‘Night Court’ Recap: ‘A Night Court Before Christmas’

12/26/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

NIGHT COURT -- "A Night Court Before Christmas" Holiday Special -- Pictured: (l-r) Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone, John Larroquette as Dan Fielding -- (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the ‘Night Court’ Holiday Special.

There was a time, where the holiday special dominated the television landscape, and understandably so. For there was something quite magical and joyous about seeing characters we love celebrate the season and offer up a lovely lesson along the way. But alas, one day this special all but disappeared, but the times and their unsettling nature are changing that. For we are starting to see shows resurrect the holiday special and everything it has to offer, and it just so happens, that the NBC series, Night Court, opted to be one of those shows. For this weekend’s surprise episode was in fact, a holiday special. One that was filled to the brim with holiday cheer, and a lovely lesson.

Feats that ‘A Night Court Before Christmas’ accomplished, by having us join the crew of the Manhattan Night Court on Christmas Eve. Wherein Gurgs was giving out the perfect gift to everyone, and sweating whether or not Dan’s would arrive on time and where Abby was about to face, quite the conundrum. Because Dan pointed out… that someone filled with Christmas Cheer and optimism, such as herself, would have to hand down tough sentences and fines on this night. Because standing by and enforcing the law was her duty, and he was curious to see how Abby would handle such matters, especially when it ran the risk of ruining that cheer for someone else. Which at first, she handled just fine. Because despite asking for mercy, those that committed crimes on Christmas Eve, received the right sentence since Abby knows her stuff. But the challenge in question came a little later on in the night. For a young girl named Virginia, whose mother was handed down a sentence for crossing lines with her ex, was facing a bleak holiday.

For her Christmas wish list was with a Santa somewhere in the building and without it, there was little chance she’d see any cheer and since mom was unable to help because she was being processed, that prompted Abby to really go above and beyond to get that little girl’s list from the clutches of the many drunken Santas within the courthouse, and make sure something wondrous happened on this holiday for a family that was clearly struggling. Which of course Abby was able to do because when she sets her mind to something, wonders are achieved. But what mattered more here, was the lesson that this journey brought forth. In that, Abby’s quest made it clear that while Christmas isn’t always the bundle of joy, we like it to be, because the world doesn’t take a break regarding rotten moments… and neither do people, it’s the acts of kindness that go above and beyond that really make the season worth everyone’s while. For that’s what the season is really all about and the more of that we can do during the season, the more change we can impact upon the world since others will be inclined to pay it forward.

Which really did bring forth some old school holiday special elements since that’s what a lot of those specials harbored back in the day, and it was lovely to see it return here in an organic manner that also helped Dan Fielding’s heart grow two sizes on this day, and of course… it also doesn’t hurt that there was holiday cheer to be found in this story via Gurgs. Because her quest to give Dan the perfect gift, was sweet, quirky, and of course, relatable. Since we too want to be the one that is known for giving out gifts that just amaze, and we too have run into issues along the way. Granted, it might not be having Kareem Abdul-Jabbar come to our workplace to meet us instead of offering up a video message, only to leave because our name is Dan Fielding, and we do questionable things during the holidays… but you know… having the perfect gift be delayed in transit and delivered at the last second feels pretty darn close to that.

But all wild nature of that plot aside, the core of what Gurgs wanted to accomplish matters most and her story and Abby’s journey made for a very tender and lovely story. One that was wonderfully complimented by the comedy present here. Courtesy of Olivia’s little problem with the ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’, played wonderfully by the always hilarious Maria Bamford, and let’s not mince words, John Larroquette simply lit it up in this episode as Dan, and offered up some iconic moments for the character. Such as that amazing Night Before Christmas poem he fired off in an amazing manner, and well, all of these elements made for a perfect episode of Night Court and a perfect holiday special. Because this one had it all, joy, goodwill, and laughs galore, and hopefully we see more specials like this in years to come from more shows. Since they’re still fun and still joyous. But in the meantime, at least we can enjoy new episodes of this wonderous show when it returns to the airwaves on January 2, 2024. Until next time.

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