October 1, 2006: "Oh, Wow! It's Like One of Those Things You See on TV!"
I hate to get all
My Name Is Earl on you guys, but if ever I've seen a glowing endorsement for karma, this week's
Amazing Race episode is it. I was a little dismayed that only two teams - Tom and Terry and the Cho brothers - took a moment to stop and appreciate the magnitude of former prisoner of war and current U.S. Senator John McCain's flight suit on display at the Hanoi Hilton. I understand it's a race, but sometimes you've simply got to stop and show some respect. As it turns out, both teams were rewarded for their displays of human decency: Erwin and Godwin finished the leg in first place, while Tom and Terry narrowly escaped Philimination after incurring a 30-minute breaking-the-rules time penalty. (No motorcycles, boys!) Which is not to say our departing team deserved what they got - I'm disappointed to see Duke and Lauren go home this early in the race. As parent/child relationships go, I thought Duke was making an admirable effort to understand his daughter and get past his hang-ups about her sexuality, and that was gratifying to watch. Of course, it is a competition after all, and a couple of boneheaded mistakes along this leg of the race cost them dearly. Going a half hour out of the way to give your "tour guide" a ride home? Truly cringe-worthy. As for the birdcage-weaving choice at the detour, I suppose you can chalk that one up to bad luck. (Personally, I'm blaming Phil for that one. How are we supposed to understand the intricacies of the entire detour concept when he's no longer gracing us with those immortal words "A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons"? Am I the only one who misses that?) Either way, it's a pity to lose one of the few likable teams already; here's hoping some of the others can step it up next week and win me over as strongly as David and Mary continue to do. They bicker, they move slower than a lot of the younger teams, and they occasionally make me wince with their naiveté (see this week's episode title), but at the end of the day, they're positive, good-natured and utterly supportive of their fellow racers. I won't lie: I got a wee bit choked up when Tom and Terry were waiting out their time penalty, watching the clock tick down and more or less admitting defeat, and Mary called over the hill for them not to give up hope. Small acts of kindness, folks - it's just one of the things that makes the
Race great.
