As we go down the home stretch for Season Three, here's yet another
review 
of an all-new "Mad TV." 

======================================================
=====================
Lassie the Snitch: "Lassie" parody in which Lassie snitches on his owners.
Funny, though not outrageously funny. Lassie parodies are not new, of course,
but this one is pretty well done.

Opening Monologue: Tonight, it is done by Mary Scheer, who 
introduces her tapeworm. Not bad.

Vancome Lady at the Oscars: The Vancome Lady (Nicole Sullivan) makes fun 
of celebrities like Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Eddie Murphy and Howard Stern 
(Pat Kilbane reprising a very funny impression) at the Oscars. I was worried
that they might be overutilizing this character, but this sketch was 
funnier than the last Vancome Lady sketch, and the ending was pretty funny,
with Stern and the Vancome Lady teaming up to trash the ceremonies.

Big John's Shirt and Tie Barn: The Shirt Barn has moved, and Big John 
and his wife are here to tell us. This was OK, but it was essentially 
a rehash of the last Shirt Barn segment.

UBS Guy: The long-overdue return of this popular character (last appearance
was December 1997, if memory serves). The UBS Guy (Phil LaMarr) goes to 
the dentist (Debra Wilson) and, of course, he can't sit still. This is 
funnier than it sounds. In the end, she has to sedate him. The best part 
is where he starts playing with all the dental instruments. Not 
the best UBS Guy sketch (I would probably pick the one from the 1997 
Super Bowl special), but still very well-written, and both LaMarr 
and Wilson are good. 

Riggs and Murtaugh: The two cops from the  "Lethal
Weapon" movies open a restaurant and Gibson goes ballistic 
because he screwed up an order. Glover manages to calm him down in 
the end. This is extremely funny, and in my opinion the best segment 
of the show. [Also somewhat reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch 
from ages ago about a restaurant patron who complains about a dirty 
fork and the restaurant personnel treat it like a disaster - did 
the writers even know about this?]

Spice Girl Auditions: Once again interspersed throughout the show. These
are funnier than the first bunch, especially Aries Spears as Man Spice.
Susan Whitfield is also good ("I'm doing this because my mother said
I either had to do this or audition for Pippen at the community theater,
and I figured I had a better shot at this because it takes way less 
talent")

Kirk and Spock Variety Hour: What it would be like if Captain Kirk (Will 
Sasso), Mr. Spock (Pat Kilbane) and Bones (Tim Conlon?) hosted
a 1970's variety show. Good idea; the execution is far from flawless, 
but there were some extremely funny moments, especially when they 
do a parody of William Shatner's renditions of "Rocket Man" and "Lucy 
in the Sky with Diamonds" (I didn't know that album was that well-known). 


The Coffee Guy on a Date: Stan the Java Man (Pat Kilbane) goes out with
an amorous girl (Lisa Kushell), and we get to see the Coffee Guy's 
sex life. He is not very experienced with sex, probably because he is
too busy drinking coffee. This was very funny; good execution 
by Kilbane and Kushell.

Susan Whitfield's Party: I liked the original Susan Whitfield segment and
was glad they brought it back. Susan (Lisa Kushell) hosts a party and
invites popular kids; things go rapidly downhill (the party, that is,
not the sketch) when her rather trashy mother (Nicole Sullivan) shows up 
and starts making out with one of the guests (Phil LaMarr). Overall an 
excellent sketch, especially when Susan keeps talking about the canker 
sore in her mouth.

After a nearly disasterous show last week, "Mad TV" comes back with a 
very good show. Although not all of the sketches were first-rate, none
of them bombed, and quite a few could contend for "The Best of Mad TV".
The primary strength of the show is the recurring characters, with the
Vancome Lady, the UBS Guy, the Coffee Guy and Susan Whitfield all 
contributing worthwhile segments. 
==========================================================
==============

By the way, I think this is an all-time high for Vancome Lady sketches;
I count six so far this season. Next week is a rerun; here's a chance
to see some vintage Mad TV (with Dave Herman and Bryan Callen - cool!).
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