Ellen: Splitsville, Man

Ellen: Splitsville, Man
ABC
October 2, 1996
Sitcom
DVD
C+

While there are definitely things I like about this story, Matt Goldman's first of two for Ellen, from the Captain & Tennille in the title sequence to Ellen teasing the audience with a line about her whole life maybe being a lie and she might actually be left-handed, it's hard for me to get past the scene of her humiliating her parents at her father's retirement party because she's so upset about the separation.  Note that Ellen is 34 and her parents have been together 37 years.  Ed, who last episode said he had a five-year-old, here has a four-year-old, confirming my theory that his daughters are close in age.  Also, this is the second episode where Ellen sits in one of the O's of the Hollywood sign, so they get to reuse that set.

John Petlock, who was a Minister on Who's the Boss? a decade earlier, is Uncle Jim here, while Pat Crawford Brown, who was Mary on WtB in '88, plays Rose.  John David Conti, who was Lou on Roseanne in '91, is Tom here.  Nancy Lenehan is again Margaret the realtor, here getting the last name Reed.