Wedding Bell Blues, May 12, 1998

By Shirley

Bud and Harriet are getting married. Of course it has to be a comedy of errors! And TPTB did not disappoint. But they did more than that; they surprised us. It is the rest of the cast that takes part in the comedy. Bud is the one who has to deal with serious life issues.

This was a delightful episode, right from the opening teaser, with those few good men in jail, no less, having to be bailed out by an extremely unimpressed Mac, to the closing shot of Harm with his date. In between, we were treated to some hilarious and moving scenes. There was so much attention to detail. Wedding Bell Blues is literally crammed with significant and precious moments. And TPTB managed to have everyone in the regular cast play a large role in the proceedings, as well as throwing in an excellent guest cast! Wow!

It is Harm who is the hapless one here. His quest for his dress whites, conducted with supreme good humour, is superb. As had all those who had gone on quests before him, he encountered strange and wonderful people - from the dry cleaner and his daughter, to the strippers at the Rocket Man - along the way. He even got rewarded with the beautiful 'princess' in the quest, Neela. It could have been sufficient for an episode by itself. But no, we were given more.

We got Bud's young brother Mikey, and his overbearing and abusive father Big Bud. Michael Bellisario did such a good job portraying Mikey. As for Jeff MacKay as Big Bud, he was incredible. One alternately despised and pitied him. Whoever thought that Bud would be the hero of an episode, in his own unique Bud way! I also enjoyed the antics of Harriet's parents, and all the strippers, of both genders. That was some bar fight, eh, Admiral?

The wedding itself was beautiful and moving. After all of the histrionics and shenanigans, TPTB opted for a simple solemn ceremony, heightened by loving shots of Harm and Mac. The grand finale, the arch of swords, would have been a fitting end, but true to form, TPTB sent us away with a wide smile, with the closing shot of Harm and his date.

previous episode review//next episode review