Season 2, Episode 1 pms.com Written by: Peter Lefcourt Directed by: Joanna Kerns

It's business as usual at LGT as Season 2 of Beggars & Choosers begins. E.L. and L.L. are still fighting for control of LGT, and the new fall season is about to unroll. In a meeting, Rob introduces two new hires, Nigel Gibney, a British development executive, who Lori sees as a rival and potential spy; and Kelly Kramer, a sexy new intern, who turns the head of most of the LGT men. Lori takes Nigel to dinner to feel him out and is chagrined to find out that he is friends with Casey Lennox, who has left BET to take a power position equivalent to Lori's at NBC. At home, Rob's wife Cecile is becoming disgusted with Rob's overwork ethic and inattentiveness towards her. She ropes him into a meeting with a dot com billionaire, Dan Falco, in the hopes of convincing Dan to donate to her charity. Instead, Rob and Dan hit it off and Rob sells Dan ad time on the Nicky Krasnakov miniseries. Later, when Rob finds out that L.L. is wooing Barry Diller to buy up shares in LGT, Rob visits Dan Falco to ask him to help stop her. He finds out that Dan Falco has already bought shares and has thwarted L.L.'s plan temporarily.

Items of note: Very little Malcolm to be had in this episode. One very funny moment takes place in the meeting where Nigel and Kelly are introduced. While Marty & Nigel clearly swoon over Kelly, Malcolm moons over Nigel. The smirk on his face is hilarious.

Season 2, Episode 2 The 53% Solution Written by: Scott Kaufer Directed by: Anne Wheeler

After enduring a series of bad dates, Malcolm decides to try the video dating scene. After taping his own video ad, he takes several tapes back to his office at LGT. Most are awful, but he is intrigued by one candidate, an eye doctor. Despite Rob's concerns, Nicky Krasnakov goes on the talk show circuit to promote his miniseries and carelessly slanders Asians. LGT is forced to develop an Asian-American sitcom to make up for it. At the damage control meeting, Cliff calls and asks Malcolm for a casting tape that Chris Carter is looking for. Cliff inadvertently sends Malcolm's video dating candidate's tape to Carter. In the midst of everything, Rob finds out that L.L. is still trying to make a power play, so he calls on Dan Falco again. Dan reveals that he has already bought 53% of the network. The Luddins are out, and Rob has a new boss. Because of Rob's loyalty to him, E.L. gives Rob permission to break the news to L.L., who blows her top and storms out, promising Rob he hasn't seen the last of her. At a date with the eye doctor, Malcolm finds out about the tape switch from Chris Carter. He explains the goof to his date, who suddenly reveals that he's interested in working with Carter and wonders aloud if he should find an agent. Once again, Malcolm finds himself unlucky in love.

Items of Note: The making of Malcolm's video ad, complete with beachball and cheesy lines, is embarrassingly funny. Several of the tapes Malcolm gets from the video dating service, and his reactions to them, are equally hilarious.

Season 2, Episode 3 Sex & Violence Written by: Eugenie Ross-Leming Brad Buckner Directed by: Richard Lewis

Malcolm tries to recruit Lori to join an LGT vs. NBC paintball tournament, but Lori refuses until she finds out that Casey is heading up the NBC team. Rob lambastes Lori for not having any game shows in development. She doesn't listen to his criticism until she finds out that Nigel has agreed to develop one in her absence. At the paintball tournament, all goes well until Lori is apparently captured by Casey and her NBC goons. Then the Mountainmen's Kendall Gifford shows up and rescues Lori from Casey's clutches.

Items of Note: To make sure she beats Casey, Lori tests her paintball equipment out on Cliff, with Malcolm watching. When the clearly hurting Cliff leaves Lori's office and runs into a producer hoping to pitch a show to Lori, Malcolm tells the man, "She hated his idea." It's a cruel joke and obviously spooks the producer, but it's hilarious. Later, at the paintball tournament, a battle scene from the movie Platoon is recreated by Malcolm and Cliff.

