A Deviation of Course

This blog is devoted to TV, one of my favorite media. But life is not something quite so easy to fragment and compartmentalize. Thus, I have elected to deviate from our usual course and share with you something that I found eminently worthwhile; something capable of piercing my veil of misanthropy and enlivening my soul in a way I forgot possible; in a way that even TV cannot. I recently had the pleasure of reading a little-known gem of a book, published in small numbers, and hardly circulated. The book is called The Well of Being: a children's book for adults (written by Jean-Pierre Weill and available here). I would not want to rob you of the journey that this book promises to embark you upon with my own musings and reflections, so I will resist the urge to pummel you with my analyses. But rest assured that this book has layers upon layers and something for everyone - that is, everyone who values thoughtful living. To put it simply, this book is music for the brain. I hope you will take the opportunity to explore for yourself everything that The Well of Being offers, in the meantime please enjoy a preview of the book in the video embedded below.

Human Target 201

This is a really fun show that I enjoy despite its unbelievable plot. I don't hold it against the show because its based on a comic book and doesn't take itself too seriously. Christopher Chance is our complicated and incredibly gifted hero, trying desperately to redeem himself for his seedy past. Along with the help of a retired police detective in Laverne Winston and a badass combination of nerd and cold-blooded killer in Chance's past associate Guerrero, Chance runs a private security firm specializing in high-risk cases. Actor Mark Valley makes an excellent choice for the role of Chance with a gnarled but still debonair sense about him and his impressive acting range.

This week's episode, the series premier, made quick work of tying up its loose ends from the season finale and moved to the more pressing issue of resetting the stage for season two. Judging from the hurried efforts to end its culminative progression from last season and turn back the plot clock, I get the distinct sense that those behind the show did not expect to be renewed for a second season. I certainly am glad that its back though. Another fun episode in line with its predecessors.

Episode Rating:
6 (Above average TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"I'm not very bright." - Christopher Chance

South Park 1414

Episode 14 - Créme Fraiche

Wow. Dirtiest episode of the season by far. Medical Fried Chicken was one thing, but this is something entirely different.


Créme Fraiche focuses on Randy Marsh and his erotic obsession with the Food Network. Beginning with with a hilarious parody on porn, I found Randy's actions reminiscent of certain scenes from Over Logging (s12e06).

Fed up with having to fix Randy's mess (both in the metaphoric and figurative sense), Sharon leaves the house and acquaints herself with the "Shake Weight" - the newest "as seen on TV" workout gimmick. Shaking a dumbbell shaped weight, the Shake Weight gives the user a very literal practice for a certain explicit act. And the voice controls make for a flattering Stephen Hawking.

A familiar remark is heard at South Park Elementary - "Hello there children!" "How's it going?"
Is this a return of the beloved Chef ? No - it's Randy, who has turned from geologist to school chef to continue his love of cooking (Remember, Chef died in The Return of Chef - s10e01).

Culminating in the ultimate culinary battle royale - "Hells Kitchen Nightmares Iron Top Chef Cafeteria Throwdown Ultimate Cookoff Challenge" - and with appearances from Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsey (Or, Eric Cartman), Jamie Oliver, and Paula Deen, the Shake Weight saves Randy and Sharon's marriage...

Special shout-out to the spoofs on the progressive and corona beer commercials.


Episode Rating:
5 (Average TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"I know, because I don't know that! That's what I'm saying!" - Randy (After Sharon blocks the Food Netork with parental controls)

Modern Family 208

This is one of the few comedies on TV that are consistently good. A cross-sectional trip through modern American multiculturalism, this show follows the story of one very diverse and quirky family. Well, its really three interrelated families. You have the patriarch Jay Pritchett and his much younger beautiful Columbian wife Gloria, as well as her child and Jay's adopted son Manny. Jay has two children from his first marriage, Mitchell and Claire. Mitchell is gay and in a committed relationship with his longtime partner Cameron with whom he has adopted a Vietnamese baby named Lilly. Claire belongs to the most traditional and perhaps most comical family of the bunch. The show tends to focus most on this family, with Claire being married to husband Phil Dunphy, and the two of them raising three children in Haley, Alex, and Luke.

