6x04 When Rafi Met Randy

[9.5/10] Alright, show’s over. What is the point? How in god’s name could The League go on for twenty-two more episodes when Jason Mantzoukas and Seth Rogen have twice proved that they can get more laughs, and throw more hilarious, chaotic energy into one episode than The League can normally wring from a whole season.

Suffice it to say, when it comes to The League, I am team Rafi/Randy for life. This episode takes the flashback/prequel format and manages to come up with delightfully absurd backstories for the series’ two most insane and best creations that provide a plausible, while still utterly bonkers, account for why these two nutbars are the way they are (namely, some combination of tragedy, electroshock therapy, and lobotomy).

The episode puts together a fine cast of new characters, with Jorma Taccone returning to lend his Lonely Island brand of absurdity to the mix, a Nurse Ratchet pastiche played with panache by June Diane-Raphael, and a cultured man of delusion, Neil, who brings a touch of sophistication and more craziness to the group. This episode is riffing on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest hard but manages to find fun, ridiculous new twists on that material.

The great escape plan and the seeds of Rafi and Randy’s later nicknames, dress, professions, and demeanor, all tickle the funny bone from the word go. Mantzoukas and Rogen’s improvisational spirit shines and the new players they add are more than up to the challenge. Plus, the irreverence of Rafi’s dying dream and his imaginary friend channel the sort of loony energy that the normal show just can’t match.

Overall, these episodes are almost too good. They show how much of a better use this airtime and budget could be in different hands. Alas, The League as we know it, must go on anyway.