This week's My Name Is Earl showcased a guest performance by David Arquette as Sweet Johnny, a daredevil who's inability to form new memories makes crossing him off the list especially difficult for Earl (Jason Lee). But while Arquette and our cast of regulars pulled off some humorous performances, things just weren't as breathlessly funny as they've been in the past few weeks.
Ten years ago, Sweet Johnny, as he and everyone else calls him, was the most popular daredevil in Camden County. However, his bad boy image was not enough to keep his attractive girlfriend Sheila from noticing the charms of Camden's mustached Romeo, Earl. In order to be together, Earl and Sheila began conspiring to convince Johnny to take on more dangerous (and stupider) stunts, which allowed them to spend time in his van whenever he needed to heal up. They eventually both realize, though, that "this is some sick stuff." When Earl finally tries to make amends, Johnny is so angry that Earl leaves to let him cool off. After discovering that he doesn't remember anything the next day, Earl tracks down Sheila and learns that Johnny no longer has a short-term memory, which leaves Earl needing to get a little creative with making amends.
One of the funniest aspects of this plot device is the fact that Sweet Johnny suffered this brain injury 10 years ago. This means we get treated to a few reminders of that time period, most notably Johnny's constant use of the greeting "Wazzuuup" and "Livin' La Vida Loca" being his perpetual favorite song (an unfortunate side effect that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy). However, the downside of this plot point was the constant repetition every time Earl had to try apologizing to Johnny again. At first I thought it was pretty funny – Arquette did a hilarious job of mimicking himself while making things just different enough in each scene. But after a while, I found my smile growing smaller and smaller with each new occurrence. If I wanted to be really cynical, I could say that the no-memory angle provided an easy way for the writers to not have to write snappy dialogue.
Early on, Joy's (Jaime Pressly) truck was stolen, prompting her to purchase a firearm. Somehow I wasn't surprised by her enthusiasm – using a handgun irresponsibly to get what you want seems like a natural move for Mrs. Turner. Of course, Darnell (Eddie Steeples) wasn't too ecstatic about the idea. After she accidentally "grazes her booby," the Crabman trades in the gun to the police in exchange for a ham. But what initially seemed to be a simple subplot stole the show in the end. As Earl floats away while trying to save Johnny from using his balloon stunt to kill himself, Joy forces Darnell to admit that the situation could be remedied with a gun. When he does, she pulls out a hand-cannon that takes the balloon, and Earl and Johnny, down safely. Her self-righteousness is cut short, though, when she "grazes her stinker."
In the end, Earl teaches us not to be selfish as he was in trying to make himself feel better about what he had done to Johnny when Johnny himself couldn't possibly benefit. It was a decent episode (and kudos to David Arquette – I almost forgot he could be funny), but I was left wanting a little more. Of course, I'm probably just spoiled because of how fantastic the episodes from recent weeks have been. Am I out of line? What did the rest of you think?
Let's put our short-term memories to the test and look back at some of the one-liners and funny moments:
• In a it's-so-corny-it's-funny scene, Sheila tells Earl to "Reach out and grab a slice of butt cake."
• Randy (Ethan Suplee) clarifies how he's going to use the beer bottles to prove he's not a virgin: "By pulling the label off, not putting my wiener in it. Just wanted to be clear."
• Earl remembers Randy's prior fascination with "Livin' La Vida Loca" as "the only time I ever spanked him."
• Joy on Charlie Brown: "If Chuck was packing, people would stop messing with him."
• At the end, Johnny assumes all his injuries are from kids beating him up in his sleep. "Somehow I bit through half my tongue . . . little bastards."
• To win an argument with Darnell, Joy warns him that she "doesn't like points."
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This week's My Name Is Earl showcased a guest performance by David Arquette as Sweet Johnny, a daredevil who's inability to form new memories makes crossing him off the list especially difficult for Earl (Jason Lee). But while Arquette and our cast of regulars pulled off some humorous performances, things just weren't as breathlessly funny as they've been in the past few weeks.
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