Review of 10-14-1995 episode (MD-101) The first in a series of reviews of episodes that I didn't review when they originally aired. ================== ========================================================================== Opening Segment: At Fox World Headquarters, we see three executives in a restroom discussing Fox's new Saturday late night show, "Mad TV." They've covered every detail necessary to launch a successful show (e.g. merchandising), except for one matter: they don't have a cast...and so two of them take a truck and comb downtown Los Angeles. At the first stop, they pick up two homeless guys (Craig Anton, Orlando Jones), which is rather funny, because it's a parody of real life in which guys sometimes drive around in trucks and pick up homeless people willing to do manual labor. At the next stop, they pick up two hookers (Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson), who promise to "put on a show you will never forget." The hookers and their pimp (Dave Herman) get into the truck. Next they pick up a crossing guard (Artie Lange) who has "nothing better to do." Next, they intervene to stop a woman (Mary Scheer) from jumping off a ledge; she, too, joins the motley crew. The last member to join is a postal worker (Phil LaMarr) toting an automatic rifle. They decide that Alfred E. Neuman is not suitable for the cast (irony lives on late night TV). I'm guessing that this segment was supposed to be "in your face" and it worked for me; it conveys the message that we're going to see a crew of relatively unknown actors/actresses/comics in a humorous way (in other words, don't expect to see Dana Carvey or Rowan Atkinson anytime soon). Next we see the opening credits, but Craig Anton is not listed along with the rest of the cast, although Bryan Callen is. Opening Segment Continued: Mary Scheer, Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Dave Herman, Phil LaMarr, Artie Lange and Orlando Jones come out to announce free beer and free cab rides for everyone. Then Bryan Callen wheels out a keg. This is probably one of their best opening segments; also you can almost sense the energy of the young cast, a refreshing switch from "Saturday Night Live," which in the previous season fielded a cast consisting largely of jaded veterans (e.g. Al Franken, Chris Elliot, Michael McKeon). By now, they've succeeded in getting me to keep watching the show. Vudwiser: Like the Budwiser commercial with the frog that attaches itself to a truck, except that in this commercial, the truck comes to a halt, and the frog is smashed against the truck. This commercial parody has several things going for it: (1) it involved location filming, which they no longer do, (2) it's scarily similar to the real Budwiser commercial, which is always one of the key elements of a good parody, and (3) we see a frog getting squashed, the type of thing you would probably be less likely to see now because it's so un-P.C. Two thumbs up. Vancome Lady (Makeup Counter): Here we get the first-ever Vancome Lady (played by Nicole Sullivan) sketch. She is rude to a middle-aged woman buying lipstick, an African-American man (Phil LaMarr), and a Hispanic woman. Then she is fired by her boss (Mary Scheer), who when serving the Hispanic woman, puts her fingers in her ears and says "lalalala" in Vancome Lady style. I have to admit I wasn't THAT impressed by this sketch, although this was a favorite with some critics; for me the Vancome Lady didn't become a favorite recurring character until the department store Santa sketch two months later. But this sketch was good enough, plus we get to see the evolution of Vancome (more Kathie Lee Giffordish and less slutty than later incarnations of the character). Ice-T and Ice Cube: Ice-T (Phil LaMarr) and Ice Cube (Orlando Jones) perform in a video entitled "It Ain't Easy Being Me." Rap stars who represent themselves as "outlaws" while earning millions of dollars are ripe targets for parody, and this one, if not hitting the bullseye 100 percent, comes extremely close. We see "gangsta" rapper Ice-T chafe about not being the uncle on "Family Matters" while sharp-witted lawyers (Dave Herman, Artie Lange) hide his assets in offshore corporations. It's almost worth seeing just to hear the producer (Craig Anton) complain about lighting, warning that "[Ice-]T is coming out too cafe-au-lait." This was on a best of Mad TV special, and was worthy of the distinction. Vancome Lady 911 Operator: Cut to "Fox News at Midnight" teaser in which a "desperate call for help" [to 911] is replayed. Unfortunately for the caller, the 911 Operator is the Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan). Obviously this is a parody