I'm not sure exactly what I like about the show because they do some of the same things that annoy me in other shows but when they do them I absolutely love it. They have their go-to shtick and running jokes and I'm a sucker for it all. It may well be that the appeal lies in the acting, which is truly spectacular. They manage to sell me on their characters and antics, and they make it all very believable - even in its elaborate embellishments. This week's episode revolved around Manny's (my favorite character) birthday and his unsettling epiphany that he was born an old soul. Each family and character is made at first to attempt 'repair' of their eccentric personalities and ultimately to come to grips with them through their family roles. In the end, many laughs were had in watching this truly American tale of introspection, evolution, and family.

Episode Rating:
6 (Above average quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"Well I've forgotten a lot of things in my life, but what Jay said hit me pretty hard... I'd forgotten to have a childhood." - Manny

Law and Order: SVU 1209

A good episode of SVU. It always is. This week's episode has the unplaceable feel of earlier seasons. Naive youth, sly scum-bags, police-DA tensions, and controversial new tech combine to create formidable and thought-provoking entertainment.

Stabler and Benson run security at a student rally educating woman to prevent rape when the gathering is upended, ironically, by one student's raucous allegations of rape. The detectives detain the suspect and launch an investigation that exposes both the university's gross negligence, and the slipperiness of the suspect. Dodgy police work and judicial misgivings derail the state's case. When the picture clears to show conviction seems beyond reach, the investigation is forced to take on another insidious angle in hopes of justice. The chase was fun, the story unsettling, and the methods both disturbing and enchanting. Once again, Stabler and Benson deliver.

Episode Rating:
7 (Lower end quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"Well that doesn't mean its true. Whoever rants the loudest on the internet wins." - Detective Munch

NCIS 808

Another week and another good episode of NCIS. Continuing with the theme of the paternal interference in Gibbs' team, this week's episode centered around Ziva and her estranged father, Director of the Israeli Mossad, Eli David. Eli is coming stateside for a meeting with top US intelligence brass and has to contend with a clandestine Palestinian hit squad hunting him. Despite Eli's preference to keep his security arrangements within the elite unit of Israeli agents sent in advance of his arrival, Gibbs is tasked with his protection.

 Ziva is forced to confront the man who she feels abandoned her and always coldly put country above kin. In a brief but loaded encounter, Eli explains that he believes Ziva abandoned him, that he has always been open to and hoping for a reconciliation, and that he is the greatest victim of his heavy national responsibilities. Ziva responds with a suppressed tear and continues about her mission. Like father like daughter indeed. The episode ends on a cliffhanger  with Director David AWOL and presumably in great peril.

I think what I liked most about this episode was the evenhanded portrayal of the two sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel was not portrayed as a war-torn desert battlefield but a modern, first world  country. The Israeli's are portrayed as jaded, prickly, and consumed by self-preservationism, but not cruel. An inspired speech on the national struggles and oppression of the Palestinian people is delivered by one of the apprehended Palestinian agents to round out the perspective presented. Both sides were human, both bore both noble and cynical motives, and the situation at large was seen as complex. All told, another fun and engaging NCIS experience.

Episode Rating:
6 (Above average quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"No. Of course we are sleeping together. Its just nothing serious." - Mossad agent Malachi Ben-Gidon

Lie To Me 306

A pretty good episode. Lightman is still a deadpan character, Tim Roth is still a supremely limited actor, and the producers still seems to lack direction, but a pretty good episode. For all of this show's character deficiency, it finally scored a victory with John Stafford, the self-help guru and cult leader who is this week's villain. At times I found myself wishing I was watching a show that cast him in the lead. Otherwise a pretty standard episode. Leaving Loker and Torres dramatically under-attended and wasting time on Lightman's overexposed, uninteresting life. No great pain or pleasure.

Episode Rating:

4 (Acceptably mediocre)

Episode's Best Line:

"The goal is transcendence. Believe and be free." - John Stafford

House 707

Not a bad episode. Not a great episode either but it even had moments that were reminiscent of vintage House. I extend props to the show for mixing up its introductory scene. The show went to the effort of depicting a scene in history that contributed to House's current medical conundrum. I wasn't particularly enamored with the revamped opening but I certainly appreciate the thought. Deviating from well-worn formulae is normally a good thing in the entertainment industry. The road less traveled and all that jazz. 

