A Tale of Two Sister Cities is the twentieth episode of the seventh season of Wings, and the 142nd episode overall in the series.
Synopsis[]
Helen works the lunch counter while Joe and Roy are seated at a table. Clete, the burly water delivery guy, arrives shouldering two large full water cooler jugs and begins flirting with Helen. Roy comments that Clete has got to be trouble. Although he initially dismisses his comment, Joe does become insecure, pays Clete, and takes the bottles from him while Helen is in the kitchen. When Helen exits the kitchen Joe is clearly struggling under the wait of the jugs. Helen asks him to put them in the kitchen and Joe clumsily drops them to floor just inside the kitchen door then confidently strides away.
As Brian enters the terminal, Roy calls him over to the Aeromass counter and tries to get him to invest in "Rob's Kabobs". Uninterested, Brian leaves. Casey enters and sits next to Fay at the lunch counter telling her and Helen that she just received her two week notice from the Board of Tourism. While trying to sympathize, Fay ends up coming Casey feel worse. Suddenly Casey's boss Mr. Douglas tells her that her idea to have a sister city for Nantucket came through and it will be Khirinan. Helen and Fay are both excited for her, but they are unfamiliar with the concept of a sister city and don't know much about Khirinan.
The evening on the plane, Brian is piloting a flight with five passengers. To impress an attractive female passenger, Brian uses the planes radio to contact Joe asking him to pick up his suit from the cleaners as Casey has asked him to be her date for the sister city ceremony because she wanted some arm candy. Woman passes a note to Brian saying she is very attracted to him. Brian initially thinks the note is from a male passenger, but as he's politely decline the man's advances, he realizes it was actually from the attractive woman he noticed earlier.
The next day, Helen is hit on by a young customer named Mitch. Joe is annoyed, but Brian catches him to tell him about the woman he met last night. Only referring to her as "Passenger B6" and describes the passionate night of sex they shared before she left with even leaving a note in the morning. Joe starts to describe how happy he is to be committed, long-term relationship before abruptly leaving to stop Mitch from hitting on Helen. Joe approaches Mitch and no-so-subtly convinces him that Helen is a trans woman previously named "Stanley". Joe's plan works and Mitch leaves and Antonio sits down and orders coffee. As Helen is about to pour him a cup, Fay enters in a traditional Khirinani costume and speaking Khirinani. Antonio is annoyed by the idea of immigrants coming to Nantucket and complains about them "taking our jobs, dating our women, and acting like the own the place" before yelling at Helen to hurry up and pour his coffee. Fay excitedly shares details about Khirinan as Casey enters with the press and council members. Casey anxiously greets Prince Restivon. When Casey inquires as to where Princess Fala is, the Prince informs her that she arrived yesterday. As Princess enters the terminal, Brian recognizes her as the woman he slept with last night.
Still in the airport, the Prince and Princess are holding a receiving line. After Antonio, Helen, and Joe awkwardly interact with them, Brian comes and accidentally apologizes. Before leaving the Princess asks for someone who can their the princesses to the beauty parlor, and Casey volunteers Antonio who is honor to help until he sees that the princesses are literal dogs. Antonio then leaves with the dogs growling at him. As the Prince and Princess leave the airport, Fay shares more facts about Khirinan including that castration is the penalty for adultery. Terrified, Brian pulls Casey into Joe's office and tells her he can't go to the ceremony with her because he slept with the Princess. As Casey yells at Brian, Jaffra enters to deliver a note to Brian from the princess requesting his presents at the reception.
That evening at the reception, Casey and Brian enter with Brian already expressing concern about how low cut the Princess's dress is. Antonio then enters to tell Casey that he's lost the royal dogs. Casey frantically demands that Antonio find the dogs then tries to keep the Princess away from Brian and has to get Roy away from the Prince and avoid Jaffra. As Casey tries to make the city sisterhood official, she can't find the Princess. Helen finally enters explaining she late becomes Joe got jealous of the valet and sped off. Casey pleads for for help and Helen agrees to help distract the Prince after Casey reminds her the her job is on the line. The Princess finally finds Brian and persuades him to to dance, which means Helen has to get creative with her dancing to keep the Prince from noticing. Antonio finally returns with two different dogs and Casey tries to pass it off to Jaffra as the "Traditional Nantucket Dog Trade". When Joe enters, he become furious that Helen is dancing with the Prince's head in her cleavage while Brian and the Princess makeout on the dance floor. Joe tries to throw the punch onto the Prince but can't because it is too thick. The comotion allows the Prince to Brian and the Princess kissing. Casey runs in and suggests it's the perfect time to exchange keys to the cities.
