Richard Moll? That's Bull!

TV junkies may already know about the Tommy Westphall Universe. Here is my commentary on the argument that The Facts of Life fits into it.

In an unrelated turn of excellent events, a friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that he was watching Night Court. Oh, how I used to love that show. I asked if he knew which Night Court regular appeared as himself on two episodes of Facts.

It's not a big secret but also not necessarily common knowledge.

In the two-part opener of season nine of Facts, Richard Moll appears as himself, and when they meet in the police station in Malibu, Jo ends up housesitting for him. It includes a predictable but funny joke:

Jo: "I'm housesitting for Richard Moll."
Tootie: "Richard Moll? That's Bull!"
Jo: "No, really."

Snerk.

But what we do know is that Night Court is a fictional show that exists in the Facts of Life universe.

It turns out that Night Court isn't in the Tommy Westphall universe, so this revelation doesn't really mean anything, other than that perhaps Night Court is the proverbial dream within a dream within a dream.

Also, I heart the 80s.

Recap episode 9-14 "Peekskill Law" or Blair has a legal internship

Really, though, folks, Blair Warner went to law school. We shouldn't be so shocked; she was always bright and independent; her whole character development was talented yet coddled rich girl becomes a real woman by being part of this posse.

When I went to law school at age 37, a lot of people asked me things like, "why law school?" and "why now?" The thing is that I always expected that I would go to law school some day, so when I watched this almost thirty years ago, I thought to myself that this would more or less be my future.

In this episode, Blair, first year law student, has an internship with a criminal defense firm.

We open with banter at the table, the most relevant question to me being why Natalie always insisted on wearing these animal sweatshirts. 

Blair's entrance leads us to learn that's she's applied for an internship at Harrison and Joseph, the local law firm who is handling the sensational, scandalous Clark Darren case. Harrison and Joseph have invited her for an interview. Exciting!

Short Engagements: What do I have in common with Mrs. Garrett and Jo?

According to wedding website The Knot, the average engagement is fourteen months. Tootie was likely engaged for something like that. She got engaged in episode 9-7 and was still engaged, planning her wedding, when the series ended. Victor and I were engaged for two months. There's no right or wrong, of course, but you know which other engagements were short? The other ones on Facts! Casual viewers may not remember that besides Tootie's engagement, there were three weddings planned (and two executed) in the course of the series: two for Mrs. Garrett (one that took) and one for Jo. And then there was mine.

Also starring: the corresponding spouses.

I know. Them's some white-ass muthafuckas.

Couple number one: Edna Garrett and Ted Metcalfe. Wedding scheduled for episode 6-17 "Two Guys from Appleton."

Couple number two: Edna Garrett and Bruce Gaines. Wedding scheduled for episode 8-1 "Out of Peekskill."

Couple number three: Jo Polniaczek and Rick Bonner. Wedding scheduled for episode 9-19 "Till Marriage Do Us Part."

Couple number four: Vikki and Victor. Wedding scheduled for December 31, 2015.

Before I continue, please note that photos from my wedding are courtesy of Elizabeth Livingston and Cindy McElhiney, dear friends who photographed the event.

Background

Edna and Ted

Edna and Ted were high school sweethearts. They had dated for a year and a half when Ted gave Edna his pin and they enjoyed their first kiss. Two and a half years later, they were supposed to go to a dance together. Ted was late because he got held up working at his father's hardware store. (NB:When George Clooney appeared in season eight he also worked at his father's hardware store. This comes from Charlotte Rae's memories of her father's own hardware store.) While she was waiting for Ted to pick her up, a vacuum cleaner salesman came by the door, and she was smitten. So she dumped Ted's ring on his doorstep and never talked to him again.