Episode Guide

Season 3

Episode 29- Big Man on Mulberry Street


The Case

Mrs Kendrick hired Blue Moon to get photographic proof that her soon to be ex-husband has been lying about the state of his finances in order to get out of a large alimony settlement. David was supposed to bring the pictures to breakfast, but he shows up very late and without the pictures.

What's Really Going on Chris?

Maddie gets very mad at David for screwing up the case. He not only forgot the pictures, but he looks and smells awful. But what really bothers Maddie is that he is not guilt ridden and apologetic. She's sick of not being able to depend on him and his irresponsible behavior. David claims it's voluntary, he could be responsible if he wanted to be. Maddie can't believe that someone could choose to be irresponsible. They argue. David storms out of her office.
Later, Maddie goes to David's office to tell him that Mrs Kendrick is giving them another chance and another appointment was set for tomorrow. David replies he can't go, he must go to New York to attend the funeral of a friend. Maddie finds out David hasn't seen the guy in about 9 years and they didn't keep in touch. Maddie suggests sending a wreath, but David says he has to go, he has an obligation. It turns out David was married to his sister!
Maddie acts like she doesn't care, but it's obvious that this bothers her. She can't believe David never told her that he was married. She discusses it briefly with Agnes, they search his desk for wedding pictures but find nothing. Maddie goes home. She thinks about it all night, even as she falls asleep. Maddie's dream is what she imagines to be the story of David meeting and then marrying and divorcing this woman. It is an incredible musical number. When she wakes up she immediately leaves for New York.
Meanwhile Dave is drinking with some old buddies, remembering Jimmy. They tease him about his hair and we find out his nickname was TC (for Top Cat.) He calls Maddie, who isn't home, to tell her what's going on and wonders where she is so late at night. He goes back to his room and finds Maddie sitting on his bed in the dark. She explains that she doesn't know why she is there, except that she thought that she could help him. She tells him that she could get on the next plane back to LA but she's tired and would like to stay in the room next door, if it's OK with him. She admits she was shocked when David told her he had been married, but that it's OK that he didn't tell her about it because "we don't have that kind of relationship, we're not....." She tells David there are plenty of things she's never told him. At this point Maddie gets really embarassed and gets up to leave and David stops her and asks her to stay.
Before going to bed, David goes to Maddie and asks her why she came. She again claims she doesn't know. He admits he knew it "stunk" that he dropped this bomb and left town, but he just didn't want to talk about it. He then tells Maddie the story of his ex-wife. She was a girl he grew up with. They were seniors in high school and skipped school one day. They ended up with, well, a pregnancy. They had to get married. They lost the baby than moved to NY so she could become an actress. David came home from work one night and found her in bed with the census taker. Maddie apologizes, but David acts like it, and she, weren't very important.
The next day Dave and Maddie argue about the funeral. Maddie assumed she was going, but David doesn't want to take her. He tells her that going to this funeral is hard enough. David goes without her and she sits around all day waiting for him. When it gets late she eventually decides to go to David's ex-wife's house to find David. She meets Tess Addison and finds out that David skipped the funeral and they chat. Tess is surprised David told Maddie about what happened, as "bearing his soul is not his strong suit." Maddie is surprised to find out that David found his wife with another woman, not a man.
In the meantime, David is getting drunk (drunker?) in a cab. He confesses he didn't go to the funeral because he didn't want to see Tess because she'd want to "talk about it." He also says he has no idea what is going on with Maddie. He admits he didn't tell her the whole truth, but when you find someone in bed with your wife gender is not important. On the way home, David lies to Maddie and tells her he went to the funeral. Maddie starts to tell him that she knows the truth but stops. She offers half her blanket if he'll lend her half his shoulder. He says OK, but he'll need it back in 20 or 30 years (awwww!)

Chris's Obsessive Analysis

Maddie is shocked to find out he has been married for 2 reasons. First, it shows her she doesn't know him as well as she thinks she does. Secondly, it shows her that David is capable of committment, contrary to his one-night-stand reputation and what she thinks of him. Maddie feels threatened by David's ex-wife but she won't admit it, not even to herself. Instead she has a dream which shows what she supposes happened. It also shows Maddie taking the place of this mysterious woman. She's so freaked out that she goes to NY. I don't think she really is sure why she went because she still isn't dealing with her feelings for David honestly. David seems glad she's there, but confused.
David telling Maddie about Tess is significant. David has carefully constructed a facade to protect himself from women and intimacy. He has been hurt too much by women in the past (Tess and Jillian) and does not want it to happen again. Telling Maddie this hurtful event shows how much he trusts her and brings their "friendship" to an intimate (but not physical) level. It also shows that he's letting his guard down for her. Maddie is allowed in past his fascade.
Maddie is extremely disappointed that David won't take her to the funeral. They act like a couple all the time, but this time he won't do it. Maddie is curious to meet his ex-wife and see what she is like. Her curiousity and jealously get the most of her and she decides to go-even though she knows it will make David mad. Maddie is surprised when she meets Tess. Tess is not the sexy vixen that she imagined. This blows her mind. This is not the type of woman she thinks David would love and marry given their previous discussions of love and David's "perfect woman." This flies in the face of the David she thought she knew. Finding out that David's wife was with another woman explains a lot to Maddie. She now knows that David acts the way he does, not because he is a chauvanist pig, but because he's avoiding intimacy to protect himself from getting hurt.
David not going to the funeral shows he is still bothered by Tess and hasn't really gotten over it yet. The fact that he doesn't tell Maddie the whole truth shows that, although he trusts her, he doesn't trust her completely yet. Maddie still doesn't get to see the complete and true David Addison. Maddie shows that she really cares about his feelings by not confronting him with the truth on the plane. She respects that he told her about it and doesn't want to ruin the new level of intimacy they have developed. It is a testament to her love for David that she hasn't fully realized yet.
This episode is incredible. It is consistently ranked among the top three episodes that people remember (along with "Atomic Shakespeare" and "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice") in terms of originality, creativity and excellence. It is probably the best dramatic episode of the whole series and takes us to a new level of understanding of both lead characters. The dance sequence is a lot of fun to watch too!

Memorable Moments

Links

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