Da Club

I watch TV as a distraction. I watch TV to have fun. When I watch a TV show, I want to be entertained.

This episode isn't preaching at me, so I can at least give it a 2. But watching someone preach at someone else for a half hour isn't fun.

In the original night court, Judge Harry Stone would do unconventional things, which the other cast members would initially fight against, until they realized it was in their best interest all along. He would let them come to that realization.

A great example of this is the episode where a female lawyer's Dad gets arrested for contempt of court after getting mad at Judge Stone, because he made her cry. However, upon talking with her client, she realized that he was listening. She realized that she had gotten in her own way, and so did her father.

In that episode, we the audience see both sides of the story, and we see how it unfolds and how they come to an agreement.

In this episode? We just get told up front what's correct because that's what Abby Stone wants, and we see her trials and tribulations as she has to convince someone else to do what she wants.

The original was about Harry Stone pushing a domino and watching them fall into place. This is about Abby badgering people into submission. It's just nowhere near as entertaining to watch it unfold, nor as satisfying when it does.

This is a review for the twelfth episode of Season 1 of the Night Court Revival. This episode is called DA Game, a clever title that I realized some people weren't getting.

The previous episode Ready or Knot marked the first dip in quality since The Apartment. Don't get me wrong. So far, none of the episodes have been better than a standard Sitcom episode. However, the episodes were slowly but surely improving in quality from entry to entry from episode 6 to episode 10. Episode 11 ended up being the weakest episode since The Apartment but, thankfully, DA Game is a step or two above Ready or Knot.

On to the positives, this is one of the few times thus far that the cast gels well together as a unit. That being said, the two standouts here are John Laroquette and, in particular, Kapil Talwalkar as Court Clerk Neil who gives a fantastic performance.

Other positives here are the maintaining of the sets, the reliability of the good old laugh track, a fairly high laugh quotient, and some decent moments of story writing. Also, Abby's personal drama is thankfully subdued for this excursion.

The main things that don't work (and they are big ones} are more than half of the writing and the performance of guest star Kurt Fuller who doesn't lend the role the presence which it desperately needs.

A 6/10 it earns. I'm just waiting for the day this Revival produces an episode that is better than just standard. Will that day ever come?

Next time, I'll be reviewing the thirteenth episode entitled Past Apps. Stay Tuned!