Writers:  Michael Lisbe & Nathan Regar
Director: Carl Lauten

Episode Length: 22:06

Guest Stars:

Rating: n/a

Rating:  TV- PG - D

First Broadcast: May 6, 1998

Storyline #1: The Real World
In an extension of last episode's action, both Stuart and Carter are fresh out of money.  Stuart gets evicted and Carter is looking for a roommate to defer expenses.   He tries to keep it a secret so Stuart won't catch wind, but Bondek turns out to be a clever fellow and he soon moves what's left of his possessions in:  a beanbag and a lamp.  The first night goes about as smoothly as you'd expect.  Carter has a "friend" over and Stuart lays on the insults thick.  He chases off Carter's date, and he is none too pleased.  He kicks Stuart out and puts an ad in the paper for a new roommate.  A flight attendant answers the ad and seems to be the perfect fit.  However, she ends up stealing all of Carter's stuff.  Forced to turn to Stuart, the two of them make up and become roommates.

Storyline #2:  Me, Myself, and Rat
New York is trying to get rid of some of the rats in the city, so Mike sets up a "Rat Eradication" program.  The idea seems to have a lot of fans, but James isn't one of them.  It seems he feels for the little guys and he wants Mike to back off.  Mike, though, feels that a good rat is a dead rat and he vows to continue the fight.  One small problem:  a rat has taken up residence in Mike's office and begins a reign of terror.  Mike gets scared and recruits Paul to help him take out the rat.  Paul originally brings in his cat, Mr. Buttons, to start the job.  But when the rat whips Mr. Buttons, Mike and Paul suit up and go in.  They think they spot it, but it's really a stereo:  Paul's wedding present from the staff.   After much fighting and bloodshed, they finally subdue the creature and bag him.   That doesn't stop the creature though, as he crawls around the bag and drags Mike's chair.

Storyline #3: A Vet By Any Other Name
Nikki's got a new boyfriend.  This week, it's a vet.  She tries to convince herself that she can call him a doctor, but it's not flying.  Neil does carry a beeper and Nikki beeps him when Mr. Buttons loses the battle with Mike's office rat.   Nikki and Neil take Mr. Buttons to the animal shelter, but it's not what Nikki thought would happen.  It turns out Neil is a vet, but not a veterinarian.  He's a Gulf War Vet.  He fesses up, but not before shaving Mr. Buttons bald.  In addition, The Mayor has to appear at the shelter to make up for the mistake, and he gets bitten by a ferret.

Review: Single White Male

Overall, a moving episode.  It's fitting that both this episode and the previous one were shown on the same night.  Both follow the tale of Stuart and Carter losing their shirts and ending up as roommates.  But it also makes this episode stronger because the episode isn't dragged down by yet another Mike dating story.  Granted, the war of the rats and Nikki's love life weren't all that inspired.  But Stuart and Carter were appropriately at the center.  When you compare the two side by side, this one comes out on top clearly.

It seems as though James has been stuck with some pretty weak roles this year.   But I was actually impressed with this one, where James sticks up for the rats.   I'll admit, it looks a little silly on paper, but credit Alexander Chaplain for pulling it off.  James has always been a country boy, but here he shows some moxy in trying to protect the rats.  It was good to see James in a little bit of a role reversal that still feels within character.  And Mike does great by taking charge of the project and fighting the rats almost single-handedly.  You can see the hate in his eyes as he prepares to do battle with the rats.  It's almost like he's facing Biff.

Paul brings out another one of his pets.  (He had a pet turtle just a few weeks earlier.)  This one was a lot more fun because I like cats.  But also, cats have personality that can be exploited.  Mr. Buttons (w/ hair) looked pretty annoyed to be there.  Mr. Buttons sans hair appeared to be pretty shell-shocked.  Turtles are ... just turtles.  While I don't condone Paul owning a whole menagerie of animals, (especially considering he's marrying Claudia), Mr. Buttons was a welcome addition that would be nice to be revisited.  (A cat fight between Mr. Buttons and Austin Powers Mr. Bigglesworth perhaps?)

Oh Nikki... when will you learn?  Every week, you pick out the biggest loser and fall for him.  Would you stop that?  It's getting old.

While Nikki's saga seemed like a retread, there was nothing familiar about the story with Stuart and Carter, yet it's something we've looked forward to for a while.   While the last episode did satisfy our Stuart-Carter hunger, this one was the one that met and exceeded expectations.  Yeah, it made a little too much sense.  And when the idea was raised, we were all sure what the outcome would be.  Yet the devil was in the details, and this one proved that fun can be mined from the expected.  We get a full dose of Stuart's acerbicness and eccentricities as well as Carter's aloofness and short-temperedness.  It's a great combination that will definitely add a spark for as long as they stay together.  This can only increase the outright tensions while strengthening the underlying bonds.  A great move by the producers!  Let's see what they can do now that they're together.

Rating [5 pt. scale]: 5.0

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