Bill's Dead... Not (7 Nov. 1992)

When Bill goes to visit his mother, the press inaccurately reports his death, so Margaret contemplates accepting his seat on the Senate.

Director:

Hal Cooper

Writers:

David Crane (creator), Marta Kauffman (creator),

Stars:

John Forsythe, Holland Taylor, Eve Gordon

Cast

Episode credited cast:
John Forsythe	...	Sen. William Franklin Powers
Holland Taylor	...	Margaret Powers
Eve Gordon	...	Jordan Miller
Peter MacNicol	...	Bradley Grist
Valerie Mahaffey	...	Caitlyn Van Horne
David Hyde Pierce	...	Theodore Van Horne
Elizabeth Berridge	...	Charlotte
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Pierce Van Horne
Robin Bartlett	...	Sophie Lipkin
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cloris Leachman	...	Enid Powers
Joel McKinnon Miller	...	Telephone Repair Guy
Tom Wood	...	Hitchhiker

Storyline

When Bill goes to visit his mother, the press inaccurately reports his death, so Margaret contemplates accepting his seat on the Senate.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1992 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Episode 9 "Bill's Dead... Not"

This ninth episode ranks with the funniest,broadcast on the same night as the previous entry,shown together in a one-hour time slot.Journeying to visit his 92-year-old mother,Bill inadvisedly picks up a young hitchhiker(Tom Wood)who reveals that he's just been released from prison,getting a look at Bill's money-laden wallet,as well as his 4000 dollar watch(Hitchhiker:"you know you really shouldn't carry this much cash around,you could,uh,lose it" Bill:"oh I'm not worried,I keep an extra hundred stashed in the trunk for emergencies!" Hitchhiker:"this is crazy! You've got tons of cash,a 4000 dollar watch,you pick up a complete stranger and we're drivin' out in the middle of nowhere!" Bill:"oh we're well protected,I keep a pistol in the glove compartment!" Hitchhiker:"you,sir,are a parolee's worst nightmare!") A stunned Bill winds up losing his car,his wallet,his watch,and his phone,thumbing 40 miles to see the cantankerous Mother Powers(Cloris Leachman),who doesn't want to hear any excuses for being three hours late("tell that to my pot roast!").At home,everyone hears a news broadcast revealing that the Senator's car hit a gasoline truck and exploded(Bradley:"his remains? We don't know that any of his remains...remained!") Jordan(Eve Gordon)is upset that people keep asking about "the grieving widow"("this kills me,the man dies and it's always about the wife,the wife,THE WIFE! For your information,a man's wife is not the only one who shares in his secrets and dreams,but nobody ever stops to think about that! Mrs.Powers is not the only one who just lost the most important man in her life but she seems to be the only damn one who gets to cry about it!") The always suicidal Theodore(David Hyde Pierce)is also saddened("death...you think it's your friend,then it turns on you!") Sophie(Robin Bartlett)is comforted,more or less,by her stepmother(Margaret:"my poor child...3 months ago you were a bastard,and now you're an orphan...an orphaned bastard!") Only Caitlyn(Valerie Mahaffey)puts on a happy face,writing a poem in honor of her father,which no one wants to hear.The only person who knows the truth is young Pierce(Joseph Gordon-Levitt),simply because his grandfather phoned him to tell everybody that he's had a little car trouble,and that he'll be home soon.Theodore tries to break the sad news to his son(Theodore:"your Grampa's dead!" Pierce:"Dad,he's fine,he just had a little car trouble!" Theodore:"no son,he had a lot of car trouble! Time for a man to man talk...you've gotta face the truth like a grownup...remember the story of Fluffy the bunny and the runaway lawn mower?") Caitlyn also tries to soften the blow with Pierce,who repeats what he told his father(Caitlyn:"he's clearly in denial!" Theodore:"runs in the family!") When she finally breaks down,Theodore picks her up and heads for the kitchen("I'm gonna get mommy a glass of water and 10 milligrams of something!") Bradley(Peter MacNicol)tells Margaret that the Governor needs to know if she wants to fill her late husband's Senate seat for the remainder of his term,but Bill's unexpected return proves even more shocking than his demise... This author feels that he must go into greater detail for this sitcom due to its unavailability,and there certainly are hundreds of hilarious lines that deserve to be accurately quoted.