Lou Grant

Season 5 Episode 16

Obituary

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Episode Summary

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Obituary
AIRED:
Billie, Rossi and Lou struggle to write obituaries for three journalists who died in a plane crash, while Animal struggles to photograph an endangered species of moth without having the publicity endanger it further at the hands of eager collectors.
FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (2)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • Could've been better

    8.0
    By JarrodMcDonald, Jun 03, 2010
    I think the concept is great for this episode and it has some very stellar moments (like when Billie calls her husband to say she wasn't on the plane that crashed). But I think it has room for improvement. It would've been better if the reporters that perished had been recurring characters or a big name guest star from a previous episode that we knew more intimately and had previously identified with...because we really don't know these three doomed reporters and when they die ten minutes into the episode, we don't really have much empathy or feeling for them and their situation. I know that Billie and Lou spend the rest of the episode learning about each person's background as they struggle to write the obituaries, but it just seems like they're going through the motions. How can we care about a character that was killed minutes after we first met them? I think the story could've been made stronger if it was about airline safety or if it focused more on Billie's being haunted by her close brush with death.moreless

  • A look at the reporter's lot.

    8.0
    By francklloyd, Sep 30, 2007
    April Smith was the story editor for Lou Grant and wrote some of the best episodes. This is again one that dares to be a bit different. Billie's near-death experience gives the viewer a shock and leads to rather emotional scenes. What makes the episode interesting, though, is the study of the lives of three different reporters. They all seem to suffer from some kind of insecurity, contradicting the self-assured detective image journalists often have in television dramas. As usual, a lighter story line has to put everything in balance, but even the moth story contains a serious environmental message. What confused me were the completely unnecessary scenes about Rossi's allergies. I presume they were included to explain why he doesn't appear in the location scenes, possibly shot while a more Rossi-centered episode was being filmed in the studio.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

Allen Williams

Allen Williams

Adam Wilson (1978-1982)
Edward Asner

Edward Asner

Lou Grant
Linda Kelsey

Linda Kelsey

Billie Newman McCovey
Mason Adams

Mason Adams

Charlie Hume
Robert Walden

Robert Walden

Joe Rossi
Jack Bannon

Jack Bannon

Art Donovan
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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

Michael Bond

Michael Bond

Keith Wilbert

Guest Star

Simon Oakland

Simon Oakland

Col. Taylor

Guest Star

Barney Phillips

Barney Phillips

Jerry Ellison

Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (0)

  • QUOTES (3)

    • Billie: I was the first one to get to his lawyer in Florida. If they extradite him to L.A., I got an exclusive.


      Lou: How did you do that?


      Billie: The old girl network.

    • (Mrs. Pynchon is unhappy with the uninspired obituaries for the dead reporters.) Charlie: Because they were reporters we back off.


      Mrs. Pynchon: These reporters died trying to get a story. That's a story!

    • Jerry Ellison: After twenty years in the business Bob had developed a certain view of humanity, that we were selfish, petty and incapable of being saved. I don't hold that opinion myself, except during election years.

  • NOTES (0)

  • ALLUSIONS (0)

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Season 5 Episodes

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Ep 24
Charlie
Ep 23
Victims
Ep 22
Beachhead
Ep 21
Suspect
Ep 20
Unthinkable
Ep 19
Fireworks
Ep 18
Law
Ep 17
Blacklist
Ep 16
Obituary
Ep 15
Recovery
Ep 14
Hunger
Ep 13
Immigrants
Ep 12
Review
Ep 11
Cameras
Ep 10
Ghosts
Ep 9
Jazz
Ep 8
Friends
Ep 7
Drifters
Ep 6
Doublecross
Ep 5
Risk
Ep 4
Hometown
Ep 3
Reckless
Ep 2
Execution
Ep 1
Wedding

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