Review of 7-4-1998 episode (OAD: 9-20-1997)

It's another exciting 
rerun of Mad TV, and this time, it's a rebroadcast of the season 
three premiere!

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Gus: Gus (Dave Herman) is the shock jock who's even more 
controversial than Howard Stern because he's a senile old man who 
doesn't even know he's on the air. Not what I expected for the first 
segment in the new season, but quite good. Drives home the point 
that Howard Stern is somewhat passe.

Opening Segment: The first 
thing that occurred to me when I first saw this segment was "I hate 
the new set." I still do (it's somewhat flashy, whereas the old set 
was unpretentious, almost like a college dorm room). The Gianni Versace 
tribute song was OK although it didn't really blow me away.

G.I. 
Jackson: Michael Jackson (Phil LaMarr) enlists. Sean Connery (Pat 
Kilbane) is the drill sergeant determined to make sure the king of 
pop doesn't make the cut. This first aired when "G.I. Jane" was still 
in the theaters; I thought it was funny then and I still do. When 
Jackson is despondent, an apparition of Liz Taylor appears to comfort 
him. 

Cholestra: A new fat substitute with ten percent less anal 
leakage! This is Spishak at its best, making products that either 
don't work or are utterly revolting. This product falls into the 
latter category. Yes, toilet humor is cheap, but if it works, why 
knock it? A splendid effort.

Vancome Lady: The first Vancome sketch 
of the season was also the best! The Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan) 
is a rescue worker who encounters a group of plane crash survivors, 
then leaves the scene of the accident when they discover Kathy caused 
the crash (was she also flying the helicopter?). All the important 
elements of a Vancome sketch are here: racial insults (against an 
Arab and a black man), sexual innuendo (suggesting that the stewardess 
is sexually depraved), and even a few examples of what I call Vancomespeak 
(e.g., "Christmas on a cracker"). Worthy of "The Best of Mad TV." 
 

Sandra Bernhard Superstar Kit: You, too, can have an exciting 
career in show business if you order this. This was OK, but not too 
impressive.

Martin Luther King Def Comedy Jam: Martin Luther King, 
Jr. (Aries Spears) as a raunchy comedian. It's funny because it implies 
that all you have to do to succeed as a comedian is let loose with 
the expletives (the audience starts cheering as soon as he says "Won't 
you all please shut the f*ck up?"). Somewhat ironic, too, since I 
think Aries Spears himself appeared at a Def Comedy Jam.

NBT&A: 
Basketball played by large-breasted, scantily-clad women. They can't 
play basketball, but who cares? This is what would happen if the 
Hooters restaurant chain sponsered a basketball league. I give it 
(the sketch, I mean) a thumbs up.

The Great Tovari (sic?): Pretentious 
Vegas-type magician (Craig Anton) does really stupid tricks, assisted 
by Sandra Bernhard. I've seen better, but still a good performance 
by Craig Anton.

Sandra Bernhard: She sings a sort of tribute to 
Christie McVie (at least, that's who I THINK she was talking about; 
Fleetwood Mac is the music of Bill Clinton's generation, and I know 
very little of such things). This was not really my cup of tea; I 
just didn't find it very funny at all.

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In conclusion, this was a good 
show, although somewhat uneven. It got the season off to a fairly 
solid start, but the best was yet to come. Sandra Bernhard was not 
very effective in my opinion (for some reason, I just didn't find 
the segments in which she appeared to be very funny), but the regulars 
do well: we even get a rare appearance by Dave Herman in the first 
segment, although he doesn't come out with the cast in the beginning 
or the end of the show.

Next Week: #318 (OAD: 3-7-1998). Don't feel 
bad if you miss this one; in my opinion it was the worst episode 
of the season (I think this one even had that awful contest winners' 
sketch!). 

Web site update: Added Darlene McBride song lyrics.

 
 
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