The episode again lacked any philosophical thread tying all the elements together. It also had the gall to involve Wilson without any Wilson-House banter. On the positive side I like what they're doing with the new female doctor on House's team. She's the Yin to his Yang. Overall, the episode was average. Season average, not series average. Its good to see that the will for improvement through change is there though.

Episode Rating:

5 (Average TV)

Episode's Best Line:

"Yeah. That was true. When you were dying." - Cuddy (To House, on context redefining matters) 

Chuck 408

This is one of the few shows that I actually look forward to. Its fun and its quick and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Its kind of like a lighter, more comical, and more James Bondish Burn Notice. And like the Bond films, there's never a shortage of eye candy. Me likes candy. The episode plots are pretty trite but its overarching series plot flirts with creativity.

Chronically underachieving genius Chuck Bartowski gets a surprise and confusing email from his college friend turned nemesis (long story) Bryce Larkin (a CIA agent in peril). Upon viewing the video content of the email, Chuck is bombarded with seemingly random imagery that induces a trance-like effect. When Chuck comes to, his regular life turns into a wild adventure wherein he discovers that a massive government intelligence database has been visually implanted in his very unique mind, and he is now a closely monitored CIA asset. In charge of the monitoring is blond bombshell CIA agent Sara Walker. Chuck immediately forms a schoolboy crush on the beautiful Ms. Walker that, under the cover of a romantic relationship, grows into love. The emotionally detached and ever cautious Agent Walker cannot help but develop her own fondness for Chuck and eventually yields to his romantic overtures. The two begin a relationship and Chuck utilizes the veritable supercomputer (The Intersect) lodged in his brain to become a full-fledged CIA agent. Crime fighting, life balancing, super spying absurdity ensues.

This week's episode was par for the course. With The Intersect suppressed in his mind, Chuck and the team are benched. Insecure with his Intersectless inadequacies as a secret agent, Chuck submits to extreme measures to try and pull The Intersect back into his accessible consciousness. What stuck out most in my mind from this episode though was the embarrassingly shitty special effects on display. Come on NBC, there's no excuse for such bush-league production. Seriously. It unfairly detracted from an otherwise good show.

Episode Rating:
5 (Average TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"My life would be a never ending cyalis commercial if I had her." - Jeff

The Next Iron Chef 307

I like this show. I am an admitted Food Network junkie but I particularly like this show. Seduction was the theme of the episode. A little strange, yes, but free and playful enough to showcase the chefs' creativity and  edginess. At this point in the competition none of the chefs are lacking for confidence. Its not just in their cooking either, the contestant seems to fall in love with every decision they make. Perhaps cockiness is the more appropriate word, and by the looks of it none of the chefs realized that the inevitable elimination put all of them in statistically uncomfortable territory. Two people are to be eliminated this week to put the competition back on track after last week's unexpected clemency. 

Ultimately tough competition sent Chef Tio home and a botched lardo spelled doom for Chef Tsai. It was sad to see Chef Tsai go, but I still have one horse in this race in Chef Forgione. I expect Chef Forgione to win and emerge the next Iron Chef if for no other reason then from a production perspective, Chef Canora is just too similar to already Iron Chef Mario Batali. Fortunately, I won't have to wait too long to find out.

Episode Rating:

5 (Average quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:

"Chef Canora, you may have just spelled your own doom. Enjoy that." - Alton Brown (A snide SOB) 

Dexter 508

This week's episode of Dexter was great. It picked up right where it left off last week in its examination of primal humanity, only this time it stretched the theme to even more characters.

Jordan Chase is brought back into focus as a charismatic and oddly appealing philistine. He promotes a reawakening of, and return to, the primal self - not as an homage to the noble savage of Rousseau, but as an embrace of some much more nebulous savage.

The viewer is again reminded of LaGuerta's cut-throat instincts and her self-serving absolutism. Simply put, Laguerta is a bad person, perhaps the corporate version of Dexter... only she doesn't submit to any code of moral calculous, just self-interests.

Deb struggles equally in coming to terms with her own rigidly puritan sense of right and wrong and everyone else's grayer moral perspectives. I think the writers are setting the stage for Deb to discover Dexter's dark passenger. I also am reminded of the fact that Deb only has two gears: bulldog and whiny bitch.

Meanwhile, Dexter is forced to recount his psychological reaction to Rita's death, where he and the viewer share the quickly forgotten realization that he is human. (All Too Human?)

