TV Verdict

It was interesting seeing the full opening credits for this week’s episode, since they’ve only been seen one other time this season, and apart from that not once since the first season. In many ways, this actually was like an episode from the first season, meaning it was a funny self-contained episode about a list item. That also meant it sort of felt out of place with the rest of this season; last time we saw them Randy and Joy were reliving their childhood memories of love, but this week they’re at each other’s throats. Of course, maybe that did have something to do with the shark adrenalin Randy was injecting into his scrotum (yes, really). Who knew that ingesting a dangerous substance in such a painful way could have deleterious effects?

The episode’s title was apt. This was really the story of two bullies: Earl and Joy. As the episode begins, Randy enters the motel room he shares with Earl in a snit because Joy, as she always does, has bullied him mercilessly. Whenever Randy wins a stuffed toy at the Crab Shack’s magic claw game, Joy takes it from him. That reminds Earl of a list item: back when he was a kid, he was briefly sent off to Catholic school and viciously bullied his classmate, Wally Panzer, a sensitive sort who liked butterflies and reading, for which Earl dubbed him “Pansy.” Earl realizes he must make up for what he did and so tracks down the now grown-up Wally, which is easy, since, as Earl points out, anyone who hasn’t left Camden County by childhood never leaves. Earl, however, is in for a shock when he finally meets Wally (Matthew Willig, Dexter), who is now a behemoth bodybuilder. Intimidated, Earl lies and pretends to be “Cliff”, an aspiring bodybuilder who wants Wally to train him. That could have been a way for Earl to conceivably avoid getting beaten by Wally, except that Wally’s training method involves considerable abuse and violence. Earl, in agony, is convinced that he’ll never begin to figure out a way to make up to Wally until he sees Wally gazing longingly at the bodybuilding trophies for Mr. Camden. Wally has long fantasized about being named Mr. Camden, but balks at the grooming required: body shaving, tanning, and oiling, all of which he dismisses as “pansy stuff.” Earl initially agrees to help him out by going through the grooming rituals with him, but is interrupted just as he begins shaving his legs by Randy.

You see, during Earl’s visit to the gym to work out with Wally, Randy fell in with two bodybuilders and told them how much he wanted to get back at Joy for bullying him. They explained about the miracle of shark adrenalin, a substance that will give any man ultimate self-confidence, even if it does also provoke cravings for baby seals. Randy happily agrees to ingest the shark adrenaline through an injection in his scrotum, right up until the moment that the needle goes in and Randy finally learns what the word “scrotum” means. Nonetheless, the shark adrenaline does have the desired effect. Randy becomes a growling monster who terrorizes Joy and gets to keep his stuffed penguin. However, the adrenalin also makes Randy rather aggressive, so that when he returns to the motel and sees Earl and Wally shaving their legs, he begins to taunt Wally as a pansy and tells him the truth about “Cliff”: that he’s really Earl Hickey, Wally’s childhood tormentor. Earl tries to explain about his karma list and trying to make it up to him. Wally contemplates this and then throws Earl through a wall. There followed the episode’s climactic battle between Randy and Wally as they fought through Camden County, tearing off car doors, demolishing the Crab Shack (for which Crabman was, understandably, mildly peeved) and stuffing people in mailboxes, culminating in Randy returning to the trailer park to get back all of his stuffed animals from Joy. At that point, Earl decided to end it all by running over Randy and apologizing to both him and Wally, explaining that being sensitive and caring is nothing to be ashamed of, and that Earl was wrong to not allow both Randy and Wally to be who they are. Wally is so moved by Earl’s words that he forgives him, and next time we see him, he’s finally oiled, tanned, shaved, and competing for Mr. Camden County like he always dreamed of.

So yeah, a lot happened in this episode. In fact, so much happened that I’m a little surprised that the episode seemed short, what with the extended opening credits and the closing bit with Randy in multiple casts struggling to get into bed from his wheelchair. Maybe the extra minutes could have been used to squeeze in a little more Crabman and Catalina. Also the ending seemed a bit rushed-we never even saw if Wally won the contest or not. Still, for pure humor, this was one of the best episodes. Maybe it was Randy as the angry Hulk, because it’s always funny to see Ethan Suplee step out of the dim but sweet persona he plays so well. Maybe it was seeing poor Earl not only trapped in a pool net but also driving all the way from the motel to the trailer park with the pool net handle sticking out of his back window. Maybe it was TV’s Tim Stack and his buddy Greg Garcia holed up in a motel room with party dolls, although Greg won’t share his. This episode may have lacked the emotional depth of the previous one, but it was just laugh-out-loud funny. For extra bonus points, rewatch it while trying to pick out the painfully obvious stunt doubles in the fight scenes. They actually add to the enjoyment. Give this one a solid B+, and note that there may only be a few more left, if the rumors of the show’s cancellation are true. At least they’ll be going out on a high note.