Season 2, Episode 4 Dog Day Afternoon Written by: Peter Lefcourt Directed by: Sheldon Larry

Lori catches intruders on her property and shoots them with her paintball gun. She quickly discovers that they're cable technicians, there to turn off her cable, which Lori is getting illegally. Rob and Cecile visit a couples therapist to work out their problems. The therapist tells them they should call each other a couple times a day and just talk, but Rob is never able to take the call. The rest of this episode is taken up by the media circus surrounding the alleged kidnapping of Buddy, President Clinton's dog. The coverage threatens to cut into the first installment of LGT's Nicky Krasnakov miniseries, and Rob is determined not to let that happen.

Items of Note: Malcolm's anguished reaction when the news of Buddy's kidnapping breaks is a scream. He frantically turns on the television and frets over the coverage, and when Rob makes it clear how very disinterested he is, Malcolm chides him, "Rob, it's the first dog."

Season 2, Episode 5 The Naked Truth Written by: Scott Kaufer Directed by: Richard Lewis

Lori finds out that a hotshot producer, Davis G. Greene will soon be looking for a new network. With Kelly's help, she tries to woo Greene to LGT, at Casey Lennox's expense, but Casey turns the tables on Lori in the end and they both lose out on Greene, who announces he's more interested in making movies. Malcolm is pushing hard to get a gay actor the role of Dodi Fayed in an LGT miniseries. Rob seems skeptical, but promises to keep an open mind. When the actor later has a fantastic audition, Malcolm tries to push hard for him again, but Rob admits he won't hire him because he's gay. Malcolm confronts Rob in his office and shames him for rejecting the actor. At an awards dinner honoring Rob for standing up against the Hollywood blacklist, Rob declines the award because he knows he doesn't deserve it.

Items of Note: More serious in tone than most episodes of B&C, "The Naked Truth" is simply a tour de force for Tuc. His confrontation scene in Rob's office is riveting, as are his facial reactions at Rob's award ceremony.

Season 2, Episode 6 An Asian In The Sun Written by: Christopher Cluess Directed by: Ron Oliver

Rob and Cecile head to New York, so that Rob can confront Matt Palladin, the arrogant head of LGT's news division. Little does Rob know that Cecile has something more than a quick vacation in mind. Back at LGT, Lori mishears Brad Advail telling her that Nigel is a nudist as "Buddhist." Thinking he's worming his way in Dan Falco's graces, Lori tries to pass herself off as a Buddhist as well. In New York, Rob intercepts an answering message for Cecile from a strange man, saying how fantastic she is. Rob heads home to L.A., assuming that Cecile is cheating on him.

Items of Note: Malcolm's mocking expressions at Lori when she's trying to impress Dan Falco with her faux-Buddhist schtick are great.

Season 2, Episode 7 The Leak Written by: Wendy Goldman Directed by: Fred Gerber

Cecile reveals to Rob that she's been offered a job in N.Y. and wants to take it. Lori informs the staff that there's a leak at LGT, as NBC has apparently poached another in development project from them (the third in a year). Malcolm tells Rob that Larry/Lola is still insisting that he be added to the cast of Puerto Vallarta. Malcolm meets with Larry to find out exactly was he wants. After hiring Erik Estrada to investigate the LGT leak, Lori spots Margaret talking to NBC's chief, Barry Berman, and incorrectly accuses her of being the leak. Switching her sights to Nigel, Lori asks Kelly to flirt with him to glean information, then suggests that Kelly sleep with him to get the real dirt. Little does Lori know, Kelly and Nigel are secretly having an affair anyway.

Items of Note: A great episode that shows off Tuc's chemistry with several other B&C actors: a feisty, flirtatiousness with Sheila Moore (Margaret); a touching friendliness with Brian Kerwin (Rob); and a barely disguised revulsion for Alexis Arquette (Larry).

Season 2, Episode 8 Hello, Dalai! Written by: Eugenie Ross-Leming Brad Buckner Directed by: Stuart Margolin

Lori and Brad secretly chase after the rights to a trashy Brazilian TV hit, Soccer Sluts. Cecile prepares for her move to New York, while Rob quietly tries to come to terms with it. Malcolm's friend Jason, the trophy boy of a David Geffen-esque Hollywood hotshot, seeks Malcolm's help when the hotshot dumps him. Malcolm tries to set him up with a job at LGT, but Jason quickly finds another cushy slot as the companion of another big name producer. Lori convinces Malcolm to take her to a reception for the Dalai Lama because she wants to meet up with Dan Falco and schmooze him even more. Later, Rob informs Lori that NBC has bought the rights to Soccer Sluts and wants to know if she has anything in development to compete with it.

