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by George Grant Published: May 3, 2001
It is even more saddening when the reason for Michael’s departure from the show is made apparent by the fact that he has Parkinson’s disease. I have spent some time looking at his official site, and there you can find his journal, upcoming news and general information on the man himself and the illness that has ended an inspired career. I will leave a note of the address at the end of the report. The final episode was basically a tribute to Michael, who without him, the show would undoubtedly, not be the success it is today. It depicted some of the most emotional moments in television I know of. And I’m not afraid to say it, I cried. The part that set me off was the scene in the bar where the gang is saying their goodbyes. Especially when Stuart (Alan Ruck) has to leave the room, to hold in his emotion of saying goodbye to his friend and colleague (Insert Kleenex here). Local TV guides said that hankies would be needed and true to form, they were right. However, the creators were able to fuse the right mix of comedy and emotion into this episode and to me, it was just right. You still have the mayor in his imperial airheaded-ness, mixed with the slow-minded actions of James. In a way I feel that when Michael and Carter Heywood (Michael Boatman), gave each other a hug on screen, that wasn’t just for the cameras, it was also on a higher level, where it meant the same in real life. And fittingly, the title of the episode, ‘Goodbye’. Currently the UK is only as far as the end of season 4, with it being unsure as to when season 5 will begin airing. All I know at the moment is that Michael is to be replaced with Charlie Sheen, and from American sources, the humour is still there, but it just isn’t the same without Michael. I haven’t gone any further into researching more forward episodes, as I would consider this being spoilerish. In my opinion this is a topical, witty and intelligent show that has suffered a great loss. You can catch his very own website at www.michaeljfox.org. OK, so this column has basically turned into a mass tribute to Michael J Fox, anybody got a problem with that? Personally I have not seen as much of Michael’s material as I would have hoped, with luck, this will change in the close future. In a parting shot, I would like to add that this show would fit the bill to be drafted on to Video/DVD as soon as possible. And with a spot of luck, the farce that surrounded the Buffy boxsets can be avoided, with maybe some sort of percentage going towards the charity that Michael has set up in aid of Parkinson’s disease. Well folks, it isn’t exactly a happy column I’ll give you that, but it is one that is close to my heart. As usual, you can get me at the usual address at the top of the article. Thank you for reading |
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