Wings, S01E03, "Return to Nantucket, Pt. 1"

Brian learns from an old friend that Carol, the woman who came between the Hackett brothers six years ago, is moving to London. Good riddance, say Joe and Helen. Brian outwardly agrees, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself, he engages in a little illicit computer research to discover that Carol will have a four-hour layover in Boston. Reading this as a sign that they are meant to be together, Brian calls Logan Airport and leaves a message for Carol to meet him on top of the Prudential Building.

Will Carol meet Brian atop the Pru? Will the fog covering Nantucket ever break? Will Lowell have the plane fixed in time for Brian to make his rendezvous? Will Roy's love of video store pornography ever not be used as a punchline?

These are the burning questions - more or less - that viewers want answered. So, let's get to it!

First off, let's talk structure. This is part one of a two-part episode. Is it me or does three episodes into a new series seem a little early to be doing this? Multi-part episodes are usually "must-see-TV" - cliffhangers, mid-season turning points, big reveals, etc. You know, the type of episode where Ernie Anderson's mellifluous voiceover on the promo announces, "Tonight, on a very special episode..."

Here, however, it doesn't feel as though Wings has earned the right to have a multi-part episode just yet. Sure, Carol plays a big part in the lives of the Hackett Bros. (and poor Helen, too), but to give her return a two-parter seems a little generous. It would have been better for the writers to play up the character of Carol for a bit longer, to keep her off-screen, but on the lips of everyone - kinda like Harry Lime in The Third Man. Then, after a season or so of dropping hints about her, when she finally enters the action, her appearance would garner a lot more attention and meaning.

A quick lesson in not-so-current affairs: for about fifty years or so, popular culture was filled with references to the Cold War between the East and West, between communism and capitalism, between dictatorship and democracy. Then, almost overnight in the fall of 1989, the world changed when communist regimes throughout Eastern Europe began to loosen their grips on the reins of power. The symbol for this relatively peaceful change in the minds of many was the fall of the Berlin Wall. Loads of people believed that it was the end of history. Perhaps Fay counts herself as a member of that camp when she announces another delay in Sandpiper Air's Flight 14 to Boston, then tries to soften the blow by also saying, "But on the bright side, freedom and democracy have broken out in Eastern Europe!"

Nice try, Fay, but you and Francis Fukuyama may have celebrated a tad too early!

Enough with the history lessons. Let's take a look at the performances. Everyone in the cast gets a chance to shine and deliver a zinger or two. Helen's takedown of both Brian's friend and the numbskullery of astrology is especially fine:

Danny: Hi, Helen. I'm guessing you're a Sagittarius.

Helen: I'm guessing you're not a high school graduate.

Fay's championing of neo-liberal economics aside, she and Lowell team up for a crackerjack exchange about "the man upstairs." Lowell announces that he's fixed Sandpiper's plane, thus allowing Brian to make his trip to Boston to meet Carol. Brian declares it to be "a miracle" and "divine intervention." Unfortunately, Fay has received some bad news:

Fay: I just heard from the man upstairs.

Lowell: You just talked to the man upstairs?

Fay: Yeah -- Frank.

Lowell: God's name is Frank?

Fay: No, you see...[notes the confusion on Lowell's face]...Yes, that's right, Lowell.

Brian: What? What? What did he say?

Fay: We're fogged in. The airport's shut down.

Brian: Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!

Lowell: Don't be so formal. Call Him Frank.

But let us, like Brian, hasten to Boston. After stealing Sandpiper Air's plane and winging off to Boston in a thick fog, Brian waits atop the Prudential Building for Carol to appear. There's a great little scene between him and a security guard played by Bryan Clark:

Guard: Hey, kid, are you still waiting?

Brian: 'Fraid so, 'fraid so.

Guard: Oh, listen now, don't worry. She'll be here. I know about these things. Yes, sir, I've seen it all up here. This place is a never-ending panorama of humanity: the heartache, the joy, the drama, the tears. [Pats the revolver on his hip.] I've even had to use this baby a couple of times.

Brian: Really? How long have you been working here?

Guard: Oh, I don't work here.

Plus, you gotta love that beatnik beard he's sporting!

Soon, Joe and Helen arrive to give Brian a shoulder to cry on. Before that happens, however, a taxi cab driver enters the scene with a bouquet of flowers for Brian. This character is played by Sy Richardson, who I will always associate with Repo Man (1984). I'd like to think that this is the same character. Maybe a few years after Otto took off in the UFO, Lite figured he'd had enough of the City of Angels and moved to Boston. Now instead of firing a round of blanks into a house while he breaks into a car, he's gotta deliver flowers and romantic messages to mullet-headed honkies on top of the Pru. It's a living!

Can we talk about the Boston skyline in this scene, please? I'm not one of those people who demand realism from sets. In fact, I rather relish the "phoniness" of shooting on a soundstage instead of on location. But, boy, oh boy, does the backdrop from the top of the Pru look disorienting here. It's like a Wayne Thibaud painting. If I would've presented my high school art teacher with a drawing that looked like this, Mr. Joyner would have castigated me for my crummy perspective and vanishing points.

Am I missing anything? Oh, yeah. Carol. Well, right before the end of the episode, she shows up. More on that next time.

For now, let’s make sure our seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright positions, our seat belts are securely fastened, and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of us or in the overhead bins. For our next flight, we will find out if Carol (Kim Johnston Ulrich) is going to stick around and become a full-fledged member of the Wings family when we talk about "Return to Nantucket, Part 2."