(S02E03) Who would have thought that we would have gotten a lesson in acceptance and tolerance of others from, of all people, Earl Hickey?
After watching the classic movie "Freaks" this past weekend, I had wondered if we'd see anything in the mass media that depicted people who were considered "freaks" anymore without encountering a great deal of controversy. Leave it to My Name Is Earl to bring it forward, but doing it in such a way that it warms your heart in the end.
Admittedly, this episode wasn't a laugh-out-loud riot (at least not to me), but there were some pretty funny moments, including the playing of ring toss with the unicorn guy and the scene where Earl as a kid refused to take his shirt off at the pool because of his "Rasta Nipples."
I still have issues at times with Randy spouting out his non-sequitors. But he did have one funny line about thinking Earl was being called "Pasta Nipples" and wondering how the kids knew how they tasted.
However, what made this episode so appealing to me was the way in which Earl dealt with the way he treated people who were different from him, and his genuine effort to bring his new friends into the mainstream. Yeah, I know, it could be considered too much of a "feel good" story and not very edgy, but remember that Earl is still coming to grips with karma and how doing good things for others will make him feel good about himself.
In addition, the substory of Joy's legal troubles will carry on for at least a little while longer. Her communication problems with her deaf lawyer (played by the great Marlee Matlin) were a bit over the top, but she showed some real humanity when she told her that she didn't want to go to jail because she would be taken away from her kids. I can't wait for the ensuing courtroom scenes--they ought to be interesting.
By the way, did you notice that CIA recruitment commercial in the middle of the show? What was that all about? It was like they were recruiting people to work for a customer service firm. Very strange...
Also, I've been alerted by a fellow TV Squader, along with some tips sent in by viewers, that the word "Amish" was deleted at the beginning of the episode. I frankly did not notice it, but if any of you can shed some light on it, please post your comments about it here.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-06-2006 @ 10:35AM
Rich said...
I noticed the "amish" thing too. At first I though my &^&*(^*% Comcast DVR had a sound dropout (it does that sometimes), so I rewound and found that the word was definitely blanked over. This was right at the beginning of the episode. I guess NBC didn't want to upset Earl's Amish viewers by mentioning their sect so soon after the whole shooting thing. Seems pretty silly to me.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 11:09AM
Akbar Fazil said...
"I guess NBC didn't want to upset Earl's Amish viewers"
Since when did the Amish start watching TV?
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 11:28AM
Jyoti said...
You guys forgot the big hoopla after NBC let the Emmy's go on with the Lost sketch after that plane crash. People acted like NBC was so insensitive for airing a skit about a TELEVISION SHOW.
I understand why some people might see it as being a bit much, but come on no one complains about seeing car crashes on television and there are car crashes every day.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 12:06PM
AbovETHeWEathER said...
Repeat after me: I am an individual and I can think for myself.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 12:06PM
scott said...
i was laughing pretty hard at some parts, but none more so than when marlee speaks for the first time, and joy tries to hold it in, but just busts out laughing after a beat. hilarious...
p.s. i think you've just gotta let this randy non-sequitor thing go; it's part of his character, like it or not... we know you don't :)
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 12:43PM
Karen said...
I noticed the "Amish" suppression, too. I rewound three times to make sure it wasn't just a DVR hiccup. I thought it was being overly-solicitous, since it wasn't a joke at Amish expense or anything, but I imagine in the wake of the huge freakin' brouhaha over Conan's "Lost" parody at the Emmys, after the plane crash that day, everybody's feeling like they have to walk on eggshells around current events.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 12:49PM
Akbar Fazil said...
Scott, I agree. Randy's non-sequiters are what define him as a character. This reviewer needs to get their stick out of their ass over it.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 1:13PM
scott said...
well, i wasn't THAT harsh about it, akbar... but it has really gotten old.
and what's this "repeat after me...individual" thing, abovetheweather?
did i miss something in the episode, or was that just a comment non-sequitor?
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 1:32PM
Jer said...
The beautiful Judy Greer with a beard. I almost couldn't watch. But, you know, Earl really taught me something about judging people by their looks . . .
and that's one to grow on (bing bing bing bing).
Eh, the ep. was ok, but I expect better from this show. I love how Darnell is way smarter than everyone.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 1:30PM
Akbar Fazil said...
I thought the "repeat after me" line was in refernce to NBC editing out the Amish line.
Reply
10-06-2006 @ 6:41PM
Anthony said...
"The Office" topped "Earl" in the ratings for the third time. Is it safe to pose the question if "The Office" should be on at 8pm and not Earl.
I love both shows but wouldn't NBC be smarter doing this?
Reply
10-09-2006 @ 2:45AM
Sophie said...
I didn't notice the bleeping out of the word Amish.
I just read too that Jaime Pressly is pregnant. I wonder if that'll be worked into the show.
For those that are interested, I've just finished making a quiz for this episode.
I hope you all enjoy it :D
http://www.tvtriviaquiz.com/mynameisearl.htm
Reply
10-09-2006 @ 3:48PM
Sher said...
Can someone tell me who played the part of "Tommy" (with the lobster hands) on this last episode, "Sticks and Stones|"? THANKS!
Reply