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PICKET FENCES: HEART OF SATURDAY NIGHT (TV)

Summary

One in this series of off-beat dramas that often focuses on social issues as it chronicles the lives of Rome, Wisconsin, residents, including town Sheriff Jimmy Brock; his wife Dr. Jill Brock; their three children, Kimberly, Matthew, and Zachary; and his two deputies, Kenny Lacos and Maxine Stewart. It’s Saturday night in Rome, and everyone has their own plans. Matt and his friends leave for a party, while Jill and Jimmy try to devise their own entertainment. At the police station, it’s a slow night as Kenny apprehends a woman for shoplifting a vibrator. Judge Bone and Wambaugh are at their weekly poker game with their friends. Maxine, feeling lonely, contemplates purchasing and using a vibrator. One of the players at the poker game, George, suddenly drops dead from old age. The police take the body away and the other players grieve. Maxine purchases a vibrator of her own. Matt gets invited to a party hosted by Pete Hunnecker, a young man who used to go to his high school. He wants to stick with his friends, but they let him go. Meanwhile, Jill and Jimmy hang out and eat junk food, reminiscing about old times. They start cuddling with one another. Matt arrives at Pete’s party and meets him; Matt is an admirer of his. Pete sends Matt to retrieve his wife Tina, who has abandoned the party to go out to a bar. He lends Matt his truck. Jimmy and Jill prepare to have sex in their kitchen, but Jimmy gets startled when a car pulls up to their driveway. He accidentally snags himself on his zipper, causing him great pain. Wambaugh and Judge Bone are left alone; Wambaugh suggests using the money he won from George at the poker game to go out on the town. Judge Bone is upset, feeling that this is no time to celebrate, but Wambaugh wants to go out as a sort of affirmation of life. This convinces Judge Bone. Matt locates Tina at the bar, but she gets upset when she realizes Pete sent him to find her and she leaves. As she and Matt get in Pete’s truck, she laments how stagnant and boring her Saturday nights are; the truck doesn’t start and she vomits out the window. Calming down, she and Matt go for a walk. At the hospital, Jill tries to extract Jimmy from his zipper, but she requires Dr. Diamond’s assistance. Judge Bone and Wambaugh go out for ice cream and the conversation turns to their late wives. Wambaugh says he doesn’t like thinking about her, but indicates that he still does. Meanwhile, Kenny watches television with the lady who stole the vibrator in the police jail. While on their walk, Tina recounts how Pete came back to Rome when he injured his back during a stunt on the highway, preventing him from playing hockey in college. He returned and married her, his high school sweetheart. Both of them work factory jobs and she feels dissatisfied with her life. She confesses that she always wanted to be a salesperson, and Matt confides in her that his secret desire is to be a sportscaster. Meanwhile, Carter is on a date with Sue Walsh, where she coaxes him into kissing her for the first time despite his fear that becoming closer to her could ruin their relationship. Jill and Dr. Diamond work to get Jimmy unstuck. Matt and Tina have a talk; she implies that she feels trapped in her own life. Despite everything, she says she is happy with Pete. Matt wonders aloud if all Saturday nights are like this for most people. Carter runs into Maxine in his office swiping batteries. He talks about his date before they part ways. Wambaugh and Judge Bone go to the lake. Judge Bone reminisces about skinny-dipping in it during his adolescence. This inspires Wambaugh to start wading in, which amuses Judge Bone. Maxine throws her vibrator away instead of using it. Tina gets Pete’s truck towed. Before parting ways with Matt, he tells her not to give up on her dreams. She kisses him on the cheek before leaving. Matt notices her shoe on the ground and picks it up. Maxine shows up at the police station to find Kenny, alone, playing solitaire. They both conclude that “Saturday night sucks” and indicate they feel something is missing in their lives. They sit down to play blackjack with each other. Wambaugh and Judge Bone stand in the lake and watch the stars. They come around to talking about George again, and muse on their feelings about dying. Jill and Jimmy return home; despite everything they feel the night was “memorable.” They check with Matt; neither party reveals the details of the night to each other, although Jill notices Tina’s shoe on Matt’s windowsill. The episode ends with a preview of the next episode. Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: CBS
  • DATE: October 27, 1995 10:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:50:00
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:55271
  • GENRE: Drama, police
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police
  • SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series - 1992-1996
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Jeff Melvoin … Executive Producer
  • Michael Pressman … Executive Producer
  • Alice West … Co-Executive Producer
  • Ellen Herman … Producer, Writer
  • Jonathan Pontell … Producer
  • Robert Breech … Producer
  • Steve Robin … Co-Producer
  • Nicole Yorkin … Co-Producer
  • Dawn Prestwich … Co-Producer
  • Tracy Fetterolf … Associate Producer
  • John Wirth … Supervising Producer
  • Nick Harding … Supervising Producer
  • Jeremy Kagan … Director
  • David E. Kelley … Created by
  • Stewart Levin … Music by
  • Tom Skerrit … Cast, Sheriff Jimmy Brock
  • Kathy Baker … Cast, Dr. Jill Brock
  • Costas Mandylor … Cast, Officer Kenny Lacos
  • Lauren Holly … Cast, Officer Maxine Stewart
  • Holly Marie Combs … Cast, Kimberly Brock
  • Justin Shenkarow … Cast, Matthew Brock
  • Adam Wylie … Cast, Zack Brock
  • Fyvush Finkel … Cast, Douglas Wambaugh
  • Kenny Connell … Cast, Carter Pike
  • Don Cheadle … Cast, D.A. John Littleton
  • Marlee Matlin … Cast, Laurie Bey
  • Ray Walston … Cast, Judge Henry Bone
  • Amy Aquino … Cast, Dr. Joanna "Joey" Diamond
  • Chandra West … Cast, Tina Hunnecker
  • Chris Carrara … Cast, O'Dell
  • Sheila McCarthy … Cast, Sue Walsh
  • Erin Beaux … Cast, Pete Hunnecker
  • Burke Byrnes … Cast, Cashier
  • Dana Kaminsky … Cast, Paula
  • Matthew Kaminsky … Cast, Platt
  • Susan Krebs … Cast, Homeless Woman
  • J. Michael "Yak" Olivia … Cast, Felon
  • Dwain Perry … Cast, Friend
  • Lisa Rieffel … Cast, Pretty Girl
  • Rusty Schwimmer … Cast, Sheila
  • Shane West … Cast, Dave Lattimore
  • Jonah Rooney … Cast
  • Don Keefer … Cast
  • Ford Rainey … Cast
  • Bill Zuckert … Cast