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Pilot is the first episode of the first season of Empty Nest and the first episode overall. Directed by Jay Sandrich and written by Susan Harris, it premiered on NBC-TV on October 8th, 1988.
Summary[]
Eighteen months after the death of his wife, pediatrician Harry Weston is shocked when a lady friend informs him that their weekly meals together are actually dates. He's shocked even further when she proposes to him at their next meal, and conflicting advice from his daughters don't seem to help the matter.
Plot[]
On a fine Miami morning, Harry Weston comes downstairs to go through Dreyfuss's morning routine. However, Dreyfuss refuses to go outside to use the bathroom, and refuses to eat the food Harry gives him. The exasperated Harry exclaims that because his late wife, Libby, is no longer with them, Dreyfuss won't be getting lamb chops for breakfast anymore, lamenting that Libby spoiled their dog rotten. Harry then gets a call from his daughter Emily in New York, asking him advice on what she should wear to the opera later that night. Harry doesn't know how to answer her question, but promises he'll ask around and find out for her. Harry hangs up and asks Dreyfuss what he thinks a nineteen year-old girl would wear to the opera. As Dreyfuss lays on the floor, Harry wonders if Dreyfuss was ever a morning person.
At the Community Medical Center, Harry takes care of a young boy named Rocco, who had swallowed his mother's sapphire and diamond ring. Mrs. Fogal continuously interrupts Harry while he's trying to talk to Rocco, speaking for her son rather than letting him speak and insisting that he needs to get the ring out because she has a function that night. Harry eventually gets to explain that Mrs. Fogal will get the ring back when Rocco has a bowel movement, and the woman demands to know how long that will take to happen. Harry shoos Mrs. Fogal out of the room so he can talk to Rocco one-on-one. When Mrs. Fogal is gone, Harry makes sure Rocco is feeling better and gives him his home number in case he needs to talk to a grown-up. Laverne enters the room to get Harry to move on to his next patient, revealing that they're very behind in their workload that day. As Laverne goes to get the next patient, Harry asks her what she'd wear to the opera. Laverne replies that since she's from Arkansas, she doesn't know.
While Laverne prepares Harry's next patient, virologistEva Barrett comes by the front desk to say hello. Harry asks Eva what she'd wear to the opera, to which Eva replies she doesn't go and asks if they still have a date tonight. Harry is confused, saying that he doesn't date as his wife has just died. Eva reminds him that they've been having dinner together every Friday for the past year, and asks what that is if it isn't dating. Harry replies that they've just been eating and talking, to which Laverne replies that it sounds like dating to her. Trying to help Harry come around, Eva reminds him that Libby died over a year ago, and all Eva wants to know is if they're still going to eat together that night. Much to his apprehension, Harry agrees.
Harry returns that evening to his daughter Carol restocking his fridge with healthy foods. Harry asks her what she'd wear to the opera, and Carol replies she doesn't know -- as her ex-husband's idea of a night out was not with her. She offers to have Harry over for dinner that night, but Harry declines as he has a date with Eva. Carol is shocked to hear that he has a date so soon after Libby's death, and insists that Eva was flirting with Harry at Libby's funeral. Harry follows Carol as she storms into the living room, and tells her that aside from his daughters, Eva is the only living person in his life that doesn't drink from a toilet. Carol relents as long as they're friends, and Harry asks her how she's been doing dating. Carol sarcastically exclaims that she loves it.
Charley enters the house, prompting Carol to start packing up to leave, and expresses discontent at the contents of Harry's fridge. He says he doesn't eat anything green but gum, and Carol mutters that Charley will eat anything that's free. Charley starts to tell Carol she has a personality problem, but stops himself before he can finish his sentence. Carol insists that he finish, saying he can't hurt her, and Charley laughs at her statement. He then proceeds to insult her, saying that if she hadn't been the way she was, maybe her ex-husband wouldn't have left her for "that adorable blonde" Rita, adding that he loved Rita's body so much that he wanted to pray to it. Carol kisses Harry goodbye, and tells Charley that she hopes he sinks on his next voyage.
At his dinner with Eva, Harry tries to deflect questions from Eva about their relationship. Eva asks him if they should get married, shocking Harry once again. She tells him that they've been together for a year, and she wants an answer by Monday, lest she break things off with him. Harry is baffled that she's so willing to break off their friendship so easily, and Eva tells him that if he isn't willing to commit to her, she needs to move on with her life. He remarks that in the year they've been "dating", they haven't made love or even kissed, to which Eva grabs him and kisses him.
The next morning, Harry's second daughter, Barbara, has brought over doughnuts for breakfast. Harry exclaims that he'd been calling her for two days with now answer, and Barbara apologizes as she was on a stakeout. Harry laments the fact that his daughter is a policewoman, asking her why she wanted to do this. Barbara insists that she wanted to help people, and she's able to do that as a cop.[1]
Tall Tales[]
Tales from Hickory[]
When Harry is in disbelief at having been "dating" Eva, Laverne remarks that in Hickory, they didn't have dating. Instead, you washed your hair every Saturday night and married your cousin when you turned fourteen.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston
- Dinah Manoff as Carol Weston
- Kristy McNichol as Barbara Weston
- David Leisure as Charley Dietz
- Park Overall as Laverne Todd
- Bear the Dog as Dreyfuss
Guest Stars[]
- Grace Zabriskie as Eva Barrett
- Victor DiMattia as Rocco Fogal
- Robin Pearson Rose as Mrs. Fogal
Notes[]
Production[]
- Grace Zabriske appears in the final episode as Laverne's mother.
- At the beginning of the episode, Harry speaks to his daughter Emily over the phone, establishing that there are three Weston daughters. For the first four seasons, Emily was an off-screen character, who was talked about often but never seen. Producers created Emily with the notion that if Kristy McNichol or Dinah Manoff ever planned on leaving the show, they could bring in another Weston sister that had already been established with the audience. In Season 5, Kristy McNichol left the series for health reasons, and the show brought Emily in to take Barbara's place. However, Emily never caught on with the audience, and after only half a season Emily left and was an off-screen character for the rest of the series.
Goofs[]
- Harry fills Dreyfuss's bowl with food. When Harry sets Dreyfuss's the bowl down on the floor, the bowl is empty.
[]
References[]
- ↑ Empty Nest, Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot”. Harris, Susan (writer) & Sandrich, Jay (director) (October 8th, 1988)