If the pilot episode gave us an outline of the series, Night Court Season 1 Episode 2 starts to color in the details.
We see that improving the world drives Abby to engage others in her mission and how that engagement causes the others to react.
And, like the first day in the prison yard, she takes on the biggest challenge first — turning Dan Fielding into an empathetic, connected public defender.
To be fair, I personally thought Dan’s showmanship in defending Carmine was pretty brilliant.
Abby can’t accuse him of not putting in an effort since filling the gallery with lookalikes couldn’t have been easy.
Of course, it’s not helpful when your client confesses his crime in the middle of the courtroom, but even then, Dan is able to pivot to a talking point.
On a show as fast-paced as this one, it’s easy to let the incidental cases slide by in a blur. The cases here are all pretty memorable.
Random bald guy: Carmine, what are you doing here?
Carmine: I got caught robbing this lady’s store.
Dan: He’s joking. The only thing my client is guilty of is possession of a razor-sharp wit.
From Carmine, we move to Mr. Buckwold, whom you’d think could’ve explained his issues with the washroom’s security code to the Starbucks staff before he exposed himself in order to urinate.
At the very least, he could’ve found an alley. It is Manhattan, after all.
Abby: By any chance are you dyslexic?
Mr. Buckwold: I am, your Honor, but it’s my understanding that’s only a crime in Texas.
But then, we wouldn’t be able to watch Abby defend and pass judgment simultaneously.
Also, that spectacular sweater.
Dan should keep the bow tie. It really screams folksy sincerity.
Abby: I like the sweater. It really makes a statement. Like, ‘I told the judge I was going to do something but then did as close to nothing as possible.’
Dan: This is not nothing. This is me showing that your idea of how I should defend these clients if not better than how I do it because basically they’re all guilty anyway.
Amidst all the Abby and Dan back-and-forth, it wouldn’t do to ignore the information revealed about the other core characters.
Olivia expresses her desire to move on from the night court. Yet, she makes connections — no matter that it’s primarily self-serving — with people like Maggie, the Stenographer, because she recognizes what networking can do for her.
Oh, I’m not putting energy into making this place better. I’m trying to get out of here. This isn’t a job. It’s an escape room.
Olivia
Meanwhile, Gurgs is identified as the real people person among the Nighthawks.
Yeah, we could’ve called that.
Her disorganization and vaguely superstitious bent might be trying a little hard for the laughs, but it is undeniably effective. Lacretta’s timing and delivery is gold star stuff.
Neil: Work is over. Why does she want us to stick around?
Gurgs: Well, maybe she got us a present. Maybe we can wear it. Oooh, or eat it. Maybe we can wear it then eat it. Chocolate jackets!
And then we have “Big Swing” Neil.
I’m still having a hard time figuring out whether he’s an underachieving genius or a self-aware slacker at ease with his mediocrity.
Olivia: This opportunity is wasted on you.
Neil: It’s not an opportunity, Olivia, it’s a curse. I come here so I can do nothing, and if you do nothing, you can’t fail.
He seems to thrive on recognition. I mean, who doesn’t?
Still, his choice to improve the courtroom by tweaking their shade of white paper feels like a deliberate test of Abby’s tolerance for minutiae.
As if he thought that if he made a change that she didn’t acknowledge as an improvement, he could then chalk up his effort as a failure on Abby’s part.
I suspect we’ll learn more about his fear of failure as expectations in the courtroom rise.
And that means that Abby’s list of improvement projects probably includes Neil’s name at least as many times as Dan’s.
Something missing from the pilot episode was a moment of absolutely absurd chaos.
Well, consider that mission accomplished.
The Rube-Goldberg progression through the courtroom from Maggie’s water bottle brandishing to Gurgs apprehending her to bumping into Nikolai’s ladder to him swinging on the light fixture until it fell, releasing the flock of ceiling-dwelling pigeons to feast on Blaine’s excellent doughnuts is master class in choreographed slapstick.
I’ll admit to being surprised that Howie, the lizard-people-believing net-thrower, turns out to be the key to Dan’s confidence in getting to know his clients.
Were you attacked by a salamander when you were a kid? Did your dad leave your mom for a gecko? Paint me the science fiction country song that is your life.
Dan
That hiss and tongue waggle is really off-putting.
However, when Dan Fielding learns something new, especially about himself, he is unafraid to make changes right away.
I’m not that kind of lawyer. I deal with evidence and precedent, not feelings, emotions, and ‘mommy didn’t hug me enough, so now I eat people.’
Dan
The best scenes so far are those between Dan and Abby.
Whether it’s the experience the two actors bring to the script or the writing that has the characters inheriting a level of mutual understanding or some combination of the two things, there is a tangible link between them.
If we want to get into the analysis (and of course, we do), Abby uses Dan as a stand-in for her father, while Dan sees a lot of Harry in Abby.
It’s yet another instance of Harry’s presence being evoked in a truly touching way.
This is Rosa Rosenberg. She was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, but it is a completely nonfunctional emotional support gun. Reminds her of her father. His name was Colt. He died at forty-five.
Dan
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the writers for their effort in capturing the original series’s punny humor.
It helps to have an OG cast member like Larroquette deliver them with deadpan brilliance, but lines like that don’t write themselves.
All in all, it’s been a solid start for this revival series. In most aspects, it’s like they just took a thirty-year recess and returned with some new face but the same heart under it all.
Watch Night Court online to see if you can spot the moment Blaine regrets taking the job. LOL. That courtroom is not the ideal place for overachievers.
Can they sustain the momentum they’ve established?
How many flashers before Olivia flees? How many muggers before Neil manifests some serious neuroses?
I doubt we’ll see Maggie or Paul again, but it’s kind of fun to imagine the two of them commiserating over a shady beer about the lives they could’ve lived if it wasn’t for the Pollyanna judge who took over their courtroom.
Will we be treated to more of Nikolai’s talents? From dead birds to Golden Girls portraiture to ax-wielding maintenance, is there a limit to his abilities?
What were the laugh-out-loud moments for you, Fanatics? Hit our comments with your favorite pun or pratfall!
Diana Keng is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
