- Title: The Crazy Ones – The Lighthouse
- wiki: link
The First Season finale pits partner against partner when Gordon (Brad Garrett) finalizes a deal to sell the company to foreign investors for $47 million. With Simon (Robin Williams) unwilling to give up creative control of the business he founded, Gordon calls for a vote of the board of directors which brings Simon’s ex-wife (Marilu Henner), and Sydney‘s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) mother, back to town.
While Gordon and Simon both try to woo the vote they need in a sequences that offers as many chuckles (the post-coitus montage in bed) as groans (the movie night), Sydney ignores her mother’s history of making promises she will never keep begins to get her hopes up that she may have finally changed. Although the truth is obvious, Sydney does get advice from both parents she deems worth taking as she decides to admit her true feelings to Andrew (Hamish Linklater).
The emotional revelation of Sydney’s childhood, and why her psychologist referred to her mother as “The Lighthouse,” is the most effective piece of the episode (along with Simon comforting his daughter when her heart is broken again). Although we don’t see the exact circumstances of Anderew’s reply to Sydney’s kiss, its obvious things didn’t quite go as she hoped. With the show very much on the bubble we may never know whether the two wacky kids will eventually find each other or not. Given the talent both in front of and behind the camera I’d have to say the show hasn’t met expectations, and I could definitely see CBS choosing to pull the plug, but at times it has produced memorable moments (even if some of the episodes they were in weren’t always as strong as they could have been).
I totally disagree with your premise that the show hasn’t met expectations. In my opinion, it far exceeded it. I look at a comedy shows success or failure based on one premise, did it make me laugh? To me, it was a resounding YES!! From episode one to the finale, I laughed at the show so much at times, my stomach hurt, and I was in tears by the end of it. The ENTIRE cast was a dream. Robin, Sarah, James, Hamish and Amanda meshed beautifully together. Compared to other comedy shows on Thursday night, The Crazy Ones was 1000 times better than the rest of the CBS lineup combined. Don’t forget all the guest stars that appeared on the show. From Kelly Clarkson to Ed Asner, to Brad Garrett, Pam Dawber, (my favorite), Josh Groban, Brad Paisley and Marilu Henner. Now that was some serious star power. I hope CBS does the right thing and gives the show another year. It deserves much better than to just be thrown into the trash, never to be seen again.
You’ve obviously enjoyed it more than I have. I wouldn’t argue it as CBS best show. I’d be solidly behind Elementary for that title and put a few others on the list before I got to The Crazy Ones.
Although I’m still slightly positive overall on the show’s up-and-down first season, I certainly expected more from the talent assembled with Robin Williams, Gellar, Wolk, Garrett, Hamish, etc. and a show conceived and written by David E. Kelley (plus the number of guests you mentioned).
For me far too much of the first season felt like The Crazy Ones was getting by on talent alone and some of the episodes felt really phoned in while over-relying on improv comedy bits (some of which work and some of which don’t, and many of which don’t always serve the overall story).