WHO'S WHO
Starring
Amanda Bynes (Holly Tyler)
Jennie Garth (Valerie Tyler)
Simon Rex (Jeff)
Wesley Jonathan (Gary Thorpe)
Guest Starring
Michael McMillian (Henry, third appearance)
Cathy Herd (Cheryl)
Michael A. Sheppherd (Detective Clark)
Story by
Warren Bell
Teleplay by
Lesley Wake
Sarah McLaughlin
Directed by
Shelley Jensen
SYNOPSIS
Holly doesn't feel much like going to school, and neither does
Henry, so they both cut class. Meeting at the apartment after Val
has gone to work, they think it might be a good idea to have a picnic --
but to do that, they'd need to "borrow" Val's car. All is
well until they return to where they parked the car, and it's not there.
Holly presumes the car has been stolen, and won't tell Val that the car is
gone until she claims she has to use it the next day. But that plan
doesn't go as planned either, as Val insists on accompanying Holly. They
both come upon the empty space in the garage just as Holly is about to
tell all, and Val then presumes the car is stolen and files a police
report. Val is not too happy when she finds out that the car was not
actually stolen, but merely towed away for being in a loading zone. And
she turns furious when she learns a picnic basket and Henry's jacket were
in the car. Holly admits she lied, and Val says she just won't trust her
anymore. But Holly counters that Val has been lying all along when Jeff
tells her Val has been socking away $20 of her dad's allowance money every
week. After Holly confronts her about it, Val says not only has she been
putting $20 of her dad's money, but $30 of her won, each week in a special
surprise college account. Holly appreciates what Val does so much she vows
a new level of trust and understanding with her sister.
As for the guys, Gary learns that Jeff's father
is selling his current restaurant, and he will soon be out of a job there.
Afraid he's going to lose his meal ticket, Gary hooks Jeff up with Cheryl,
the owner of the theme restaurant the gang has been frequenting ever since
"The Other Woman". Jeff doesn't realize it's a job interview,
and that there's a managerial position open at the eatery, and promptly
begins hitting on Cheryl. But Cheryl is bowled over by his bravado, and
hires Jeff as the new manager.
SHOW NOTES
Michael McMillan makes his third appearance as
Holly's friend Henry..
NEXT LINE, PLEASE
HOLLY: You couldn't get the car?
HENRY: Sorry! Maybe we should just go to Central Park! It's just as
romantic and it's a lot closer!
HOLLY: Ohh, I had my heart set on the beach! Man, that's where I pictured
us!
HENRY: Ooooh, you've been picturing us, huh? In these pictures, do I know
what I'm doing, or am I confused?
HOLLY: Put it this way...when I look at the pictures, I blush!
HENRY: I will carry you to the beach!
HOLLY: I still have to come up with that $400 to pay her back for that
towing fee.
JEFF: Why don't you ask Val if you can take it out of your account?
HOLLY: My savings account? No, there's only like eight bucks in there.
JEFF: No, the dough that she sets aside from the money your dad sends you.
There should be a lot of money in there by now. 20 bucks a week adds up.
HOLLY: Val takes $20 a week out of my allowance?
JEFF: Ohh! You didn't -- aw, man! Val's gonna kill me! Heh -- wait a
second, what's she gonna do, break up with me again? She keeps the
bankbook in her underwear drawer! Yeah, I been in there! You can
tell her that too!
OUR REVIEW
As Val Tyler continues to cope with the loss of her boyfriend Jeff,
we shift focus today on her relationship with little sister Holly, as
she gets into trouble again, just like the old days. But it's handled a
little bit differently than it's been in the past, thanks to head
writers Lesley Wake and Sarah McLaughlin (switching billing this week --
how kinky!) and first-time story guy Warren Bell. This time out it's
"Dude, Where's Val's Car?" as Holly's hankerin' for some hooky
with Henry, and sees Val's car as the ultimate getaway vehicle. Since
there's no Good Roommate Chart anymore, the little sister reasons she
can get away with just taking the car. Sure they get away to their
picnic, but cannot locate the car after Henry parks it blocks from the
beach. Holly believes it's stolen, and doesn't bother to tell Val about
it until she needs to use the car (again, more faulty reasoning). After
the police turn up the car, stating that it had been impounded for
parking in a loading zone, Val catches Holly in the lie. In a touch
worthy of Jason and his father in "Big Fat Liar", Val tells
little sister she's just not sure if she can trust her anymore. Holly
then learns of some underhandedness as Jeff tells her that Valerie has
been holding back money their father has sent them from Japan -- $20 out
of $60 each week. After Val owns up to that, and tells her the reason
behind the duplicity (a surprise college fund), Holly realizes it's
wrong to lie to a sister that loves her so much and looks out for her.
