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The Gift 1

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The Gift (Part 1) is the first episode of a two-part story arc and the fifteenth episode of the fourth season on Wings, and the 65th episode overall in the series.

Synopsis[]

Joe, Brian, and Antonio sit at a table near the lunch counter talking about the plane. When Joe uses the word "astute", he and Brian start to bricker about him saying it. Annoyed by their conversation Antonio overreacts and yells at them. When asked, Antonio reveals that he's had seven cups of coffee that day and Joe suggestions that he cutback a little to which Brian says "That's very astute". Still annoyed Antonio moans as he leaves.

Brian enters and joins the gang near the lunch counter complaining that his flight was boring and the highlight of his day as recognizing a passenger from an underwear ad. When Roy guess it was the beautiful woman entering the terminal, Brian corrects him and points out it was the short elderly man entering the terminal. Reading from the newspaper, Fay excitedly shares that Winston Catlow is retiring from the Nantucket String Quartet over "artist difference" and they will be holding auditions for his replacement in the near future. Helen angrily states that her music career ended when Joe crashed the plane and her cello sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic. After Helen exits into the kitchen, Fay shares more news for the paper: the Wharf Playhouse is holding auditions for The Phantom of the Oprah, a new musical by local playwright Ernest Preen about a deranged ex-producer of the Oprah Winfrey show. With open auditions happening on Tuesday, Fay, Roy, and Antonio all play to tryout. When Fay checks to see if Lowell knows about the auditions, she opens the door to the hanger and hears Lowell practicing his singing.

That evening, Joe and Brian prepare to leave the seemingly empty airport. While Joe heads to the car, Brian needs to make a pitstop at the restroom first. When Brian enters the second floor, he is surprised to see Helen sitting there smoking a cigarette. Brian and Helen discuss her despair over not becoming a successful cellist and her lack of a cello to even audition for the Nantucket String Quartet. Brian suggests Helen get a second job part-time to pay for a new cello and make her dreams come true.

To earn the money, Helen begins working nights gutting fish at the Siasconset Seafood Company though she struggled with type of work and the schedule.

Days later back at the airport, Fay anxiously awaits the return of Antonio with news about the casting of The Phantom of the Oprah. Fay hopes she gets the part of Oprah, but Roy is sure that the part will go to Jeanine Tolliver, who is Oprah's age and build, and Black. Helen enters tired coming directly to the airport from Siasconset Seafood Company. Helen starts to fall asleep while making coffee and her friend express concern for her condition. Helen, however, excitedly show off her first paycheck, coming that much closer to getting her new cello and getting her life back on track. As Helen exits into the kitchen, Antonio finally arrives with the cast list: Jeanine Tolliver was cast as Oprah Winfrey, Fay was cast as Jeanine's understudy and a member of the studio audience, Roy was cast as the producer, Lowell was cast as the stagehand (if he also agrees to be a stagehand for the show), and Antonio was cast as Bernardo, a guest on the show who is only attracted to women who used to be men. Helen reenters uncontrollable laughing because she was just fired from Siasconset Seafood Company. Her friends are concerned, but Helen laughs it off until she angrily tells everyone her station in life is to just be a cook. Then when a customer asks about her fish special, Helen runs off crying.

At 3 am in the Hacketts' house, unable to sleep, Brian wakes Joe up and they enter to kitchen to find Lowell sitting quietly in the dark. Brian calls for a family meeting, and Lowell begs to be a part of the family. When Joe relents and say Lowell can be part of the family, Brian begins to explain that his plan to save Helen will cost some money and Lowell immediately leaves. Brian then discusses with Joe a plan to mortgage their home to come up with the fourteen or fifteen thousand dollars needed to purchase a new cello for Helen. Although he is initially hesitant, Joe agrees.

During an evening at the airport, while Fay, Roy, Antonio, and Lowell rehearse their lines for the The Phantom of the Oprah, Joe and Brian prepare to give Helen her new cello. After Brian destroys a fake cello to trick Joe, he pulls out the real cello and Joe gets Helen. When the Hackett brothers excitedly reveal the cello to Helen, she is shocked and exclaims "How could you guys to do this to me?" before storming out of Joe's office.

Credits[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

  • Trish Monaco as Aeromass Gal (uncredited)
  • Dori Brenner as Doris
  • Joy Claussen as Cecilia
  • Pattie Tierce as Betty
  • Ken Magee as Gus
  • Ron Robertson as Customer

Quotes[]

  • Roy Biggins - "Phantom of the Opera? Oh, that is a good story."
    Antonio Scarpacci - "What is this Phantom of the Opera?"
    Roy Biggins - "You know, where the disfigured nut job lives underneath the Paris Opera House and drive everybody zooy so this young babe can sing instead of the fat diva in a helmet."
    Brian Hackett - "We'll be right back with Theater Beat and our host Alastair Cook."
  • Helen Chapel - "Ever wonder about people who get exactly what they want out of life? People like Walt Disney, Jonas Salk, and Cher for that matter."
    Brian Hackett - "Well, I don't think about those three as a group usually."
  • Helen Chapel - "You know, I'm kind of excited about this. All I need is a simple job, that pays great, doesn't require any training, and that fits in with my schedule. How hard could that be?"
  • Gus - "Yeah, well if the time ever comes that you find you can't hack it on the line, I might be able to find a cushy position for you up in my office."
    Helen Chapel - "Well if I wanted something cold and dead, why would I ever leave here?"
    Gus - "I like this one. Full of spit and vinegar."
    Helen Chapel - "Bet that's what he said when he pick out that shirt this morning."
  • Brian Hackett - "Lowell, why are you sitting here in the dark?"
    Lowell Mather - "It's relaxing."
    Brian Hackett - "Yeah well, Lowell, the idea of you sitting alone in here in the dark makes me nervous."
    Lowell Mather - "Then you should try sitting in the dark sometime. It's relaxing."
  • Joe Hackett - "Wow. That is pretty steep. I guess you can't put a price on friendship. I suppose between us we could come up with fourteen or fifteen hundred bucks."
    Brian Hackett - "Yes, I suppose we could do that, but I talking more like fourteen or fifteen thousand dollars."
    Joe Hackett - "Are you crazy?!"
    Brian Hackett - "Wait a second, you just said you couldn't put a price on friendship."
    Joe Hackett - "Yeah, well, I was wrong, you can. It's fifteen hundred dollars."

Trivia[]

  • Helen states that her music career ended when her cello sunk to the bottom of the ocean. This occurred in As Fate Would Have It and Lifeboat.
  • Brian states that he is 31-year-old in this episode meaning that he was likely born in 1961 or 1962.
  • Lowell only has one line in The Phantom of the Oprah, "Excuse me Miss Winfrey, that phone's out of order". Despite the simplicity of the line, Lowell has difficulty remembering it.
  • This episode is currently unavailable for streaming in the United States.
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