Synopsis: |
When Joel develops bizarre symptoms, including an aversion to shrimp and the
sensation of pins up his nose, Holling and Ruth-Anne diagnose him as having "Glacier Dropsy." In a feverist delirium, he refuses
to accept that he has a virus not yet identified by modern medicine. Finall,
completely overcome by the illness and wracked with pain, Joel succumbs to the
old wives tale cures and the whole town pitches in.
After a few days of waking
up in strange places, such as the top branch of a tall tree and the roof of
a barn, Ed realizes he is "sleep-flying" and looks to Leonard (guest star Graham Greene)
for guidance. With the definitive results of a test ritual, Leonard declares
that Ed has been called by the spiritual world to be a shaman. Ed is confused
by the news and must decide whether he wants to follow the call.
All of a sudden, Shelly's
nightingale-esque singing turns into squawks and she is able to speak normally
again. While Shelly is disappointed to have her tone-deaf voice back, Leonard
explain that the singing was only a distraction to quiet her fears about the
baby. The fact that she stopped singing signifies that she knows she will have
a healthy baby and, just to prove it, the baby starts kicking inside the womb.
|
Details
(Production Bible): |
Joel hallucinates about his friend, NEIL WEISBERG, who is a top infectious disease
doctor practicing in New York.
Joel claims that
he's a specialist in internal medicine -- he did a double rotation in infectious
disease.
Joel dreams that
he gives birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Joel teaches a
CPR class in Sleetmute.
Joel's pissed
off when Leonard takes over his patient load.
|
Trivia
(Production Bible): |
NEW FEATURE! Ed's Movie References: "The
Morning After, " "The Three
Faces of Eve," "Awakenings"
Do I have a bad
memory, or didn't Maggie suffer from fever/delirium in last season's opener?
[Yes - 4.1 Northwest Passages.]
Overnight ratings
were slightly disappointing but respectable. 15.7/23 in the first half hour,
15.4/24 in the second. It was bad enough losing those 16 Emmys, but did Danielle
Steel's "Star" really have to beat us?! Maybe we'll pick up in the Nationals.
Chris mentions
townsperson Tony Johnson.
Tony is a real person -- a 15 year old author (A
Rock and a Hard Place, 1993) who loves our show. Tony is dying of AIDS.
|
Music:
(Note music listed is from the original TV airings. The DVD may differ.) |
I Wished on the Moon - Billie Holiday
Heart is
Right - Carlene Carter
Country
Swing - Alan Ett
Sweetheart - A. Paul Ortega and JoAnne Shenendoah/The Melody Shop |