TVSquad

(S03E06) "I look like Lorenzo Lamas and woman find it irresistible." - Mac

OK, number one - I'm buying a duster. Number two - I got an answer to my question. Paddy's only ever makes money when there's a bar crawl. Now it all makes sense, why they can be open all the time yet never have more than one or two customers. There I go again again with being logical though. There's no time for that. The North Koreans are moving in on Paddy's turf.

What a great premise. One of the things this show does so well time and again is take the gang's problems and manifest them in such a way that they all think they're some sort of microcosm for the whole world's issues. Fighting off a Korean BBQ down the street is the same as trying to halt nuclear war... right?

The big issue was the bar crawl as I mentioned. Traditionally, Paddy's had been the last stop and this year some new Korean joint down the street was. So the gang was all worried that they'd lose out on the end of evening cash dump from all the drunk patrons who had no where left to go. Cue the spying, drunken escapades, and Charlie's 12 year old fiancé. I lost it when she she snuck up on Charlie in the hallway. He was clad in that leather duster, and what I think was the theme to Renegade was playing in the background.

One of the best scenes of the episode (and possibly of the series to date) was when the auditions for Dee's talent show began. Spoofing on American Idol was hilarious. I wonder if that was something that was originally in the script or something that got developed while Fred Savage was directing the episode. It felt like it could have been a spur of the moment type of scene. Either way, it was fantastic. Dee, as Paula, holding the Coca-Cola cup was the perefect little touch too.

Some of the Korean stuff was a little overdone, but it still held its humor. I loved the jab at Kim Jong-il and how his sex is often ambiguous. Having the owner be female was definitely the way to go. Then, after Dee slept with the toothless busboy in an effort to get the secret micro-brew recipe, we saw the living quarters for the employees. It was a little clichéd looking, as if it were on some trans-Atlantic voayage sneaking over illegals, but I suppose that was the point.

One thing you definitely noticed in this episode was something that Rob McElhenney spoke about when our own Joel Keller interviewed him recently. He said they were trying a lot of new things this season to keep the show fresh and it was apparent here. I loved the homage to The Six Million Dollar Man at the end, as Frank busted through the door as if he were ready to run into a brick wall. Throw in the slow-mo and the wet, white undershirt... well, say no more.

In closing, some wisdom from Charlie. Remember, it's always OK to eat a Hot Pocket from the trash. Also, when courting a twelve year old Korean girl, "I trash, you beer" gets 'em every time.