User Reviews

This episode definitely focuses more on the domestic life of Charlie and his troubled nephew, but it is not entirely a melodrama. There are still plenty of scenes at the news office, and there are scenes at a throwaway publication office where Scott Hume goes to work. Character actress Conchata Ferrell appears in an early role as the throwaway publisher. Personally, I thought the scenes that played out in the Hume home were very good. The part where Scott locks himself in his bedroom, and Charlie breaks the door down only to discover him watching cartoons was very interesting. Peggy McCay is on hand once again as Charlie's wife Marion, and James Callahan, who appeared in another role back in a season 4 episode, provides good support as Charlie's brother. But what really makes this episode stand-out, in my opinion, is the commentary about mentally ill patients that were released back into mainstream society during the Reagan administration. The use of drug therapy is mentioned, but as Scott Hume says, he may be existing, but is he really able to function? The scenes with him disappearing in the middle of the night suggest otherwise. The subplot for this episode is about a missing bear that has escaped from the L.A. Zoo. I suppose the zoo may qualify as a metaphor for an institution, and the bear represents Scott Hume's being lost. We see updates back at the Trib office, as Billie stays on the story. At one point a tracker is hired to pinpoint the animal's exact location. We never see the bear and are required to use our imagination about its journey through the Burbank area.