It took only three seasons for the TV viewing audience to fall in love with Jean Smart's Charlene Frazier, and after rooting for her to find true love, they have gotten there with as much as the fictional character of Charlene has. To see her best friends gather around her with joy and love and humor is a really touching way mark this change in her life, and while the episode is sophisticated, it is done with simplicity and taste.
The ladies perform a personal version of "This is Your Life* where everybody from her past seemingly shows up including future madam Monette Marlin (Bobbi Ferguson), all of her siblings (with the exception of the forgotten Carlene), and how appropriate to have Bernice, Suzanne, Julia and Mary Jo perform the Marilyn McCoo hit "Wedding Bell Blues", followed by Julia singing "My Buddy" which is guaranteed to bring on little drops of rain from the eyes.
of course, it's not all pathos and sentiments. There are wacky moments as well, particularly Bernice getting a bit tipsy at the reception, the uncle who keeps pinching all of the women (including Bill's snooty Aunt Phoebe) and an incident at the bachelor party wears the groom gets handcuffed to an exotic dancer. They cover a lot of ground in just a half hour episode where everything moves swiftly but you don't feel like everything's been rushed. Then there's the wedding, equally swift and romantic, resulting in one of the top five episodes of the show in my point of view.
The ladies perform a personal version of "This is Your Life* where everybody from her past seemingly shows up including future madam Monette Marlin (Bobbi Ferguson), all of her siblings (with the exception of the forgotten Carlene), and how appropriate to have Bernice, Suzanne, Julia and Mary Jo perform the Marilyn McCoo hit "Wedding Bell Blues", followed by Julia singing "My Buddy" which is guaranteed to bring on little drops of rain from the eyes.
of course, it's not all pathos and sentiments. There are wacky moments as well, particularly Bernice getting a bit tipsy at the reception, the uncle who keeps pinching all of the women (including Bill's snooty Aunt Phoebe) and an incident at the bachelor party wears the groom gets handcuffed to an exotic dancer. They cover a lot of ground in just a half hour episode where everything moves swiftly but you don't feel like everything's been rushed. Then there's the wedding, equally swift and romantic, resulting in one of the top five episodes of the show in my point of view.