And Lumen sees Dexter for the first time not as the Dark Defender but as the Bay Harbor Butcher... and seems to accept accept him.

Aside from being an excellent episode, it lays the groundwork for even more and better to come. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Episode Rating:
8 (Quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"I've never been around so many people that made me feel normal." - Dexter (Internal monologue)

Family Guy 905

This week's episode was not very good. It was short on good jokes and classic Family Guy flashbacks. There was also the inexcusable and ill-fated neglect of all characters not named Peter or Louis. Most upsetting however was that the episode was pretty much a boxing redo of a season three karate episode. Of course the writers did take some measures to protect themselves from claims of self plagiarism: This time when Lois discovers her punishing prowess she doesn't lose herself to narcissistic vainglory. Very original Mr. MacFarlane, very original indeed. Sad times are upon us when the whacky world of Family Guy approaches its asymptotic limits of creativity.

Episode Rating:
3 (Bad TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"Coming up next, a boxing match where the fighters are bleeding before the fight!" - Tom Tucker

How I Met Your Mother 609

Episode 9 - Glitter


Another episode of How I Met Your Mother ... another twenty minutes of my life flushed down the drain. How this show has gotten to a sixth season is beyond me.

This week's episode centers around friendship and BFF's. Robin is annoyed by Lilly "reading what to expect, when you're expecting to expect". Barney finds a video of 'Space Teens' ("Solving crimes in space using math") - i.e. teenage Robin, or shall we call her Robin Sparkles?
Ted hooks up with an old BFF - Punchy, and Robin gets closure with her BFF - Jessica Glitter.


What I liked:

• Bringing back poetic Ted ("When Glitter's womb a fruit did bear ... to hell with this, I'm outta hare"). Reminiscent of the shows better days (The Sexless Inkeeper, anyone?).
  

What I didn't like:

• Pretty much everything else. Especially story-lines like this. Super lame.
  

Ideas for the show to rebound:

• Perhaps an increased role for Bob Saget? Voice-overs alone are far from enough ...
• Some kind of major plot twist (and actually going through with it) - Lilly and Marshall separating; Ted actually finding a serious girlfriend; Barney getting a new job. Anything. But something!
• Getting rid of Lilly - never was a fan of that character. Super annoying and rarely funny.
  

Episode Rating:
3 (Bad TV) - Seriously, why do I still watch this show? For the occasional chuckle?

Episode's Best Line:
"Two Dudes watching a kids show might be worse." - Barney (on how Space Teens must be porn)

Boardwalk Empire 109

Episode 9 - Belle Femme


In an episode centered on allegiances, this weeks' episode solidifies Nucky's place as a self-centered, yet amazing, political beast.

There are two main story-lines in "Belle Femme":

1. The turf war between Nucky and the D'Alissio gang.
   
2. The pursuit for political sway in the election campaign.

In terms of the the turf war:

• Jimmy returns to Atlantic City and reunites with Nucky. Tension is high with his wife, Angela, and their relationship is definitely icy (Don't worry, they still make room for "bedtime"). He tries to catch Lucky Luciano, right-hand-man to Arnold Rothstein, and tied to the D'Alissio brothers for the hit on Elie, but winds up being caught by Nelson, and is sent to jail.
• Nelson's assistant, Agent Sebso, show his allegiance by "taking out" the main witness against Jimmy - Billy Winslow. Nelson's gonna be steaming, to say the least.
  
• Arnold Rothstein forms an allegiance with the D'Alissio gang, to import whiskey from England, and to join the fight against Nucky.
• The show ends with a failed attempt on Nucky by the D'Alissio brothers.

In terms of the political campaign:

• The two main issues that bother Nucky on the upcoming elections are the candidacy for Mayor and Sheriff. The Democratic reformist candidate, Derwood Fletcher, leads the polls. In response, Nucky makes a deal with Edward Baydor to replace the current Mayor Backrack. The old commodore even suggests that Nucky replace his brother as sheriff, as per his widely publicized corruption.
  
• Nucky and Margaret make a deal - he helps her save the dress shop of Madame Jeunet, and she'll help him get the female vote with her strong ties to the Women's Temperance League.
  

