Jake (Jeffrey Nordling) and Grace (Julia Whelan) are placed in a dangerous situation at the restaurant, where a fight ends up with a troubled busboy (Devon Gummersall) taking hostages at gunpoint. Later, Lily (Sela Ward), Tiffany (Ever Carradine) and others gather outside the establishment as the police try to negotiate for the hostages' release and prepare to deploy a SWAT team.

On Once & Again (10 p.m., ABC), Grace and Jake are taken hostage at a restaurant by Brian Krakow from "My So-Called Life." OK, by the actor who played him.

• ABC's superlative Once and Again (10 p.m. ET/PT) returns after a sweeps break. In an unusual episode for this normally soft-spoken series, Grace and Jake are held hostage by a troubled restaurant employee.

I miss Jake on Once and Again. Are they writing in any storylines for him?

Big time. He's going to find out he's becoming a daddy, because Tiffany is pregnant. A few episodes later, he starts cheating on her behind her swaying back. Charming, eh?

Telescope is supposed to be dramatic but overall an "ok" episode. "Ok" in the sense that because it does go outside the norm of their lives into this highly charged situation, i.e., the hostage crisis, that it isn't the typical emotion-fest that describes most of the other episodes. Tiffany does tell Jake she's pregnant and there is a surprise ending, wink, wink, know what I mean????

A Madman with a gun
14 lives in danger.
Tonight terror hits home.

The next page's Close-Up has a nice Photo of Jeff Nordling

A series first centers on an explosive situation-one more likely to unfold in the movie work of Once and Again co-producers Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz whose producing credits include "Traffic." In this episode, a crisis unfolds at Phil's Restaurant when a run-in between the chef and a troubled busboy (Devon Gummersall) spurs the latter to take hostages-Grace and Jake among them-and hold them at gunpoint. Police officers besiege the place, initiate negotiations and prepare to deploy a SWAT team. As tensions mount and talks stall, the clock keeps ticking.....Capt. Patterson, Bruce Weitz. Tiffany: Ever Carradine.

One can never be sure how someone will respond to actions taken against him, and innocent people can end up threatened as a result. That proves to be the case in this new episode, as a waiter with a grudge against Jake (Jeffrey Nordling) decides to strike back by targeting the restaurant. Not only is Jake imperiled by the result, but so is Grace (Julia Whelan).

A disgruntled waiter threatens Jake and Grace and puts the future of the restaurant in jeopardy.

A crisis unfolds at Phil's Restaurant when a run-in between the chef and a troubled busboy (Devon Gummersall) spurs the latter to take hostages---Grace and Jake among them---and hold them at gunpoint. Police officers besiege the place, initiate negotiations and prepare to deploy a SWAT team. As tensions mount and talks stall, the clock keeps ticking. . . . Capt. Patterson: Bruce Weitz. Tiffany: Ever Carradine. Lt. Saticoy: Kimberly Scott. Spencer: Marco Gould.

The Other End (of the Telescope)
by Elvis Costello

Shall we agree that just this once
I'm gonna change my life
Until it's just as tiny or important as you like?
And in time we won't even recall that we spoke
Words that turned out to be as big as smoke
As smoke that disappears in the air
There's always something that's smoldering somewhere
I know it don't make a difference to you
But oh! It sure made a difference to me
You'll see me off in the distance, I hope
At the other end
At the other end of the telescope.
The promise of indulgence in my confidential voice
Approached immortal danger but you'll never know how close
Then down the hall I overheard such a heavenly choir
They interrupted my evil designs
One day you are up in the clouds
The next thing you're down with the Sweet Adelines
(Chorus)
Lie down baby now don't say a word
There there baby your vision is blurred
Your head is so sore from all of that thinking
I don't want to hurt you now
But I think you're shrinking
You're half-naked ambition and you're half out of your wits
Or several tiny fractions that this portrait still omits
And it's so hard to pick the receiver up when I call
I never noticed you could be so small
The answer was under your nose but the question never arose
I know it don't make a difference to you
But oh! It sure made a difference to me
'Cause late in the evening as I sit here moping
With a bamboo needle on a shellac of Chopin
And the cast-iron heart that you failed to tear open
At the other end
At the other end of the telescope

In Big Bold letters in a whole page ad for the show it says: Hostage Crisis, then adds:

A madman with a gun .
14 lives in danger.
Tonight terror hits home.

