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Picket Fences Season 1 Episode 18

Fetal Attraction

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8.4

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 4/1/93

Jill asks Dr. David Williams, her ex-fiancé, to perform a controversial fetal tissue transplant on a man suffering from Parkinson's Disease, in the hopes it can cure him. However, Brock wonders if Jill's interest is purely professional.

Fan Episode Reviews (1)

An patient of Jill's has advanced Parkinson's disease, leaving him unable to walk and now to speak. In frustration, she decides to contact the leading neurosurgeon in the country. He also turns out to be an ex-fiance.moreless

9.1

By Atreyu75, Jul 23, 2007

Bill McGrath is now unable to speak after his Parkinson disease has taken a turn for the worse. Jill decides it is time to call her ex-fiance, Dr David Williams played by Jamey Sheridan, who happens to be a master on the subject. He has been called the "cowboy", since he has performed procedures in China that involve putting cells from aborted fetuses directly into the brain. When he informs Jill that this may be their only solution, she tries to get the local hospital to allow them the use of their operating room. When the head of the hospital declines, Bill and his wife take the case to court. During the trial, Jill kisses David after they had been out to dinner. Jimmy sees this and is taken aback. Jill tells him that the kiss happened because she wanted to "regret something I did, instead of regretting what I didn't". To this, Jimmy understands in a way and comments that "No matter how strong we get, we still stay so fragile." Judge Bone rules that there is no law that says a hospital must relent to such a procedure. In response, Jill's ex-fiance trumps up a fake aneurysm in Bill in order to get him to the OR where a fetus is waiting. He and Jill perform the procedure without any problems, but are held in contempt for a week.

After the previous episodes storyline of mystery/action, it was fun to go back to the courtroom. The superb acting of both Wambaugh and Bone make watching this so much fun. The writers are also good at evoking feels for both sides of the case. They eloquently make Bone's ruling sound, though it might not be what the audience truly wants. I also like how this episode shows that real-life relationships can become incredibly strained. Even though they make up, Jill and Jimmy have problems from this episode and previous episodes, and I believe this makes the show more believable. Again, the show does not shy away from the controversy, especially for its time. That's what makes this show a wonder to watch.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Holly Marie Combs	Kimberly Brock
Lauren Holly	Officer Maxine Stewart
Adam Wylie	Zachary Brock
Kathy Baker	Dr. Jill Brock
Tom Skerritt	Sheriff Jimmy Brock
Costas Mandylor	Officer Kenny Lacos

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Jamey Sheridan	Dr David Williams	Guest Star
Concetta Tomei	Ellen McGrath	Guest Star
George Wallace	Father Joe Lyons	Guest Star
Fyvush Finkel	Douglas Wambaugh	Recurring Role
Zelda Rubinstein	Ginny Weedon	Recurring Role
Denis Arndt	Franklin Dell	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Jill: It is revealed she was third in her class at medical school and is board certified in general surgery.
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QUOTES (4)
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- Judge Henry Bone: And Wambaugh, I am in no mood to entertain your rhetoric either.
  Douglas Wambaugh: I won't say a word judge. (Wheels over Bill McGarth) All I ask you to do is to look into my clients eyes and tell him why. Tell him why politics matter more than a chance for him to talk again.
  District Attorney: I object. How dare you make a mockery of this forum.
  Douglas Wambaugh: It's who I am.
  Judge Henry Bone: Quiet!
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- Judge Henry Bone: You're in Rome, Wisconsin now.
  District Attorney: Meaning what?
  Judge Henry Bone: Meaning, strange things happen.
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- Dr. David Williams: (To Jill) You traded in aspiration for contentedness.
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- Jimmy: We're grownups. We don't get, uh ... uh?
  Kim: Jealous?
  Jimmy: Yeah, jealous. I didn't even know the word.
  Kim: Uh huh.
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NOTES (2)
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- This episode was up for Emmy consideration.
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- Guest star Jamey Sheridan would later go on to star as Dr John Sutton during the second season of David E. Kelley's Chicago Hope.
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- Wilson Pickett: Kim comments that when Jimmy gets depressed, he plays saxophone and becomes Wilson Pickett. Wilson Pickett is an American R&B and soul singer.
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- Fatal Attraction is a 1987 film starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.
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