I'm curious as to what you all think... Christine, Joan (Dan ran against her for state assembly), Patty (Dan's one time fiancee), Roz (they had a unique friendship, so why not add her), or someone else?

I just watched the episode "Strange Bedfellows" and I really liked the Joan character. I thought her and Dan had GREAT chemistry and maybe it's just me but you can kind of tell that Dan liked her more than some of the girls he usually dated.

I never saw any episodes with Patty and I think Dan and Christine would have been a good pair but I like her better with Harry. :)

Yeah, Dan and Joan. Aside from the physical, the political angle would keep their fires burning. Harry and Christine is a longtime screw up the producers should've done.

"Strange Bedfellows" was a good episode. I thought it really showed Dan's less abrasive side. Initially, you think Joan is going to be just another one of Dan's pursuits. Then, it turns into something very real for him. You really understood that when that trampy girl came up to him at the end offering him a little "peel and squeal." Dan's response of, "Not tonight. I've got a heartche" made you feel sorry for him.

The other thing about the episode that I thought was interesting was this. Did you pay attention to the fact that Harry's first ever meeting with Mel Torme was set up by Christine? I thought that was pretty great. He was even going to take her to the concert...and she was going to go! Would Harry have arranged the same thing with Christine and Barry Manilow? Hummm!

I still think my beloved Reinhold Daniel should stay single (Yeah, I joked about the Dan/Harry thing :lol: ).
I thought the relationship in 'Strange Bedfellows' went way too fast and should have been stretched for a few episodes, but you know because of Dan's lifestyle, he's going to be dumped in the end or he will dump for the biggest breasts that go by, if he can get it with a good deal attatched. :)

Although it was all romantic and gooshy to see him infatuated, I like him best when he's a badass sleazy playboy.

The law of Dan Fielding physics states that Dan will always get lynched in the end, usually the last 5 seconds. :)

I still think my beloved Reinhold Daniel should stay single (Yeah, I joked about the Dan/Harry thing :lol: ).
I thought the relationship in 'Strange Bedfellows' went way too fast and should have been stretched for a few episodes, but you know because of Dan's lifestyle, he's going to be dumped in the end or he will dump for the biggest breasts that go by, if he can get it with a good deal attatched. :)

Although it was all romantic and gooshy to see him infatuated, I like him best when he's a badass sleazy playboy.

The law of Dan Fielding physics states that Dan will always get lynched in the end, usually the last 5 seconds. :)

I do agree that the relationship between Dan and Joan Hobbeson should have been stretched over a few episodes. It would have made Joan's proposition to have Dan move to Albany with her more realistic. I also agree that Dan was at his best when he was sleezy and disgusting.

However, I don't know if Dan should have stayed single. I think that he should have reached a point where he "grew up" a bit. Remember, his biggest fear was growing old alone. Of course, I don't feel he should have ended up with Christine. There were other women in his life, like Joan, that he could have easily ended up with. The way I always saw it...Dan really could have any woman he wanted. Harry really couldn't. Therefore, I thought Harry should have been rewarded with Christine.

I really liked the Joan Hobbson episode, but I think I want Dan to end up with someone else...not sure who though...someone we never saw, but somewhere out there, there's the perfect woman for him. The thing that I loved about last night's episode is that it showed Dan that he DOES want more than one-night stands...I think that was a very important point, even though it ended in heartache for him.

Nitcrt1, I agree with you about Harry. He and Christine were both so quirky and sweet that I felt like they deserved each other. Dan really COULD have any woman he wanted...but Christine and Harry just had that extra connection. Dan really is a great guy and I want him to be happy, so in my head, he's happily married (although he still has a wandering eye...but its only his eye that wanders, so its okay!), with some kiddies somewhere who like to come over and play with Harry and Christine's kiddies....I know its cheesy, but I really want a happily-ever-after scenario for these people!!

Well HaskellGirl, if you really want closure, I direct you to Jay Bowler's "Night Court" fan fiction page.

http://night_court.tripod.com/stories/stories.html

Read the stories:
1. "A Night Court Christmas" (a.k.a. "Bells Will Be Ringing")
2. "It's All Relative"
3. "To Be...Or Not To Be"
4. "Sentenced To Life-Part 1"
5. "Sentenced To Life-Part 2"

These five stories were written tying up the Harry and Christine storyline as if the ninth season never happened. From what I understand, as soon as Jay updates his website, a reunion story is supposed to be posted written by the same author of these five stories. Check them out.

