Once again, this episode featured interleaved and interwoven storylines, although there was only one story line involving multiple characters. All of the stories revolve around reactions to the news that a meteor is heading for Earth and the end of humanity. Hope is pressured to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Roberto; Ruby complains about the saturation news coverage, only to become part of it when something drops into her yard; Sydney rides an ark into outer space; Fern and Jobie pig out; Linda decides to hold a farewell performance; Birdie cracks under the strain; Janie and Chic have meaningless sex; Trevor and Barry head for the Old West and decide to pull a "Thelma and Louise;" and Kay's mother has apparently died, giving Kay her freedom but precious little time to enjoy it. But in the end, the meteor just misses Earth, and the world is safe.
Humorous bits abound: Bob Costas (himself) as the essence of professional calm as chaos rages all around him; Janie getting into the closest cab, which just happens to be Chic's (they have a common past, remember -- see the 1976 episode); Ruby telling of Hedy Lamarr's cursing Orson Welles for his War of the Worlds scare; Trevor and Barry's encounter with the New Mexican townsfolk; Sydney's out-of-this-world experiences; Fern's "final" pigout; and more. Taken by themselves, they won't necessarily produce big laughs, but taken together, they do all right.
There are a couple of issues here. First, there appears to be a break in continuity about where Hope attends college. It is clearly stated in tonight's episode that she's going to school in upstate New York. However, in the Road Rage episode, Hope and Roberto were clearly in L.A., and nothing was said about their being on vacation. However, in past seasons, we know that Hope worked briefly for Janie Pillsworth in New York (and we know that her father knows Janie), so I'm tempted to say that the Road Rage episode is the oddity. This should be investigated further. The other issue is a big one: Kay's mother has apparently died. Now that we know the world has not ended, what will become of Kay? Will we get to see her revel in her new-found freedom? Will she be "retired," a la Virginia and Mrs. Noh? Or will fate play a cruel joke on her when she discovers that her mother's not dead after all? For the answers to these and other burning questions, tune into HBO in January 2000 for the fifth season.
And there will be a fifth season of TTO; I just hope my local electric utility is Y2K compliant so I don't miss out.
RATING: 3 1/2 bells.
TBD (May or June): The Best-Of special for the fourth season.
Review Copyright 1999 R. W. Reini
01/18/97 - Roger reviews "Tracey Takes On...": SEX(***1/2)
02/24/97 - Roger reviews "Tracey Takes On...": CHILDHOOD(****)