of the Nicole Simpson 911 call (arguably THE most famous 911 call), and it was funnier in 1995 when the Simpson case was fresh in everyone's minds, but this is still quite funny. The operator hangs up on the caller, and the anchor (Dave Herman) promises all this plus a story about pandas at midnight. Spy vs. Spy: The black spy tricks the white spy into blowing up the white spy factory with a photograph and some balloons. Overall a good cartoon, and a reminder of the days when the TV show wasn't afraid to do tie-ins with the magazine! Next we get a reminder that at 11:31 PM, Kato Kaelin will speak his mind on Mad TV. Klaspy/Cuspo: Some guy has an inflatable tent that folds in on him. Another good cartoon from the people at Mad Magazine. I think most of the Klaspy/Cuspo ones that aired on the TV show were actually based on magazine cartoons, some of which were quite old, but I'm not sure. Nicole Sullivan's Monologue: Nicole Sullivan (by the way, that jacket is pretty cool) comes out and talks about the first time she ever read Mad Magazine. It was when she was eight years old...at a child psychiatrist's office...after her father was shot by her brother...and now she doesn't want to do this anymore. This is the one of the first instances I can recall of Nicole Sullivan using what has become almost a stock character for her: she comes out, maintaining a semblance of equanimity, but as she continues to talk, she becomes a basket case, relives painful childhood memories (shades of Anti-Depressercize lady), and says that she would rather be on "Friends." When she says that she doesn't feel safe here, you half expect her to call her mommy to come pick her up. I thought it was hilarious and proof that even in the days when she was a mere tyro in the world of sketch comedy, Nicole Sullivan had some inspired moments. Gump Fiction: It's a cross between "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction." In this parody, the retarded Gump is a hit man; Samuel L. Jackson (Orlando Jones) is his partner. See them in a certain book depository in Texas on a certain day in November 1963 ("Aw, I was aiming for Jackie!"). See them tied up by two hillbillies (Craig Anton is one of them) who inform us that "sodomy is as sodomy does." OK, it's not the most original idea for a parody (one newspaper review said that it was the kind of thing one would come up with at the office water cooler), but this had me laughing pretty hard, especially when Gump threatens to get medieval on a miscreant's buttocks. This is definitely the type of material that Saturday Night Live had been (and still is) sorely lacking. Spike Lee: Spike Lee (Phil LaMarr) is here to "set the record straight" about Malcolm X and to plug Underworld Deviled Ham. This was pretty funny. Kato Kaelin Speaks His Mind: This was supposed to be funny because in the days leading up to the premiere of "Mad TV," adverts proclaimed that during the show, Kato Kaelin would finally speak his mind. The humor here is that when he does speak his mind, it has nothing to do with O.J. Simpson; rather, he mentions that (1) in fifth grade, he cheated on a test, (2) "Saved by the Bell" isn't the same since Screech's voice changed, and (3) you're supposed to turn into a skid, not away from it. This wasn't that funny (although I liked the part about "Saved by the Bell") but then again it wasn't really supposed to be, as it was primarily a publicity stunt for the show. MTV Win a Week with Poison: Poison ranks pretty high on the cheese-rock scale (at least even with Ratt, I would say), so they were fair game for this satire in which a fan (Dave Herman) wins a week with the band, and is promptly abused (he gets trampled on by fans, and gets a nasty electric shock when asked to set up some equipment, then he ends up in the hospital in a full body cast). Not bad at all, and moreover what is interesting is that I think those were the actual Poison songs; they didn't use fake lyrics like they did when they did the Spice Girls parody, so it must have cost them a few bucks for licensing. Dave Herman's Monologue: Dave Herman raps, then talks about how great the female cast members are, and then brings Mary Scheer out so he can grope at her. Not particularly inspired, but still funny. Spy Vs. Spy: The Black Spy tries to use a pogo stick to get into White Spy HQ but gets impaled on spikes. Funny. Hey, the black spy and white spy win one apiece, just like in the magazine. Miss Barone: Miss Barone (Mary Scheer), a chain smoker, is visiting her daughter (Nicole Sullivan), who is suffering from lung cancer, in the hospital. The doctor (Phil LaMarr) says that the daughter has a rare blood type and the only