Reporter

Sylvia Kauders: Roberta

Rating:# million viewers rating share (n/a)

Rating: TV-PG

First Broadcast: March 4, 1997

Opening sound: Cheers

Storyline #1: The Daily Grind
Mike has a new girl and apparently it's working out. He's letting the staff go home early and he enventually takes her back to his apartment. Everything is going fine until Counseman Farr's bachelor party at a strip club. There he finds out that Gayley isn't just a law student but also an exotic dancer. Needless to say, Mike realizes that, in his position, he does not need to be dating strippers. After many snide remarks by Stuart, he goes about preparing for the dump speech when she shows up unanounced. After appearing to make up, Mike is interuppted in the middle of a press conference with a note that says she is breaking up with him. Even after talking to her again, she leaves, breaking up with him to save his image.

Storyline #2: Move over James, It's Stuart's Turn
Although Nikki is done with her psychoanalyst boyfriend, she did pick up some tips on how to grab people's attention. She spends her time in the episode trying out these new tactics on Stuart. And lo and behold, Stuart spends time chasing after Nikki trying to find out what she thinks of him.

Review: Striptease

Overall, a flashy episode. Stuart was in his prime and although the story lacked a substantive subplot, the episode rolled along rather smoothly. The big dramatic scene between Mike and Gayley could have been spiced up but it seemed par for the course considering Cynthia Watros is a soap star. (Thanx to Sibella Stone for the info.) I was intrigued by the Nikki-Stuart subplot. Maybe in May, Stuart & James will duke it out. We shall see. It did seem that the show did not go after the stripper aspect as much as it could have (someone else stripping or attempting a second visit.) but I guess they backed off in order to keep the TV-PG. Paul's subplot was a non-entity, especially since he's not grabbing his chin like he did in The Great Pretender. And speaking of continuity problems, Mike says he's been going out with Gayley for "the past few weeks." Correct me if I'm wrong but Mike has spent the last few weeks single according to the past few episodes. If this show ever gains a sense of continuity, it'll be great.

Rating [5 pt. scale]: 4.5 (would be 5 except for timeline problems)

Did you notice ...

Mike has a NY Ranger trashcan in his apartment to match his coffee mug?

This is the first time we've seen the apartment since Bye, Bye Love?

Carter plays his Gameboy at the stripclub?

Janelle had trouble with her line at the beginning of the Third Act?

Roberta returns after a long hiatus?

Martin Van Buren's picture is behind the podium?

Nikki and Carter pretend to be a couple as in Grand Illusions?

Top 13 Lines

13. Mike: (on Gayley's mock trial) "For that, we'd go out to a mock dinner."

12. Gayley: "You're not wearing your watch."
Carter: "Ohhh, I'm gonna go find it."

11. Gayley: "You're staring at my food."
Mike: "No I'm not. I'm staring at your breasts."

10. Carter: "You're a feeble minded fool."
Stuart: "Granted, what did she say?"

9. James: (reading Stuart's material) "You could always visit her at work."

8. Claudia: (of hockey) "Who's playing?"
Paul: "It's so hard to tell because they're all wearing masks."

7. Paul: "What am I supposed to do, just sit here and watch?"
Mike: "Welcome to the concept of a strip club."

6. Mike: (at the club) "I figure we've got 15 more minutes of pressing the flesh, Stuart, that's just a figure of speech, ..."

5. Mike: "I don't think I can see her anymore."
Stuart: "Too expensive?"

4. James: (to Stuart) "Do you think she's familiar because she's a woman and she doesn't want anything to do with you?"

3. Carter: "I've got a note from my mother. It says I'm gay..."

2. Gayley: "I was beginning to think you still lived with your parents or you were a serial killer."
Mike: "Well, I definitely don't live with my parents."

1. Reporter: "What exactly did they expect to find in a '100% NUD_ Bar'?"
The Mayor: "Pure nud."

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