BECKER: ACTIVATE YOUR CHOICES (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about a gruff neighborhood doctor working in the Bronx.
Reggie becomes interested in a doctor on television, Sandra Rush, promoting her book on “activating choices,” allowing people to take control of their own lives. Becker dismisses her philosophy, revealing that she is his ex-wife and that he left her after she repeatedly cheated on him; on television she refers to Becker simply as “Angry Man.” Becker plans to sue Sandra for defamation, although his friends and co-workers are amused by Sandra’s accounts of Becker’s tempter-fueled episodes. Reggie and Jake believe that Becker still has feelings for her, although he vehemently denies this. He visits her anyway, making his animosity towards her clear and warning her about the lawsuit he intends to file against her. Sandra reveals that she anticipated this and asks Becker to speak to her lawyer, although soon Becker drives him off. Becker is surprised when Sandra starts coming on to him, believing that he came to see her for the purpose of having sex. She admits that she exaggerated Becker’s behavior in her book, and that he is the most “interesting” person she ever had a relationship with. Despite the temptation, Becker decides to go home and try to forget about Sandra.
The next day, Becker learns that one of his teenage patients has been pressured by some of his classmates to participate in their nightly break-ins to various houses around the neighborhood. He claims that refusing their request would provoke their ire and might get him injured or worse. He is also afraid to tell his mother, who worries about him constantly, fearing that she might overreact. Becker’s solution is to break the kid’s leg to keep him out of school until his family’s move to Tennessee. Becker admits to Reggie and Jake that he went to see Sandra, but is proud of how he left things with her. They seem to think that Becker will be going back to see her again, despite Becker’s insistence to the contrary. However, he does go to see Sandra again and tells her that this time he means to leave her for good, and that he’s not staying over, although he ends up spending the night with her and sleeping with her anyway. He comes into Reggie’s early that morning and admits that he spent the night with Sandra. Becker is frustrated that Sandra seems to have an emotional hold on him, but Reggie confesses that she finds comfort that Becker’s behavior indicates that he is just as fallible as anyone else. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 1, 1999 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:21:33
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:71592
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Doctors; Bronx, NY
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1998-2004
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Dave Hackel … Executive Producer, Created by
- Ian Gurvitz … Co-Executive Producer
- Russ Woody … Co-Executive Producer
- Tim Berry … Producer
- Andy Ackerman … Producer, Director
- Lori A. Moneymaker … Co-Producer
- David Isaacs … Writer
- Bruce Miller … Music by
- Ted Danson … Cast, Dr. John Becker
- Terry Farrell … Cast, Regina "Reggie" Kostas
- Hattie Winston … Cast, Margaret Wyborn
- Shawnee Smith … Cast, Linda
- Alex Desert … Cast, Jake Malinak
- Alice Krige … Cast, Dr. Sandra Rush
- Saverio Guerra … Cast, Bob
- Douglas Spain … Cast, Javier
- Jenny Gago … Cast, Mrs. Cruz
- Diana C. Weng … Cast, Mrs. Ahn
- Joseph Fuqua … Cast, Tom