Review of 2-3-1996 episode (MD-112; some spoilers)

This review can also be found at:

        http://www.nic0lesullivan.org/md112.txt

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Cotton Swabs: A doctor (Orlando Jones) warns us about the grave
consequences of using cotton swabs; then we get to see a family drama
acted out in which two children (Nicole Sullivan, Dave Herman) are
hooked on cotton swabs, a habit which they apparently picked up from
their father (Bryan Callen). Then the doctor returns to inform us
about signs of cotton swab abuse; a number flashes up on the screen
at the end. This was hilarious; even after I had seen it many times
I laughed out loud at the sight of Sullivan trying desperately to rid
herself of the evidence before her mother (Mary Scheer) burst in, and
as her brother (Herman) proudly displayed the long-tip pharmecuticals
he had scored. Few segments in the show's current incarnation had the
same effect. This was a brief yet effective segment that deserves a
solid thumbs up.

Opening Segment: The cast emerges onto the set to tell everyone to
enjoy the show; Bryan Callen is chastized for saying "[w]e'll be back
after these messages": the show's not going to commercials yet; the
show is starting. Also interesting is that Nicole Sullivan is wearing
a Hubie's Restaurant and Pizzeria T-shirt, but the number is blocked
out so they don't get any more free advertising than they already have.
This was pretty funny as far as opening segments go.

Heart Pops: A beatnik (Bryan Callen) extols the virtues of "Heart Pops,"
a breakfast cereal which consists entirely of coffee beans. Before
the commercial is over, our typical American family (Phil Lamarr, Debra
Wilson) is hooked. This was a good example of the creativity unleashed
by the early "Mad TV;" it would probably never make it onto the current
show for fears that references to Kerouac and "The Naked Lunch" (brunch)
would alienate the pre-pubescent audience currently targeted by the
show. This was worth watch for Callen's performance as the prototypical
beatnik alone.

Martin: Martin, this time Martin Lawrence plays Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and Tisha Campbell is Coretta Scott King. In this segment, Coretta
Scott King ghostwrites King's "I Have a Dream" speech because the
impish King hasn't written it yet. Orlando Jones appears as the goofy
sidekick. This was a pretty good segment; the idea of turning the
somewhat ribald "Martin" sitcom into a show about the civil rights
leader Martin Luther King took some originality; the cast carried it
off pretty well, and the writers kept the whole premise simple,
increasing the chances it would succeed. Not the most ambitious parody,
but still quite good.

Spy Vs. Spy - Magnet Nail: The Black Spy breaks into two safes in the
White Spy's office: one contains a bunch of tacks, and the other
(on the opposite side of the office) contains a magnet - of course
when the magnet is exposed, the tacks sail across the room and impale
the Black Spy, while the White Spy watches in approval. This was
pretty good.

Poetry Class: Female students (Mary Scheer, Debra Wilson, Nicole Sullivan)
in a collegiate-level poetry class are infatuated with their professor
(Orlando Jones), an infatuation that is reflected in their poems. The
professor ignores their professions of passion and lust for him. Then
a male student (Bryan Callen) reads his poem, entitled "It's Over," about
how he's breaking up with the professor and returning to his native
Scotland. This is extremely funny, especially the reaction of the
three women as they are in turn rejected by the professor, and of course
the denouement, in which the girls realize that the professor is gay;
of course this does not end their fascination with the man, as they all
peer in through the window as he talks with the Scotsman. Although
this was hardly the most original idea for a sketch - the woman-rejected-
by-man-only-to-find-man-is-gay theme has been done before, although I
cannot think of a specific example right now - this sketch was so funny
that I can easily overlook the lack of originality.

Menace II High Society: Da Trey Stoogez (Phil Lamarr, Orlando Jones,
Debra Wilson) are mistaken for hit men; they agree to assassinate a
drug lord (David Faustino) for ten Gs. This slapstick/gangsta film
crossover works pretty well; the segment is shown in letter box format
and has a climax which features a fight in which bags of cocaine are
thrown around like so many pies in a 1930's Stooges short, and finally
we get the climax in which the drug lord and everyone in the room falls
victim to a drive-by shooting (by the real killers). Interestingly
enough, it's not shown in black-and-white even though it's a Stooges
parody. Once again this was a pretty good use of a celebrity cameo
(by David Faustino, "Grandmaster B" himself). On the whole not the
best parody they've ever done, but a worthy effort nonetheless.

Don Martin - Tennis: Man is defeated in a tennis match; instead of
shaking hands with his opponent as she approaches the net, he smacks
her with his racket. This was pretty good, probably one of the better
Don Martin segments.

