marriage delayed
Last season's cliffhanger wasn't too compelling, but this episode managed to create the typical havoc of this program - that is, fitting the maximum number of white lies into a 22-minute period. It seems like at the beginning of every TV season I have a little more trouble following the plot at a satisfactory pace, or else the half-hour episodes seem a little shorter than they should be. This one in particular seemed rushed, without too many representative jokes about the characters' personalities, instead making a point about marriage. Actually, Martin's fatherly line in the midst of all the marriage confusion was hard to comprehend in a sit-com setting, realistic even. And they all lived happily ever after...but, wow, I hope Niles's third set of vows was just a reflection on today's underreliance on the sanctity of the institution of marriage, not foreshadowing of any kind. It was a convincing performance, though, and a new one for this character.
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