Items of Note: Several great Malcolm moments: his obvious concern for Rob, who's upset by his wife's imminent departure; his easygoing, comic chemistry with Lori; and his subtle, but cutting insult directed at the bigwig that dumped Jason. Also, a funny B&C in-joke: Sandy Smolan, a Hollywood gossip columnist who's mentioned several times in this episode, is named after one of B&C's directors from Season One.

Season 2, Episode 9 Zero Tolerance Written by: Peter Lefcourt Directed by: George Mendeluk

Hot on the heels of a mandatory sexual harassment seminar at LGT, Margaret Hurley is overheard making a sexy remark about Cliff and ends up losing her job as a result. Dan Falco heads off to an Indian monastery and passes LGT on to his inexperienced younger brother, Freddy. Larry/Lola and Yolanda clash on the set of Puerto Vallarta, and Malcolm is forced into the role of negotiator to make them both happy.

Items of note: Malcolm's breathy flirting with Margaret immediately after the sexual harassment seminar is funny and sweet. When Malcolm arrives on the Puerto Vallarta set in his Mustang convertible, check out the license plate, BLUDOG3, which is a nod to Tuc's own beloved pooch, Blue.

Season 2, Episode 10 The Wartime Consigliere Written by: Scott Kaufer Directed by: Stuart Margolin

Casey poaches Kendall Gifford and his hit LGT show, The Mountainmen, for NBC. Freddy Falco settles in at LGT and immediately starts meddling in everbody's day-to-day business. Debbie convinces Rob to hire a personal assistant. Malcolm auditions actresses for the Asian sitcom. Rob calls a war summit of network heads to appeal NBC's poaching of The Mountainmen. Lori tags along as his wartime consigliere, but the meeting turns out to be a bust. When nothing comes of it, Lori meets with the sleazy owner of several LGT and NBC affiliates and convinces him (with the help of a sexy call girl) to help her play a trick that wins Kendall back to LGT. Brent, Parker's lawyer, takes Audrey out on a dinner date, but she continues to be oblivious to his affection for her.

Items of note: Malcolm is largely absent from this episode, except for the Asian sitcom casting scene.

Season 2, Episode 11 Be Careful What You Wish For Written by: Brad Buckner Eugenie Ross-Leming Directed by: Helen Shaver

A great episode, centered around ghosts. Lori offhandedly remarks to Nicky that a rival network's star is causing LGT trouble. When the actor turns up dead, his feet embedded in cement, Lori frets that Nicky has had him killed. Rob spends most of the episode having trouble sleeping and hearing strange noises in his house; Audrey tells him it's Parker's ghost. Malcolm pines for a newly-open executive position at LGT, but Rob tells him the job is already pegged for someone else. Soon after Malcolm spills some lurid gossip about the exec-to-be, the guy is fired and Malcolm agonizes over his possible role in the dismissal. In the end, Rob laughingly confronts Parker's ghost and is finally able get some sleep; Lori sees the dead actor's ghost on her television; and Malcolm is visited by the ghost of the exec who was fired, a man who isn't even dead yet.

Items of note: A great episode that seems to offer equal attention to most of the cast's core members. After Malcolm's ghost tells him, "Anyone with a conscience can see a ghost," we enter Brad Advail's bedroom, where an obviously distressed ghost tries in vain to haunt the conscience-free agent. It's one of the funniest scenes B&C has yet offered.

Season 2, Episode 12 Killer Sushi Written by: Peter Lefcourt Directed by: George Bloomfield

A bigshot, Michael Ovitz-like talent manager threatens to take Brad's entire client list. Brad approaches Nicky about putting a hit on the unscrupulous manager. Cecile returns home for a visit. She and Rob are soon visited by a tearful Wanda, who reveals that she and Dr. Wackenhut have stolen Rob's sperm and are just about to have a baby. Cecile bitterly confronts Dr. Wackenhut, and later confesses to Rob that she's angry with him, even though it's not his fault. When the Asian Anti-Defamation League reveals that they've seen a leaked script for LGT's Asian sitcom and request a meeting with Rob, Rob worries that the show isn't Asian enough and has the head writer fired. When the Asians reveal they actually loved the script, Rob quickly has Nigel hire the writer again. In the end, Brad has second thoughts about the hit he took out on the Hollywood manager, but his change of heart comes too late. The guy dies eating a bad cut of blowfish at Hollywood's hottest sushi bar, Killer Sushi.

