[9.5/10] Holy cow, I feel like this is the show everyone was promising me when they talked about the brilliance of Mr. Show. I kept waiting for the seamless transitions, the delightfully high concept sketch, and the big laughs, and while there were bits and pieces of those things in the prior three seasons’ worth of episode, no other installment of the show has brought it all together like this one did.
The opening sketch, that melded a normal pharmacy with the tics and quirks of a pot dealer was an ingenious take on the advent of medical marijuana. The way Bob and David and the pharmacist play the scene so straight really sells the comedy of it.
The transition of wearing a wire as a heat source, or a device for recording lectures makes for a great transition to the law school scene. I have to admit, as Better Call Saul fan, it was a treat to see Michael McKean and Bob Odenkirk share the screen here, especially in a legal-themed segment. But apart from that, this was a very amusing scene that starts out with a great riff on The Paper Chase from McKean, segues into a great bit from Bob as an anxious student trying to do the intimidating professor bit, and then closes with an insane conclusion of David as a roughed up T.A. taking his revenge. It’s a great exercise in comic escalation, and the button with the apple butter is the perfectly set up little gag to move things out.
The Hitler Clone sketch is a heap of high concept brilliance. Just the idea that there are Hitler clones sent to be servants to the families of Holocaust survivors is such a bizarre idea, but the show plays it to the hilt. Again, the transition from the show just exploring that absurdity (“put your Hitlers away) to examining the clones’ lives, to following David as an older clone who lives a quotidian life...except for trying to take over the world is a great example of transgressive but hilarious comedy.
The hits just keep on coming, as the marriage of a Jerry Springer-esque talk show and a lifeboat situation ends up being unexpectedly perfect. The way that Bob’s talk show host character tries to both facilitate some understanding in a trashy love triangle while also trying to keep everyone alive is a superb bit, and Jerry Minor as the audience member is sublime.
The “last thought” bit is one of the show’s more clever transitions, and the next segment is another bit of pure escalation. The way that the “Scam Detector” from the local news tries to bust a wishing well business, only to conclude that it’s fine, only to be busted by a separate new organization checking to see if he’s a “scam” of sorts is just layer upon layer of great absurd oneupsmanship. The way the sketch closes, with Odenkirk’s character feeling bad for Cross’s and trying to take it all back, is a nice touch. And the awkward banter between Cross’s character and John Ennis as the news anchor is the icing on the cake.
Last but not least, Odenkirk’s ever-topping-itself, Musican Man-esque performance as the local weatherman is just a delight.
Overall, this is far and away the best episode of the show so far, with laughs a plenty, hardly a dull moment, and laughs out the wazoo. I’m glad I stuck it out to get this far!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-07-27T02:29:30Z
[9.5/10] Holy cow, I feel like this is the show everyone was promising me when they talked about the brilliance of Mr. Show. I kept waiting for the seamless transitions, the delightfully high concept sketch, and the big laughs, and while there were bits and pieces of those things in the prior three seasons’ worth of episode, no other installment of the show has brought it all together like this one did.
The opening sketch, that melded a normal pharmacy with the tics and quirks of a pot dealer was an ingenious take on the advent of medical marijuana. The way Bob and David and the pharmacist play the scene so straight really sells the comedy of it.
The transition of wearing a wire as a heat source, or a device for recording lectures makes for a great transition to the law school scene. I have to admit, as Better Call Saul fan, it was a treat to see Michael McKean and Bob Odenkirk share the screen here, especially in a legal-themed segment. But apart from that, this was a very amusing scene that starts out with a great riff on The Paper Chase from McKean, segues into a great bit from Bob as an anxious student trying to do the intimidating professor bit, and then closes with an insane conclusion of David as a roughed up T.A. taking his revenge. It’s a great exercise in comic escalation, and the button with the apple butter is the perfectly set up little gag to move things out.
The Hitler Clone sketch is a heap of high concept brilliance. Just the idea that there are Hitler clones sent to be servants to the families of Holocaust survivors is such a bizarre idea, but the show plays it to the hilt. Again, the transition from the show just exploring that absurdity (“put your Hitlers away) to examining the clones’ lives, to following David as an older clone who lives a quotidian life...except for trying to take over the world is a great example of transgressive but hilarious comedy.
The hits just keep on coming, as the marriage of a Jerry Springer-esque talk show and a lifeboat situation ends up being unexpectedly perfect. The way that Bob’s talk show host character tries to both facilitate some understanding in a trashy love triangle while also trying to keep everyone alive is a superb bit, and Jerry Minor as the audience member is sublime.
The “last thought” bit is one of the show’s more clever transitions, and the next segment is another bit of pure escalation. The way that the “Scam Detector” from the local news tries to bust a wishing well business, only to conclude that it’s fine, only to be busted by a separate new organization checking to see if he’s a “scam” of sorts is just layer upon layer of great absurd oneupsmanship. The way the sketch closes, with Odenkirk’s character feeling bad for Cross’s and trying to take it all back, is a nice touch. And the awkward banter between Cross’s character and John Ennis as the news anchor is the icing on the cake.
Last but not least, Odenkirk’s ever-topping-itself, Musican Man-esque performance as the local weatherman is just a delight.
Overall, this is far and away the best episode of the show so far, with laughs a plenty, hardly a dull moment, and laughs out the wazoo. I’m glad I stuck it out to get this far!