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Episode Recap: The Car
Ahh, the sweet freedom of having a driver's license! I'm sure most of us can recall that glorious day when mom and pop handed over the keys to the family car and gave us the classic speech about trust and responsibility. If you're anything like me, then you can also recall the moment you broke that trust by telling a little white lie about how that dent found its way onto the bumper of the car a short time later(whoops!) This week on Samantha Who?, Sam learned that lesson after convincing her father to let her take the family car for a night out with Dena. As expected, things didn't go so well during the girls' night out and Sam wrecked the car. In an attempt to keep her father's trust, Samantha convinces Dena to help her get rid of the evidence so they could play it off that the car was actually stolen. Just another day in the life of Samantha Newly.
The next morning over coffee, Sam had to explain to Dena that old Sam had not returned and their actions were just "a rash decision to commit a small crime to save her dear father's heart." While Sam and Dena continued to discuss the incident, Andrea joined them at the table pissed off about having been stood up the night before. Upon returning home, Sam discovered her father had taken precautions following the car theft and began to install an alarm system in their house. To make things worse, her parents also presented her with a brand new car to prove their renewed trust in her.
As Sam got behind the wheel of her new ride, she caught a glimpse of old Samantha winking at her in the rear view window signifying that by accepting this gift, old Samantha was slowly starting to bubble up to the surface. Unable to bring herself to drive the car, Sam just sat in the driveway until her mother came out and found her. Sam cleared her conscience by confessing her crime but instead of scolding her daughter, Regina Newly used the opportunity to blackmail her own flesh and blood into attending her "solution 6" party.
Meanwhile, Andrea caught up with Dena outside her house and got the truth by bribing her with lemon cookies. The two made their way over to the Newly house so Andrea could give Sam a piece of her mind. They arrived in the middle of mama Newly's fashion show where Sam was being forced to model each and every convertible outfit. When Sam came clean about also confessing to their crime, Andrea reminded Sam of "the night of the sacrificial shoe." The night when Sam helped her mother push their car into the very same lake. As the memory came rushing back to her, old Samantha resurfaced to seek revenge against her manipulative mother. How did Sam get back at her mother? By fishing out the old car, parking it in the driveway, and removing all of the tow truck numbers from the phone book. Finally, Sam decided her only option to avoid becoming her mother was to tell her father the truth. After coming clean once again, Sam and her dad shared a nice father/daughter moment pushing the car back into the lake to avoid any issues with the insurance company.
Overall, not my favorite episode of the season but still a good one. Seeing Sam start to regress back to old Sam was great but learning she got the car-dumping thing from her mom made it even better. And, as always, the scenes featuring Andrea were a riot. Jennifer Esposito is really doing a bang-up job with this character. No matter who she's interacting with, the scene is guaranteed to be comedy gold. Jean Smart also continues to shine with every attempt to win her daughter's affection. Though ABC has struggled with sitcoms in the past (Was I the only one really into last season's Help Me Help You?), they've definitely stumbled onto something great with this one.
Memorable Moments:
-"You can't see a raccoon at night...it's wearing a mask!"
-Sam getting interrogated by Andrea at the coffee shop
-Howard Newly's justification for the alarm system:
"Criminals were in our driveway Samantha...a few feet from where we sleep...occasionally in the buff."
-Mama Newly remembering, yet again, about her daughter's amnesia:
"Oh, that's right! You've got that forgetting disease."
-Andrea's reaction to hearing the truth about why she got stood up:
"Honey, I'm an attorney! Web of deceit is where I get my mail."
-"It looks just as good out at night as it does stumbling home in the morning."
-Andrea shaking Sam to bring back her memory of "the night of the sacrificial shoe"
and Dena's response: "Is that a Nancy Drew book?"
-Sam's old playpen...a bird cage
Favorite Line:
Regina Newly trying to entice Sam to be a part of her fashion show:
"It's a revolutionary new clothing system: 6 pieces give you outfits for 60 different occasions. It's like when Jesus fed all those people with bread and fish!"
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Dec 4, 2007 1:02 AM
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This show hasn't disappointed me yet.
Christina Applegate has found her dream role, and Jean Smart is a hoot!
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Dec 4, 2007 8:38 AM
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I totally agree that Jean Smart and Jennifer Espisito are fantastic. I've always liked Christina Applegate - she brings a charm to every character she plays.
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Dec 4, 2007 8:48 AM
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To be honest, I liked Help Me Help You better. This show has its moments that make it worth DVRing, but the premise seems like it will get old by season two.
Oh and does anyone else remember "Units" stores in the mid/late 80s? I think I had a 6 piece set and though I don't recall wearing it 60 ways, I did keep one piece that I still occasionally wear as a tube top, wide belt, mini skirt, neck gaiter, etc... LOL!
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Dec 4, 2007 9:42 AM
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Andrea ambushing Dena at her house was my favorite moment. She looked so evil and manipulative ... I loved it.
I don't know how Sam was able to locate (and retrieve) the exact car that her and her mom ditched a few years ago. It was a little far-fetched, but I went along with it because it was hilarious.
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Dec 4, 2007 10:48 AM
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Ah, the 'special' veternarian.
LOL
I love it when Andrea and Dena have any excuse to interact--hilarious!
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Dec 4, 2007 11:07 AM
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I liked the faceoff between Andrea and Sam when Andrea caught up with her the morning after she'd been stood up - it was funny to see them both narrowing their eyes and a) Andrea refusing to give up on getting to the bottom of the "special vet" and b) Sam refusing to give in and spill the beans about what she and Dena had really been doing. Great use of "Devil Inside" (INXS) throughout the episode - cracked me up!
I also liked Dena frantically telling Sam that she'd aired out her car after her dog puked in it as they were careening along the highway in Sam's Dad's car - too funny to see Sam with her head out the window as she was "free at last!"
Very funny episode! I was laughing all over again as I was reading the recap..."Nancy Drew"...racoons with masks...Regina and Sam pushing the first car in the lake...hee hee hee!
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Dec 4, 2007 3:07 PM
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What a great episode! I loved that it finally showed that we all have a dark side to some extent. A little bit of relief for Sam who must have been thinking she was the only person in the world that needed to redeem herself (apart from Andrea of course).
I loved all the characters in this ep - although I'm a little sad that we didn't get any Todd or Frank - I can cope because it was so great.
Dena: Right now we're just pushing a car around a lake. Good clean fun!
M - http://www.samanthawho.org/
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Dec 4, 2007 3:51 PM
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I really enjoy this show and the cast. I loved the scene mentioned by a few others with Andrea staring down Sam & Dena in the coffe shop.
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Dec 5, 2007 12:09 PM
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I love it when Andrea and Dena have any excuse to interact--hilarious!- Posted by shawlaw2002
Ditto. Especially now that Andrea is actually interacting with her more and not just snubbing her. I admit Andrea was not my favorite character at the beginning of the series, but she has definitely grown on me.
My only complaint (very small one)- I miss Frank lately and his & Samantha's little "talks."
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Dec 6, 2007 10:48 AM
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