15x01 2020: A Year in Review

[7.4/10] Not the most knock-your-socks off way to kick off season 15, but still a solid outing from IASIP. I like the idea of an anthology episode to cover the timeline from when the show last released new episodes, and being topical, while not always the show’s M.O., makes sense for a period where there was just an endless onslaught of news and current events. An auditor coming by to check how they’ve used their PPP loans (which they mistake for someone there to give them more loans) works well as a frame story for their tripartite tales of woe.

Each story was stronger than the last. While I got a kick out of Dennis and Mac trying to become teen country stars, their efforts to “protect the vote” weren’t as comically rich. Of all the attempts at Forest Gump-ing here, there’s was the weakest, with a silly but improbable “Rocky vs. McNabb” dispute leading to their accidentally stealing actual votes. It’s not the most clever way to insert The Gang into the vote-counting delays, and worse yet, suggest the presence of actual (if inadvertent) fraud or mishandling when there was none. It was easily the weakest segment.

The middle one, with Frank entering into a bootleg hair dye business, was a step up. The homage to Goodfellas was a ton of fun, and I appreciate that rather than going high stakes like Mac and Dennis, this segment just posits that Frank was responsible for Rudy Giuliani’s infamous hair dye drip. It’s pretty much a one joke sketch, but the gag’s solid, and the Scorcese tribute gives it some flavor.

Last but not least, the Dee and Charlie one was my favorite, because both the absurdity of the setup and the character dynamics really work. The high-intensity, barely-restrained tension between them is pretty hilarious, and both performers do a great job with the undercurrent of hostility between them at all times. The ridiculousness of Dee trying to make medical masks while Charlie’s making Halloween costumes is a hoot. And I love the return to Dee’s shtick as a hacky comedian. Their confused, shared commercial got a laugh out of me (more Dee characters!), and the reveal that they outfitted the “Qanon Shaman” and his pals at the insurrection is predictable, but still a decent current events connection.

I do appreciate the auditor being aghast at all of this, in the way so many strait-laced people are when encountering The Gang. The not-so-subtle gig about the “spirit of America” being declaring bankruptcy and getting bailed out by the government is nicely pointed. And I appreciate the final swerve, where through all of their discussion of “Our Guy” not getting a “fair shake” during the election turns out to be about Kanye. The closing scenes where they’re all actually there for the infamous events of 2020 is a good kicker.

Overall, this one takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it settles into the right gear and keeps riding. Hopeful for a good season to come!