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Private Notes
Becker performs his doctorly duties at the diner when a woman begins to choke on her food. After regaining her composure, the woman intensely expresses her gratitude to Becker, which takes him more than a little off-guard. As the days go by, Becker's fears are compounded when she begins to drop by the office and his apartment bearing gifts and well-wishes. Soon enough, Becker is outright panicked, and convinced that she's a certifiable lunatic who's become a danger to his well-being.
Becker is grumpier than usual after he decides to quit smoking, but he gets a lift from Reggie's friend (Marjorie Monaghan), an ex-smoker who tells him the only substitute that worked for her was sex.
When Dr. John Becker finds out that one of his patients is dating Reggie, he decides to give the guy some free advice on how to "court her properly." Meantime, Linda becomes a volunteer for Big Sisters and gets stuck being a mentor to a greedy brat who takes advantage of her at every turn.
Linda quits her job after she makes a mistake on a patient's prescription, and Becker hires what seems like an ideal replacement. Meanwhile, Reggie, Jake and Bob wonder why a nicely dressed man keeps pacing back and forth outside the diner.
Reggie begins dating Jordan, the most popular guy from her high school, who is building a hospital in the area, but quickly learns his dark side. Meanwhile, John fumes over his former research partner's patent for anti-wrinkle cream, and Linda adopts the bum who hangs out in the office doorway.
Before leaving for a medical conference in Chicago, at which he is scheduled to speak, Becker discovers that he has an extra airline ticket, which Reggie ends up using. Once aboard the plane, Reggie is immediately annoyed by the flight attendant and fellow passengers while Becker is uncharacteristically taking it all in stride. When Reggie discovers that Becker is high on Valium, she's alone in her misery until bad weather causes a delay and finds them stuck for hours on a tarmac in Buffalo. As the Valium wears off, Becker's temper and tongue-lashings return and the situation becomes a pressure-cooker about to explode.
Becker starts receiving phone calls from a woman he doesn't know, so he tries to avoid her. The strange woman shows up at the diner to explain that a mutual friend suggested they meet while she is in town. Taking a liking to each other, Becker and his new friend begin to spend a lot of time together, that is, until she confesses a shocking secret that sends Becker reeling.
While going to rescue the just-robbed Jake, Becker finds himself caught in the crossfire between two motorists who are arguing over a parking space. A struggle between the two ensues and one of them pulls out a gun. But it's Becker who takes a bullet to the shoulder. Despite his weakened state, he still manages to annoy everyone at the hospital and refuses to take the advice of his agitated doctor.
Confined to his apartment during the recuperation period, Becker is subjected to the intruding lifestyles of those who live in his building, which has him seeing red. His mood brightens -- temporarily -- when his doctor from the hospital, Elizabeth Carson, makes a house call. Meanwhile, "good help is hard to find" takes on a new meaning when Margaret and Linda try to find a doctor to fill in for Becker.
As Becker continues to recoup from his gunshot wound, he's caught off guard when Elizabeth claims that she doesn't have any aspirin -- although he found a bottle of them among her things while earlier snooping through her purse. Becker, of course dismissing his own bad behavior, is miffed at her actions and begins to think that she may not have an honest bone in her body. Meanwhile, Bob wins the lottery.
Jake's old friend, who was responsible for the car accident in which Jake lost his sight, pays him a surprise visit. Meanwhile, Margaret tries to get out of an annual road trip with some nursing school friends; and Becker experiences screen envy when Jake wins a huge television at his grandmother's church raffle.
Becker is his usual bitter self as Christmas rolls around, until a department store Santa drops dead in his waiting room. Meanwhile, Reggie prepares for her Christmas party.
John's waiting room turns into a maze of boxes when Linda orders too many supplies; Reggie becomes attracted to a much younger student and Margaret learns that a former patient died and has included her in her will.
A rumor starts that John is dying when he suddenly begins eating healthy food and tries to control his temper.
A judge sentences John to attend an anger-management class after he insults two police officers. It's taught by Richard, an irritating calm instructor -- and needless to say, Becker is hardly on his way to graduating with honors.Meanwhile, after Bob's mother kicks him out of her retirement home, Linda invites him to move in with her -- much to everyone else's dismay.
On the heels of being slapped with a traffic citation for reckless driving, a broken tail light and missing rear view mirror, Becker takes Margaret's advice when she suggests that he turn his jalopy into a potted plant. Although he doesn't get rid of his car, he does buy a motorcycle from one of his patients, causing everyone around him to agree that the doctor is suffering a mid-life crisis.
Annoyed that they never hang out with other people, Becker's girlfriend, Liz, makes him throw a dinner party. Becker invites the gang, although only Reggie and her date attend -- a college boy she worries is too young for her -- unless you count the complete stranger with whom Becker seems to have the most in common.
When a long-distance call to Chico, California shows up on Becker's phone bill, he decides to dispute the charge. He even disputes the existence of the town, claiming that it's just a code word that the phone company uses for bogus charges. Margaret warns Becker not to fight the phone company, after all, "they're like God with computers," but Becker persists. Meanwhile, Reggie is upset when she isn't invited to a friend's wedding, and Bob listens to motivational tapes in order to land a job.
After John agrees to take on a vacationing doctor's patients and one of them dies, he inadvertently leaves a phone message, then desperately tries to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Linda tries to comfort her friend Lynda, who won't leave the office; and Reggie and Jake trade barbs during a slow time in the diner.
John fumes when he can't get out of jury duty and then can't get picked to actually serve on a jury; Jake gets a dog.
Jake asks out a friendly young woman only to break up with her after he learns that she's also blind; Margaret tries to discover why a grouchy patient likes everyone but her.
John gets into an argument with a priest over whose hands a patient is really in -- God's or the doctor's; Reggie, Jake and Bob take a gamble on the stock market.
Liz is offered a job in Chicago, which prompts John to tell her how he feels about her. He quickly regrets doing it, fearing he'll lose his freedom.
Reggie's celebration after earning an A in her psychology class turns to panic when she considers her uncertain future; and John entertains one of his neighbors, who turns out to be a hooker.
