Kudos to
Earl for taking a little break from the coma-dream storyline - whether or not you're a fan of that, you have to admit it felt good to watch
Jason Lee perform some more traditional protagonist duties. Not only that, but this week was filled with quite a few standout lines and performances.
It was an episode comprised of nearly non-stop flashback and it worked wonderfully. Randy decided to run another karma errand for Earl by attempting to make amends for an incident in which their parents' vacation was ruined. Of course, he had to finally fill them in on the little details - Earl's in a coma, and oh yeah, he was in prison for a while there, too. At Earl's bedside, straight-laced Carl Hickey relives the vacation incident which turns out to be an epic tale involving a duffel bag full of marijuana.
Beau Bridges and
Nancy Lenehan always turn in great performances as the elder Hickeys, but they shined especially bright this time around. The scene of them as youths at Woodstock was definitely a high point (no pun intended). In her two inadvertent drug experiences, Kay Hickey packed in a lifetime of hair-hating, cutting off her "dead skull carpet" and accusing it of loitering. Of course, Carl just said no, but I don't think a man more excited to see Sha Na Na ever walked the earth.
Joy, Darnell, and Catalina were all great, but as usual, I wish we got to see a little more of them. Joy got a few good lines in there before the duct tape went over her mouth, and Darnell was his usual diplomatic self while being treated as the obvious go-to guy for marijuana in the eyes of the Hickeys. He points them in the direction of a drug dealer (portrayed amusingly by
Michael Pena) staying in the same motel room Earl and Randy would eventually call home. The references to the show itself in this scene were quite entertaining - Randy called "dibs" on Catalina just like in the very first
Earl episode and then commented that it would be weird to live in a room like that with his brother, saying "There's only one bed; we're
two guys."
Now, through all the action this flashback presented us, I occasionally asked myself how it was all going to get crossed off of the list in the dwindling half-hour. The solution to that was one of the best parts, in my opinion. It's an accomplishment to all involved with this show that it can change gears so effortlessly from being the wacky comedy it is to being truly heartfelt, even by the weightiest drama's standards. This time around, it was Carl who brought on the emotion as he admitted to his comatose son that this seemingly disastrous event had actually been a good one; it made him feel like a hero to his family. A smile then formed on Earl's face after his dad said he'd never give up on him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. It sounds a little corny when I write it here, but as we saw, it's not corny at all when supported by a top-notch acting job. If
that doesn't bring Earl out of his coma, I can't wait to see what will.
But let's get back to the comedy. Here are some of the funnier moments from tonight:
" Joy: "Flavored vodka is for sissies and pregnant women."
" Randy on trying to have Earl's tonsils removed: "In my defense, I was pretty drunk."
" The drug dealer says "Easy, Lebowski" to Beau Bridges' character in a little nod to his brother
Jeff Bridges.
" "I'm so hungry, I could kill a child!"
" After hearing the Hickeys' strange situation, calm Crabman comments "Say no more; we've all been there."
" Randy's tale of being hit in the head by a "melted popsicle without a stick" falling from the sky. Gross.
" "Oh, snap!" "Snap what?!"
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Kudos to Earl for taking a little break from the coma-dream storyline whether or not youre a fan of that you have to admit it felt good to watch Jason Lee perform some more traditional protagonist duties Not only that but this week was filled with quite a few standout lines and performances It was an episode comprised of nearly non-stop flashback and it worked wonderfully Randy decided to run another karma errand for Earl by attempting to make amends for an incident in which their parents vacation was ruined Of course he had to finally fill them in on the little details Earls in a coma and oh yeah he was in prison for a while there too At Earls bedside straight-laced Carl Hickey relives the vacation incident which turns out to be an epic tale involving a duffel bag full of marijuana Beau Bridges and Nancy Lenehan always turn in great performances as the elder Hickeys but they shined especially bright this time around The scene of them as youths at W
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