Days later, Casey sitting at the lunch counter on her mobile phone with the Tourism Board of New Delhi inquiring if they are interested in becoming Nantucket's sister city. After she hangs up, she shoulders two empty water cooler jugs and tells Helen she'll see her for the delivery next week.
Credits[]
Main Cast[]
- Tim Daly as Joe Hackett
- Steven Weber as Brian Hackett
- Crystal Bernard as Helen Hackett
- David Schramm as Roy Biggins
- Rebecca Schull as Fay Cochran
- Tony Shalhoub as Antonio Scarpacci
- Amy Yasbeck as Casey Davenport
Guest Cast[]
- Keith Neubert as Clete
- Jocelyn Seagrave as Princess Fala
- Monte Grix as Mitch
- Raye Birk as Prince Restivon
- Michael Bailey Smith as Jaffra
Quotes[]
- Roy Biggins - "Man, that guy must work out seven times a week. That reminds me, I gotta take a nap."
- Casey Davenport - "I'm getting laid off."
Fay Cochran - "Oh, that's terrible. Getting fired has got to be the worse thing in the world. You feel so rejected, worthless, stupid, and no good to anybody."
Helen Hackett - "Fay, why don't you just take her out back and shoot her?"
- Fay Cochran - "Sentarblor makarnum Helen!"
Helen Hackett - "Well, the same to you Fay!" [subtly making a drinking motion and whispering to Antonio] "It's not even 5 o'clock yet."
- Casey Davenport - "Welcome, your highness to our island. I'm Casey Davenport. And even though this is not your country, our goal is to treat you like royalty. Now if you just give up a few minutes, our minivan needs a jump."
- Casey Davenport - "We're all so looking forward to tonight. I promise it's going to be a really great affair."
Princess Fala - [making direct eye-contact with Brian] "I can't wait. There is nothing I enjoy more than a really great affair. I'll see you all tonight."
- Fay Cochran - "Khirinan is so fascinating! Listen to this: The national color is purple. The official flower is the tuberose."
Brian Hackett - "Yeah, yeah, Fay."
Fay Cochran - "The penalty for adultery is cutting off the man's...pension. Wait. Uh, not pension. I really do need my glasses." [puts on reading glasses and examines her book closely] "Uh, oh, yes. Well, that makes a lot more sense."
- Casey Davenport - "Look, don't move. Don't talk to anyone. Don't do anything stupid."
Brian Hackett - "You're really tying my hands here."
- Casey Davenport - "Princess, Princess, it's not that I don't, um, understand your taste for our local fare. But there are some...How can I say this?...Dishes that are best tasted only once. Much like the mango. The first time that you eat it you think "Wow! This is the most wonderful thing I've ever had". And the second time it's dull and stupid and you don't know what you ever saw in it."
Princess Fala - "Well, then you are not preparing it correctly. You have to handle in very carefully in order for it bring out the natural juices. Believe me. When I serve mango, everyone begs for more. So, who wants mango?"
Brian Hackett - "I could go for some fruit."
- Helen Hackett - "Joe, what are you doing?"
Joe Hackett - "What am I--What am I doing?! Let's ask the Prince what the hell he's doing with my wife!"
Prince Restivon - "Why don't you ask him and he is doing with my wife!"
Trivia[]
- The title of this episode is a play on A Tale of Two Cities, the 1859 historical novel by Charles Dickens.
- The plane see used in the exterior evening flying scenes as the Cessna N121PP is actually the Cessna N160PB.
- Nantucket's proposed sister city is Khirinan, a fictional small island principality located in somewhere in eastern Europe.
- The flag of Khirinan depicts an ornate golden crown on a field of purple above three wavy stripes of white bordered by gold fringe.
- Khirinan is responsible for a third of the world's talcum powder.
- The national color of Khirinan is purple and the official flower is the tuberose.
- In Khirinan, the penalty for adultery is castration.
- "Sentarblor makarnum" means "good afternoon" in Khirinan and "Karagnas" means "breasts".
- Casey reveals her office number is 508-555-0174.
- This episode is currently unavailable for streaming in the United States likely due to the music rights for "Isn't It Romantic?", which is played quietly on a piano during the reception.
