Thought's On "The Next Voice You Hear"

[nitcrt1]

I love this episode. However, there were a few things that left me scratching my head.

First, I think I caught a quick blooper. When Bull gives Harry his mother's phone number all is well. However, when Harry calls a recess to go call his mother, I could have sworn he left the paper on the desk. Then, he suddenly has it in his chambers after he talks with the operator.


My thoughts.....

THOUGHT ONE:

When Harry finally asks to talk with his mother on the phone, could he have been talking to Buddy? Why do I ask this? It seemed a little too ironic for me that Buddy suddenly shows up on the day Harry gets the letter from his mother and discovers she's dead. Could Buddy, after talking with Harry on the phone knowing Harry was now interested in his mother, have come to the courthouse to explain the facts? He also handed Harry the present from his mother. What took him so long to show up? How did he know to come finally?I also gather Harry's mother had to have died recently for all of this to suddenly happen. This whole business had me scratching my head.

THOUGHT TWO:

Buddy said he was married to Harry's mom for 23 years. That's all fine and well, but when did they get married? Harry's mother had married Harry senior. (We found out later that it was after she got out of the institution.) So, if she got pregnant with Harry when she was 16 (with Buddy being the father) then she had to be institutionalized twice. How? Well, her first time in the institution was when she met Buddy and had Harry. She returned to the institution when she left Harry at age five with Harry Sr. In other words, Harry's mother was in the institution twice based on indirect tidbits provided in episodes. It never was said that she was there twice, but she had to have been. Now, getting back to the marriage thing. Could Harry's mother have married Buddy once she discovered Harry Sr. was deceased? This is possible. She couldn't have been married to two men at the same time. That would have been crazy. Also, Harry was named after Harry Sr., which now makes me realize another confusing fact. How could Harry have been named after Harry Sr. if Buddy was the father and Harry's mother wasn't married to Harry Sr. yet? Was Harry's mother having an affair with Buddy in the institution??? Not according to Buddy. According to Buddy, Harry's mother married Harry Sr. after she got out of the institution. We know Harry was born in the mental institution. Therefore, she couldn't have married Harry Sr. then had Harry. Finally, would Harry Sr. be considered Harry's adoptive father since Harry assumes his last name? Buddy would have to be listed on Harry's birth certificate as being the father I would think. So, did Harry's mother and Buddy agree to have Harry adopted by Harry Sr because of the circumstances?

Most of these confusing facts were thanks to Harry Anderson who co-wrote the episode where Harry discovers Buddy is his father. However, some other ones came courteousy of series creator Reinhold Weege who wrote, "The Next Voice You Hear."

Now that I've totally confused everyone... What is your take? Did I miss something that was explained along the way?


I still hated how Harry never got total closure in this episode. He calls his mother only to find out that she's dead. He finally hears part of her story from Buddy then misses her. Now, he can never tell her to her face that he forgives her. And, he never gets the chance to say goodbye to her. Very tragic and unresolved for me.

[ClassicTVGal]

Exactly! I was thinking all of this earlier... and the whole situation still confuses me. And I'd have to go back to S6 where we find out that Buddy is Harry's real father, to hear their conversation in that one to compare both eps.

Thanks for bringing this up, NitCrt1, if you hadn't I probably would have. (lol)

But, yes. I do agree/and see with what you are saying.

[sara]

As for thought one. Yes, I always thought Harry was talking to Buddy on the phone. For thought two, I have no idea, reading all that made my head hurt. It does seem really confusing.

[JNoc]

Yup, Harry leaves the piece of paper on his desk when he walks off. I remember that boo boo!

I always thought Harry was talking to Buddy also. It was the only thing that made any sense. He identifies himself during the call so Buddy knows it 'time' to visit and give the gift.

And then things get really strange. I have never liked the 'Buddy is Harry's real father' stuff at all for the reasons listed in Thought 2. It's inconsistent, it's confusing and there was no need for it. I tried to trace it all back in my mind at one point and gave up as a 'they've just changed their minds' moment. Just like the baby brother Harry alluded to in the pilot. I find that kind of stuff to be disrespectful to long-term viewers who come to view show characters as extended friends.

[nitcrt1]

Originally Posted by JNoc

Yup, Harry leaves the piece of paper on his desk when he walks off. I remember that boo boo!

I always thought Harry was talking to Buddy also. It was the only thing that made any sense. He identifies himself during the call so Buddy knows it 'time' to visit and give the gift.

And then things get really strange. I have never liked the 'Buddy is Harry's real father' stuff at all for the reasons listed in Thought 2. It's inconsistent, it's confusing and there was no need for it. I tried to trace it all back in my mind at one point and gave up as a 'they've just changed their minds' moment. Just like the baby brother Harry alluded to in the pilot. I find that kind of stuff to be disrespectful to long-term viewers who come to view show characters as extended friends.

I *thought* Harry left the paper on the desk. I was a little tired during the episode, so I wasn't sure if I saw what I saw. Thanks for verifying I wasn't hallucinating.

I think Harry had to be talking with Buddy too. That's the only thing that makes sense to me.

I just had to laugh at the confusing things I listed in thought two I put up. I guess Harry didn't pay attention to his character's history that well. (haha) I don't think Buddy being Harry's father was a bad idea. I just think the explanation should have made more sense than it did. It really could have been possible, but the episode where Harry finds out Buddy is his father should have matched the story-line somehow. I could probably come up with a better way it could have been done, but it's 11:15pm and I'm not focused at this hour. I do have to say that I think I would have rathered Harry finding his mother at some point alive instead of dead. She was such a very important part of Harry's back story that getting rid of her so quickly bothered me a bit. I liked Buddy, but I don't think killing Harry's mother off like that was a good idea. I think the story-line should have continued.

[McFly121]

*Head is spinning* I feel like I need to sit down after reading that....and I'm already sitting down!

It was a drama ploy. "I'm your real father" stuff from the later seasons. If I recall, Harry wrote that episode, so I guess he felt it would be a great arc to have that revealed.

The way they butcher the eps, perhaps Harry went back in and got the paper and we just didn't see it. Thanks, syndication. I mean, it seemed quick, the way he dashed off the bench and like the shot 20 seconds later he's already about to hang up with the operator. Time cuts.

You'd think it was Buddy who answered, but he never says "I was the one who answered the phone." If it wasn't him, somebody would've have to have told Buddy. The irony of him showing up is too remote.

The Harry Sr./institution/Buddy's marriage to his mom is just to complicated to try and sort . Too bad that person who interviewed Harry on that website didn't ask about that sort of thing.