Michael Patrick Flaherty

Infobox character
name = Michael Patrick Flaherty
series = Spin City


caption =
first =
last = (guest)
cause = got fired
creator = Bill Lawrence
portrayer = Michael J. Fox
episode = 113
nickname = Mike
Mikey
alias = Regis Flahertycite episode|title= An American Deputy Mayor in Paris| episodelink = List of Spin City episodes#Season 4: 1999-2000| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=2000-05-10|season=4|number=23]
species = human
gender = male
age =
born =
death =
occupation = former Deputy Mayor
environmental lobbyist
title =
family = Mrs. Flaherty (Mother)
spouse =
children =
imdb_id = 0028943

Michael Patrick Flaherty is a fictional character played by Michael J. Fox on the American sitcom "Spin City". He was the Democratic Deputy Mayor of New York for Mayor Randall Winston. He is a graduate of Fordham University and lived his entire life in New York City. He is portrayed as a workaholic and egocentric but also as a lovable big brother type to many of his friends and staff. Though Mike is impressive at work, his personal life is often in disarray.

Career

Mike was the campaign manager for Randall Winston's first mayor campaign. After they won the election, Randall hired him as the deputy mayor. During his time there, he worked very hard at city hall. He was able to manipulate and lie his way out of any situation. Randall was not very responsible and did not seem to take the title of mayor very seriously. This left Mike with even more responsibility. Mike had to do the jobs of being mayor, while making sure the mayor did not go out and make a fool of himself. Over his course at city hall, he dealt with some major problems, a garbage strike, the mayor shunning the gay community, the mayor ruining Roger Clemens perfect game and losing the Olympic Torch somewhere in New York City. In time, his job at city hall became his life, and he ignored all the problems that arose in his personal life.

End of Career

Mike's career couldn't be any better, until he found that Nikki was dating a mobster. Even worse, the entire staff including the mayor became friends with him. A reporter intended on bringing down Winston's administration and was busy finding proof of the mayor's connection to the alleged mobster. Mike had to find someone to blame for the scandal and fire him so he could show the press that the mayor did not support the mob. At the press conference, Mike went out and said that it was his fault and that it was his responsibility to take the fall. After this, he made the mayor fire him from his job at city hall.

After Deputy Mayor

Mike became an environmental lobbyist and went to Washington D.Ccite episode|title=Goodbye Pt. 2| episodelink= List of Spin City episodes#Season 4: 1999-2000| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=2000-05-24|season=4|number=26] . He met a woman and they got married at New York City Hall in front of his previous co-workers. In Washington D.C. he meets a Republican senator from Ohio named Alex P. Keaton. This is an homage to the character Fox played on his earlier show, "Family Ties".

Relationship with the staff

Mike has unique and special relationships with each member of the city hall staff, and although he doesn't like to say it, his co-workers are his best friends:

* James sees Mike as some kind of big brother. James described Mike as the number one inspiration in his life, and Mike described the proudest moment in his career as hiring James.

* Stuart is like the annoying guy that you hate and love at the same time. But Mike could never seem to fire him, no matter what Stuart did. When Michael had to say goodbye to the staff Stuart tried not to cry. But he needed to.

* Paul describes Mike as his best friend. Mike was the best man at Paul's wedding. Mike kept Paul on the staff even though he was practically worthless. Paul doesn't have any friends outside the staff, that's why, when he won a million on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" he kept working at city hallcite episode|title=How to Bury a Millionaire| episodelink= List of Spin City episodes#Season 4: 1999-2000| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=1999-11-16|season=4|number=8] .

* Nikki and Mike were very close. They were each other's back-up date to important events, they gave each other relationship advice and had a committed relationship. Mike protected Nikki from all the guys she dated that were unfaithful, or the guys he just didn't like.

* Carter only joined the staff because Mike needed a gay guy. He started off by battling and fighting Mike and the mayor whenever he could, but ended up finding a place in the mayor's administration. He gave Mike advice on women as he and Mike grew closer. When Mike left city hall, he described Carter as his "best friend".

* The Mayor and Mike are like a father and son. They had been together for a long time and cared about each other even more than their own families. They offered each other support through break-ups, death and just a bad day. They work very well together. As he was saying goodbye to Mike, the mayor said that he was proud of Mike and he had been like a son to him. Then he told Mike not to call him "sir," but Randall.

