Plot Synopsis:
Gary wakes up one morning to discover that Chuck has agreed to cater a local wedding (without consulting the others, of course). By the time Gary gets downstairs, the kitchen is in an uproar, and Marissa is freaking out. Gary has little time to deal with this situation, however, for the paper reports that a fight will soon break out between a truck driver and another motorist. Said fight takes place in front of St. Stephen's Church (the wedding location), and after Gary manages to cool the squabble, he spies Chuck and confronts him about the surprise job that has been sprung on the staff of McGinty's. It is here that Gary learns that the wedding is for Stan Stanford, President of Offside Software, and Genie Berlatsky, Gary's high school sweetheart.
Genie and Stan's wedding comes with more than its fair share of complications. For one thing, Genie's father is a federal witness, which means a security detail, headed by Steadman, has been called in to ensure the safety of Mr. Berlatsky and the wedding guests. For another thing, Genie herself is starting to get cold feet. She laments to Gary that Stan is a workaholic who's not as romantic as Gary was in his youth and exhibits some lingering attraction to her old flame. AWKWARD.
When the paper reports the next morning that Mr. Berlatsky and Genie will be shot during the wedding, Gary immediately goes to Steadman. Earlier, you see, Gary discovered that one of the priests - Father Mark Romano - was keeping a gun in the vestry of the church, and Gary now believes Father Mark is the shooter. Steadman conducts a search, finds no gun, and concludes that Gary is a sad sack who's just trying to stop his old girlfriend's nuptials. Gary remains undaunted, though, and asks Marissa to hack into the diocese's files to determine whether Father Mark Romano is a real priest. Marissa does not find a Romano on the diocese's list. Gary then follows Father Mark to a "drop off" to discover what the cleric is up to. In the meantime, he sends Chuck to collect Stan's Uncle Bob and instructs Chuck to stall the guy. He also advises Genie to postpone the wedding and attracts Stan's rage. DOUBLE AWKWARD.
In the end, it turns out that Father Mark is an undercover FBI agent and "Uncle Bob" is, in fact, the hit man. When Chuck lets slip that Steadman has installed metal detectors at the church, "Uncle Bob" picks up a gift-wrapped bomb. Chuck and "Uncle Bob" nearly have a fatal wreck, but thanks to Gary's intervention, nothing untoward takes place -- except, perhaps, that the same truck driver from earlier is a little inconvenienced. (Heh.) Gary climbs into a taxi with "Uncle Bob" and inadvertently delivers the hit man and his bomb to the wedding. Fortunately, Gary, with Chuck's help, figures out "Uncle Bob's" true identity and manages to clear the church and find the bomb before it goes off.
Genie, however, believes the day's excitement is a bad omen and calls off the wedding. Gary, ever honorable, intervenes, bringing Stan and Genie together to work out their differences. When Stan assures Genie that he has been working so hard because he loves her, she seems satisfied and changes her mind about canceling the wedding. Stan, for his part, sells Offside Software so he can spend more time with his wife.
Overall: 7.5
This is a rather ordinary - though still entertaining - episode.
Writing: 7.5
Probably the funniest bits of the episode are the interactions between Steadman and Gary. The fact that Gary can't elaborate on the source of his special knowledge provides, for this show, a bottomless well of comedy, and Carla Kettner dips into that well multiple times throughout the episode. We also have the running joke with the repeatedly hassled Jamaican truck driver to add further levity - and Chuck, who is not generally the sharpest crayon in the drawer, gets to show a bit of cleverness when he puts together the truth about "Uncle Bob."
All in all, this is a solidly entertaining - though not stellar - script. However - and I hate to say it - I kind of agree with Chuck's pessimistic prediction at the end of the episode. If it takes God and Gary to get Stan and Genie to talk to each other, that doesn't bode well for their marriage.
Acting: 8.0
As you all know, Early Edition has a relatively good record when it comes to casting even the smaller roles, and Kwame Amoaku - like the bailiff in The Jury - is a textbook example. I also found the performances of the major guests to be well within Early Edition's standard (above average) range.
Message: 7.0
What I Like: Here, Gary isn't anything other than the perfect gentleman we all know and love. He doesn't attempt to rekindle his old relationship with Genie. In fact, he does everything he can to avoid Genie's advances and bring Stan and Genie back together. This puts Gary refreshingly out of the entertainment mainstream. I also like the way this episode gently reminds us that a successful marriage is based on communication and personal sacrifice, not sentiment. Genie almost gets sidetracked by the latter, but fortunately, she eventually sees the light.
On the Other Hand: I do feel that a bit too much of the responsibility for the troubles in Genie and Stan's relationship is laid at Stan's feet. It may be true that he's neglected the "romance," but come on: if Genie is unhappy with the amount of time Stan is spending at work, she should say so explicitly. She shouldn't be one of those more annoying representatives of my gender and expect Stan to be a mind reader. Yeesh!
The Benevolent Hand:
You know, in addition to the fact that God, through Gary, helps Stan and Genie to finally communicate with each other in this episode, I'd also like to think that God is, in some bizarre way, working in the truck driver's life as well. Personally, I believe that after a few days of repeatedly running into trouble with his truck and cargo (thanks in large part to Gary), that driver decided his job was for the birds (hence his dropping his keys) and went on to do something he found more fulfilling. :)
Highlights:
GENIE: You loved me so much.
GARY: Yeah, I did, but that was a long time ago.
GENIE: I used to think we made a mistake breaking up, but... we were too much alike. Neither of us knew where we were going...
GARY: Well, we were nineteen years old.
GENIE: You know what I mean. Stan is so together, and I actually feel like I finally have a sense of direction... but I just wish... your letters, Gary. I practically memorized them.
GARY: Well, that's flattering...
GENIE: (Here she starts to quote from one of Gary's letters.) 'I'll be around in the dark.'
GARY: Huh?
GENIE: 'I'll be everywhere - wherever you look.' It was so powerful, you know?
GARY: You know, Henry Fonda said that, and John Steinbeck wrote it. I didn't write that. (Again, this show makes me wish Gary were my boyfriend.)
MARISSA: I can't believe you're making me hack into the diocese's files. It's like breaking into church, Gary. (Heh.)
STEADMAN: Two agencies of the federal government are gonna make sure this girl gets married safe and sound. You take one step inside that church and you are going directly to jail.
GARY: For what?
STEADMAN: For being pathetic. (LOL! Poor Gary. People misunderstand his motives all the time.)
(After the bomb detonates and the truck driver's cargo - confetti this time - starts raining down on those assembled outside the church...)
GARY: (to the pissed truck driver) I guess you wouldn't believe me if I told you there's nothing personal.
(Scowling, the truck driver drops his keys on the ground and walks away. LOL!)
STAN: Two of you have something you want to tell me?
GARY: Well, I do. Look, Stan, you and Genie, you belong together. Genie, you and I, we had a great time, but that was the past, and the reason you and I broke up is because we were wrong for each other.
GENIE: It was because you didn't know where you were going.
GARY: No, I didn't. And I-I like that. That's part of the adventure for me. But you? You always wanted a guy like Stan. Well, here he is. And Stan? Stan loves ya, and you love Stan. But Stan, the thing is, she doesn't want to marry the President of Offside Software. She wants to marry you. But the thing is also, she doesn't get enough of ya! (I love Gary's speech pattern. It's so cute.)
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