Remote Rewind: Boston Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

This is my absolute, hands-down, no contest favorite episode of Dr. Quinn EVER!! And it might possibly be my favorite episode of any show ever, but nostalgia is coming into play so I'll just say that it's on my all-time faves list. Up until this point, Sully and Michaela has resisted (and even, at times, fought) their feelings for one another. It was painful for us to watch and we were sitting at home hanging on their every word waiting for the inevitable to finally happen. And when it did in this stellar episode, the payoff was well worth the wait. But before we get to the awesomeness that is "that moment," we need to discuss the build-up that comprised 99% of this second season outing. After Dr. Mike gets a troubling telegram from her sister, she and the kids rush back to Boston to be at her ailing mother's side. She recognizes that her mother has been misdiagnosed, but the attending doctor refuses to listen to her opinion or use any of her "Indian medicine" to treat her mother. A kinder, more open Dr. Burke agrees to take Michaela's diagnosis into consideration and agrees to treat Mrs. Quinn with the Cheyenne cure. Of course, he might have agreed simply because he was a bit smitten with her, but that is neither here nor there at this point. The cure works, and Mrs. Quinn is back home and feeling almost 100% in no time. Time to pack it up and head back to Colorado Springs, right? Nope. Michaela decides to stay in Boston for her mother's upcoming birthday bash much to Matthew's dismay (he's feeling a bit like a fish out of water and he's missing Ingrid).

The extended stay also gives Dr. Burke the opportunity to spend more time with Michaela. He brings her down to the poor houses to help those who cannot afford to get the medical care they need. The two quickly bond over their shared desire to use their skills to help the less fortunate. He takes her out to a fancy Boston dinner and he gets her a speaking engagement at a professional medical conference. Things seem to be moving along quickly between the two, but everything changes when Sully arrives in Boston (after seeking guidance from Cloud Dancing). He shows up at the Quinn residence in his buckskins and tomahawk and creates quite a stir on the streets of Boston and within the halls of the Quinn household. Michaela doesn't seem too excited to see Sully and quickly begins to give him the cold shoulder. He confronts her when she tells him that she'll have a housekeeper make him a fire, but he doesn't seem to get through to her. The kids tell Sully that he needs to take Dr. Mike to the opera and Mrs. Quinn suggests that he start looking and acting like he's in Boston ("When in Rome..."). Sully does both and things seem to being moving back into his favor. He even almost scores a goodnight kiss after the opera, but his success is short-lived.

Michaela gives her lecture at the professional medical conference, but the fact that she's a woman and her lecture is on Cheyenne medicine, causes many of the all-male attendees to walk out in the middle of her speech. Sully stays until the end and decides to go back stage to congratulate her. As she steps off the stage, Dr. Burke meets and congratulates her first. He tells her that he loves her and wants to be her partner in both medicine and life and asks her if she wants the same. She hesitates saying that there were moments when she thought it and moments when she was unsure of anything at all. He asks if Sully has asked for her hand and then proclaims that he's asking for it now. Sully witnesses the interaction and confronts Michaela about it outside the lecture hall. She can't give him the answers he desires and he storms off. When she returns to her mother's house, she learns that Sully has left. She rushes to the train station to find him and this angst-ridden scene unfolds:


At this point, I was losing it. We had waited all of this time and she freakin' walked off the train!! Sully put everything on the line and finally told her how he felt and she freakin WALKED OFF THE TRAIN!!! Luckily, Mrs. Quinn, the kids and her own soul-searching made her realize what she truly wanted. After letting Dr. Burke down easy, she and the kids bid adieu and boarded the train and then the stagecoach to Colorado Springs. When the stage finally pulled into town, my absolute favorite TV moment happened. I can in no way do the moment justice, so I will just post the scene in all of its awesomeness for you to enjoy:


Sigh. I'm pretty sure I can trace my hopeless romantic side back to this very scene. But if you thought that it was all smooth sailing from here for these two, you would be mistaken. Several obstacles abound in their path to happiness, but we'll cover some of that next week. For now, let's just enjoy the moment that was.

Feeling nostalgic for Dr. Mike, Sully and the rest of the residents of Colorado Springs? Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series is now available on DVD.