Love life

At the beginning of the show, Mike was dating Ashley (played by Carla Gugino). They had been going out for a year and a half, they lived together and were in a long-term committed relationship. But when Ashley got a job offer in San-Francisco, they broke up. This was when Mike decided to stop caring about his personal life and focus on being deputy mayor. Over the course of the show he had a handful of short relationships, which include relationships with a stripper, a magician, an ADA brinkman, Heidi Klum and Nikki.

Relationship with Ashley

When the show first started, Mike was in what appears to be his first, long-term, committed relationship. He had been dating reporter Ashley Schaffer (Carla Gugino) for a-year-and-a-half. They lived together, they ate together, they were each other's "in-case-of-an-emergency-please-notify contact." They were truly in love and had a great relationship. The only real problem was that they had a hard time separating work and personal life. Everybody thought that they would get married, when around Christmas, Ashley left Mike to pursue a job offer in San Francisco. Mike was hurt and had a hard time getting over his break-up. He carried a "break-up box" that was full of Ashley's old stuff around with him for days. Mike never saw Ashley again.Rumors were going around that Gugino left the show because Fox's wife Tracy Pollan was not happy with the love scenes between Fox and Gugino's characterscite web |title=Sidereel.com|work=More information about "Spin City"|url=http://www.sidereel.com/Spin_City|accessmonthday=February 26|accessyear=2008] .Ashley did return later, in the episode "It Happened One Night" saying that she had a relationship with Mike but she doesn't miss him, she does miss the apartment they used to live in.

Relationship with Heidi Klum

Over the his time on the show, Mike interacted with supermodel Heidi Klum twice. She first appeared in "Dead Dog Talking" coming to New York to work with the mayor on an animal rights campaigncite episode|title=Dead Dog Talking| episodelink= List of Spin City episodes#Season 3: 1998-1999| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=1998-09-22|season=3|number=1] . Mike and Heidi began dating and Heidi wanted it to remain a secret because the public was always in her personal life. Mike wanted everyone to know that he was "sleeping with Heidi Klum" and accidentally said that at a press conference. Heidi was very disappointed and dumped Mike. The next time Mike saw Heidi was when he was in a relationship with Nikki. Heidi had came to New York for a modeling job and went to see Mike. She wanted him back, but Mike didn't make very clear that he already had a relationship with Nikki. Carter, Mike and Heidi all went to the bar one night and got very drunk. Heidi took Mike to his apartment, but they ended up passing out together on the bed and spooning. This was the last Mike saw of Heidicite episode|title=Klummageddon Pt. 2| episodelink= List of Spin City episodes#Season 3: 1998-1999| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=1999-05-25|season=3|number=26] .

Relationship with Nikki

Mike's first major relationship after his break-up with Ashley came from Nikki. It started with Nikki having a crush on Mike and Mike being oblivious. Then she found a boyfriend right as Mike realized the connection. Mike spent a lot of time trying to get them to break-up, but this didn't work. He finally got Nikki in "Quest for fire", when the mayor was out at a park, a balloon had popped and everyone thought it was a gun, Mike jumped to save Nikki instead of the mayor. They did not want everyone knowing that they were dating so they spent a lot of time trying to keep it a secret. When in "Dick Clark's Rockin' Make-Out Party '99" James accidentally finds out that they're dating they decide to tell the rest of the staffcite episode|title=Dick Clark's Rockin' Make-Out Party '99| episodelink= List of Spin City episodes#Season 3: 1998-1999| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=1999-02-23|season=3|number=17] . After Mike woke up next to Heidi Klum thinking that he had sex with her he tried to avoid Nikki. But when he had finally find out what happened it was too late and Nikki broke up with himcite episode|title=Catcher in the Bronx| episodelink= List of Spin City episodes#Season 4: 1999-2000| series=Spin City | serieslink=Spin City| network=ABC| airdate=1999-09-21|season=4|number=1] .

Relationship with Caitlin

When the mayor announced his run for the Senate, Mike hired a new employee to run the mayor's campaign, Caitlin Moore (played by Heather Locklear). They clashed at first because both wanted more control. Caitlin was very uptight and was always worried about her career. She was different from Mike in that she could not lie or break any rules, despite that she was also very good at keeping the mayor out of trouble, so Mike was worried that he might lose his control. As their relationship grew, Mike found that he had feelings for Caitlin. When Caitlin announced that she was going to re-marry her ex-husband Trevor, Mike flew to Paris to tell her he loved her. She decided not to marry Trevor and to stay with Mike. This was just before Mike took the fall for the mayor.

ee also

* Randall Winston

References

External links

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