5.21 I Feel the Earth Move

Episode: 5.21

Title: I Feel the Earth Move

Written by: Jed Seidel

Directed by: Michael Fresco

Aired: May 2, 1994

Log line: Ron and Erick tie the knot after eight years; Maggie develops a severe nausea that she thinks is caused by Joel.

Listen to our podcast discussion of the episode here.

Our podcast discussion focused on two main themes in this episode: love and ethics. One recurring element in “I Feel the Earth Move” that may go unnoticed on the first or second go-round is the prevalence of French words used throughout. These are primarily used to refer to food, but there are other examples, one of the cleverest being the inclusion of Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” on the original airing (replaced on the official DVD). This song is steeped in French: “Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle / And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell, / ‘C’est la vie,’ say the old folks.”

French is largely used to evoke an elegance and special-ness that is contrasted by other elements in the episode, such as Maurice’s reference to Chuck E. Cheese, the sump pump Holling wants to buy, and the knock-off items that he orders to replace the elevated cuisine on Ron and Erick’s menu.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention that the well-known champagne Maurice references is reminiscent of the ubiquitous poster/calendar in Joel’s office, which we also see in this episode, such as during the scene when he berates “Cathy with a C” on the phone.

Songs from the episode’s original airing:

• “Get Me to The Church on Time” – Lawrence Welk [replaced in DVD version]
  Chris talks to Maurice about Ron and Eric’s wedding.
• “The Hawaiian Wedding Song” – Andy Williams [replaced in DVD version]
  Holling tries to get the catering gig for the wedding.
• “White Wedding” – Billy Idol [replaced in DVD version]
  Maggie, Joel and Eugene talk about earthquakes.
• “Endless Love” – Diana Ross and Lionel Richie [replaced in DVD version]
  Eugene and Holling prepare food for the wedding.
• “You Never Can Tell” – Chuck Berry [replaced in DVD version]
  People dance at the wedding reception.
• “I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll” – Nick Lowe [replaced in DVD version]
  People dance at the wedding.

Themes / Recurrences: Love; ethics.

The Good: Eugene was definitely the breakout star of this episode – we love a guy who can stand up to his new boss and follow his personal values. He certainly is growing on us! We also loved seeing the dynamic between Ron and Erick in this episode. Plus the amazing wedding (2nd ever on Network TV, the first being the Fox sitcom “Roc”)!

The Bad: As we mentioned in the podcast, this episode had a lot of great things going for it, but we both felt that the ending fell flat and was quite a bit too tidy and cute. We were not charmed.

The Notable: Little did the people who were filming the episode realize that one day, we’d be taking screencaps of this show. Marilyn’s journal reveals a lot about the actress Elaine Miles’ frustration with filming! We confess that we took a peek.

On’s rating: 8.5 out of 10

Shane’s rating: 8.5 out of 10