[1-5] The Rivals
Up [1-1] Pilot [1-2] The Great Pretender [1-3] The Apartment [1-4] Pride & Prejudice [1-5] The Rivals [1-6] A Star is Born [1-7] Grand Illusions [1-8] The High and the Mighty [1-9] Meet Tommy Dugan [1-10] The Competitors [1-11] Dog Day Afternoon [1-12] Criss Cross [1-13] Bye Bye Love [1-14] Starting Over [1-15] Gabby's Song [1-16] Kiss Me, Stupid [1-17] An Affair to Remember [1-18] Snowbound [1-19] Striptease [1-20] Deaf Becomes Her [1-21] Hot in the City [1-22] Bone Free [1-23]The Mayor who came to Dinner [1-24] Mayor over Miami

 

Producer: Walter Barnett
Writers: Amy Cohen & Michelle Nader
Director: Lee Shallat Chemel


Episode Length: 22:05

Guest Stars:

Tom Lacy: Mayor Garfield
Bray Poor: Yale
Welker White: Maria
Edmond Ikeda: Mr. Fung
Mario Mendoza: Jesus
John Bard: 1st Reporter
Kim Yancey: 2nd Reporter
Amy Hohn: 3rd Reporter
Avery Glymph: 4th Reporter

Rating:#10 20.1 million viewers 13.8 rating 22 share

First Broadcast: October 15, 1996

Opening sound: Clip-clop of horse carriage

 

Storyline #1: A Tale of Two Mayors
Ex-Mayor Art Garfield has been rather critical of the current administration. Rather than whip up a scandal, Mike and the staff decide to name a fountain after the former mayor in order to quell his criticism. Throught the episode, we see Garfield connecting with the public the way Mayor Winston can never do. At the fountain naming, Winston and Garfield finally have it out in a war of words which Winston wins when Garfield falls dead. While Winston tries to take the credit (blame) for killing Garfield, Mike argues that it was an honest mistake. At the funeral, Winston sprays Binaca in his eye, causing him to appear to be heartbroken over Garfield's death. Crisis averted.

Storyline #2: Brother, Can you spare a Napkin?
While at a bar celebrating the proposed plan to buy off Garfield, Nikki challenges the Guys to take care of a napkin for one week to show that they could be fathers. Before the day is out, Baby Stuart goes down. Later that week, Paul's napkin gets cried on, Mike's napkin gets washed, and baby James gets Stuart snot on it. The only napkin to make it is Carter's.

Storyline #3: Yale, Yale, Go Away
Borrowing a storyline from every other sitcom, Mike and Ashley must deal with nosy neighbors. This time, they are overzealous environmentalists who feel they must tell Mike and Ashley about their every exploit. They take Ashley to a rainforest presentation and lull the couple to sleep with their otter cleaning videos. Eventually, Mike and Ashley win by showing off their version of a hunger strike.

 

Review: The Rivals

Overall, a stellar episode. The napkin bit was fantastic, something you'd expect on Seinfeld. Carter continues to develop into a witty sarcastic foil while Stuart is developing into the group's smartass. Normally, I don't look forward to the Mike and Ashley storyline but this one was funnier than usual. The producers didn't have to make the neighbors environmentalists but that might be a clue to M & A's politics. Either way, viewers could empathize with the way they felt after sitting through boring sublots that previously went nowhere. This is the first time we've seen this much of the Mayor. And watching, it makes you wonder how Mayor Winston beat Garfield in a political race. Mike must have run a heck of a campaign. Catchy too, that the title could refer to both the relationships between Winston & Garfield and Mike & Ashley and Yale & Maria.

Rating [5 pt. scale]: 5.0

 

Did you notice ...

Mike's Jacket was from Fordham?
the staff hangs out at the Landmark Tavern?
the baby's names?

Nikki's real baby: Bucky
Paul's: Sheldon
Stuart's: Stuart
Mike's: Tucker

Carter was not at the fountain dedication?
Yale and Maria live upstairs on the second floor?

 

 

Top 13 Lines (There are that many good ones.)

13. Mike: "Crisis, crisis. Where did I put that crisis?"
12. Mike: (on which video to watch) "You just pick whichever one is shorter."
11. Carter: (on what to name after Garfield) "How about a loveable orange cartoon cat?"
10. Stuart: (to James) "I see you've finally paid your dues on your geek membership."
9. Nikki: "They had a candle light vigil at the fountain last night. Hundreds showed up."
    Carter: "Of course only 5 people could fit around it at one time. They had to vigil in shifts."
8. Carter: (with basketball in hand) "No, I was bowling. I looked like an idiot."
7. Paul: "...and the formerly honorable Abe Garfield."
6. Carter: (on Sheldon) "Apparently Paul wants his napkin to beat up a lot."
5. Carter: (as a gay basketballer) "But you see, Stuart. I'm also a black man."
4. Stuart: "I can have pictures of him with a hooker by 7:15."
3. James: "Morning Sir."
    The Mayor: "Yes, I am son."
2. Mike: "What you want to do is you want to take all that hurt and all that pain and all that confusion, all those overwhelming feelings; you want to just bottle them right up."
1. The Mayor: "Have a good one Jesus."

 

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