What I liked:

• Jimmy's insistence on bringing the 'Man with Half a Face' - WWI hero Richard Harrow. First, it shows Jimmy has some class left in him. Second, to still be able to sharp-shoot with half a face is pretty, pretty, pretty good (To quote Larry David).
• Jimmy's insistence on Nucky to flat out state that he should kill the D'Alissio brothers. In doing so, he makes Nucky acknowledge that he's more than a politician - he's a murderer.
  
• Nelson flaring up on not being informed of the intercepted Post Office wire of Jimmy returning to town. Once again, we get a true sense of his dedication to his job ("Man needs to have courage for his convictions").
• Margaret talking back to Madame Jeunet. "You treated me just like the Pollock". You go girl!
  

What I didn't like:

• Agent Sebso siding with the superintendent over Nelson. Who knows, perhaps he was even sold out? After all, he was the one who knowingly let Nucky into the jail to talk with Jimmy.
• No Al Capone again ? Not even a single scene?! Come on !

Food for Thought:

• Now that we know that Nucky truly is the politicians' politician, will he sell out his brother for personal gain? Will he give away his candidacy for Sheriff for the sake of his own (and the Republican's) political muscle?
• How will Johnny Torrio and Al Capone respond to Jimmy's departure? Better yet, will they send in support to Atlantic City to help Nucky in his fight?

Episode Rating:
8 (quality TV) - a bunch of parts of the episode made me pause and actually say "wo" outloud.

Episode's Best Line:
"It's not just blood I'm worried about ... it's ink" - Nucky (talking to Elie on the public awareness of his corruption).

Worthy mention:
"If we only elected good men, we'd never have leaders" - Nucky (On Warren Harding and his presidency campaign)

The League 209

This show is full-on, off-the-chain ridiculousness. I absolutely love it. It has football, it has conniving, it has trash-talk, it has buckets full of lewd sexuality, and it has Jon Lajoie. That wasn't redundant, was it? The entire premise of the show is the hyper competitive fantasy football league of a group of manchildren. It doesn't quite inspire television confidence, but if you give it a chance you'll be kindly rewarded.

This week's episode features collusion and courtroom drama. Taco is great as always and Andre is creepy as ever. The League raises the interesting philosophical question of whether it is still outlandish if you have come to expect it. Either way, The League has built a home in the realm of delightfully disgusting. I reserve my one criticism for the way the show makes up fantasy facts and scenarios. I understand the crippling restrictions of a dialogue revolving around yet to occur football outcomes, but come on. Mike Bell? Really?

Episode Rating:
7 (Lower end quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"Should I be erect?" - Taco (No explanation necessary)

Burn Notice 413

This show is fun enough, but suffers from awful acting, contrived plot, and bad writing. Still, this show about a disgraced spy trying to fight his way back to espionage relevance while catering to the whims of his conscience continues to gain popularity.

With each new episode the show seems to get more convoluted. This week was also less fun than most of its counterparts, though not tremendously so. Some loose ends are tied and others split when Michael emerges from his latest brush with death and checks out of the hospital.

Episode Rating:
4 (Acceptably mediocre)

Episode's Best Line:
"Dr. Finley, I'm fine." - Michael (absurdly maintaining cover)

Fringe 306

This show bears all of the hallmarks of a J.J. Abrams production but none of the style. It is like the old Late Night with Conan O'Brien bit 'What If They Mated' if it had paired Alias with Lost. The most unseemly features of both shows combine to form a cheesy endeavor in science-fiction - easy on the science, heavy on the fiction. Leading character, Special Agent Olivia Dunham has a lot of the qualities of Sidney Bristo... unfortunately, good looks and intelligence are not included among them. The primary cast is rounded out with eccentric but broken super genius Walter Bishop and his lovable son Charlie Conway, er Peter Bishop. Together they form an elite government unit tasked with the investigation of the mind-blowingly bizarre.

Simply put, I do not like this show but I can't bring myself to stop watching it altogether. I suppose it retains some modicum of that immutable Abrams charm. This week's episode is more of the same with the inevitable inter-universal and inter-Dunhamian showdown drawing closer. It also managed a pleasant surprise guest role for the veteran Abrams actor from Alias, Kevin Weisman. Still, not an exciting episode. In seasons one and two there were at least Islands of humor to carry the viewer through the episode. Now, just crap drama throughout. Peter's character, credit actor Joshua Jackson, may be the only redeeming quality the show has to offer.

