Before tonight's episode of My Name is Earl began, I kept thinking to myself that Earl needs to get out of jail. Sure, a couple of amusing things have happened to our hero while he's been in the clink, and Randy's been a heckuva lot of fun, but isn't it about time Earl got back on track with his list. I don't think that Earl needs to cross something off every week, but seeing him progress in the right direction is always nice.

After watching the show, I have to assume that the producers feel similarly because they did virtually the entire episode as a flashback. Writing the episode this way allowed the producers to do a few things. First, and foremost, it bought the producers another week to figure out how to get Earl out of jail.

Second, it helped us see how far Earl has come since starting the list as the flashback takes place pre-list with a slightly more evil Earl. This evil is all sort of mitigated by the fact that Earl was never really evil, he was only ever a small time, comical, miscreant. Even so, filling in the back story is a pretty safe bet when you don't know where the tale is currently headed. It can't be done on a weekly basis, but it works here and there as filler.

The last thing that the flashback allowed the show to do (this one being less important than number one, but more important than number two) is the establishment of a new character, Frank (Michael Rapaport), as an old character. At some point in the future, next week perhaps, maybe Earl will reveal that there is an item about Frank on the list, something like #123 – failed to come through for my landlord Frank when he went to rob an Indian casino. Maybe it will be #121 – took a car and a house from my landlord, Frank, when he disappeared forever. Maybe it will be both. Maybe it will be neither. Maybe Frank will help Earl break out of jail at some point in the future (I'm hoping that the time off for good behavior slips Earl started to accrue last week is not how Earl ends up getting out of the slammer).

Whatever way it shakes out, I liked seeing Frank as a sort of precursor to our Earl. Earl got the trailer and El Camino from Frank, and, if I understood the episode correctly, possibly his first son too. Okay, maybe I'm reading too much into that, but Joy recognized Frank and didn't realize that Earl knew Frank. Joy couldn't have met Frank after meeting Earl, Frank was in jail, so it had to be before. The father of the child was never identified, but the pregnancy was a huge part of the episode. Thus, in my mind, Frank is the father. What do you think, could that be possible or am I going way too far out on a limb here?

It really does seem though like the show has no idea what to do with Catalina. Last week she had no scenes, and this week she was there three times, but they were all very, very brief. Her story did tie in to what was happening, as did Darnell's, but it seemed that both of those plots only tied in to the Earl plot in order to be cute and funny, not because it was intrinsically necessary for them to do so. With Darnell this is more forgivable, because his actions usually are more central than Catalina's.

In closing, I'd like to, for the second week in a row, issue a complaint about the voiceover person saying "stayed tuned for more My Name is Earl" and then only showing the credits on the bottom while promoing other shows instead of, you know, showing us more My Name is Earl as was promised. Happily, I was smart enough this time around not to watch the promos for The Office. Please NBC, stop lying to us, it just isn't nice.

A couple of quotes:

• Joy to Earl, when handing over some stuff she has brought her ex-husband in jail - "Since they won't let you bring in nudie mags, I drew naughty parts on all the people in the TV Guide."
• Frank to Earl and Randy about their other roommate, Paco - "Little tip, don't let him catch you coming out of the bathroom with that picture of his lady - he will lose his mind."

Fine, one more quote – "Hi there, Josh here, and, you know where else I am? Over at The TV and Film Guy's Reviews, check me out sometime."

Comments

Frank can't be Dodge's father -- they named him Dodge because the only thing Joy remembered about the father was that he drove a Ford. El Caminos are made by Chevy. Joy did frequent the Crab Shack, where Frank worked, so that's where she knew him from.

And Catalina's storyline was kind of forced to be as it was by previous flashbacks (the Y2K episode specifically), as was Darnell's.

shelwood | Oct 11, 2007 9:42:29 PM | #

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Too bad they can't put Catalina's head in a box :) The comic sensibility of this show is so unique it makes me glad I've stuck with it. "Check out the vagina on Al Roker"... I almost fell out of my chair!

AC | Oct 11, 2007 10:27:53 PM | #

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This is just a guess on my part, but I think when Earl gets out of jail, he and Randy will move back into the motel. That way they can interact with Catalina a bit more frequently. Mind you that didn't seem to make much of a difference for stretchs in both of the first two years.

Rishi | Oct 12, 2007 1:13:44 AM | #

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How long do you have to be in the clink to look at Al Roker like that?

I'm more curious about what happened to Paco and if he still harbors feelings for the now Catalina "Hickey." (more Randy is always a fun thing to have)

pakopako | Oct 12, 2007 7:50:19 AM | #

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Oh, and more Craig (Warden) and Andry (Ron)!o have)

pakopako | Oct 12, 2007 7:51:14 AM | #

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really? how much more complaining about t.v. shows are the bloggers ganna do. it be diffrent if there were new complaints but tis the same ones over and over.

Scotty B. | Oct 12, 2007 7:53:20 AM | #

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Actually, I thought the show was funny. I think I pointed out both the good and the bad in the recap.

Josh Lasser | Oct 12, 2007 8:19:15 AM | #

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I like watching Earl - it would be great to see Tim Stack's role expanded - seeing him wearing his Son of the Beach lifeguard outfit never gets old!

DaisyRose | Oct 12, 2007 10:35:40 AM | #

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It is a sign of this show's quirky staying power that we are being rewarded with in-jokes about minor characters from several seasons ago.

As Josh suggested, this episode seemed to be setting up future storylines by revisiting the past. I hope you are right about Frank being the dad of Joy's oldest. (It is conceivable - ha ha - that Frank could have been driving a Dodge before the El Camino, or that the Dodge explanation was merely for laughs).

The idea of Catalina reuniting with her long-lost love - and that person being someone we can welcome into Earl's eccentric, trying-to-right-our-paths circle - seems like a storyline with some fun possibilities.

One other thought: I saw that ABC wants to revive "Cupid." As I look back on Earl's trail of do-good amends, it occurs to me that he has been playing Cupid for a long time.

And how about the Al Roker cracks on both "Earl" and "The Office" on the same night?

Goph | Oct 12, 2007 12:56:08 PM | #

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Catalina's Spanish diatribes are always funny, especially since they are littered with in-jokes. Any Japanese speakers out there catch what Yoshihiro had to say? Boku wa nihongo warui desu. (My Japanese is bad.)

Mike | Oct 12, 2007 1:45:12 PM | #

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Goph - I noticed that Al Roker showed twice (as jokes anyway), weird, I wonder if it was planned.

Mike - That is a good question. I wish I knew the answer.

Josh Lasser | Oct 12, 2007 5:00:02 PM | #

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Does anyone know what Catalina said in full?
I only understood parts of it. It had something to do with paying attention and acknowledging that the episode may not make sense to everyone.

I like when the flashback episodes fill in random gaps and inside jokes. Like, did Catalina kill her mother in order to get to Camden? Is that the kill from the Mailbox episode from Season 2 (When Catalina says that she might
"kill again" and the boys won't let that comment slide)?

I'd love a Paco v. Randy fight over Catalina's love.

Also, next week's episode has something to do with both the list and Frank so the writers have figured out a way to use the list and keep Earl in jail. It makes sense that Earl would know more than 3 prisoners or that some prisoners would know Earl from something list-related.

LK | Oct 13, 2007 11:52:08 AM | #

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