Episode # 4: "Feast or Famine" originally aired November 21, 2000
Sneak Peek

Thanksgiving dinner brings the Sammler and Manning families together whether they like it or not, reuniting Lily-s mom (Bonnie Bartlett) and brother (Patrick Dempsey) for the first time since Phil's funeral. Meanwhile, Rick's mother (Barbara Barrie) forces him to see that his children are not doing as well as he would like to believe, on "Once and Again."

Feast or Famine
Thanksgiving at Lily's house is celebrated by members of her family and Rick's amid generous helpings of guilt and recrimination. Peg: Barbara Barrie. Barbara: Bonnie Bartlett. Rick: Billy Campbell. Lily: Sela Ward. Eli: Shane West. Grace: Julia Whelan. Jessie: Evan Rachel Wood. Judy: Marin Hinkle. Aaron: Patrick Dempsey.

Cast: Billy Campbell, Sela Ward, Shane West, Evan Rachel Wood, Meredith Deane, Julia Whelan, Susanna Thompson, Jeffrey Nordling, Todd Field, Marin Hinkle, Barbara Barrie, Bonnie Bartlett, Patrick Dempsey__TVGuide.com (November 9, 2000)

Susan Stewart's Hits & Misses --
Once and Again
This domestic drama is always about feelings, and feeling are high around the Thanksgiving table this year. Dinner is at Lily's; she's having Rick, their mothers (Bonnie Bartlett and Barbara Barrie) and four fuming kids. The meal provides more fuel for angst. (Who makes better cranberry sauce? Is Jessie anorexic?) Again's naturalistic approach gives it the awkwardness of real life; you feel it's your family at the table. This week, you'll be thankful it's not. My score: 7__TV Guide (November 18 - 24, 2000)

Close-Up
Thanksgiving Once and Again
The holiday is celebrated by two extended families in a gathering that includes Rick's perky mom, Peg (Barbara Barrie), and Lily's standoffish mother, Barbara (Bonnie Bartlett). Which begs Lily's question: "Can we really have our mothers in the same room? Isn't that like matter and antimatter?"

Actually, the two senior ladies get along pretty well, but there are uncomfortable moments between Rick and Peg over his increasingly edgy relationship with his son and daughter. The tension builds to a confrontation that dredges up long-buried, angry feelings from Rick's past.__TV Guide (November 18 - 24, 2000)

Cast Call: Lily, Rick, Karen, Jake, Grace, Zoe, Eli, Jessie, Judy, Miles, David
Guest Stars: Barbara Barrie as Peg, Bonnie Bartlett as Barbara, Patrick Dempsey as Aaron.
Writers: Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick
Director: Claudie Weill

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