This is the final selection in the three-part series looking back the 1990s NBC sitcom Wings.
The power of relationships between characters help to drive a story. Books, plays, film, and television rely on the art of the relationship (or lack thereof) between characters and the world in which they reside.
In television, it is relationships between the main cast and how they function which helps drive a series. A drama tends to tendril off, expanding to many different corners and fully diving into minor and major characters.
In the sitcom world, relationships mostly remain confined to the main cast. Sure, a new character will pop up and now then. Or a random stranger will appear to help support a story for an episode or two.
Wings was propelled by a strong core unit of characters and their relationships. A will-they-or-won't-they trope helped drive this along and was sometimes central to the first five seasons of Wings eight-season run. It was also the basic relationships of family, friends, worker-boss, customer-worker, etc. that helped create the world as seen on Nantucket.
Brotherly love
From the beginning, Wings told a tale of brothers, family, and friendship with the relationship between Joe and Brian Hackett (Tim Daly, Steven Weber). Theirs was a very fractured relationship in the beginning. Brian, who had ran away with Joe's fiancée, was freshly returned to the island of Nantucket, single and out of work as a pilot.
This situation with Carol (Kim Johnston Ulrich) is wrapped up fairly early in the show, with closure between the three settled in episodes three and four of the first season.
From there, we get to see Joe and Brian's relationship flourish. There's was a troubled childhood, with a mom that had abandoned them just prior to their teen years. Their father eventually had a mental breakdown (with scavenger hunts designed to get the brothers together bookending the series in its first and last episodes).
Early teases of a love triangle between Joe, Brian, and childhood friend Helen (Crystal Bernard) fizzled out, especially with Helen pretty firm in her statement that she "doesn't date pilots". Women didn't too often come between Joe and Brian, having learned their lesson with Carol, though the arrival of Alex (Farrah Forke) in season four did briefly provide some tension and fights.
As the Hackett brothers grew from boss/co-worker to eventual co-owners of Sandpiper, we also witnessed their growth. Brian learned to be more responsible while Joe learned to relax and enjoy life (though towards the end of the run, Joe's OCD and attention to detail were played up for plenty of laughs).
And, despite Helen's initial assessment of pilots, a love story emerged.
Wings: The Helen and Joe arc
Old friends, the best of friends, Helen Chapel and Joe keep things simple in the beginning, laying a foundation in episode two of season one with Joe saying, "We're buddies."
This is after Helen asks, "Am I sexy?" and we get to see flirting, the first inkling of future relations.
By episode nine of season two, the two are going on their first date and, three episodes later, share a passionate kiss. With that, Joe officially proclaims to Helen, "Let's date."
The two even reach the precipice of marriage (S2, E18) in an episode that begins with the two aiming for a Friday night alone, only to be interrupted by Brian.
Told "we're not the three musketeers anymore", Brian eventually meets Gwen (Lisa Darr) and the two live on the edge of life, kicking off the entire marriage idea.
Of course, neither couple does and by the end of the second season (episode 22), Helen and Joe go their separate ways because of initially Helen getting a job in a symphony in Maine. Unwilling to do long distance, the couple has it out across the terminal, dumped tools and broken plates included. By the end of the episode, despite the symphony job no longer an option, Helen decides to leave for New York to give her music career ago.
There is a lot of resentment by Helen towards Joe in the early part of season three, especially as Joe has met and begun to date Gail (Gretchen German). This is truly the only other woman Joe dates for an extended period, lasting until episode 8.
Meanwhile, Helen twice crashes her jeep into Joe's office as her anger grows. The two eventually reconcile as friends (S3, E3) and share a kiss (S3, E8) after Joe and Gail end things (but both Joe and Helen say "nah").
Things are quiet between the two and then Helen begins seeing Davis Lynch (Mark Harelik) in season five. There's a running joke about Davis always canceling on Helen but eventually he proposes to Helen (S5, E24).
Sparks fly between Joe and Helen when she gives Joe the news of the pending nuptials. A kiss leads to another but all appears to be over before ultimately ending the episode with the two in bed together (discovered by Brian).
Overall, this arc was spread evenly and nicely over the seasons. The beginning of their relationship wasn't too rushed and aside from early season three, their relationship didn't become overly strained and petty. By time Helen and Joe are engaged (S6, E1) and married (S6, E26), enough time has passed and their dynamic fully cemented.
The same, however, can't be said about the love life of Brian.
Brian Hackett: Never settle
Brian lived up to his true playboy, wild style nature. He was constantly on the prowl, looking for the fun to never end.
Most of his dalliances were one-episode affairs. That is until Alex rolled into town in season four.
Headstrong and confident, Alex knew exactly what she wanted. She kept Joe ("Ace") and Brian ("Slick") on their toes, pitting the against one another until agreeing to a date with Brian (S4, E7). In this episode, Brian sinks Lowell's (Thomas Haden Church) boat, forcing the dim-witted mechanic onto land.
A second-chance for Brian is had later in season four (E22), where he and Alex have a nearly perfect date. Turns out it was one of Brian's special date packages (which, thinking about it, don't many people have certain things they tend to do on first dates?) and Alex feels used. As it turns out, Brian actually enjoyed her company and the two begin to date.
Season five sees the relationship heat up, with the two moving in together briefly. Brian, however, seemingly has one foot out the door and realizes what he has too late, as Alex has decided to move on.
As expected, Brian deals with heartbreak in the early parts of season six and never really settles down the remainder of the series. He has some on-again, off again flings with Casey (Amy Yasbeck), including an outing that, through a series of events, leads to Joe and Helen's house being burnt down.
Though I was rooting for Brian to succeed in a relationship with Alex, outside forces (read: studio) likely kept that from happening. Instead, we got a version closer to the Brian we'd come to love over the years.
While Brian enjoyed the single life, there was a character who wanted love and sadly rarely ever found it.
Unlucky in love
Antonio Scarpacci (Tony Shalhoub) never quite found true love, despite his repeated valiant attempts.
Antonio was married to Helen in season three, to remain in the United States, and the two are later divorced. He pines after Casey upon her arrival on Nantucket, with multiple failed attempts and makeovers to win her over.
Given the character of essentially a sad sack, Shalhoub as Antonio is some A+ stuff. He fit in seamlessly as friends to the crew and by the last season, is sharing a residence with Brian and Casey.
He even found a consistent love interest in season eight, though much of it was talked about offscreen. It was a relationship where Antonio's insecurities shined through and much of the focus on Antonio the final part of show's run was his desire to earn more money.
Love, laughs, and friendship were never too far away on Wings. The give-and-take buoyed the show for eight seasons, with a perfect mix of comedy touched with moments of drama to make Wings so enjoyable. Memorable, standout characters will live on, with Wings hopefully flying away from the land of forgotten 1990s sitcoms once and for all.
Part 1 - Wings: Forgotten sitcom gem of the 1990s
Part 2 - Wings: Now boarding guest stars and recurring characters
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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