Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Night Court season 3, episode 14.
Night Court season 3, episode 14 aired Tuesday, April 1 on NBC and saw Abby struggling with her lingering feelings for Jake. The official synopsis reads: “Abby’s friendship with her ex-boyfriend’s mother leads to romantic complications; when Julianne’s wealthy aunt passes away, the gang vies for a piece of her inheritance.” In addition to the main cast, “Hot to Trot” features Ryan Hansen and his onscreen mom, Julia Duffy.
Abby spends time with Susan in the hopes of reuniting with Jake and soon realizes they have the same end goal. Susan invites her to her birthday party, only for Abby to see Jake with his new girlfriend. Although the exes don’t get back together, they realize it may be possible to move forward as friends. A lingering look at the end of the episode implies that Jake may still harbor feelings for Abby, despite her breach of trust.
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ScreenRant interviews Julia Duffy about her return to Night Court season 3, Susan’s relationship with Abby, and whether she believes Abby and Jake will reconcile romantically.
Susan Prefers Abby Due To Her Job As A Judge
“Her job didn’t quite compare to Abby’s job, so I think it was kind of a status thing.”
ScreenRant: Since Abby and Jake broke up, were you surprised when you got the call to return and heard what the plotline was going to be?
Julia Duffy: I was, because the season hadn’t started airing yet, and I didn’t know that they’d been broken up. I ran into him in the parking lot, and he said, “I haven’t been here for a long time,” and I said, “You haven’t?” And then he explained it to me. But it really set them up for a fabulous episode. Really fabulous.
Susan doesn’t seem to necessarily like Abby, so why did she want him back in a relationship with Jake?
Julia Duffy: She’s decided she doesn’t like the girl he’s dating now. [Laughs] So she prefers Abby, who has a really good job, I guess. I don’t know how much sense it made. I made it make sense to me, but she’s a somewhat shallow person.
Did she have anything against Lucy, or was it just that she wasn’t Abby?
Julia Duffy: Her job didn’t quite compare to Abby’s job, so I think it was kind of a status thing.
Abby And Jake’s Dynamic Is One Of The Best Will-They-Won’t-They’s Duffy Has Seen
“There are no bad guys. There’s just the situation, and everybody is vulnerable in the end.”
What do you enjoy most about the relationship between Susan and Abby? They ended up spending a lot of time together.
Julia Duffy: I think Susan just dives in headfirst to whatever, and Abby’s a pretty cool person. I mean, she’s a judge. I think when she decides that she’d rather he be with Abby that she’s just going to make her a friend, that’s all there is to it, because that’s what she does. She takes care of business.
Do you think she did come around to accepting Jake’s new girlfriend? It seemed like they were on better terms by the end.
Julia Duffy: This was a very clever turnaround by the writers. It was such a clever idea to turn it around to where, actually, she’s a pretty great girl. It’s such a dilemma for the audience because it would be so simple if you just hated her. But they made it more complex, and it made Abby so vulnerable. Imagine if you broke up with your boyfriend, and then he dated someone, and then she turns out to be nicer than you thought. That’s kind of a sad thing.
As Jake’s mom, do you think there is still hope for Abby and Jake to reconcile?
Julia Duffy: I do. And in the grand tradition of will they or won’t they get back together, I think this is one of the best versions of it I’ve ever seen. There are no bad guys. There’s just the situation and everybody is vulnerable in the end. I think it works beautifully. It really is one of the best versions of this I’ve ever seen on a comedy.
Duffy Says Susan Is “Living Life To The Fullest”
“It’s just so sweet that Jake has this mother. He doesn’t quite realize how crazy she is.”
How was filming that party scene? Even though it wasn’t really Susan’s birthday, it seems.
Julia Duffy: Oh, right. It just showed what kind of a mother he had. Although he seems to be sort of clueless about his mother since Ryan is just so sweet. I think he doesn’t notice how absolutely shallow his mother is, which I think is funny, but he loves her anyway. He’s just so open-hearted, and it’s really very sweet.
And then you just feel so sorry for Abby because there she is at this party that I insisted she come to, and there’s the girl, and she has to watch them dance together. There’s dancing. I don’t dance, so don’t worry. I’m not a dancer, but it’s a disco-themed party, so there’s a lot of dancing.
What’s going on between Susan and the mailman? Do you have any inside information?
Julia Duffy: I think she’s just kind of living life to the fullest because why not? She does have a history of, well, shall we say, sleeping around. She grew up in a modern time in the eighties where sort of anything went. [Laughs] It’s just so sweet that Jake has this mother. He doesn’t quite realize how crazy she is. He loves her anyway. It makes him look so good.
A Scene Between Susan And Wyatt Was Cut From Night Court Season 3, Episode 14
“Everything he says, every response he has, makes me laugh.”
Susan’s opening people’s mail, so it sounds like she could end up at night court, regardless. Is there a storyline you’d like to explore with her outside of the Abby and Jake dynamic?
Julia Duffy: She’s just a good character to be a catalyst for almost anything to happen because she’s such a free spirit. She doesn’t question herself, and she goes with whatever her emotion is at the moment. That can be somebody who can facilitate almost anything happening, I would say.
So you would like to return if the opportunity presented itself?
Julia Duffy: It would be very fun. This was the third one. It’s just so fun. It’s such a fun show. It’s so wacky in a way that you don’t get anywhere else these days. First of all, there aren’t that many sitcoms where you get to see over-the-top things happen in real time because you’re not cutting away very much. It’s like a play.
I just think it’s a really good character for that kind of thing. I rarely get to do something that’s that freeing. And I don’t think the audience gets to have these wacky things. That’s why they watch this show—unexpected things all the time. You don’t get that anywhere else.
Is there a character you hope Susan spends more time with?
Julia Duffy: There was a little bit between me and Nyambi that was cut for time, but his deadpan just cracks me up. Everything he says, every response he has, makes me laugh. I would love to have some back and forth with him. And of course, Dan.
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More About Night Court Season 3
In her quest to bring order and dignity to the court and reign in its colorful crew of oddballs, Abby enlists former night court district attorney Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) to serve as the court’s public defender. Still exceedingly self-confident, Fielding must adjust to a new boss and a new job – defending the downtrodden. And, beneath his arrogant demeanor, there is an empathetic side to Fielding that Abby is determined to unearth.
Check out our other Night Court season 3 interviews here:
Night Court season 3 airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
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