There is a photo of Rick shielding a crying Lily.

A disgruntled employee takes Jake and Grace hostage in the restaurant. Bruce Weitz from Hill Street Blues appears as a police officer involved in the SWAT rescue.

"The Other End of the Telescope" - A disgruntled waiter threatens the lives of Jake and Grace and puts the future of Phil's Restaurant in jeopardy, on "Once and Again," WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

"Once and Again" stars Sela Ward as Lily Manning, Billy Campbell as Rick Sammler, Julia Whelan as Grace Manning, Shane West as Eli Sammler, Meredith Deane as Zoe Manning, Evan Rachel Wood as Jessie Sammler, Susanna Thompson as Karen Sammler, Jeffrey Nordling as Jake Manning, Todd Field as David Casilli, Marin Hinkle as Judy, David Clennon as Miles Drentell and Jennifer Crystal-Foley as Christie Parker.

Guest starring are Audrey Anderson as Carla, Marco Gould as Spencer, Devon Gummersall ("My So Called Life" ) as Bennie Janetti, Carlos Ponce as Gian-Carlo, Pamela Evans as the waitress, Jon Cellini as the waiter, Elliott Francis and Nanette Harrison as the reporters, Julianna McCarthy as Nana, Bruce Weitz ("Hill Street Blues") as Captain Patterson, David Campbell as the officer, Kimberly Scott as Lieutenant Saticoy and Matt Sigloch as the S.W.A.T. team officer.

"The Other End of the Telescope" was written by Sue and Daniel Paige and directed by Bob Berlinger.

A series first centers on a dangerously explosive situation---one that would be more likely to unfold in the movie work of Once and Again co-producers Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, whose producing credits include "Traffic."

In this episode, a hostage crisis entraps Jake, Grace and others at Phil's Restaurant, where they're held at gunpoint by a troubled busboy (Devon Gummersall) who had a run-in with the chef. Within minutes, police besiege the place, initiate negotiations and prepare to deploy a SWAT team. As tensions increase and talks stall, the clock keeps ticking. . . .

Capt. Patterson: Bruce Weitz. Tiffany: Ever Carradine. Lt. Saticoy: Kimberly Scott. Spencer: Marco Gould.

Cast: Billy Campbell, Sela Ward, Shane West, Evan Rachel Wood, Meredith Deane, Julia Whelan, Susanna Thompson, Jeffrey Nordling, Marin Hinkle, Devon Gummersall, Bruce Weitz, Kimberly Scott, Ever Carradine, Marco Gould, Audrey Anderson, Carlos Ponce

Description: A disgruntled waiter threatens Jake and Grace (Jeffrey Nordling, Julia Whelan) and puts the future of the restaurant in jeopardy. (In Stereo)

Performers: Billy Campbell, Meredith Deane, Marin Hinkle, Jeffrey Nordling, Susanna Thompson, Sela Ward, Shane West, Julia Whelan, Evan Rachel Wood

Airing: Tue 2/20/01 10:00pm CTV

Someone will return to the show who has left and that someone will be pregnant.

UPDATE (WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY?) - (One Time Only) This replaces the former "TO BE ANNOUNCED" indicated for this time period. Synopsis and TV parental guideline will be announced closer to airdate (CLOSED-CAPTIONED) PLEASE NOTE: "Once and Again" will not air on this night.

On Feb. 21, Jake (Jeffrey Nordling) and Grace (Julia Whelan) find themselves in a dangerous situation at the restaurant when a disgruntled waiter takes them hostage.

There will be an episode where Jake gets taken hostage!

On Once and Again, she's Tiffany, the young girlfriend of lead Sela Ward's ex-husband, Jake. Earlier this season, it appeared as if Jake and Tiffany were headed for a split.

"I guess the fact that I just became a series regular sort of kills the mystery," Carradine said of that. "The plot will thicken. I don't know what I'm at liberty to say. But it's going to be good."

- A disgruntled waiter threatens the lives of Jake and Grace and puts the future of Phil's Restaurant in jeopardy, on "Once and Again," WED., FEB. 21 (10:00 - 11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.