On the male side of the series, it appears that
we've seen the last of the original restaurant set. Possibly to pay
divorce settlements, Jeff's father has decided to sell the East Side
restaurant he manages, and Gary has hooked Jeff up at the secondary
restaurant, the one with the "pool tables and food and lots of
people". Now Jeff will be still doing his restaurateur duties, only
in a new setting -- one we've come to know and love.
Continuity runs wild in the street as changes
are made and writers and reviewers alike scramble to catch up. For the
purposes of this episode, Valerie suddenly has a car (looks like a Dodge
Neon). It's hard to say if she just acquired it since her breakup with
Jeff, or she's had it all along. Every time Val had to get around in the
city until now, she's had to have a car waiting outside her building, or
get a ride with Jeff.. Not knowing enough about the episode
beforehand, it appeared to this reviewer that two restaurant sets was
likely one too many, as the "theme restaurant" set with the
pinball machines just looks more comfy and cozy than the old bistro set
used since Day One on the regular series. So the transfer of Jeff from
one restaurant to the other was a pretty good call, and not totally
unexpected.
Michael McMillian continues to impress as
Holly's pal Henry, despite his rather short screen time. He's becoming
more of an emboldened romantic as slowly he comes to realize that he's
latched on to a girl who's quite possibly a keeper. Not sure if it was a
slip or not, but at one point Holly refers to him as "my
boyfriend". What's still to be determined is if Holly and Henry get
thismuchcloser, do Holly and Gary drift further apart? That's the next
thing to watch for as we launch into WILAY's verison of The Final Four
in April.
More evidence that the writing now has
teeth...where this situation would have been handled more comically
earlier in the year, now there's the potential for a serious rift as Val
takes the stern hand, letting Holly know about how the lapse of trust
basically hurts their relationship. The level of writing is starting to
bring out the best in some of the cast: Simon Rex makes the most of his
one scene with Holly, as he spills the beans about the "secret
account" from which Val has been siphoning Holly's money. His glee
in blabbing is terribly ballsy and more than a little arrogant...he
still believes in his heart that it's over between he and Val, and uses
Holly to reinforce that belief.
And what can we say in this review that we
haven't already said about Amanda Bynes? This week her face registers
more than the gosh-darn cute looks we get from a "Cool Older
Sister". There's the mock rage about how somebody could actually
stoop so low as to steal a car in New York, the flirtiness in her scenes
with Henry, the pain during the apologetic and pleading scenes with Val,
with more than a smattering of that beaming smile we tune in every week
for. Jennie Garth also holds up her end of the deal in these scenes as
Val begins to act less frenetic and ditzy and more supportive as a big
sister should.
We've come a long way in the last nine
weeks from the giddiness of "The Party" to the somber
"Breakup". We've seen relationships begin, blossom, and
sputter to a halt. We've seen career shirts, flirtations with new ones
and job changes. We've learned more about Val's career at Harper and
Diggs. And we've seen the writers begin to develop the universe of this
series as they've reintroduced some of the more winning characters. The
writers seem to be setting things up for a spectacular set of shows as
we near the season's finish line. When we return with firstrun shows
sometime in April (possibly using one on April 4th), we may be in for
some real fireworks. This is a cast that can handle it, and again the
writing will bring out the true colors of this cast.
