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FinaleWatch: 'My Name is Earl'
Tonight was the My Name is Earl, hour long, season finale. In my mind, that makes it a time for reflection, a time to look back at all that the season had to offer and lament that Earl spent 90 percent of his time in jail or in a coma. It would also be a time to reflect on what happened to the other characters this season if, you know, something had happened (okay, Randy became a prison guard and then worked on Earl's list when Earl was in a coma, summation completed). Sadly, that didn't change tonight (well, maybe a little with Randy).
But, what did change was the way that Earl saw the world, or at least women in the world. Earl spent the entire first half-hour tonight getting donuts thrown at him, women swinging no longer attached to their head fake pigtails at him, and his wife rationing the number of Kleenex he was allowed to use (not that I imagine that Billie would pop for real Kleenex, they probably just had "facial tissues" in the motel room). It was only when Earl started to do right by women, started to correct the mistakes he had made in his past with the opposite sex, that Billie started to treat him like a human being. Billie did still make Randy sleep on the balcony, but she also gave him a Klondike Bar without humiliating him first.
With the way to a happy marriage in sight, Earl spent the second half of the show correcting his mistake of seducing seven virgins. Apparently, at some point during his misspent, not-so-distant, past, Earl, on a yearly basis, hit on the young women who were leaving the Camdenite Village (the Camdenites being an offshoot of the Amish that rejected stuff like the wheel) to experience the world and make a choice about whether they would return to their people or go off into the world forever (just like that show Amish in the City). And, as the item on his list made clear, not only did Earl hit on the women, he scored.
Now, let me be clear, I completely applaud Earl's ingenuity dressing up like a Amish man and dedicating himself to being present every year when the Camdenites released their young women into the world. It shows a certain amount of stick-to-it-iveness that, even with the list, Earl doesn't always seem to have. On the other hand, it was probably more than a little evil on his part and definitely something that should have been crossed off the list sooner rather than later.
I'm torn. I just don't know how to feel about Earl here. I like the fact that he was impressively evil seducing the Camdenite women, but, it was evil. Of course, now he's a good guy and trying to make up for his past mistakes, and that should count for something. On the other hand, shouldn't seducing seven virgins come before some of the other stuff he's corrected? Shouldn't this have ranked pretty high on the list? Should I be happy that Earl is correcting his mistakes or sad that this one was so far down he didn't get there sooner? Should I be proud of his ingenuity in seducing the Camdenites or sad that he sunk so low? I just don't know.
Well, that might be a larger question and not something we're going to be able to answer right here and now. For the time being, let's just accept that Earl was doing his best to cross the item off his list by protecting one innocent, young Camdenite from the wicked, wicked world.
It wasn't an easy task though, and Billie, proving herself to be demon spawn, didn't make it any better. She went on a rampage, stole the Camdenite girl that Earl was supposed to keep safe, and undid everything that Earl had ever done on his list.
Somehow, in a way I completely and totally didn't understand, this made everybody in town angry at Earl. Why should they have been angry at Earl for what Billie did? That would be like Ginger, Mary Ann, the Professor, and the Howells getting angry at the Skipper for Gilligan's breaking the coconut radio. Yes, some culpability lies with the Skipper for putting the coconut radio within Gilligan's reach, but Gilligan's an adult, he's responsible for his own actions. Billie, as an adult, is also responsible for her own actions. She's a grown human being. Earl neither owns nor controls her, it wasn't his fault she undid his good work, just like the Skipper isn't to blame for Gilligan breaking the radio.
I don't remember what happened at the end of Gilligan's Island (I think I recall that they turned the island into a resort), but I know that Billie was eventually set right on My Name is Earl. She tried to escape from the police who wanted her for turning Joy's trailer back on its side and sought asylum at the Camdenite Village. She was quickly converted and somehow it didn't matter that the village didn't get the girl Earl was supposed to be watching back.
It was kind of an all's well that end's well thing. Earl, quite clearly, ended the season back where he was before getting sent to jail at the end of last year. I'm going to take that as the show asking for a little bit of forgiveness for jail and the coma, and like the wise Skipper, I'm going to forgive my "little buddy" and tune in next season.
One last quote for this season and maybe a thought and a question:
- Billie did say one fantastic thing tonight – "there's nothing like a crap and a shower to make you feel better." That fits into the "it's funny 'cause it's true" category.
- Good, bad, or indifferent, forget this season for a minute. Where do you want the show to go next year? What do you want to see from it? And, should Randy and the Camdenite girl have a long-term relationship? I see some comedic possibilities there, but I'm not sure if they're worthy of multiple episodes.
I certainly hope that part of your answer is "a trip to The TV and Film Guy's Reviews," because it's part of mine.
I want to see Earl team up with a new partner in kharmic endeavors. Not that Randy and the clan isn't good company to keep, but I want to see Earl meet up with either
- a person, male or female, who is connected to karma and the universe in a way Earl isn't, and to help him understand his purpose better and help him really get into his list in a way he never has before.
Or
- a young guy or girl that either ends up being a lost Hickey sibling, or else is Earl's kid, thereby giving him a new responsibility.
Sean | May 16, 2008 2:33:12 AM | #...but if Gilligan went into hiding, and you knew the Skipper attached to Gilligan's hip was still in their motel room, you'd probably direct your anger at them, justified or not.
I'm slightly slighted toward Billie; does this mean we'll get less Catalina time?
pakopako | May 16, 2008 7:53:37 AM | #This ended up being such a weak season, after the second was a step down from the first.
The show really seems to have lost its way - still lots of great one liners and I still love the characters, but they seem to have their hands tied by the original premise and now can't think of anything to give them to do.