possible donor is her mother. Miss Barone makes the supreme sacrifice and gives up smoking so her daughter can have a lung, but her daughter contracts mouth cancer - she doesn't understand why, though. This was one of the weaker segments in the show. It's not that the idea of a chain smoker causing her daughter to contract lung cancer via secondhand smoke isn't a funny concept, it's just that the sketch itself falls somewhat short of its potential. Still, it has some good moments, especially at the end where the mother kisses her daughter, leaving behind a tar stain on her cheek. Debra Wilson's Monologue: Ms. Wilson talks about how she used to appear on Def Comedy Jam, but that was on cable, and for Fox, she's going to have to watch her language. She then proceeds to unleash a barrage of expletives. That's it in a nutshell. It was rather funny, although I found that the way they replaced the curse words with silence was somewhat disjointed and annoying; they should have bleeped them out the way they usually do. McDumpsters: This is a parody of those folksy McDonald's commercials: you know, the ones where they show the sun rising, people all happy because they have to go to work, coffee being poured, the people driving to work, but stopping at McDonald's to get a coffee and Egg McMuffin or whatever. [By the way, I heard they brought back the McRib sandwich. This means you'll be able to go in and ask for a McRibbed - for her pleasure - again.] In this parody, we see homeless people emerging from abandoned vehicles and alleys and rooting through a dumpster for food - all while the merry music plays. I'm not sure what the full cast was for this one, but we see at various times Craig Anton, Phil LaMarr, Orlando Jones, Nicole Sullivan, and Artie Lange. Again, they picked their target (fast food places) right, especially McDonald's, which promises in their ads "Food, Folks and Fun," but they don't tell you about the lousy food and surly folks. This was a good segment. Artie Lange's Monologue: Artie Lange comes out and talks about how he does drugs because he hates himself. This is funny. Then he starts reeling off a list of ugly women he fantasizes about while masturbating, and this is hysterical. Artie Lange may not be much of a role model, but he knows how to make people laugh. Star Trek Deep Stain Nine: The Star Trek crew (Orlando Jones, Phil LaMarr, Artie Lange, Dave Herman, Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Mary Scheer) now pilot a spaceship that serves as a laundromat. In this episode, they face their dreaded enemy, Clorax II, who is offered his own spinoff. This was OK, although it was something one would think of as more typical of Saturday Night Live than a new, cutting-edge comedy show. Still, I always thought Star Trek was kind of pretentious and I guess it's good that they knocked it down a peg or two. Vudwiser: This time, one of the frogs is run over by the truck. The other two frogs say "watch out" but to no avail. This was pretty good. Closing Segment: The cast prepares to dispense free beer to the audience, and promises one more sketch. But the keg is empty, and the cast discovers that the audience has left. We see a shot of the empty seats. This was pretty funny. ================ =============================================================================== Since this was the first episode of "Mad TV" ever aired, it's place in history was secure from the outset. It's place in history is enhanced somewhat by the fact that it's also a very good episode. The upstart cast seems to gel together pretty well, and even if they don't we don't notice this. Also they convey the sense of "we're just a bunch of slackers who were given their own show" - a sense reinforced by the opening segment showing the Fox execs driving around Los Angeles, picking up anyone they can find - which masks the hard work and commitment to the art form that is necessary to make a good show, but which is a skillful way of connecting with the fans at home. It is much faster-paced than SNL, which gives it another advantage over the moribund NBC franchise. The show has some ups and downs but on the whole they do a good job in laying out the essential elements of the show (we get three recurring characters, the Vancome Lady, Mrs. Barone and Spike Lee) and in trying to get the viewer to tune in again next week. I liked it. (9/10) Also note that Bryan Callen is in the opening credits but only appears in the opening and closing segments. Craig Anton appears in several segments and is among the cast members "recruited" at the beginning but is only listed as a "special guest star." ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