I watched "Under Control" this morning on tape, and thought it was well done overall. After the intensity (?) of the last few episodes, it was nice to watch one with so many subtle nuances. I *loved* seeing Carter in Gamma's kitchen - I've missed her. It is unrealistic, I think, to have people asking him about Lucy; the whole thing is going to take some time. Though I admit my heart jumped when I heard someone say a patient was in exam room 3.

My favourite scene was at the end, where Mark & his dad were watching the slides. It was just so sweet to see them reminiscing (sp?); and have it close with the one of Mark as a boy, with his dad. The Simon & Garfunkel tune they played was perfect. The actor playing Mark's dad is doing a great job.

Just my brief thoughts on the matter.

Michelle

-- Michelle (michw_316@yahoo.com), March 24, 2000

Answers

I loved the song too, I wasn't sure who the song was by but I was pretty sure it was Simon and Garfunkel, so I'm glad Michelle confirmed that. Since I am such a Carter fan, I have been wanting the scenes to move along to him, but that last scene with Mark and his father was very sweet because of the song.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), March 25, 2000.

Answer to Elaine's song question: It is a Simon and Garfunkel song, and it's called "Bookends".

I was going to post a comment regarding the song, but since it was brought up here, I'll post my comments here.

I went to a chat room after the ep, and everyone said they cried when the baby died. That saddened me too, but the part where I got misty was the second to the last scene, with Carter and his Grandmother; it got worse during the last scene with Mark and his dad, and I lost it completely when the song started playing. There are a few songs that really set me off and this is one of them. After I calmed down and dried off, I started having a suspicion about the song lyrics (what they didn't play) and thought it could actually be related to both scenes (Carter's and Mark's) I did some digging and found the rest of the lyrics. If anyone has any comments I'd like to know. The song is very short so I'll just post it here:

Here's what you heard:

Time it was, and what a time it was, it was A time of innocence, a time of confidences.

What you didn't hear:

Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you

Ok, gotta go now, I'm bawling my eyes out again.

-- (trelles@ix.netcom.com), March 25, 2000.

Michelle - Thanks. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who lost it when the song came on. What a great way to say what the characters couldn't say but that everyone knew they were feeling.

John Cullum is playing Mark's Dad. For those of you who watched "Northern Exposure", John played Holling Vencour(sp?), the owner of The Brick, the bar and restaurant that featured prominantly in the show.

-- Laura (llivingston@fulbright.com), March 25, 2000.

Thanks for posting the rest of the song lyrics! You're right -- that song fits for both Carter's and Mark's scenes. Whoever picks the music sure knows what they are doing.

Michelle

-- Michelle (michw_316@yahoo.com), March 25, 2000.

Laura-you're right about John Cullum. I knew I'd seen him somewhere, but I couldn't figure it out! Thanks!

-- (trelles@ix.netcom.com), March 25, 2000.

I was going to post this but I forgot. Since this is "musings" on the episode, I had to add this.

I didn't notice it the first time I watched, and when I went through it again, I had to rewind because I almost didn't believe it. The scene with Carter and his Grandmother (sorry, I *won't* call her Gamma!)- as she's stirring the soup, she takes her eyes off her grandson for a sec, he sneaks a peek to see if she's looking and then sneaks a taste of pie! Just like a little kid! She caught him, but didn't say anything, and Carter didn't notice. I ROTFL when I saw this. It certainly broke the tension and I didn't bawl during the next scene like I did the first time. Reminded me of me and my own Grandma. That is *so* like the old Carter. I was glad to see a little of that again. You know it really is the little things that count.

-- (trelles@ix.netcom.com), March 25, 2000.

Hey! I absolutely loved seeing Gamma Carter. I even liked her little sweater. Carter was the classic case of being "closed" to Kerry, and it was good seeing him talk with his family. Overall I thought it was a decent eppy. John Cullum is doing a magnificent job. I thought I was going to tire of seeing him, but his little movements, like fiddling with his nails while Elizabeth was draining the fluid, were a nice touch.

-- Larry B. (larrybro95@hotmail.com), March 25, 2000.

I was going to mention that too about Carter! It was very cute--she was making the soup and he licked something off of one of those fancy dessert platter things, it was so innocent. I loved it.

And about John Cullum, I used to watch Northern Exposure. He had a girlfriend, a waitress, throughout the whole show who was like 19 or 20 or something and it was great. They must have seen him and decided he would be great as Mark's dad. Maybe Anthony Edwards suggested him because he was on that show for at least one, maybe two seasons too. For those who watched the show, Edward's played Maggie's (the pilot) obsessive-compulsive love interest who lived in the environmentally sound bubble. He was obssessed with the environment and believed if he stepped outside without this huge suit on (like an astronaut's), he would immediately get some life- threatening disease or something. It was a pretty odd role!

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), March 25, 2000.