S4.E22

All episodes All

IMDbPro

The Puppy Episode

Episode aired Apr 30, 1997
TV-14
44m

IMDb RATING

8.9/10

339

YOUR RATING

Ellen DeGeneres and Melissa Etheridge in Ellen (1994)

Play trailer1:04

1 Video

4 Photos

Comedy Romance

Ellen's life is changed when she meets Susan, a lesbian whom she surprisingly finds attractive, and wrestles with accepting her sexuality.Ellen's life is changed when she meets Susan, a lesbian whom she surprisingly finds attractive, and wrestles with accepting her sexuality.Ellen's life is changed when she meets Susan, a lesbian whom she surprisingly finds attractive, and wrestles with accepting her sexuality.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.9/10

339

YOUR RATING

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

User reviews3

Featured review

10/10

Historic...and very funny

Ellen Moragn (Ellen Degeneres) realizes she's a lesbian after meeting an attractive woman (Laura Dern) who, sort of, comes on to her. After talking it over with her therapist (Oprah Winfrey) she decides to come out to everybody.

This show may seem like nothing new in the wake of "Will & Grace", "Queer As Folk" & "The L Word"...but they might not exist if this show hadn't aired. The ratings went through the roof and major cities had Ellen parties at gay bars where the episode was aired. If you were a gay woman or a lesbian in your 20s on up you probably remember this.

Politics aside this is a smart, funny, extremely well-made episode. The script never condescends and, after dancing around it, Ellen admits she's gay...and the audience went wild. Nowadays gay actors are coming out left and right...and people could care less. But this show paved the way. Historic...and VERY very funny! A must-see.

preppy-3
Jan 1, 2007
Permalink

Videos1

Trailer 1:04

Ellen: The Puppy Episode (Part I)

Photos3

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
"The Puppy Episode" was so called because the series so lacked direction that an ABC executive suggested that character Ellen Morgan adopt a puppy. In the weeks before it aired, DeGeneres teased reporters looking for a scoop about the character's coming out by claiming that all that would happen in the episode would be Ellen getting a puppy. DeGeneres also said things like, "Yes, the rumors are true; we'll be revealing that my character is Llll...ebanese. No, we're adding a new character named Les Bian."

Goofs
Ellen doesn't have her jacket when she leaves Susan's room, but in the next shot in the hall it's draped over her arm.

Quotes
Ellen: You know how, uh, you know, you said in the room, you know, that you thought maybe I was... and I said no... no no no no... well, um, uh, I I I was thinkin' about it, you know? And I think that maybe I'm, um, I am, uh, I guess what I'm trying to say is: I did get the joke about the toaster oven.
Susan: So, are you saying what I think you're trying to say?
Ellen: What do you think I'm trying to say?
Susan: Oh, I'm not going to say it again and be wrong.
Ellen: No, you're not wrong. You're right. This is, uh, this is so hard. But I I I I think I've realized that I am... I can't even say the word. Why can't I say the word? I mean, why can't I just say... I mean, what is wrong? Why do I have to be so ashamed? I mean, why can't I just say the truth? I mean, be who I am. I'm thirty-five-years-old. I'm so afraid to tell people. I mean, I just... Susan...
[Ellen leans forward towards Susan and inadvertently leans right in front of an PA microphone for the airplane terminal]
Ellen: [loud voice over the microphone] I'm gay!