[9.7/10] Oh my god is this one hilarious! Children’s beauty pageants are not exactly a subject I where I expected IASIP to find one of its high water marks, but here we are, in all the show’s transgressive, but pointedly hilarious glory.
My favorite part of the episode is how the gang tries to steep the whole thing in patriotism, as part of the fabric of America, only to then totally botch the attempt, and conclude that while child beauty pageants are “an American tradition, [they’re] not a proud one.” The enthusiasm curdling into cynicism is pretty typical for the show, but it’s so jovial and matter of fact that it becomes it’s own form of commentary and hilarity.
And man, everyone is just on fire here. Frank frantically trying to convince everyone that he’s not a child molester is out there, but a pro like Danny DeVito makes the dark joke land like gangbusters, and the same’s true for the twist that the man from the child protection agency was actually under investigation by the cops. Plus, it’s not the first time a character played by DeVito has been put in white makeup and brought down by a hot mic (hello Batman fans!).
At the same time, the way that Dee tries to stage mom her way into having her chosen champion win the contest is great, and the barely-restrained disdain for her own mom coming through brings the laughs (especially in the left turn her song takes at the last minute). The rest of the guys trying to do a rave remix of Yankee Doodle for their pageant kid is equally goofy and hilarious. And the opening number, with Charlie decked all in white while the rest of the gang poses and, as usual, makes it about them, is just the best.
Overall, this is the sort of bizarre situation that IASIP excels at exploiting for all its weirdness and comedy. An example of the show firing on all cylinders.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-01-13T19:29:41Z
[9.7/10] Oh my god is this one hilarious! Children’s beauty pageants are not exactly a subject I where I expected IASIP to find one of its high water marks, but here we are, in all the show’s transgressive, but pointedly hilarious glory.
My favorite part of the episode is how the gang tries to steep the whole thing in patriotism, as part of the fabric of America, only to then totally botch the attempt, and conclude that while child beauty pageants are “an American tradition, [they’re] not a proud one.” The enthusiasm curdling into cynicism is pretty typical for the show, but it’s so jovial and matter of fact that it becomes it’s own form of commentary and hilarity.
And man, everyone is just on fire here. Frank frantically trying to convince everyone that he’s not a child molester is out there, but a pro like Danny DeVito makes the dark joke land like gangbusters, and the same’s true for the twist that the man from the child protection agency was actually under investigation by the cops. Plus, it’s not the first time a character played by DeVito has been put in white makeup and brought down by a hot mic (hello Batman fans!).
At the same time, the way that Dee tries to stage mom her way into having her chosen champion win the contest is great, and the barely-restrained disdain for her own mom coming through brings the laughs (especially in the left turn her song takes at the last minute). The rest of the guys trying to do a rave remix of Yankee Doodle for their pageant kid is equally goofy and hilarious. And the opening number, with Charlie decked all in white while the rest of the gang poses and, as usual, makes it about them, is just the best.
Overall, this is the sort of bizarre situation that IASIP excels at exploiting for all its weirdness and comedy. An example of the show firing on all cylinders.