(S02E11) That's all, folks. This was the final scheduled episode of Better Off Ted, aka ABC's brightest, funniest and weirdest comedy in years. I'm really gonna miss this show, and I'm not looking forward to awaiting the network's final decision concerning its fate. Will BoT return to ABC? Could another network (say Comedy Central?) pick it up? I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.
Tonight's episode wasn't exactly a classic, but it offered plenty of laughs, hilarious throwaway lines and a great guest turn from Warehouse 13's Eddie McClintock.
Casting McClintock as Ted's flaky brother Billy was a wonderful idea. The guy has excellent comic timing and he fit in perfectly with the rest of the cast and the crazy tone of the show. I loved how Billy brought out the primitive nut-slapping, titty-twisting version of Ted we rarely get to see. Billy's visit also prompted Phil and Lem to act reckless and order a ridiculous amount of cadavers, chomp down on "cheese apples" and wear tight leather pants.
Only Linda and Veronica were left unaffected by Billy's destructive ne'er-do-well ways. They were too busy doing their bad cop/good cop routine to raise money for a charity that inspires young girls. It was a little surprising to see Veronica caring so much for a cause that didn't benefit her directly, but I loved watching her morph into a murderous machine gun-toting fawn to get the job done. The highlight of the episode sprang up from this plotline when Linda, prompted by Sith Lord Veronica, eagerly head-butted the Veridian Foundation douche and knocked him out.
Poor Ted was forced to clean up everyone's mess in this episode, turning him into the Michael Bluth of his bizarre Veridian family. He struck out with the foundation guy, mostly because Veronica and Linda continued to humiliate him after the head-butt. Luckily Billy and the boys took care of that situation by stuffing a cadaver in the guy's trunk. (Let's hope no one ever gets a hold of those incriminating pictures of Phil and Lem setting up the scheme.)
Everything worked out in the end, but not before Ted broke down and unleashed a crazy rant on his brother, complete with pet possum references!
Like I typed before, I'm really gonna miss getting my weekly Better Off Ted fix. I'm drinking my morning coffee out of a beaker in recognition of another great season.
Quotes:
- Bang zoom! I'm getting a muffin!
- Hey, are those fresh nuts?
- I had an aunt who fought a cow for beer money once. The cow never forgave her.
- We can't leave work in the middle of the day. We're not Somali pirates.
- The forest will run red with the blood of woodland creatures who doubted little Veronica and will now pay with their furry little lives.
- Saddle up, Linda! And say goodbye to common sense.
- That's right, once a month they send us a new cadaver whether we're finished with the old one or not.
- If you tell anyone I did you a solid, I will tear off your head and tinkle in your skull!
- You sir are a bad egg!
- Boop.
- Do you know how many times I didn't get laid in college because girls don't like getting hissed at by a jealous possum?
- Deal with it!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-27-2010 @ 8:43AM
HD said...
Never ceases to amaze me how the broadcast networks spend millions to create some truly creative programs - only to abandon them without a fight. Ask yourself how many promos you saw for "Better Off Ted", now ask yourself how many promos you've seen for "The Bachelor". What talk shows did you see the cast of BOT on? What Kimmel too busy? Imagine Jimmy welcoming his new sponsor Veridian Dynamics.
As the networks run more cheap reality crap, low budget filler material with a never ending supply of bugs, glarbugs, snipe lower-thirds (that actually fill 1/3 of the screen (cough CBS) and whatever other screen clutter that just scream desperation.
Whatever happened to supporting programs beyond a few episodes? Whatever happened to "brought to you by" programs? Instead of filling random ad space - why not have companies sponsor entire programs?
While it lasts: http://veridiandynamics.com/
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1-27-2010 @ 8:48AM
gooby said...
I'm really getting into the show again. It's quirky and has fantastic characters. I especially enjoy the guys at the lab. I've been a huge fan of Jonathan Slavin ever since he was on Andy Richter Controls the Universe (another short lived gem) and it's been just fantastic to see him on a great comedy again.
I'm really hoping they'll pick it up because I think Better Off Ted is definitely one of the best comedies on television right now along with Big Bang Theory.
And I agree with HD. Why put all that money and effort into creating a show like Better off Ted and then not give it a proper chance to survive? I mean, honestly.
Reply
1-27-2010 @ 10:02AM
Mike Poole said...
"...prompted by Sith Lord Veronica..."
Hahahahahahahaha!
Favorite line: When you do care, you care one hundred and crazy percent.
Bang zoom. I miss it already.
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1-27-2010 @ 10:02AM
snife said...
Has it been officially cancelled then the way people are talking?
Its one of the few shows where i'm guaranteed to laugh out loud during an episode (the only other one i can think of at the moment is always sunny)
Reply
1-27-2010 @ 10:24AM
shadpwracer said...
I don't get it. I love Modern Family and I love Better off Ted. Yet the let the quirky comedy(quirky in the sense that it has a "sweetness" like nothing bad can happen, but its still hilarious) battle with NCIS and American Idol. Any show they put in that time slot will get killed. Put the two together.
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1-27-2010 @ 11:07AM
edgore said...
"ABC's brightest, funniest and weirdest comedy in years."
Except for Pushing Daisies.
I will miss Better Off Ted too though.
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1-28-2010 @ 9:19AM
jean frank said...
Why isn't BoT in the comedy line-up on Wednesday with the Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town? That would be two solid hours of television. Seems so logical why can't TPTB catch it?
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1-28-2010 @ 3:06PM
Rific said...
My sister got me hooked on this show and I love it! I could not stop laughing when they were discussing their "friend" Roger. When Lem was explaining how hard it was to get Roger in the trunk, Phil said "Classic Roger." It was hilarious!
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1-29-2010 @ 8:33PM
TL said...
I love Better Off Ted, but not enough people were watching, and the ratings were BAD, so the cancellation talk shouldn't be surprising (this past week Scrubs & Better Off Ted helped ABC lose to Univision http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/27/tv-ratings-tuesday-fox-american-idol-slips-still-wins-as-most-shows-fall-ncisla-bounces-back/40319).
Plus, BOT isn't produced by ABC (it's a FOX product), so the network doesn't have incentive to keep it around for another season since it will not make any money off of DVD sales or syndication deals. Now, if there is life after death for Ted, I could see it moved to FX and be paired up with It's Always Sunny...
Sure, it's sad that Ted probably isn't coming back, but we got two seasons which is more than most shows can say, so we should take comfort in that.
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