Isn’t it strange that Jen turned far greener over the brash secretary than Ally?
Elaine apologized, it was all part of the act, her whole life is an act (remember, light and fluffy). Later the periphery gang, you know, the five and unders with contracts (Nelle, Coretta, et. al.) went on with the party as John and Ally fought to keep hope alive.
John’s mission involved a mayor who wanted to put the freeze on Christmas festivities. The complicated part about this not so standard Grinch tale is that the guy had a point. The town’s industry (Christmas) went up in flames and firefighters lost their lives. In an all too familiar refrain John’s client (guest star Peter Scolari) wanted a parade to signal the return to normalcy.
A slight aside: John loves to run around in an elf costume, it makes him jolly which he decidedly is not this holiday season, so to try and add some light and fluffy, don’t you think he’d make a splendid dentist elf in the live version of Rudolph?
Okay, a slightly lame suggestion, but once I deal with Ally’s woeful tale it may downright make you smile by comparison. Do you remember the kid at the prom? Probably, since Josh Goban (as Malcolm) is developing some kind of rabid cult following all on account of that singing he does. The problem is now he’s not singing, and his papa Harrison, (great performance by Tom Berenger) is a minister who is no longer preaching. Both are engulfed with pain because of the death of their wife/mother, shot in the neck during a robbery. Ally did her best to council them saying that Billy will always live in her heart; your loved ones are never truly gone.
I suppose the only way to describe the ending is somber consolation, which’s all you can say of a candlelight firefighter procession, followed up by Santa Claus. Malcolm belted out a sorrowful tune while Harrison started the process of reconciling doubt with religion, and Ally paid a visit to the graveyard. Go watch Charlie Brown’s tree grow twinkly and full, immediately.