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TROPHY WIFE: RUSS BRADLEY MORRISON (TV)

Summary

One in this comedy series about a young woman who becomes a successful lawyer’s third wife and her struggle to adjust to her new family.

Pete comes down with a bad fever and Kate agrees to chaperone Warren’s field trip to a natural history museum in his place, although she is unhappy to hear that Diane will also be there. Pete notes that he wanted some excuse to get out of the field trip, and as “revenge” Kate calls Jackie to come over and use her bizarre healing techniques on Pete. On the way to the museum, Kate and Warren come up with the idea of getting Diane laid in order to counteract her usually abrasive personality. Bert is given a notice from his school for Pete to sign, noting that he has been reprimanded for interrupting his classes with “excessive silliness.” Hillary believes she can help Bert, as she used to have his teacher when she was his age. Jackie has Pete drink a homebrewed concoction to treat his illness, much to his displeasure.

Kate tries to talk to Diane on the field trip, but she is extremely busy trying to allocate the children on the trip in precise orders and timing. She tries to subtly bring up the idea that Diane should have a sexual partner, but does not manage to communicate this. Pete attempts to call Kate to come help him, but Jackie disconnects the phone line and locks him in his room, making him frightened. She proves to be more and more stifling, confiscating his electronics and swaddling him so tightly in his blankets that he is immobilized. Hillary accompanies Bert to school and visits his teacher, Ms. Wickersham, where they present her with a box of cupcakes as appeasement.

While in the museum commissary, Kate observes another chaperone of the trip with very similar mannerisms to Diane. She believes this man could be perfect for Diane and introduces herself to the man, named Russ Bradley Morrison. She has a conversation with him, learning that he is a divorced accountant who has a penchant for being an overachiever. However, Diane flatly rebuffs Kate’s efforts to hook the two of them up. Pete tries to leave to see a doctor, but is unable to get up since Jackie spiked his tea with codeine. Bert continues to try to ingratiate himself to Ms. Wickersham, who soon realizes he is being nice to her so that she won’t reprimand him. She advises him to save his classroom antics for the playground and calls Hillary a “suck-up.” Despite her asking to keep that information private, Bert promptly tells Hillary, who is displeased at this and leaves to confront Ms. Wickersham herself.

Kate and Warren scheme to get Diane in the museum’s orchid pavilion at the same time as Russ in order to manufacture a romantic setting for the both of them. In order to facilitate this, Warren distracts many of the kids in line for the pavilion by spreading a rumor about a fight happening elsewhere. Pete stumbles out of bed in a stupor and sees Jackie meeting in the next room with a number of unknown women. She insists that he is hallucinating and tells him to go back to sleep. Kate spies on Russ and Diane in the orchid pavilion. They embrace, and Kate is shocked to find out that the two are already in a secret romantic relationship. She exclaims her surprise out loud and is discovered by Russ and Diane, much to their anger and embarrassment. Russ reveals that he and Diane have been seeing each other in secret for the past two years, and he leaves out of frustration at being treated as a “booty call.”

Diane is furious at Kate for interfering in her personal life, although Kate says she was only trying to help. Kate admits that she had hoped Diane would be more friendly towards her if she was in a relationship, but Diane is disgusted by Kate and tries to walk off. Diane explains that she had hoped to keep her relationship private, especially in the wake of her failed marriage to Pete and her need to succeed at all of her endeavors. Jackie explains to Pete that the women she is meeting with is a support group for middle-aged female entrepreneurs. Pete is angry at Jackie for her extreme and ineffective methods of threating his illness, and he drives Jackie and the support group off by threatening to get them sick as well. Hillary visits Ms. Wickersham and tells her off for calling her a “suck-up,” believing that her accommodating nature will ultimately prove to be helpful for her. Kate tries to use Warren to help her convince Diane that she need not be afraid of failure, even with regards to her relationship with Russ. Diane seems to overhear this and interrupts a planetarium show to announce her relationship with and fondness for Russ. This display leaves most of the field trip confused, but Kate and Warren are happy for Diane. Includes commercials.

(Also includes the end of an episode of “The Goldbergs” and the beginning of an episode of “What Would You Do?”)

Details

  • NETWORK: ABC
  • DATE: December 3, 2013 9:30 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:31:12
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: 115130
  • GENRE: Comedy
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Families
  • SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2013-2014
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV – Commercials – Bank of America banks
    • TV – Commercials – Burger King restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – Chili’s restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – H&M clothing
    • TV – Commercials – Hallmark greeting cards
    • TV – Commercials – Keurig coffee machines
    • TV – Commercials – Maybelline cosmetics
    • TV – Commercials – Miss Dior perfume
    • TV – Commercials – Pier 1 Imports décor
    • TV – Commercials – Stouffer’s lasagna
    • TV – Commercials – Subway restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – Target department stores
    • TV – Commercials – UPS delivery service
    • TV – Commercials – Victoria’s Secret underwear
    • TV – Commercials – Wonderful pistachios
    • TV – Commercials – “Anchorman 2: the Legend Continues” motion picture
    • TV – Promos – “Killer Women”
    • TV – Promos – “Modern Family”
    • TV – Promos – “Nashville”
    • TV – Promos – “Santa is Comin’ to Town”
    • TV – Promos – “Suburgatory”
    • TV – Promos – “The Bachelor”
    • TV – Promos – “The Great Christmas Light Fight”
    • TV – Promos – “The Middle”
    • TV – Promos – “Trophy Wife”
    • TV – Promos – “What Would You Do?”

CREDITS

  • Gene Stupnitsky … Executive Producer
  • Lee Eisenberg … Executive Producer
  • Emily Halpern … Executive Producer, Created by
  • Sarah Haskins … Executive Producer, Created by
  • Vijal Patel … Co-Executive Producer
  • David Windsor … Co-Executive Producer
  • Casey Johnson … Co-Executive Producer
  • Gail Lerner … Co-Executive Producer
  • Dan Kaplow … Producer
  • Malin Akerman … Producer
  • Robert Del Valle … Co-Producer
  • Stacy Traub … Consulting Producer
  • Daniel Chun … Consulting Producer, Writer
  • Peter Lauer … Director
  • Gabriel Mann … Music by
  • Malin Akerman … Cast, Kate Harrison
  • Bradley Whitford … Cast, Pete Harrison
  • Michaela Watkins … Cast, Jackie Harrison
  • Natalie Morales … Cast, Meg
  • Ryan Lee … Cast, Warren
  • Bailee Madison … Cast, Hillary
  • Albert Tsai … Cast, Bert
  • Marcia Gay Harden … Cast, Dr. Diane Buckley
  • Dennis Haysbert … Cast, Russ Bradley Morrison
  • Crista Flanagan … Cast, Ms. Wickersham
  • Andre Boyer … Cast, Tour Guide
  • Noam Rubin … Cast, Employee
  • Richard Halpern … Cast, Planetarium Guide
  • Julie Dove … Cast, Woman
  • Julia Flint … Cast, Tanya
  • Noelle Messier … Cast, Leigh
  • Sari Arambulo … Cast, Tara