Father-daughter tensions flare up in "Twice Burned" as Maya revisits her schoolgirl resentment toward Jack when he becomes determined to get new daughter Hannah onto the waiting list for New York's prestigious Woodbridge School---conveniently forgetting that Maya had gone to Woodbridge because he never attended any of her important events such as recitals. Executive story editor Pam Brady scripts a sharp, amusing, generally effective primary thread highlighting assured performances by Laura San Giacomo and George Segal along with guest star Harry Groener playing the droll straight man as the school's Headmaster Reilly.
Jack is incensed to learn that Woodbridge has denied his application for Hannah, particularly as he had donated funds to build a new wing for the school. However, Maya admits that while she was there, she had burned down that wing in frustration and anger toward eternally negligent Jack, and Jack had only replaced that wing per what Maya describes as the school's "you burnt it, you bought it" policy. When Jack, along with Finch, visits Reilly on a charm offensive, with David Spade providing a series of slick sight gags, he nevertheless leaves empty-handed, forcing him to sweet-talk Maya into helping him convince Reilly to reconsider as Brady's narrative ratchets up the heat for the climax.
However, Brady's secondary thread goes up in smoke with a dubious, unconvincing premise involving Elliot and Nina. While reading the newspaper, Nina complains that the US Post Office, issuing commemorative stamps honoring various blues artists, has overlooked "Cholera Joe" Hopper, which immediately catches Elliot's attention.
Turns out both are huge fans of the (fictitious) country-blues singer; they ridicule Finch for never having heard of him and for his yuppie, Top Forty tastes in music (apparently, Finch's favorite song is Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle") as the pair bond over Cholera Joe's unheralded oeuvre before becoming obsessed by a mondegreen (a misheard or misinterpreted lyric that alters the meaning) that inspires Finch to concoct his revenge.
Ostensibly, Brady is lampooning the lengths to which fans can go regarding their reverence for their favorite musical artists, especially when said artists are cult favorites or are otherwise suitably obscure, a valid target with potentially humorous returns. But Brady's problem is in the setup, particularly in choosing an African-American country-blues musician presumably from the pre-World War Two period.
While Elliot's affinity for Cholera Joe stretches credulity, Nina's affinity is downright implausible lacking any substantive reason why either modern, hip, ultimately shallow urbanite would be drawn to his music. A more accessible blues figure along the lines of a B. B. King, possibly, but an earthy Delta blues type? That dog won't hunt. Perhaps Brady should have done more research.
Compounding the problem is having David Spade singing as Cholera Joe on the parodic snippets heard by the audience. Seriously, could you get anyone whiter to do it? No. Perhaps that's the joke, but in that case, why not just have Enrico Colantoni and Wendie Malick appear in blackface for their listening party? Even Brady's choice of affliction for Hopper, spoofing actual disabled artists such as Blind Willie Johnson, smacks of maladroit heavy-handedness.
Degrees of disdain or even indignation notwithstanding, the blues thread does more fire damage to "Twice Burned" than does the school thread. Now I gwine down de levee an' wring my hainds an' moan. Ain't no stoppin' me, yesirram.
REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?
Jack is incensed to learn that Woodbridge has denied his application for Hannah, particularly as he had donated funds to build a new wing for the school. However, Maya admits that while she was there, she had burned down that wing in frustration and anger toward eternally negligent Jack, and Jack had only replaced that wing per what Maya describes as the school's "you burnt it, you bought it" policy. When Jack, along with Finch, visits Reilly on a charm offensive, with David Spade providing a series of slick sight gags, he nevertheless leaves empty-handed, forcing him to sweet-talk Maya into helping him convince Reilly to reconsider as Brady's narrative ratchets up the heat for the climax.
However, Brady's secondary thread goes up in smoke with a dubious, unconvincing premise involving Elliot and Nina. While reading the newspaper, Nina complains that the US Post Office, issuing commemorative stamps honoring various blues artists, has overlooked "Cholera Joe" Hopper, which immediately catches Elliot's attention.
Turns out both are huge fans of the (fictitious) country-blues singer; they ridicule Finch for never having heard of him and for his yuppie, Top Forty tastes in music (apparently, Finch's favorite song is Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle") as the pair bond over Cholera Joe's unheralded oeuvre before becoming obsessed by a mondegreen (a misheard or misinterpreted lyric that alters the meaning) that inspires Finch to concoct his revenge.
Ostensibly, Brady is lampooning the lengths to which fans can go regarding their reverence for their favorite musical artists, especially when said artists are cult favorites or are otherwise suitably obscure, a valid target with potentially humorous returns. But Brady's problem is in the setup, particularly in choosing an African-American country-blues musician presumably from the pre-World War Two period.
While Elliot's affinity for Cholera Joe stretches credulity, Nina's affinity is downright implausible lacking any substantive reason why either modern, hip, ultimately shallow urbanite would be drawn to his music. A more accessible blues figure along the lines of a B. B. King, possibly, but an earthy Delta blues type? That dog won't hunt. Perhaps Brady should have done more research.
Compounding the problem is having David Spade singing as Cholera Joe on the parodic snippets heard by the audience. Seriously, could you get anyone whiter to do it? No. Perhaps that's the joke, but in that case, why not just have Enrico Colantoni and Wendie Malick appear in blackface for their listening party? Even Brady's choice of affliction for Hopper, spoofing actual disabled artists such as Blind Willie Johnson, smacks of maladroit heavy-handedness.
Degrees of disdain or even indignation notwithstanding, the blues thread does more fire damage to "Twice Burned" than does the school thread. Now I gwine down de levee an' wring my hainds an' moan. Ain't no stoppin' me, yesirram.
REVIEWER'S NOTE: What makes a review "helpful"? Every reader of course decides that for themselves. For me, a review is helpful if it explains why the reviewer liked or disliked the work or why they thought it was good or not good. Whether I agree with the reviewer's conclusion is irrelevant. "Helpful" reviews tell me how and why the reviewer came to their conclusion, not what that conclusion may be. Differences of opinion are inevitable. I don't need "confirmation bias" for my own conclusions. Do you?