Thanks everyone for responding... I love to see what others on here think. There were a few shows that showed that deep down Dan did want a real relationship... in "Married Alive", he explained what it felt like to find that one special person, in "Dan's Operation" he stated he didn't want to grow old alone and in "Strange Bedfellows" he was sad that Joan left becuase he had developed real feelings for her.

As far as Dan having any woman he wants, I think it depends on how you look at it. He seems to be able to get any woman he wants for one nighters, but when he finds that one woman he wants to have a real relationship with they end up leaving him.

One fact of the matter is that I think that all of you are way too focused on the relationshipping aspects of the series.

The truth of the matter is that nobody ever agrees with me because my thoughts are usually "alternative" and I'm not really into this romance stuff. Everywhere I go online these days people in fandoms are obsessed with the romance between characters like it's the end all and be all and they love to fight about it (in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, heck, even in a children's show like Lazytown). The truth is that relationshipping is like a perpetual flamewar with no beginning or end because the truth is that none of it is plausible and no, I don't consider fan fiction a part of canon at all, because at times people tend to write the characters terribly off character and usually I don't find what is written very satisfying.

My favorite thing that happens is when the show writers listen to fans, completely reject them and pair the characters with the last person they'd suspect, which amuses the hell out of me.

I, myself, am not crazy about these fantasy pairings in any fandom, really. I'm quite satisfied with how the characters were portrayed during the series.

I spend time over at the boards at this site http://godawful.net and I have seen how bad this kind of thing can get. This is one of the many reasons why I dissapprove of the 'shipper scene. It just gets too damned unrealistic after a while.

There's so much more to the characters other than who they're going to be with.

I'm sorry, but I had to say it because this is something a feel strongly about. I'm not trying to ruin anybody's fun, but please don't try to start taking it so seriously that you start ripping into people over being dead set over Harry/Christine or whatever ship of your choice.

As for Dan, I love him the way he is. He's darling in his own way and he doesn't need infatuation to enhance that.

I respect your view ekkostar and I agree about shipping sometimes getting out of control. I've seen it get down right dirty on other boards and I do "ship" but not to the point of insanity. However, I've been on this board for a while now and can honestly say that while ships have been debated, I never saw it get ugly. Everyone seems to respect others opinions on this board and being a Dan/Christine shipper, I can honestly say that no one on here was ever disrepectful to me or my opinion, just like I try to respectful of others opinions. Afterall, differing opinions is what makes talking/debating interesting. If we all thought and felt the same about everything on the show then this message board would get boring really fast. I think shipping is acceptable as long as you go into it knowing that not everyone feels the same as you.

Okay ekkostar, take a deep breath. I see we've touched a nerve with you and we don't mean to. We are all friendly here. Are we a little focused on the relationship thing here? Yes, it seems to be that way. I guess it's because it's one aspect of the show that never fully got resolved. So, we need to vent a little. We apologize for that. I know that you feel you're in the minority here, but I'm glad you're outspoken about the topic. It's what keeps the board interesting. I always saw Dan as finally getting everything he worked for all those years, especially financial sucess. I liked Dan too. He always made you laugh. There are several points where I did agree with you concerning matters of the show. So, there are points where you're not alone.

As for fan fiction, you're right. There are stories that don't stay true to the characters, but the ones I'm suggesting really follow the show well. The stories I recommended do stay true to the atmosphere and character aspects of the show. There is a lot of crappy fan fiction out there, but I wouldn't suggest it to you. I would only suggest it if I thought it was worth it. I think these stories are pretty well written.

You're right. There are more important things about the show than who should be paired with you. Unfortunately, everytime we try to talk about something else, the board may have some hits for a few days then it fizzles out. The pairing topic just seems to generate a lot of feelings. I guess for me it's just because I felt the show really had no closure. I'm not talking about the Harry/Christine thing either. I'm just talking in general. The series finale just left too many things open. I just wished all the doors shut.

If I was someone who "ripped into you" I apologize for that. You are 100% entitled to your thoughts and feelings. I encourage that. I think it's great you're putting us in our place. I think we all should be supportive of everyone's opinions here. That's the beauty and freedom of the message board. No one on this board is out to cause a problem. We're juat all opinionated.

