Picket Fences - S1E22

The Lullaby League
First Aired: Thursday May 6, 1993

A blues vocalist comes to town and has Zach Brock play on stage with her. In the process, she collapses and it is found that she has a serious health problem. Also, Maxine and Kenny deliver a baby, which is given to Maxine by the fugitive mother.

Being the last episode of the season, I was hoping for a bit more than what I got. There were two story lines with about equal screen time. The first one involved a pseudo-famous blues singer named Naomi (played by Della Reese), who suffers a heart attack during her performance with Zach Brock in front of the town. When Jill sees no other option, she puts a temporary transplant of a pig liver into the woman until they can find a suitable donor. After the woman finds out, she flips out and worries about her legacy should she die. She wants the liver out. The courts do not relent and Naomi is left at hating Jill for dishonoring her. By the end of the episode, she grudgingly decides to have a human liver transplant in Chicago.

The other storyline involved Maxine and Kenny chasing a speeding car and finding a woman in labor when it pulls over. Maxine has to deliver the baby before the paramedics show. The following day, the mother skips town after Kenny questions her because it turns out she is wanted by the government. She left sole custody to Maxine until a proper home can be found. In the process of caring for the baby, Maxine decides to adopt. However, the woman turns herself in and agrees to testify against her husband so that she may keep the baby in a half-way home. Needless to say that at the end of the episode, Maxine is heartbroken.

Like I mentioned, I was hoping for a bit more, since the last couple of episodes have been very charged in their acting and writing. While both of the storylines, mostly Maxine's, were interesting to start with, I felt they petered off a bit at the conclusion. Of particular note for me, when Judge Bone showed up to console Maxine, I was disappointed because it felt too sugary. I still can't wait for season two, because I hope it starts off better then this left off.

Score: 7.5 / 10