0107  -  "Al Loses His Cherry"


"...and it wouldn't be right. Have you got any pictures of yourself? No,
that wouldn't be right either." (Al)

Getting over the surprise of seeing Jerry Hall playing an MWC Babe (tm),
this is an episode which has very little to recommend it, at least as far as
I can see. Only when Al is being tempted by Teri Cherry does the episode
perk up; see the quote above, for example. Whoever it was that played Teri
is a good actress, producing just the right amount of vacuousness for the
part and yet clearly understanding the hidden meaning behind her words. This
is the best kind of Babe, as exemplified by Brandi Brandt in "Desperately
Seeking Miss October", for example, or Crystal in "Calendar Girl". Jerry
Hall, for some reason, has a smaller part than the other lady - perhaps she
wasn't famous enough in 1987? I can't really remember that far back, I was
only twelve at the time . Her invitation to make a movie is funny,
though, and this is the only episode in which Luke is even remotely
interesting as a character. 

"I'm going home." (Al)
"Oh, can I come with you?" (Teri)
"What are my chances Peg's in a coma?" (Al)

But there are so many missed opportunities in this episode. Why not show
more of Luke's life? Contrasting his empty sex-based existence with Al's
less stable but ultimately more affectionate life would not only have been
funny but a good point to make, given the preponderance of sex-oriented TV
shows. Showing more of Peg trying to find out about Al would have been good,
as would a contribution from Steve or Marcy about the missing husband.
Instead they choose Kelly, and Christina Applegate does her best, but having
Kelly advise Peg doesn't quite work for me. I'm not sure why; perhaps that
she still seems a little young to be talking as she does in this episode.
It's another mark of the inconsistency of her character we've been
discussing on the newsgroup, too.

So ultimately, this episode is the second worst of the season, an
improvement only upon "Thinnergy". 

Rating: 6.