Episode Guide

Season 5

Episode 57-Shirts and Skins

The Case

Maddie volunteers Blue Moon's services to Robin Fuller, an advertising executive who shot her boss (Neal Fass) because he wanted her to sleep with him to get a promotion. She said no and he fired her. She's in jail, but is claiming sexual harassment as a defense. At the same time, David has agreeed to take Neal Fass's case. After David and Maddie discover they have taken both sides of the same case, they can't agree which side to represent. They agree to pursue both, David taking Neal Fass's side, and Maddie representing Robin Fuller. This results in the office being split, the boys with David and the girls with Maddie.

What's Really Going on Chris?

David and Madie both investigate the case in their own ways. David declares a cease fire when Bert and Agnes are discovered in the broom closet together. The court case is tomorrow morning. David goes into Maddie's office to offer a peace offering and to take her out to dinner. She declines saying she's got more work to do. David begins to gloat about how his side is ready and he's sure they will win and leaves. Maddie's side isn't ready yet and she gets worried. She stays late and then breaks into David's office. David catches her and they fight. She tries to fire him, but he quits instead. While he packs up his belongings a former employee of Neal Fass, Ann Pines, gives David an affadavit that she too was harassed by Fass.
The next day at court, Maddie admits they could lose because she couldn't find any dirt on Neal Fass and because David dug up some mental health records on Robin that could be used against her. After Robin Fuller starts crying at the mention that she could be incarcerated, David pulls Neal Fass aside and confronts him with Ann Pines' affadavit. Neal Fass agrees to drop the charges and David leaves. Maddie realizes that Robin was vindicated because of what David did and chases after him to find out what he said to Neal Fass. David tells her about Ann Pines and Maddie congratulates him on doing the right thing. David explains that he never cared about doing the right thing or vindicating Robin Fuller. The only thing he cared about was Maddie looking at him and thinking he was Neal Fass. She tells David that she doesn't think of him as Neal Fass, that Neal Fass "came on to someone that didn't want him to" (implying that David was coming on to someone who wanted him to.) David laughs. She then begs him to come back to Blue Moon, at first he says no. Then she offers to make him a full, equal partner and he answers yes. The next day Maddie brings a contract to the office to make the partnership legal. When David is surprised at the price of the buy in, Maddie mischievously says that she's willing to 'negotiate' the terms.

Chris's Obsessive Analysis

Maddie sees this case as just another case, David doesn't. He is afraid that Maddie thinks of him as a 'Neal Fass' and wants to prove that not all office affairs are sexual harassment. In the beginning he even says, "they had a mutual attraction and had a few laughs, it happens all the time." He's afraid that Maddie thinks of him, or their affair, as sexual harassment. That's why he defends Neal Fass. He is relieved to find out that she doesn't think that at all when she admits that she wanted David to come on to her.
There is some debate about what is in the contract. Some think it's a lewd act. I don't think so. Maddie is too professional to have her lawyer write something into a contract even if it is a joke for David. Besides, after all her pontificating about sexual harassment I doubt she would stoop to it, just to get a rise out of David. I'm not sure what was in that contract, but I think it was a price David couldn't afford. I think that's why he has the surprised, wounded puppy look on his face when he looks up at her. I know Maddie's mind was in the gutter when she said she'd be willing to "discuss the terms." Do any of you recall if Maddie says anything as direct and suggestive as this to David in the first couple seasons? I can't.

Memorable Moments

Maddie and David fighting about whether they will take the case (and David saying, "if anyone has the right to shoot the boss it's me.")
David and Bert at Harborhearst
Maddie breaking into David's office
Maddie begging David to come back to Blue Moon
Maddie giving David the contract
The bloopers during the credits

Links

Back to the Episode Guide main page
The next episode, "Take My Wife, For Example"
Brian's "Shirts and Skins" page
Aubrey's Blue Moon Banter page for this episode