Episode Rating:
3 (Bad TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"I feel a bowel movement coming on." - Walter Bishop

Bones 606

I am a big fan of this show. Of course, the quality fluctuates, but I like what they do and how they do it. Its a strange sort of cross between Crossing Jordan and a grown up Freaks and Geeks. Which is ironic because one of the show's main characters, Dr. Sweets, is played by the lead Geek of the classic Judd Apatow production, and Sweet's girlfriend - one of Dr. Brennan's forensic interns - Daisy Wick is one of Apatow's carrousel cast members. The show follows the unlikely crime solving partnership of Dr. Temperance Brennan and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. Brennan is a prodigious forensic anthropologist who cannot help but relate to society from a rigid and cold anthropological perspective. Booth is a 'night in shining armor' romantic who cannot help but see the world through a more liberal form of artistic interpretation. Both are attracted to the oppositeness of the other, and both possess a sense of mentorship in their relationship with each other.

This week's episode was slightly above the show's recent average. It features a marginal but episode-long exploration of a subject that is somehow both taboo and cliché at the same time in the American slave trade, as well as an interesting albeit brief foray into the social dynamics of foster children. Bones does a good job avoiding the writing flaws of many of its predecessor murder-mysteries (Columbo, Monk et al.), namely revealing their hand with the inclusion of otherwise random details that always and  blatantly obviously lead to the murderer's identity. Their tactic is simple but effective, they reveal decoy details to obfuscate the viewer's prescience. Complete with a 'Cougar Cruise' and slimy pink parasites, Bones always seems incorporate the fringes of society and nature. All in an anthropologist's day's work.

Episode Rating:
6 (Above average quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"You had intercourse accidentally? What were you trying to do Ms. Wick?" - Dr. Brennan

Community 208

This may be the best comedy on TV. Its either this or FX's The League, but The League has a much narrower audience. Tie goes to the crowd pleaser. The story revolves around a smooth-talking lawyer who is exposed as a cheat by a fraudulent college degree. To reclaim his career he must earn a legitimate degree. Cautious not to overexert himself, our star, Jeff Winger, enrolls in a barely functional, chronically looney community college. Hence the name. Struggling to adjust to his new glamorless lifestyle, Jeff briefly cons and ultimately befriends a group of zany misfits. I'll spare the elaborate details, you still have wikipedia for that, but it suffices to say that the show is funny.

A sort of post- cliché brand of humor, Community is rife with spoofs, parodies, and oodles of brilliantly cheesy references. This week's episode is revealed by the characters themselves as a "bottleneck episode". After a while, I begin to wonder whether the show wont run out of genres to play with, but every week I am surprised with the new and always fun shtick they manage to exploit. Aside from keeping things fresh, which this show does remarkably well, it seems like a genuinely fun experience for the actors to be a part of. Perhaps that's me projecting a little, but I can't imagine them not having a blast. This show simply exudes Americana, and I for one love me some America (A-mur-ka). Bottleneck well done.

Episode Rating:
7 (Lower end quality TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"...And before you can say 1984, the thought police are forcey worcing you to bend and spread" - Britta (Upon being pressured to cede to a search of her property)

Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia 609

This show used to be crazy good. Now, I'm normally disappointed by it. I'm not sure whether that's because of unreasonably high expectations or a serious drop in quality. Either way, while I no longer find myself laughing out loud, the show is still amusing. The show carries the tagline "Its 'Seinfeld' on crack", but I think its more like South Park with real people. A gang of delinquent manchildren cook up wild, if ill-fated, schemes to propel themselves to fame and fortune.

This week's episode was more of the same. Amusing but far short of the stomach cramp inducing hilarity of early Sunny. The story picks up where it left off last week, with Charlie and Sweet Dee having abandoned the gang with hopes of better and brighter in their new and inescapably menial jobs in the local high school. Meanwhile Dennis, Mac, and Frank debate over the racism of "blackface" acting. The two stories become one when Dennis, Mac, and Frank devise an elaborate experiment to decide on the issue once and for all. Funny moments were had, no doubt, but they were sadly too few and too far between.

Episode Rating:
5 (Average TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"Juggalo for life. Bitch!" - Richard, the student Juggalo