Season 2, Episode 13 The Woodhouse Conundrum Written by: Scott Kaufer Directed by: Ron Oliver

Lori sees a "life coach," who advises her to lose the dead weight in her life. She tries to fire Cliff as a result, but Cliff (who's a follower of the same "life coach") discovers her plan and sends a memo in Lori's name praising his qualities. Kelly is revealed as the reluctant spy at LGT. Smitten with Nigel, Kelly tells Casey Lennox that she wants out, but Casey blackmails her into one last job: getting details of the secret reality series Nigel has developed with the BBC. Kelly spends most of the episode trying to break into Nigel's computer files and finally succeeds at the end, but is discovered by a heartbroken Nigel.

Items of note: Only two Malcolm scenes this time around, both with Freddy Falco. Both are somewhat demeaning, but show what a deft comic actor Tuc really is.

Season 2, Episode 14 Moles, Meatloaf & Myrna Loy Written by: Eugenie Ross-Leming Brad Buckner Directed by: David Warry-Smith

Rob strikes a deal with Beverly Boyden, an Oscar-nominated actress, to create a sitcom. He puts a rush on the series, and tells Lori and Malcolm (now Head of Current Programming) to team up on getting the series on the air. Boyden turns out to be a disappoinment and what was proposed as a classy series quickly devolves into silly slapstick, with an Urkel-esque character added to make it funny. Dr. Wackenhut hires Sandra Cassandra's lawyer to sue Rob and Cecile for causing her emotional distress. Nigel forces Kelly to counterspy on NBC or he'll reveal her secret. She ends up poaching an NBC star for the Urkel-esque role on the Beverly Boyden series.

Items of note: Malcolm apparently won the job he was seeking in Episode 11, a question that went unanswered at the time.

Season 2, Episode 15 Fathers & Sons Written by: Peter Lefcourt Directed by: Helen Shaver

Rob wants a reality show to compete with Survivor. Nigel already has one in development, but Lori tries to one-up him and create one herself. When the writer she's hired for the job continues to be lazy, she has Nicky kidnap him and force him to come up with an idea. The end result is a show in which contestants will be kidnapped, and their loved ones will have to decide if they're willing to do things or make sacrifices to set them free. Rob is elated when Cary gets accepted at Yale, but Cary doesn't want to go. The media hounds Rob after the news about Dr. Wackenhut gets out. Malcolm's stepmother informs him that his father is dying of cancer, and asks him to visit him one last time. Malcolm is resistant at first, but after seeking advice from Larry, he decides to swallow his pride and confront his father in the hospital. His father stubbornly refuses to be appreciative or kind, so Malcolm is forced to angrily tell him he loves him. Malcolm storms out of the hospital room and breaks down in tears in the hallway outside.

Items of note: Pretty much the best material B&C has given Tuc to work with in some time. Every one of his scenes is magnificent, filled with small details and physical expressions. Tim Thomerson, who plays Malcolm's dad, is also fantastic in this one.

Season 2, Episode 16 Hitting The Bottle Written by: Scott Kaufer Directed by: Charles Winkler

When heavily armed robbers lay siege to a bank nearby, the LGT staffers end up trapped in their building by the police. Lori gets stuck with Casey Lennox, who she unexpectedly ends up bonding with over their similar experiences in a male-dominated industry. Malcolm is stuck with a cranky Kendall Gifford, who refuses to do a "bottle episode" of The Mountainmen. Rob is marooned in his office with Francesca, a sexy French network executive who tempts him to stray from Cecile.

Items of note: Two clever twists in this one. Built around the idea of a "bottle episode," in which a TV show is filmed entirely on a single set to save on production costs, this episode is itself a "bottle episode." It is also based on a true incident from May 2000, when a Vancouver bank robber fled onto B&C's set and ended up trapping the crew and shutting production down for the day.

