5.4 Altered Egos

 

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Original Air Date: October 11, 1993 Production number: 77702
Written by:
Jeff MelvoinDirected by: John Coles


Joel: Oh God. Oh my God. I'm sitting here eating seeds and having a serious conversation about winter clothing. First my wallet and now this. What is happening?
Log line (1): Chris is disturbed that Bernard's girlfriend, who is also Chris' ex-lover, cannot tell them apart in bed; Joel is obsessed that he is losing his New York edge; Marilyn snoops through Dr. Fleischman's medical files to pick a healthy man.
Synopsis (1):

When Bernard (guest star Richard Cummings, Jr.) arrives with his girlfriend, Anne McGrath (guest star Lisa Darr), she reveals that she and Chris lived together for six months during the year that he doesn't remember. At first, the three of them bond, then Anne lets it slip that they both are very similar in the bedroom. Dwelling on the loss of his uniqueness, Chris finally overcomes his distress by finding one key difference between himself and Bernard - Bernard loves Anne while he has no interest in her.

When Joel absentmindedly leaves his wallet on the pool table in the Brick, he begins to realize that he has lost his New York animal instincts. He tries to delve into his memory and bring it all back, but is devastated to find out that he can't remember specific streets and subways that were once emblazoned on his brain. Although Maggie gives him the thought-provoking explanation that he is outgrowing his immature infatuation with New York, Joel finds his true miserable self again in an intense battle with a VCR repairman.

Marilyn is the heartbreaker of Cicely when she blows off Ted the electrician (guest star Tim Sampson) after one very successful date. Even though they have a lot in common, including a love for dogs, children, and Nintendo, she ditches him with no explanation. After much confusion, Joel learns she has been snooping through everyone's medical files and doesn't want to continue dating Ted because he had one case of impotence in 1985.

Details
(Production Bible):

Anne and Chris met at a feminist deconstruction conference at Northwestern. Chris got a tattoo during his time with Anne. It reads "Forever." (Hmmm, I never noticed it before.) Marilyn's new boyfriend is TED BANKS, an affable Native American, electrician. Ted has an incident of sexual dysfunction in '85. She previously dated another local, FLOYD, who she ditched when she found out he had a heart murmur. Chris reads from Dostoyesvsky's "The Double." Joel talks on the phone with a lawyer friend, Clifford, who he went to Bronx Science with.

Trivia
(Production Bible):

Ed attempts to watch videos with Joel: "The Godfather," "Dog Day Afternoon." I'm-just-curious: Didn't Anne feel Bernard's mustache when she kissed him?

Guest stars (9):

Bernard Stevens - Richard Cummings, Jr.
Anne McGrath - Lisa Darr
Walt - Moultrie Patten
Ted Banks - Tim Sampson
Young Greenhorn - Josh Parks (in Joel's dream sequence about losing his edge)
Floyd - Ray G. Thunderchild
Ernie (the VCR Repairman) - Ronald Hunter

Music:
(Note music listed is from the original TV airings. The DVD may differ.)

[Help! I need names of missing tunes from the original airings - email me.]

Old Friend - Laurie Lewis

Hot Soup Stomp

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf

Shelly's Earrings:

Leg bones? (something long and white) [talks to Chris about him throwing Bernard out.]

Footnotes and additional research

 

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