I will make the effort to try and change the subject, so that we can all talk happily about a "Night Court" topic not involving relationships.

I appreciate your comments and hope that we can all get along on the board again.

P.S. -I love Dan the way he is too. You need someone like him to keep things light.

Last night's show is really what sparked this question for me. Only because I know there is a large fan base for Harry/Christine here and I was curious as to who people thought would be a match for Dan since I'm in the minority. It really was not meant to start any kind of shipper debate.

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a moron. What are you guys talking about when you refer to "shipping." I'm afraid I'm not that internet savy.

This is what was told when I started coming to message boards. Basically, "shipping" is short for "relationshipping". If you root for a specific pairing, you "ship" that couple. An example for this board would be Harry/Christine shippers for those who support that pairing. On some boards the rival ships go way over board and then this is referred to as "shipper wars". In my opinion, when "wars" start it's a result of rude, nasty, childish behavior because they can't agree to just disagree and respect others opinions. I've seen this happen on ER boards all over the net with the Luby vs. Carby debate...that one was just nasty! It would be like if all the Harry/Christine supporters ripped into me everytime I supported Dan/Christine or vice versa, but like I stated in my post above, I've never encountered that here, which is part of the reason why I love coming to this board so much.
I hope this makes sense and you understand what I'm trying to say. ;)

No offense, but I don't see what the problem is...who's fighting? We are just having a conversation. Romance is interesting to a lot of people...not everyone, but a lot, especially us romantics at heart. That doesn't mean that's the only thing that interests us about a show (but even if it did, who cares?)...I guess I just don't see what the problem is. We are all just trying to have fun on these boards and discuss an awesome show with awesome characters. We can certainly discuss other aspects of the characters as well, but romance is always a fun one.:)

There's so much more to the characters other than who they're going to be with.

As for Dan, I love him the way he is. He's darling in his own way and he doesn't need infatuation to enhance that.


I wanted to respond to this...I wouldn't change the way Dan was seen on the show...but that doesn't mean when I think of the character after the show has ended, that I want to see him alone. Like you said, there's so much more to the characters than who they are going to be with...but one thing that is striking is that Dan, the real Dan, seems to WANT someone special in his life...this has come up repeatedly, when Dan is showing us the person on the inside. Its not just that we want Dan with someone just for the heck of it, just because we want to ship every character on the planet. Its a very revealing and poignant aspect to his character, something that people who only watch a handful of episodes might not get to see. Personally, Dan has endeared himself to me...I LOVE his playboy attitude, but I also love the man he is inside and the man he wants to become. I want him to be happy, and I see evidence of him growing tired of his lifestyle. He wants more. So I want him to have more, because I want him to be happy.

I definately understand that these are sitcom characters. But the amazing thing is how sitcom characters can touch you, if they are written well, and acted well, and these characters on Night Court have been written well and acted well...beyond most other sitcoms, IMO.

HaskellGirl... I agree with you assessment of Dan. If you watched the show and saw those certain episodes it is quite clear that Dan is looking for more but the timing is off when he does find it.

Posted by HaskellGirl:
I definately understand that these are sitcom characters. But the amazing thing is how sitcom characters can touch you, if they are written well, and acted well, and these characters on Night Court have been written well and acted well...beyond most other sitcoms, IMO

I couldn't have said it better myself. Yes, it's a show but it was a darn good one!

Well, this is all in fun. We're all fans of the show and just want to speculate, no harm there. Never seen a flame on this board (SOonline is one of the few where the mods keep it respectful). To put it nicely, if there's a topic you don't like, you don't have to read/respond to it.

But "shipping" (I'm new to the term as well) is all you really have to debate. You can't debate a Harry prank or what kind of sweater Mac looked best in. That would seem lame. So you talk about relationships, a pretty heavy thing even in sitcom-land.

Anywho, I loved seeing Dan's soft side at times. It makes for a great character arc. If a character remains the same he gets tired, it's good for an off-kilter ep, and then you're ready for them to get back on track. Like him and Joan for three eps would've been straying too far from Dan, I think. People have whirlwind romances like that, where after just a few hours, you get like Dan and say, "What I'm saying is....I don't know what I'm trying to say." You don't wanna say you're in love, it's too soon. But you do want to express your feelings to that person, even if it's early.

