What I Did for Love

"What I Did for Love"
Season 2, Episode 4 (12)
Airdate	April 29, 1991
Writer(s)	Ellen Kulman
Director	Steven Robman
Guest star(s)
Elizabeth Huddle as Ingrid Klochner Leo Geter as David Ginsberg Paul Fleming as Mr. Streisand Pamela Abas-Ross as Woman #1 Dorothy Hanlin as Woman #2 Phil Lucas as Man David A. Hrdlicka as Little Boy Laura Kenny as Mrs. Streisand
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"All is Vanity"	"Spring Break"

Summary

Maggie's dream of Joel's death in a plane crash sparks earnest farewells from the locals, but the premonition spooks Joel enough to consider canceling his visit home, especially after feeling suspicious about his substitute. Maurice welcomes a visit from an astronaut groupie.

Plot

The episode fades in with Maggie and Joel playing the board game Clue in a dream sequence. However, Joel soon gets ready to leave, and puts on a black fedora hat. Maggie stops him, telling him to stay, and awakens in her own bed.

The next morning, Joel is in Ruth-Anne's store buying souvenirs for his parents who he will visit soon. Maggie comes in and looks at Joel a little nervously. Joel, in an act of uncharacteristic kindness towards Maggie, offers to help her move her heavy chair into her cabin. At her cabin, Joel comments on the dioramas which she has built as a memorial to each of her dead boyfriends. Each contains a miniature skeleton wearing a black fedora which Maggie says symbolizes death. Her face shows that she recognizes one possible interpretation of her dream.

Chris in the Morning announces the annual Cicely Founders Day celebration and mentions the rumors of lesbianism surrounding the town's two founders, Cicely and Roslyn. In The Brick, Maurice becomes upset, not wanting the town to be associated with homosexuality. However, his mood brightens when Ingrid walks in, a middle-aged lady who obviously knows Maurice well. Ingrid is in town while her husband is off trapping. That night, Maurice and Ingrid are in bed at Maurice's cabin. The two begin their activities while a videotape of a moon rocket launch plays on the television VCR in the background. These scenes with Maurice show a new side to his personality: a tenderness that has never before been apparent. For the first time, Maurice begins developing into a genuienly likable character, and Ingrid's love for him is evident in each of their scenes together.

Again, Maggie has a dream about playing Clue with Joel, but this time they are joined by a third party: Mr. Streisand dressed as death. He whispers to Maggie, "Let's not tell him about the Anchorage-New York plane crash." He then leans over to Joel, and shows him a picture of Miss Scarlet, who looks remarkably like Maggie. Again, Maggie awakens, now obviously disturbed by the dream.

At Maurice's cabin in the middle of the night, Ingrid lies wide awake watching Maurice sleep fearfully and begins to get worried when his breathing stops and then starts again after a long pause. This circumstance has obviously occurred before.

The next morning at Joel's office, Joel is talking to Pete Gilliam about his temporary replacement, a doctor named David Ginsberg. Ingrid shows up to ask Joel about Maurice's spells of breathlessness. Joel is a bit surprised to hear of Maurice and Ingrid's activities, but agrees to talk to Maurice about the problem.

Maggie finds Chris at the church, preparing his Founders Day sermon, and seeks out his advice whether or not to tell Joel about her premonition. When Chris hears about the black fedora he acts as if Joel is already dead. Knowing Maggie's past luck with men, and the significance of the dream, Chris believes that whatever Maggie does is fated. She finally decided to tell him and clear her conscience. Her agony over the decision shows her true concern for Joel and the internal struggle is whether or not to put her feelings at risk by telling him.

Joel visits Maurice who refuses to let Joel watch him while he's asleep. Upon returning to his office, Joel is greeted by David Ginsberg who is busy fixing the radiator. Although they are both from Flushing, Queens, the differences between the two are striking: David has boyish, blond-haired cuteness and, unlike Joel, is enamored with the idea of living in Cicely, if only for a short time. Because of their differences, Joel takes an immediate dislike to him and even doubts his Jewish heritage. Ironically, David tells Joel that the in-flight movie from New York to Anchorage was Marked for Death. As Joel leaves the office, Maggie approaches him and rather abruptly tells him of her dreams about the plane crash. Joel seems genuinely touched by her concern but makes no plans to change his flight.

Later that night, Ed tries to convince Joel to sell his plane ticket. Joel imagines what the town would be like if he died and was replaced by Ginsberg. The next day, at the Founders Day ceremony, Chris brings up Joel's impending death and Maggie is shocked to find out that everyone in town knows about her dreams. Furthermore, they all believe that Joel is going to die and they go around the room paying their respects. The whole interplay sickens Maggie who storms out of the church.

After all the talk about death, Maurice finally consents to let Joel watch him sleep. As Joel drifts off to sleep in a chair by Maurice's bed, he dreams of being on a flight with Mrs. Streisand. Maggie is the flight attendant who gives him a fedora before abandoning the plane. As Joel feels himself falling he is awakened by Maurice. Joel informs him that he doesn't have a sleeping disorder and Ingrid is relieved.

At Joel's office, Joel is sickened to find how easily David has integrated himself into the Cicelian community. This inherent dislike of Ginsberg, who has made himself at home in Joel's office, combined with the dream, convinces Joel to cancel his flight, and he hurriedly tosses David out into the cold.

That night, Maggie hears Joel out on her porch and invites him in. He asks her why she is having dreams about him, trying to get her to admit her feelings towards him. Although she won't admit it, Joel agrees not to take the flight. After he leaves, Maggie puts on a tape and does a little dance. It is unclear whether her happiness is from relief or from the knowledge of Joel's affection towards her.

Quotes

Ed (walks into The Brick, approaches the bar, and sits down): Dr. Fleischman?
Joel (looks up from reading): Ed?
Shelly (interrupts): Two moose burgers, medium-well...
Ed: Now I've lost my train of thought.
Joel: You said, "Dr. Fleischman".
Ed: Oh, right.

Music

• "The Sunshine of Love" by Louis Armstrong
• Overture from The King and I
• "Buck's Neuvelle Jole Blon" by Buckwheat Zydeco
• "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific
• "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady
• "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady
• "I'm a Little Teapot"
• "Lullaby" by Maureen Forrester
• "You Do Something to Me" by Sinead O'Connor
• "Mr. Streisand's Tango" David Schwartz

Trivia

• In 1932, founders Cicely (jowly, on the heavy side, overweight) and Roslyn's car stalled in the area. They are two lesbians who couldn't find acceptance in polite Billings society.
• Joel is from 139th and Main in Flushing, went to Bronx Science and Temple Beth Shalom, and had his bar mitzvah with Richie Marx.
• Ingrid and Maurice met at Cape Canaveral.
• Maggie's lost four boyfriends including Harry, and Roy, who loved sushi. (Rick is in the Aleutians during this episode.)
• Maurice is allergic to mohair.
• Founders Day is an annual event.
• The Willow Ptarmigan is the state bird of Alaska.
• Marilyn is teaching Ginsburg the Tlingit dialect.
• Cicely has a video society.
• Shelly's earrings: green dice (at Joel's "funeral")
• Joel mentions he is supposed to get tickets to Sinead O'Connor when he returns to New York. Later, when he helps Maggie bring in her chair, he mentions her Cole Porter album and Sinead O'Connor singing "You Do Something to Me", which is on the 1990 compilation album Red Hot + Blue.