If it wasn't on the same night as 30 rock and the Office (not interested in the office spinoff, and Scrubs is going to ABC) I'd probably give up on it at this point.
And that line...my wife and I weren't sure if she said "a crap IN the shower"? That would definitely freak Earl out way more than the other one.
milo | May 16, 2008 8:05:36 AM | #Milo,
I rewound it several times to check, she definitely said "and" not "in." But, I thought the same thing at first.
Josh Lasser | May 16, 2008 8:18:28 AM | #That's somehow a relief and a disappointment at the same time.
milo | May 16, 2008 9:34:48 AM | #Personally, i don't think the show needed to try as hard as it has the last couple of years to deviate from its original premise. I really like the direction it started to take when Earl and Randy got jobs at the appliance store. I thought that would have been some great comedy right there especially with the people they had at the store. It really pissed me off when i wound up going to jail. I'd be perfectly happy to see them go back to the original premise after this frustrating season.
Steve | May 16, 2008 1:23:18 PM | #Edit: I meant when he went to jail not me, but that would piss me off too!
Steve | May 16, 2008 1:31:42 PM | #Steve, that last line was funnier than anything in tonight's episode. It seemed to me that some of the best sequences this year also happened by accident - much like Steve's typo causing much laughter on my part.
It seemed to me that the ratings this season - ~25% lower than last - reflected people's disappointment in the show. I think it'll be difficult to get those viewers back at this point.
Rishi | May 16, 2008 2:41:01 PM | #I'd like to see the show go in another direction. As in, to another reviewer. And too bad, too, since this was one of Josh's better recaps. (Is that saying much?) At least you've got the whole summer now to try to sharpen up. Or until we meet again in HIMYM-land!
Goph | May 16, 2008 2:57:56 PM | #Goph, what are you complaining about?
milo | May 16, 2008 3:02:21 PM | #Milo, since you asked: I watch a decent amount of TV and this Web site follows most of my favorite series. Much of the time, it does so quite well. Perhaps it is because of the concise, witty and engaging work of folks like Rick Porter and Liz Pardue that I have come to expect such quality from other recappers. But two of my favorite series, "My Name is Earl" and "How I Met Your Mother" suffer from overlong recaps that sometimes dull down the episodes and otherwise lack in style and substance. Josh is the reviewer for both.
I have asked myself, if you abhor his writing style so much, why do you keep coming back? And I realized that the reason is the other commenters. People such as yourself, Milo, who have actually have something to say about the show.
I have been rooting and rooting for JL to improve. He has shown glimmers of promise, but I wish he could sustain it. And he's in a crowded, competitive field where such scrutiny is fair game - otherwise, I wouldn't give such scathing grades. It isn't personal. I bet JL is a wonderful person of many talents. So, my question for discussion is this: Have I set my expectations too high?
Goph | May 16, 2008 4:13:35 PM | #Goph, I don't think you've set your expectations too high as I too sometimes find the reviews/recaps a little lacking (not just Josh, but in general), but like you I enjoy discussing the shows with the other posters and hearing other theories and points of view. I generally just accept a weak review, and get to the reading of the rest of the comments. I rarely comment of the tone/style of the review/recap unless it really scraps the bottom of the barrel and/or I notice an error (such as giving credit for a quote to an actor/actress incorrectly).
I'd rather that the shows I like/watch continue to have their shows reviewed here so that I can comment on them rather than the show get skipped (as has happened to a few shows). This is the only site I discuss shows.
FTR, I just used Goph's previous post as a jump off and this isn't really a direct response to just him/her.
Rishi | May 16, 2008 4:48:00 PM | #Good points, Rishi. Do we need the reviews as a launching point? Couldn't they just open a thread for some shows without finding someone to roll out a recap? Take "ER," for example. Some of us are still hanging on even if recappers no longer care to handle the show. Just set up a forum off the recap provided by the show to TV grid publishers. And let the posters take off. More hits for the site that way.
Goph | May 16, 2008 5:05:01 PM | #Maybe I've lost something along the way, but isn't Randy still married to Catalina? Sure he doesn't want to sleep with her any more because she made herself all nasty the one time that the did, but whatever happened with that? Why is he trying to hook up with a new girl while still married to Catalina? And didn't she fall in love with him after they did it? Whatever happened to that plotline?
himespau | May 17, 2008 9:25:47 AM | #Not to pile on Josh too much, but I agree with Goph and Rishi. I have commented in the past that reviewers do not need to summarize the episode, so much as provide some insight, observations, and snarky humor. That is much appreciated, and usually provides the launching points for a lively discussion.
Mike | May 17, 2008 10:15:01 AM | #I don't get the point of recaps. We all saw the show, we don't need it described scene by scene.
Just give us a review, thoughts and observations and reactions. Anything that is just recap I just skip over anyway.
milo | May 19, 2008 9:15:42 AM | #milo,
I actually think you might be wrong.
I didn't see this episode due to other personnel matters and came here to read the recap. I appreciate that I could do that since I won't get an opportunity to see it until it is re-run and didn't want to wait since among other things then I wouldn't be able to read the comments here.
sac | May 19, 2008 10:37:32 AM | #Maybe my opinion is slanted, because I had pretty much quit watching halfway through the first season, and then came back for about half of this new season, but I actually liked the prison stuff the best. They seemed the most focused and funny of the episodes I've seen this year.
Billiam | May 19, 2008 4:26:23 PM | #ehy guys, are u sure this is a season finale and not the end of the show? cause there was written "finale" and not "season finale" as for "the office"...
Kurt | May 19, 2008 6:54:16 PM | #Kurt, the show has been picked up for next year.
Rishi | May 20, 2008 2:24:42 PM | #
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