Season 2, Episode 17 Golf War Syndrome Written by: Eugenie Ross-Leming Brad Buckner Directed by: Cal Shumiatcher

In a comic subplot, Lori bullies Cliff into teaching her how to play golf so she can play with Rob and his associates. On the golf course, Rob slyly tries to seek the forgiveness of a priest because he keeps having thoughts of cheating on Cecile. He ends up in Francesca's bed by the end of the episode. Brad Advail tells Malcolm that Jack Stoddard, the Mountainmen's macho star, is having problems. Malcolm takes Jack out to dinner, and Jack wrangles an invitation to visit Malcolm's house. Jack pretends to be drunk and asks to stay, then aggressively seduces a shocked, but willing, Malcolm. Malcolm wakes up the next morning to find Jack gone, and later discovers that Jack wants to pretend nothing happened.

Items of note: The episode many have been waiting for, where Malcolm actually gets a love life. It's sad how it ends, but Tuc is given a great amount of screen time and a lot of choice material to work with. One of his best episodes of this series, by far. The song that plays over Malcolm and Jack's love scene is called "Let Me Make It Up To You Tonight," written by a Canadian singer-songwriter named Roy Forbes, and re-recorded by studio musicians especially for B&C. It is not available for purchase as far as we know.

Season 2, Episode 18 We'll Always Have Burbank Written by: Scott Kaufer Directed by: Charles Winkler

Matt Palladin gets big ratings with a sleazy "news" special on newlyweds. He heads to LGT, looking to steal some of Rob's choicest timeslots, but Freddy ends up firing him. Lori finds a NBC parking pass in Kelly's desk and realizes that she is the LGT spy. Cecile returns home for a visit, and Rob agonizes over revealing that he has slept with Francesca, but Cecile makes it easy on him by first revealing that she thinks they should separate.

Items of note: Malcolm is virtually invisible in this episode, appearing in only the opening staff meeting scene.

Season 2, Episode 19 From Russia With Love Written by: Brad Buckner Eugenie Ross-Leming Directed by: Stuart Margolin

Nicky's mafia rivals plant a "Speed"-style bomb on Lori's exercise bike. After the police save her, Lori complains to Nicky, who promises to take care of the problem. Rob confides in Malcolm that he is separated from Cecile. Sandra Cassandra pushes Freddy into taking action on her LGT series, but Rob balks. She ends up with a demeaning supporting role on The Woos Of Weehawken. Malcolm is forced to deal with Jack Stoddard again. Jack shows up on Malcolm's doorstep, pretending to be drunk again. After Malcolm confronts him about his dishonesty, they end up in each other's arms. Audrey sleeps with Brent in Parker's old Malibu beach house to shake off the ghosts of the past. Rob fires his lawyer, after she has an ugly fight with Dr. Wackenhut's lawyer on a talk show. Dr. Wackenhut fires her lawyer as well. In the end, Rob is approached with news about Nicky's death, which he reports to a heartbroken Lori.

Items of note: Because the show was cancelled, Malcolm's potential relationship with Jack Stoddard is left glaringly open-ended with this episode. And in a strange coincidence, one of the webmasters here at tucwatkins.com lives in Weehawken. He assures us that there are few, if any, Woos in Weehawken, but there may be a Sandra Cassandra or two.

Season 2, Episode 20 The Long Goodbye Written by: Peter Lefcourt Directed by: Richard Lewis

While the LGT crew frets over setting the fall schedule, Lori wanders around in a depressed funk over Nicky's death. Freddy Falco spends an inordinate amount of time asking Malcolm crude questions about his sex life. Rob wants a game show called Pyramid Of Power for the schedule, but NBC wants it too. Lori forces Kelly to arrange a meeting with Casey, then blackmails Casey into scotching the Pyramid deal at NBC. Audrey visits Cecile in New York and hints that she'd like to move there. In a phone call home, Cecile and Rob seem to rue their decision to separate. At Nicky's funeral, Lori meets Nicky's mafia rival, Stenka Pifkin, who turns out to be a woman who looks just like Lori. Lori then receives a cell phone call from Nicky in Siberia. Turns out he staged his death to spare Lori from future harm. Dr. Wackenhut has her baby, and Rob shows up at the hospital to see him.

Items of note: B&C's final episode. Like last year, it features a cameo by Peter Lefcourt. Malcolm's final brush-off of Freddy's vulgar questions, suggesting that he go to the library, is a great scene.