Review of 8-7-1999 episode (The Best of Season Two)

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Spishak Car Wax: This may have been the best commercial parody bar none -
at least it's the best of the Spishak parodies, in my opinion. The part
where Dave Herman screams when a water is spilled on Phil LaMarr's car
is a great moment, as is the denouement with LaMarr emerging from the
house and chasing after Herman.

Action Jackson: This time, it's personal. Terrorists have taken Bubbles
the monkey hostage, so Jackson (Phil LaMarr) leaves his bevy of pre-teens
to track them down - and it turns out the whole plot was masterminded
by LaToya Jackson. Jackson is aided by an obese Liz Taylor (played by an
extra). This movie parody is a favorite of some, though not my favorite
(I'd still have to go with "Casino Man" for several reasons). Still, the
idea of Wacko Jacko as a tough cop is funny; we also get a great parody
of cheesy children's shows when Jackson implores kids everywhere to clap
their hands if they believe in him, and the climax, with LaToya confined
to a garbage bin with the word "OBSCURITY" written on it was satisfying.
Moreover, this movie parody has many of the elements that current movie
parodies lack - namely, location filming and good special effects. There
were several good movie parodies in the first half of season two, and there
were probably other worthy candidates for a "Best of" segment, but this
was a good choice.

Talk Faster: Business executive (French Stewart) demands that his
subordinates talk really fast. The irony is that his boss (Nicole Sullivan)
talks really slowly. This was good especially where Debra Wilson comes
in and talks like a motormouth (Stewart himself injects some life into
this with his portrayal of the central character), but I think a better
choice from this episode would have been the one where French Stewart has
his boss over for dinner and does all those impressions - the last one being
one of himself going crazy and killing his boss; I found it much more
memorable. Still, it was a good sketch.

UBS vs. Sped Ex: This one originally aired in MD-209, the 1996 Christmas
episode. In this sketch, the UBS Guy (Phil LaMarr) and the Sped Ex guy
(Bryan Callen) square off, much to the chagrin of a receptionist (Nicole
Sullivan), who just wants them to collect their packages and leave. I
always liked this sketch so I'm glad they included it; the UBS Guy
(especially in the early days of the show) was significant enough to
warrant inclusion in a "Best of" special - I liked the "UBS Guy on a Date"
sketch from the Kevin McDonald episode, too, but this one was better.

Dentist in a Box: Another "Incredible Findings" segment; this one was
also in the "Best of Mad TV" aired in February 1998 (which was actually
Sick and Twisted + In the Hood with a few season three segements thrown
in). Interesting is that this time the segment was unedited (it was
edited in the February 1998 airing). This was good but in my opinion the
Shock Therapy in a Box from the Kevin McDonald episode was even better
and thus would have been a better choice. This seems to be a popular
segment, though - at least with those who decide what segments are
re-aired. These segments were a perfect parody of those cheesy infomercials
that insist on going through the pretense of making the infomercial look as
if it's a real show by including a studio audience, and having a "host"
even though the host (David Herman) is essentially a shill for Tony Bright
(Bryan Callen). [Isn't "infomercial" a misnomer anyway, since very little
"information" is disseminated anyway; wouldn't "long commercial" be more
accurate?] Plus, since they only aired about three of these, the recurring
segment didn't wear out its welcome.

The Greatest Action Story Ever Told: Another segment from MD-209, this
is the one segment that almost indisputably belongs in this compilation.
The Terminator (Bryan Callen) is sent back to biblical times to prevent
the death of Jesus Christ (David Herman, who looks remarkably like Joe
Eszterhas) - but Christ, of course, doesn't want to be
helped because he cannot fulfill his mission unless he dies for man's sins.
Callen doesn't really resemble Schwartznegger, but since he was the only
male cast member who bothered to keep in shape, he's the logical choice
for this role; he pulls it off with great aplomb; the makeup people did
a good job here. An excellent movie parody, and probably the best movie
parody of season two!

Drunk President: The president of the most powerful country in the world
(Dave Herman) is a drunk. Nonetheless, he is a great success, winning
the war on drugs, the war on crime, and annexing three new states (although
alcoholism becomes a big problem). This was good; again I might dispute
the choice of this one over other contenders (how about "Bad Day" from
MD-206, or the Neve Campbell airport sketch from MD-205, or "Joel and
Connie - Birds and Bees" from MD-203). Nevertheless, since Dave Herman
is somewhat underrepresented in this compilation it was good to see this
one.

Cabana Chat: The first-ever Cabana Chat segment, with Ice-T as the guest. I
probably would have chosen the Harry Connick, Jr. one, but since they
already have two segments from MD-209, it was probably just as well that
they went with this one. In this one, we get to see the Dance of the
Pool Boy (Bryan Callen) - not to mention Pool Boy bending over and picking
up a towel - and we also get to see Ice-T applying suntan lotion on Dixie
Wetsworth (Mary Scheer), who also asks him to reinflate a butt-cheek, after
which he leaves the set. This was pretty good, and certainly better than
virtually all of the season three Cabana Chat segments (which Aries Spears
helped kill with that ridiculous James Brown impression).

Sex Toy Story: The story of a sex toy that didn't know it was a sex toy.
A vibrator (voiced by Phil LaMarr) not only thinks it is superior to
the non-battery operated sex toys (e.g. a dildo and an inflatable doll),
but also thinks that it's the real thing. When he finds out he's just a toy,
he's dejected until the others tell him he's important, too. This seems
an excellent parody of Disney animated movies (we even get cheesy Randy
Newman-ish soundtrack music). Still, I probably would have gone with
"The Raisenberg Trials" if I had to choose the animated segment to be
represented in this special.

Serenity Acres: This is a parody of eldercare facilities; here the old
people are herded like cattle and made to eat from a trough. To its
credit, the segment looks like a real commercial, unlike many of the
commercial parodies that have aired more recently; since it's about
health care for seniors, the parody will likely be relevant for years
to come. I probably would have chosen Walls Mart if I had a say in this,
but this was a good choice.

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On the whole, this "Best of" was a good show, although not all of the
segments included seemed to me to be obvious choices for such a show,
and the overall selection in my opinion was not as good as it was for
the first "Best of" special which aired in November 1996. There were
some notable absences here: no Vancome Lady sketches, no Joel and Connie,
and no X-News. Also, Nicole Sullivan was underrepresented in this
special - she practically dominated the show in season two, and yet she
only appears in two sketches here (and in one of them, she only
provides the voice of Stewart's boss; we don't actually see her). Still,
this special was worth watching and is certainly a good introduction to
the show for newer fans unfamiliar with the older material. (9/10)