‘Night Court’ Recap: ‘The Honorable Dan Fielding’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

NIGHT COURT -- “The Honorable Dan Fielding” Episode 115 -- Pictured: Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone -- (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC/Warner Bros. Television)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Fifteen of ‘Night Court’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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We like to believe that when we have a good job and people around us that mean the world to us, that we’ve made it and that we can settle into a routine and just enjoy the best that life has to offer. Simply because we are creatures of habit and our mantra as a society is that such balance is all we should ever want in life. But there comes a point where we realize… often after we achieve said balance… that it is not sustainable. For those around us have their own needs and wants and dreams, and our priorities might change, and the wild nature of our world can change our standing on a moment’s notice and that particular truth is top of mind today, simply because Judge Abigail ‘Abby’ Stone was forced to face it during last night’s episode of Night Court.
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For when we returned to the courtroom in ‘The Honorable Dan Fielding’, Abby firmly believed she had achieved that prospective balance. After all, work was going well, Rand was spending more time in the Big Apple, and she had everything she needed. But just like that, Dan didn’t show up to work one night and when she confronted him about it, she came to learn that he was leaving. All because he had the opportunity to go home and be a judge, something that was a lifelong dream of his and just like that… that truth was revealed to Abby. Since it became clear that everyone in the office, while a pseudo family, had various paths they all wanted to walk, and that meant this episode was less about just facing that reality, and more about… the importance of managing it. Because like it or not, this is the way of the world, and we have to reconcile that and make according moves to find new balance… or conflict will occur… as it did here.

Much of which came forth between Abby and Rand, oddly enough. Because part of the routine that Abby was now used to and adjusted to was being able to do her own thing on a moment’s notice and really dive deep into her desire to help people. And since Rand hadn’t been there in the past, she had become quite accustomed to that balance involving just dropping everything on a moment’s notice to help people and that brought forth conflict in her relationship. Since Rand didn’t fully understand this need to drop everything and it also… led to trouble for Abby. Simply because she was so hellbent on helping others that she went the extra mile, during Dan’s farewell party no less… to help someone in need and ended up in jail for it. A bad look for a judge for certain and a moment that had to absolutely give Abby pause.

Since this hammered home a cold reality for her. In that, she didn’t know how to handle this imbalance and perhaps wasn’t sure what kind of balance or direction she needed in her own life, and well… she wasn’t the only one dealing with this conflict regarding this truth. Since Dan also had to ponder deeply upon the next chapter in his life and how unexpected this promotion was, despite it being a dream. And even Gurgs found herself wondering exactly she wanted out of life and where her career was going to take her since she wasn’t getting anywhere near her goals as a bailiff. Which made this episode, quite the thoughtful affair, one that truly explored in detail how chaotic facing this truth can be and to be cautious when we learn it. So, we don’t fall into the traps that Abby did here, the kind that come out of not understanding what we need.

But what made this episode truly impressive, is that it only set the stage for the answers to that mystery. For there were no hard answers here as to how we resolve that kind of conflict in our minds, just that this is the way of the world and this is what we will face at some point, and that likely means we will deal with the resolution and final answer, come next week during the season one finale of the show. Which makes this… a brilliant episode. Since it masterfully crafted both a powerful cliffhanger and quite the subject for us to ponder upon. Because we don’t give this reality enough thought or discussion. But we should, for we have to deal with it as Abby is about to and well, it will be interesting to learn exactly how one resolves this difficult truth when we return to the courtroom next Tuesday for the show’s season one finale. Until next time.

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