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| EPISODE
IMAGES |
Another day at the Tyler's, and Val has an extra spring in
her step. |
Holly notices she's almost a new woman since she broke up
with Jeff. |
Despite the fact that she'd like to stay home and cook Holly
a nicer breakfast than Honey Bunches of Oats... |
...Val is still type A enough to get to work on time, while
encouraging Holly to get to school on time. |
But for Holly, that's for another time. |
She waits until Val is safely in the elevator, and calls
over her getaway guy. |
It's Henry, who has a basket all set up for a picnic. |
They pack food, CD players, and other items...except a
blanket, which is in Henry's dad's car. |
But Henry's dad's car is with Henry's dad in Weehawken, New
Jersey. |
Holly so wanted to go to the beach! Not Central Park! |
Although either would be nice and romantic for the
neo-lovebirds. |
She then reasons that since Val has a car and she doesn't
use it to go to work with... |
...she could take the car to take Henry to the beach, as long as Val says to always do things for others. |
And nobody will know. |
What do you know -- no car! |
And that's the spot where they parked it! She thinks the star has been stolen. |
She's loath to call the cops because she'll tell Val, and
the only explanation she'll be able to offer was that the car
was being used by her sister and her boyfriend to go on a
picnic! |
Never mind they're in trouble...she called him
"boyfriend"! |
They park their butts where the car used to be and take
stock of the situation. Why tell Val now that the car is missing? |
So Holly devises a crude but workable plan. |
She'll ask Val to use the car tomorrow, and it won't be in
her parking space! |
And then the car is revealed as having been stolen! |
Gary pops by the restaurant looking for a sandwich. |
But Jeff tells him there won't be as much free food since
his father is trying to sell the restaurant. |
Jeff's been looking to get out anyway since he has been
pretty much hampered by the way his dad wanted him to run the
place. |
No real restaurant manager would insist on growing grass,
framing it and then hanging it on the wall. |
Holly awaits the moment she has to tell Val about the
missing car. |
Holly tells Val that she needs to use the car to go to the
library. |
But Val encourages her to use the subway. |
Holly says she needs to go to check out a book she needed
for English, which she blew off to do her biology homework. |
The fact that she wants to do this on a Saturday
makes Val suspicious. |
She believes Henry might have something to do with this. In
a sense, she's right. |
Val wants to go with Holly so she can go afterwards to
Costco. |
She wants to pick up "10 gallons of soy sauce and a
tire". She may not need the tire. |
And there's no car there for the tire. |
Val's space is blank! Her car is gone! |
Oh my God! Someone stole Val's car! What a novel thing to have happen in New York City!
|
Now how are they going to get to Costco? |
Holly believes Operation Stolen Car to have gone off without
a hitch. |
But she swears she was going to tell Val...if only she
hadn't seen it with her own eyes. |
Jeff has been called to the other restaurant by Gary because
there's someone he wants her to meet. |
Unbeknownst to Jeff, Cheryl owns this restaurant, and is
looking for a new manager. |
Jeff then chastises Gary for trying to fix him up. |
Slowly the talk turns to the restaurant, despite the fact he
initially tried to hit on her. |
A detective comes over to discuss the police report with
Val. Val takes pains to delineate the most minute detail about
the disappearance. |
But the detective tells Val that the vehicle, complete with
Henry's jacket and picnic basket, is sitting in a Queens impound
yard. |
Here's Holly, back home to get the good news that the car
has been found. |
Ah, New York's finest doing their
usual fine job recovering fine cars! |
Holly sees the policeman out and wonders how she's gonna get
out of this one. |
Val tells Holly about the loading zone and the impound lot
and encourages her to celebrate with a picnic. |
There's a lot of love in the room
over that suggestion. |
The lies just kept on coming. Val's most upset about Costco. |
Holly admits she lied, and that the lie is going to cost
$400 for the car to be removed from impound. |
Holly apologizes, but the words aren't what Val wants to
hear. |
She's heard enough...and had enough. |
Val says grounding her would be too easy..."I'm just
not going to trust you anymore." |
No matter what she says, Val is not going to believe it. |
Big fat liar. Well, maybe not so fat... |
Cheryl gives Jeff the news...he's in at the new restaurant! |
Gary and Jeff celebrate his new position in their own
special way. What, no sandwich? |
Holly tells Jeff about the impound yard and the $400 fee. Jeff recommends that Val take it out of the special account
she's set up for her. |
Every week, says Jeff, she takes $20 out of the $60 her dad
sends her from Japan, leaving her $40. |
Whoops! Was Jeff supposed to let her know that? He's not seeing Val anymore...who cares what she'll do to
him? |
Holly's back with takeout, and now to address that other
takeout issue. |
She thinks if she takes $20 out of her
allowance each week, she'll have it paid off in no time. |
After all, Val's been doing it all year! And she knows now! |
When Val tells Holly she's been putting it away for college,
Holly says that Dad does it anyway. |
But Val reasons it wouldn't hurt for Holly to have some
extra money so she wouldn't have to juggle a job and school. |
And the fact that Val's been adding $30 a week floors Holly,
quite literally. |
Holly's just upset that Val can do nice things for her... |
...and all she does to get ahead is lie. Just a thought to plant
in your head about the type of gal she is. |
Not even Val can come up with a contradiction of Holly's
claim that she's perfect, so she throws a faint as well. |
Holly vows her trust to Val and will never lie again. |
And to pay Val back out of the money Nana has been giving
her secretly. |
But extra french fries can still be their little secret! |
|