I'm curious as to what you all think... Christine, Joan (Dan ran against her for state assembly), Patty (Dan's one time fiancee), Roz (they had a unique friendship, so why not add her), or someone else?

After following Christine to Washington, and getting rejected yet again, Dan engaged in some major soul-searching. Coming to a realization about the motivation for his inability to commit to any woman willing to have him, he moves to San Francisco. There, he meets Steve Dallas and they set up a law practice dedicated to helping the homeless (The Phil Sanders Memorial Agency) and they live happily ever after as a committed couple.


:lol: :lol:

For those of you who are too young to have read Bloom County, in the strip Steve Dallas was a womanizing lawyer, who, at the end of the life of the strip, ended up driving off into the sunset (on a bus) with Zonker Harris (I think) from Doonesbury. OK, it was funnier when Berkeley Breathed wrote it. :)

Seriously, for the record, I voted for Jean Hobson (played by Janet Zarish). I thought they had great chemistry as a couple. Yes, even more than Dan and Christine.

The other thing about the episode that I thought was interesting was this. Did you pay attention to the fact that Harry's first ever meeting with Mel Torme was set up by Christine? I thought that was pretty great. He was even going to take her to the concert...and she was going to go! Would Harry have arranged the same thing with Christine and Barry Manilow? Hummm!

Yes! I noticed that! I thought it was really cute and sweet! And I did also notice that Christine was going to go! Loved it! lol...awww..

And btw, I guess for now I'd have to go with Joan, cause I'd have to see the Patty ones.. can't remember if I saw them during the Marathon or not, I guess I'll find out.

And yes, everyone is definately entitled to their own opinion, and I didn't think anyone was trying to "rip anyone apart". I'm sorry you feel that you have been, ekkostar. Everyone seems pretty nice here, and I haven't been here too long, but I am sorry that we seemed to have hurt your feelings. :(

I think Dan Should have Ended up With Christine

I think Dan Should hjave Ended up With Christine

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
I was starting to think I was the only one in the world who wanted Dan with Christine. :D

Did Christine pay you five bucks to say "thank you?" :lol: Just kidding.
I always thought a funny episode would be if Dan and Harry both had a date with Christine. I imagined Dan's date with Christine to be perfect and her date with Harry to be a complete disaster. I think an episode like that would have been hilarious. Could you imagine the competition aspect of that episode for the two of them to try to out do each other on the date? I even think throwing a few "challenges" at Dan to test his behavior would just add to the fun. It would be a test and I think it would be great. So, for the Dan advocates out there I truly would make his date with Christine a good one.

Did Christine pay you five bucks to say "thank you?"

:rotflmao: HA! I didn't even think of that when I wrote it! Too funny!

I always thought a funny episode would be if Dan and Harry both had a date with Christine.

Well we did kind of see some Dan/Harry competition for a woman in the episode "Christine's Friend". But I do agree that it would have made a very interesting and probably funny episode. However, I would have it be that her dates with both Dan and Harry go well in the end.

So, for the Dan advocates out there I truly would make his date with Christine a good one.

THANKS! :yourock: That means alot coming from a die-hard Harry/Christine advocate.

I thought you'd like that. I actually have a confession to make. I am a "Night Court" fan fiction writer. The fan fiction stories I suggested in a previous post were penned by yours truly. I've written a lot for Jay Bowler's page. I would never suggest my stories to any one if I hadn't gotten positive feedbsck from "Night Court" fans. I really did try to stay true to the characters and create stories that would have people saying...."I could see this happening on the show." My succession of stories are all pretty much tied together with a series finale that I thought should have transpired in the last year. Of course remember I am a die-hard Harry/Christine advocate, but this issue doesn't take away from the fun of the other characetrs. I least I don't think so. I did write a reunion story that the Dan fans would like, but Jay hasn't updated the website yet. He said that once he does that story will go up. So, my secret's out. Now, I feel like Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent.

In any case, I still continue to keep ideas in mind and the Dan and Harry dating Christine was one of them along with a few other different ones. I had another Dan story in mind too.

However, I would have it be that her dates with both Dan and Harry go well in the end.

I totally agree! :D