[7.0/10] This was not Mr. Show’s best effort, but it has two amazing sketches, which bolster it considerably.
One is the sketch that lured me to Mr. Show -- “The Pretaped Call-In Show.” It’s just a wonderfully built scene, with the intentionally convoluted nature of the show unspooling perfectly, and David’s escalating anger (and decreasing hairline) coming together brillaintly.
I also really enjoyed the “Titanica” sketch which is, frankly, kind of the opposite of the Pre-Taped Call In Show skit. It’s gross out humor based on ridiculous imagery (and puppetry) more than anything that cleverly written. But David’s Slim Jim body is a hilariously-designed surprise, and the frantic puppetry work involved with his flailing limbs is funny in and of itself. The fact that the sketch goes to super dark places in the midst of this ridiculousness (with the ersatz Metallica band writing a song just to tell David to dive into acid again) adds an extra layer to the sketch.
The problem is that the rest of the episode falls somewhere between lackluster and solid enough, so the episode as a whole is kind of a wash.
The whole schtick with the guidance counselor who never believed in Bob & David is a one-note gag that wears out its welcome, though the closing bit with a Shakespeare production as the guidance counselor imagines theater to be is fairly amusing. The night janitor as a Patch Adams equivalent in the mopping sketch is high concept enough, but only amounts to chuckles.
The same goes for the “local world news” segment, which collects local news bits from around the world. It’s a half-formed idea for a sketch that has its charms, but never makes it off the ground. The “law firm interview” sketch is similarly fine, with sexual favors as the apparent currency of the whole wide world, but the comedy mostly comes down to the performers playing the bit straight rather than any cleverness in the writing.
I did enjoy the brief but just right “Return of the Curse of the Creature’s Ghost” skit, which worked well as both a parody of old timey monster movies and a nice follow-on to the shows of the “Covoluted Network.”
The one sketch that really dragged this episode down was the “Chip on the Shoulder” club bit, which took forever, barely had a point, and couldn’t dredge up any laughs. I’m on board with a parody of the Dead Poet Society/”I have to reach these kids!” flicks, but this one goes nowhere (or doesn't, I suppose) and never finds a punchline.
Overall, this is mostly a two-sketch episode, with a pair of winners that lift all boats, a host of material that’s fine but nothing special, and one real clunker.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-07-26T05:16:48Z
[7.0/10] This was not Mr. Show’s best effort, but it has two amazing sketches, which bolster it considerably.
One is the sketch that lured me to Mr. Show -- “The Pretaped Call-In Show.” It’s just a wonderfully built scene, with the intentionally convoluted nature of the show unspooling perfectly, and David’s escalating anger (and decreasing hairline) coming together brillaintly.
I also really enjoyed the “Titanica” sketch which is, frankly, kind of the opposite of the Pre-Taped Call In Show skit. It’s gross out humor based on ridiculous imagery (and puppetry) more than anything that cleverly written. But David’s Slim Jim body is a hilariously-designed surprise, and the frantic puppetry work involved with his flailing limbs is funny in and of itself. The fact that the sketch goes to super dark places in the midst of this ridiculousness (with the ersatz Metallica band writing a song just to tell David to dive into acid again) adds an extra layer to the sketch.
The problem is that the rest of the episode falls somewhere between lackluster and solid enough, so the episode as a whole is kind of a wash.
The whole schtick with the guidance counselor who never believed in Bob & David is a one-note gag that wears out its welcome, though the closing bit with a Shakespeare production as the guidance counselor imagines theater to be is fairly amusing. The night janitor as a Patch Adams equivalent in the mopping sketch is high concept enough, but only amounts to chuckles.
The same goes for the “local world news” segment, which collects local news bits from around the world. It’s a half-formed idea for a sketch that has its charms, but never makes it off the ground. The “law firm interview” sketch is similarly fine, with sexual favors as the apparent currency of the whole wide world, but the comedy mostly comes down to the performers playing the bit straight rather than any cleverness in the writing.
I did enjoy the brief but just right “Return of the Curse of the Creature’s Ghost” skit, which worked well as both a parody of old timey monster movies and a nice follow-on to the shows of the “Covoluted Network.”
The one sketch that really dragged this episode down was the “Chip on the Shoulder” club bit, which took forever, barely had a point, and couldn’t dredge up any laughs. I’m on board with a parody of the Dead Poet Society/”I have to reach these kids!” flicks, but this one goes nowhere (or doesn't, I suppose) and never finds a punchline.
Overall, this is mostly a two-sketch episode, with a pair of winners that lift all boats, a host of material that’s fine but nothing special, and one real clunker.