Subtleties in "All in the Family"

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Did anybody else notice the little touches the writers eased in:

1)The identical "I'll get you through this" scenes from Benton to Carter and then from Corday to Lucy? Touching and eerie at the same time.

Second, the parallels between the scene of Romano and Corday trying valiantly to save Lucy (with Romano obsessed refusing to give up) and a very similar scene in Season 4 where they were trying to save Lizzie's homegirl, Paramedic Allison Beaumont (when the roles were reversed and Elizabeth wouldn't let go)?

C. How the director never shows anyone actually saying "Lucy's dead/gone/coded/bitthebigone"?

Benton (to Cleo): "What's wrong?" Cleo: (Just gives that Look)

Chuny (to group reminiscing at Doc Magoo's): "Lucy . . ." Group: (mass example that Look)

Mark walks to admit area, Kerry displays an even-more sickened version of That Look.

Carter: "Lucy's dead, isn't she?" Benton (Dr. Roboto?!?!?): That Look.

Carol: "I heard what happened. Wanna talk about it?" Mark: (I don't remember exactly what he said, but I definitely remember that he was fighting off the same anguished Look on his face.

Amazing, the power of a well-written silence. Well-edited, too. It's about time for the writers to make a comeback, considering the @#$% of the last season and a half.

And to anyone who's only recently started watching, you MUST peep the reruns on TNT! There's no way you could fully absorb the power and irony of the Carter/Benton story if you don't know their tumultous history together. And to a lesser extent, that of Elizabeth and Romano as well.

Who WAS the director, BTW? I couldn't find the credit.

-- Dao (ldao@tandberg.com), February 18, 2000

Answers

Response to Subtleties

Just one correction to the above: Robert tells Dr. Corday to "call it." which means say the time of death. Then Corday says, "Time of death --- whatever." It was spelled out. But, did anyone notice that there was only one nurse in the room with Corday and Romano when they were trying to save Lucy and that the camera spins around and around and shows the three of them, until the nurse is gone and only Romano and Corday were there, still working on Lucy. A bit of a goof, I think. The nurse wouldn't have left even after time of death was established; she would have been there to "tidy up" at least.

-- hal (haliski@aol.com), February 18, 2000.

Response to Subtleties

Hal: I noticed that too and it was strange, but I think ti was used for emotion and even symbolism, considering the aerial shot and everything. It wouldn't have been as powerful, not nearly, if two or three nurses had been there.

-- May Archer (archerl@cadvision.com), February 18, 2000.

Response to Subtleties

Another phrase used both times was that of "thank you". We obviously all know when Lucy said it and it struck me again when Carter said it to Benton at the end.

-- Cai (mohawk@xmission.com), February 19, 2000.

Actulaay, as close as we get to the phrase "Lucy's dead." is when Peter asks Cleo what's wrong and Clep says "there was a complication with Lucy..." and then the scene cuts to something else.

-- Teddy (richarr@earthlink.net), August 13, 2001.

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