‘Night Court’ Recap: ‘Blood Mood Binga’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

NIGHT COURT -- “Blood Moon Binga” Episode 108 -- Pictured: (l-r) Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone, Faith Ford as Gina -- (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘Night Court’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that we are bearing witness to an outright evolution of the comedy series. For these types of television shows, used to stick closely to a specific structure. Wherein the characters would go through shenanigans, make us laugh and move onto next week’s comedic adventure, and that was basically it. There would be no mention of prior events down the line, there would be minimal deeper meaning, unless a special episode came into play. But that is simply no longer the case. For now… actions have consequences in these tales and the past matters and that is giving rise to stories that while still funny… are vastly different than the comedy of series of yore, and one such show that is leading the way in making this happen… is Night Court on NBC.
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For the sheer premise of this series is already revolutionary in nature, since new-boot or no, there’s a lot of connective tissue to the previous series. Where past events have merit and that’s evident courtesy of its lead character. Since Abby Stone is the flesh and blood of Harry Stone and his legacy hangs heavy over this series in a wonderful manner, and Dan Fielding’s return truly cements that this is a wondrous extension of the previous series. Plus, the show has done an incredible job of adding deeper meaning to this franchise, courtesy of commentary on what it means to be a better person and what it means to help others and believe in them, and that’s brought forth a stunning comedy that while oft hilarious… really does leave us thinking, and that’s not normally found in comedy shows in this vein.

If anything, all of this is top of mind today, simply because… the series continues to expand upon this evolution and offer us new elements and surprises that you just don’t see all that often in this genre of storytelling. A feat that ‘Blood Moon Binga’ accomplished, by enhancing a familiar plot device in comedic television shows, a visit from a family member. For this is a story that saw Gina Stone, Abby’s mother, swing by the courtroom to spend time with her little one. A move that made it seem as though; this episode wasn’t going to do anything all that revolutionary. Since Gina was… the prefect ‘family member’ trope. For she was the polar opposite of her daughter, and kind on the inside, the kind of stuff that is oft played for quick laughs in a comedy show and features a journey that ends with good feelings  and understanding since family always finds middle ground in these shows. 

But her interactions with Dan, and the secret she carried, took this episode into vastly new territory for certain. For it turned out… that Gina had lied to her daughter about how she and Harry met. For their first encounter wasn’t romantic in the slightest, it was… business related. For Dan helped to put her away ages ago and Harry was the judge, and after she got out… there was a re-connection between the two, and the rest was family history. And she didn’t want her daughter knowing this truth over the fluffy one she told her. Of course, it was only exposed courtesy of the Blood Moon Bingo going on that night (changed to Binga for… legal reasons), forcing Abby to reconcile a part of her past that she never knew. Granted, the honesty did lead to a happy ending between the two, giving rise to something traditional, but this whole segment was quite revolutionary in nature.

Because it further expanded the world of Night Court, by filling in the blanks regarding what Harry Stone did in the years following the end of the original series, and it added new depth and new life, and consequential storytelling as well. Which are elements that are genuinely new to this world of storytelling, and it doesn’t hurt that such concepts were meaningful and realistic in nature since our parents aren’t perfect. And it just goes to show that this series… really is leading the charge in adding new wrinkles to the fold of hits genre and it was just incredible to learn more about Harry after he left the bench and how he truly did give everyone and anyone a fair chance in life. And now that we’ve reached the end of this incredible episode, it will be fascinating to see what other surprises await us in the weeks to come, as this brilliant series continues to work to evolve the comedy and expand this wondrous franchise. Until next time.

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