2-13 CyranoSummary by: Laura Orginal Air Date: 1995-01-06 Writer: Susan Estelle Jansen Director: David Trainer Capsule Summary: Cory and Shawn help Frankie woo. Extendo Summary: Mr. Turner lectures on Cyrano de Bergerac. Topanga, along with a chorus of girls going "yeah," think Cyrano's romantic. Cory and Shawn and the male chorus think he's a dip.
We cut to the bullies. Harley's arguing with his girlfriend, Gloria. Gloria feels underappreciated because Harley won't pick her up at her door, but just honks from his car. Joey chatters nervously while Frankie has some "quiet time." Cory and Shawn wander in, laughing about how greasy Harley's hair is; Harley catches them and menaces accordingly. Cory tries to talk his way out of it, saying that in some countries his comment could have been considered a compliment ("for example, Greece!") Shawn tries to redirect his attention to his lovely girlfriend by laying on the compliments. Gloria convinces Harley not to dole out punishment (because there always has to be a reason that the inevitable pounding doesn't happen), but Harley sends Frankie to take care of the boys instead.
In a classroom, Frankie offers the boys a choice: They can get killed or do Frankie a favor. They choose the latter. The favor is using their fast-talking and charming skills to help Frankie woo a girl. At Cory's house, they give Frankie lessons; Frankie, fearing he'll never be able to figure out what to say in front of an actual girl, stuffs Cory and Shawn in his locker. Shawn whispers prompts while Frankie talks to his lady-love in the hall.
Everything goes swimmingly, and after a few rounds of speech Frankie gathers up his courage and is able to ask the girl out on his own. Busting out of the locker pleased with a job well done, Shawn and Cory discover that the girl is none other than Harley's girlfriend Gloria.
Meanwhile, Amy and Alan are fighting because Alan bought Amy a trash compacter for their anniversary. Mr. Feeny points out to Alan that he screwed up by explaining that Amy probably wanted him to give her a gift he had to think about, not just to fulfill a mundane appliance-wish she's stated.
Anyway, Harley finds the boys acting nervous and worms the story out of them. The three go to Chubbie's and find Frankie mid-date with Gloria. Frankie admits to his betrayal and by way of explanation acknowledges the depth of his passion. Gloria is charmed. Harley and Gloria fight. Apparently the only gift Harley ever got Gloria was tires. Cory mentions that his parents are going through a similar argument but that they always work things out.
Harley goes to Cory's house where he finds Amy. He asks for advice. "What do women want?" Amy says they want to be appreciated. She says Gloria probably thinks about Harley a lot, so Harley should think about Gloria. Alan enters and agrees. Harley decides he will give Gloria what she wants; and what she wants right now is Frankie. Over the end credits, we see Frankie and Gloria together while Cory brags to Mr. Turner that he Cyrano-matchmade them (although really, it was mostly Shawn). Highlights:
- Shawn flirts with Gloria until Harley orders him to turn it off. Shawn steps back: "Turning it off, sir!"
- At Cory's, Cory and Shawn help Frankie practice wooing. "Pretend this is her," says Cory, holding up a lamp. Frankie frowns: "Could the pillow be her?" Cory holds up the pillow to his face and, as Shawn prompts Frankie to compliment "her" dress, falsettos a vaguely Southern drawl: "Oh, this old thing?"
- Shawn brainstorms witness-protection schemes: "We dress up as girls, pretend we're our out-of-town cousins, and say we haven't seen ourselves."
Cory: "Shawn, that would never work."
Shawn: "Oh yeah, tell that to my uncle Mary."
- Amy and Harley have a nice moment over tea reminiscent of (though predating) the relationship between Spike and Joyce on Buffy.
Continuity, yay! - As in 2-10 Sister Theresa, the Kiner family matriarch is a lush: Harley: "I'd go to my own mother, but it's four o'clock p.m. so she's out cold."
- The conversation about Shawn's cross-dressing scheme foreshadows a number of future BMW moments. Uncle Mary is referenced again in 3-2 The Double Lie. Shawn does eventually dress as a girl in 4-15 Chick Like Me, although it's for a newspaper article, not a witness protection thing. But in 7-11 What a Drag!, Eric and Jack do the whole Some Like It Hot thing for that exact reason.
Rants: I don't like all this talk about how men are like this and women are like this. Really, the central point of contention in this episode (the idea of making people feel appreciated through romantic gestures and so-called 'thoughtful' gifts) is far more of a F/T personality type conflict than anything intrinsically male-ish or female-ish. Maybe I'm just T (I am), but I would much rather get an "unromantic" present I said I wanted than a generically romantic thing like some dumb diamond or something. Episode Themes: The Bullies, Life Imitates Literature, Cory and Shawn Hijinks Rating: 3. A solid season-2er. I like the bullies, but, as I've said, I can't like all this men are from Mars crap. Back | Back to Season 2 Episode Guide | Next | |
