Laurie's Review
Melanie's Review
Laurie's Review:This is an okay ep but certainly not a standout. There are many good scenes but I'm not particularly fond of the story. I enjoy Diefenbaker's Day Off mostly for the Ben/Dief and Ben/Ray moments. The opening is priceless. After Ben leaves the apartment he peeks through the keyhole, knowing perfectly well he has reason to mistrust Dief, yet he leaves the window open. He still hasn't won over his neighbors but he's unfazed by the slamming of their doors.
The doors slam again when he returns with his groceries. Another conversation with Dief and this time we find out that Ben doesn't appreciate the wolf's attitude and thinks he's very judgmental. I love the talks they have, not just because they're fun and funny, but because they reveal so much about Ben and Dief.
The contrasts between Ben and Mackenzie King while they're getting ready for their "date" are hilarious. American Woman was a great musical choice for this scene. I liked this Mackenzie and it's a shame she wasn't available for One Good Man.
Charlie isn't going to win any personality awards, but you've gotta give him credit for trying to do whatever he can for his daughter. He may not have much money, a steady job or a fancy apartment but he has a lot of love for Lucy.
There's not enough Ray in this ep, my main nitpick, but he does his scenes in style and with his usual sarcasm. Great lines in the lunch room and the Riv. I love him yelling at Mackenzie to get out of his car.
Duesies:Charlie: You're a Mountie?
Ben: Yes.
Charlie: Where'd you come from?
Ben: Apartment 3-J. You all right?Ray: Okay, that I'll buy, but how'd you know he worked out in this gym?
Ben: It was written on his T-shirt.
Ray: You couldn't have said that in the first place? You had to go through the hairless wrists and the fractured mandibles?Ben: Take a left up ahead.
Mackenzie: Go around.
Ray: Oh, yeah, you'd love that. Maniac detective slaughters pedestrians.Ray: Hey, Dr. Quack, get your hands off of that!
A bit later: Here, take this scum off the street. Oh, and uh, one more thing, for a neck spasm, is that hot or cold?
Dief moment:Going down the slide. Also, Dief making his way back to the apartment and arriving a moment before Ben steps through the door.
Keepership:I don't have to think of one for this ep since I am the official keeper of the water Ben splashes on the floor while rinsing his hair.
Grade: B-
Melanie's Review:This is one that fits in my "Episodes that make you go 'YAWN'" category. Honestly, I am going to have to watch my tape with pen & paper in hand to take notes, because I don't remember enough about it to make coherent comments. It's not that I hate the episode (with the white-hot hate I reserve for Body Language) but just that I don't care about it one way or the other.
The first scene with Fraser and Lucy is rather nice. Fraser's character was still being developed--here he is not quite as quick to jump into the fray as he usually is--in fact, he briefly mentions how he really needs to get to work before he agrees to get involved. (Of course, he has only the barest notion of what Lucy's father's problem is.)
Here we have Lincoln as an actor. His careful timing of his departure (he knew that Fraser was going to spy through the keyhole) and his surreptitios peek around the corner as Fraser walks away from the building were clever touches. He's obviously made a daily habit of wandering about; he immediately seeks out one of his new friends--and we see a junk-food addict in the making.
Oh, my God! Fraser carried an injured pedestrian to the doctor's office in a fireman's carry? That's even worse than Ray's passionate embrace of Suzanne Chapin in You Must Remember This. And moments later. . . slap me with an otter and call me crazy, did he just mispronounce "Inuvik"?
Is Ray hanging out in a bar early in the morning? (Fraser was on his way to work when Charlie was injured.)
Whoops, there's my favorite scene--Mackenzie stripping down in the driver's seat of her roadster. ;-) Ahh, eye candy.
You know, I completely missed Fraser putting a half-gallon of milk in the cupboard until M-A pointed it out to me. Tee-hee!
American Woman is one of my least favorite tracks on the Due South soundtrack--but it fits the scene of Fraser and Mackenzie preparing for their date perfectly. And speaking of their date, how many dates has Fraser had with women in the course of the series? The communal bathroom was a bit of a credibility stretch, though. I'm glad they put a bathroom in Fraser's apartment for later episodes.
What's this "you have to arrest me" business? Did that go absolutely nowhere, or what?
I find it hard to believe that they could convince Mackenzie to baby-sit.
As I mentioned in the "favorite scenes" thread, I can respect this story for emphasizing Charlie's desire to keep Lucy's respect--and for allowing him to keep that respect.
Oh dear. Fraser just hung up on Ray without telling him what happened or where he went. And yet. . . wait for it. . . Ray figured out where to go!
You know, Dief, tormenting the Animal Control Officer like that isn't going to help. And Benny--wolf license or no wolf license, you can't let Dief run around the city unattended--or he's just going to get. . . . Yeah. like in The Wild Bunch.
"I wonder if he's here legally." Mackenzie must be very tired, because that's the stupidest thing she says in the whole episode. He's an employee of the Canadian government working at the Canadian Consulate: buy a clue!
Okay, now I've watched the whole episode more carefully, and I still don't feel fulfilled. It's like a diet meal: a few small tidbits of food that leaves me hungry afterward. Dief's storyline, the one that supposedly gave this episode its title, is barely a few disconnected scenes; more stuff like the slide at the daycare center would have been fun. The capper, that Ray had managed to obtain (forge) a wolf license, is a gem but too little too late.
I never managed to feel much sympathy for Charlie or urgency for the case. As for the bad guys, I think there were just too many of them and none of them stood out as a distinct personality. The story just didn't hang together for me!
This Mackenzie is much better than the one in "One Good Man." It's a pity they couldn't get Madolyn Smith-Osborne back.
Dief moment:Going down the slide. You know, they missed an opportunity to link the stories together. Dief was present at the final confrontation; why couldn't he have played some role in the defeat of the bad guys?
Completely Missed the First Time:Fraser putting a half-gallon of milk in the cupboard. Tee-hee!
Fantasy Moment:Sure, Mister. You can climb up my crane, go ahead! (Why did Fraser need to search from the top of the crane, anyway? They knew which intersection Charlie was headed for.)
Duesies:Lucy: Are you a policeman?
Fraser: Well yes, I am, but in Canada and the Consulate where I work. But outside the consulate I'm not. Unless I'm in Canada. That's not very clear. Um. Do you know what a Liaison Officer is? No, of course you don't.Lucy: That's him.
Fraser: What's his name?
Lucy: Dad.
Fraser: Well yes, it would be.King: Hey, I screwed up last time. Look, it changed me. I spent three months in a dark apartment, Warren. A Persian cat under one arm and a tub of Cherry Swirl in the other. I've been to hell and back in a flannel nightgown, Warren, and so help me God I will never wear flannel again. This time, I nail them dirty. Tonight, eight o'clock, his little Canadian butt is mine.
Fraser: You won't use it against the man in question?
Ray: On my word as a transvestite.Boxer: Your old man taught you how to box like that?
Fraser: My grandmother, actually. Although I'm beginning to suspect that the book she used was somewhat outdated.
Snack to eat while watching Diefenbaker's Day Off:Lobster with chamomile tea.
Grading:
Lucy and her Dad B+ Fraser and Mackenzie King A- The Fraud Ring C Diefenbaker C Overall Grade B-
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