Joel and Connie - Rescue 911: Joel and Connie and son Mark (Dave Herman,
Mary Scheer, Bryan Callen) are filming a segment for "Rescue 911;"
apparently, Joel had a heart attack and they are re-enacting it for
the show. In spite of the fact that they go through several takes, they
can't get it right, and it's always Joel and Connie's fault; at one
point, Connie bursts in to offer some peach cobbler; another time,
Joel does his "Chewbacca" impression (which in itself is extremely funny).
Finally, the director (Orlando Jones) can't take any more and himself
has a heart attack; much to his consternation, they think he is just
acting. This was a very funny segment; this is the second installment
of the "Joel and Connie" segment, yet although it is a recurring segment,
it's not as if they're going through the motions like they are with some
of the newer recurring segments; most people probably know people like
Joel and Connie (one might even be unlucky enough to have relatives
like them, or God forbid, PARENTS like them), and therefore can relate to
these sketches. I did, and I found it to be quite humorous.

Gordy Lane: Two men sit at a bar; one man (Dave Herman) loudly describes
his sex-capades to a friend (Bryan Callen), and every time someone
else looks at him, he gets belligerent, and tells him or her to mind
their own business, even though he is talking so loudly, it's hard to
ignore him. This was yet another funny sketch courtesy of the old "Mad
TV," which used to crank out gems like this so much it's hardly even
noteworthy. This probably wasn't even the best sketch of the show, but
if it were put into almost any show from seasons four through six, it
would likely be the funniest sketch in the show. Also the denouement,
with "Gordy" (Herman) going over to the piano and playing a song - he
is the resident piano player, apparently - was fitting, serving to
bolster an already funny sketch.

Spy vs. Spy - Kill Command: White Spy types up a command - "Kill the
Black Spy" - and the Black Spy intercepts it and replaces it with
the command "Kill the White Spy;" the White Spy gives the bogus message
to a hired killer who promptly shoots him. Simple yet effective.

Crisis Center: A counselor (Nicole Sullivan) counsels one of her clients,
a drug addict (Mary Scheer), but it soon becomes apparent that she
is just as dysfunctional as the woman she is counseling, especially
when she whines on and on about the downfall of her career and how her
husband left her. This was a simple concept; it wasn't an exceptional
effort by the writers, but Sullivan as the whiny neurotic woman makes
a solid effort here which makes this sketch worth watching.

Hitman: A hitman (Dave Herman) grows impatient waiting for his victim;
he points his rifle at various pedestrians and muses about various
topics, such as what to get his wife for her anniversary, and the name
of a song he is humming ("Afternoon Delight"). Again a worthwhile
effort, though not the best it is still a cut above average, and
Herman makes a laudable effort here. Interesting is that they seem
to use location filming here, which they don't use anymore.

Needy Guy: A guy (Orlando Jones) is afraid that his wife (Debra Wilson)
will leave him; he is so insecure that he is afraid to leave her long enough
to go to the bathroom to get a glass of water and becomes neurotic when she
walks over to the closet because she is out of his sight for a few
seconds. Again a simple, straightforward sketch (like the hitman one),
and again it is not the best they had to offer but still has some funny
moments.

Instant Personality: A party drags on listlessly; in an effort to inject
some life into it, the couple (Orlando Jones, Debra Wilson) holding the
party pour "Instant Personality" into everyone's drinks; soon, everyone
is more colorful; one of them talks with a French accent and says he
loves Jerry Lewis; another one wants to have gay sex; soon punches
are being thrown as well. This was a pretty funny commercial parody
along the lines of the old Spishak parodies (though not a Spishak
product), though it didn't run as long as most of their commercial
parodies. It was pretty funny and didn't last long, either.

Dog: An executive (Orlando Jones) is talking to a prospective candidate
for personal assistant (Bryan Callen), only to be distracted by the
executive's "dog" (Debra Wilson); his first assignment is to walk
the dog. This was yet another offbeat, quirky sketch which sometimes
popped up on the old "Mad TV;" to me it was only mildly funny but
was good in that is indicative of the breadth of material the writers
were capable of creating.

Closing Segment: Bryan once again is berated for saying they will be
back after these messages. Nicole Sullivan closes the show; again
the "Hubie's" phone number is blocked out but when the camera zooms
out, the blocking is removed (you can't read the phone number, though).
This was OK.
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Every once and a while I get complaints about giving newer shows
ratings of five out of ten or six out of ten. MD-112 illustrates why
I CAN'T give these shows a higher rating. This episode was a very good
episode; yet there were enough run-of-the-mill sketches to justify
downgrading it to eight out of ten; this would make it a fairly average
episode in what turned out to be an excellent season. And yet it is far
superior to most of the more recent "Mad TV" episodes. In this respect,
it is unfair to the cast members and writers of the old show to give
high ratings to the current show unless it is really warranted by the
quality of the content of the show. Interesting is that I now notice
that Artie Lange was missing from this show and the previous one; overall,
though, I don't think it affected the quality of the show; I'm hard-pressed
to come up with a role that he could have done markedly better than the
cast members who were actually cast in the roles. [8/10]

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