Review of 2-19-2000 episode (MD-517; some spoilers)

This review can also be found at:

        http://www.nic0lesullivan.org/md517.txt

By now, you've probably heard about the politically incorrect remarks
Jerry Lewis is alleged to have made about female comedians. Specifically,
when asked what female comics he liked, he allegedly said there weren't
any, and then allegedly stated that he viewed women primarily as
baby-producing machines. [I am paraphrasing.] Then, later in the week,
we find out that - no - he was misinterpreted; he cited several female
comedians, including Elaine Boosler, as examples of female comics he liked.
[At this point, it sounds as if someone handed him a list of current
female comics.]

Personally, I think the neither the public at large nor feminists should
judge Lewis too harshly. Lewis is, after all, seventy-three years old,
and it is quite possible that the remarks he made may have been caused
by any medication he may have been taking. It is also possible that
these remarks resulted from the onset of Alzheimer's disease - I am not
suggesting that he is suffering from this debilitating disease, only that
under the circumstances, it would seem to be a distinct possibility. It
is also entirely possible that he made the remarks because he is old
and doesn't care what the public thinks anymore, in which case it
is only fair that the public's scorn be directed at him, however briefly.
In any case, he could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he just
said that Nicole Sullivan was his favorite female comic - although this
may not be such a good thing, since Lewis is almost universally hated in
this country (although oddly enough, he is adored by the French). Of course
this is just my opinion.

==========================================================================
Opening Segment: Michael McDonald introduces Seth Green, from the
"Austin Powers" movies (don't remember the name, but he looks like the
guy who plays Dr. Evil's son). McDonald claims that he had "pivotal"
roles in both films, but of course Green can't remember him (because
he in fact had only small roles in both films). He claims he was
a security guard in both movies, but if memory serves, he was a security
guard in the first movie and a radar technician in the second movie
[I think he was the guy who first detects the presence of Dr. Evil's
spaceship]. He even acts out both roles. I laughed when Green refers to
him as an extra, a status with which McDonald takes issue. This was
an excellent way to capitalize on McDonald's minor role in these movies
for a few laughs. [Not to digress, but the "Austin Powers" video also
includes a very funny segment not used in the movie where the security
guard's family is informed of his death.] The humor here was not subtle
at all, yet while unrefined it was probably the funniest opening segment
since MD-502.

Foundation for Unwed Mothers: In a segment that is reminiscent of a
similar segment that ran on "Monty Python" over thirty years ago, the
cofounders of a society for unwed mothers (Alex Borstein, Debra Wilson),
both of whom have really long names, discuss a syndrome (with a really
long name) from which some unwed mothers apparently suffer. The sketch
was relatively uneventful until Wilson, ever the resident motor-mouth,
flawlessly rattles off several of these long names in a mellifluous
manner (echoes of "Talk Faster" from MD-208, in which Wilson accomplished
a similar feat). This was enough to elicit applause from the studio
audience, suggesting that she did it in one take. Mo Collins and Brooke
Totman both appear as unwed pregnant women. I did not think this was
quite as funny as the Monty Python sketch but I liked it; I guess it's
sort of like wanting a Coke and settling for a Pepsi; nevertheless,
it was good.

Rusty: Rusty (Michael McDonald) goes to a bar and plays a trivia game
with a coed (Mo Collins); he is solidly beating her, until he gets
drunk and starts calling her stupid - then she chooses the "sex" category
and she easily beats Rusty. His insults, however, are rapidly forgotten
when he reveals he has a ten-inch long penis. Per usual, he starts to get
drunk without having consumed even a full bottle of Zima. While I still
find this character to be annoying, I have to admit the spectacle of Rusty
failing to answer any of the sex questions correctly (or to answer
them at all) was funny. Also, his thinking that a ten-inch penis is
average reminds me of a similar misapprehension I had as an adolescent
when I read in Cosmopolitan that all penises are the same size when erect.
Thank you, Cosmopolitan, for making my formative years a living hell.
Anyhow, this sketch was OK; even the scatological bits had some merit,
and even those who actively dislike Michael McDonald probably could
get through this sketch without projectile vomiting.

The Brightlings: Wheelchair-bound mother and son owners of a greeting card
company (Seth Green, Alex Borstein) delight in terrorizing their employees
(Debra Wilson, Aries Spears, Will Sasso). They slam into desks, demand
that the workers come up with greeting card poems on the spot, and prompt
one of the workers to summarily quit. This was not the best idea for
a sketch, and to exacerbate the situation, it dragged on for far too
long; still, it had its moments, and Green was good in his guest role -
but he would have been better utilized if they had come up with a better
sketch.

Disney Singles:       A new tenant in an apartment building (Debra
Wilson) stumbles onto a Disney singles club in an apartment across
the hall - you see, many of the tenants (Will Sasso, Pat Kilbane,
Michael McDonald, Alex Borstein, Tyra Banks, an extra) are obsessed
with Disney and are also single. They do Disney charades and serve
a phallic-shaped cake that is supposed to be Pinnochio's nose
after a really big lie. But the climax of the sketch is when the
singles bludgeon "Bambi" (Wilson) to death because she had the gall
to state that Disney is gay-friendly and tell a tasteless Disney joke
(in an extremely funny moment, the others shudder with revulsion when
"Bambi" notes that Disney produced "Ellen"). Maybe it's just because
I tend to gravitate a little more towards the topical humor, but I
thought this was the funniest segment in the show. This is not to say
that it couldn't have been improved on (a shorter, more focused sketch
would have been even better), but the good points far outweigh the
bad here - perhaps this is even worthy of a "Best of Season Five"
compilation.

Dolemite in Space: Once again, the bigoted white sheriff and his
deputy (Will Sasso, Pat Kilbane) have stolen Dolemite's (Aries Spears)
pimping cane - but this time, they've taken it into space. Dolemite
gives chase, culminating in a big fight on "planet" Pasadena. Apart
from the fact that this installment supposedly takes place in outer
space, it also differs from the two other Dolemite parodies in that
the band Earth, Wind and Fire appears in the middle of the segment. This
was somewhat unexpected, and the lead up to the commercial break where
they show a brown sedan with the words "To Be Continued" was funny; they
use the same clip even though they're supposed to be in outer space. The
attempt to capture the look and feel of low budget blackploitation films
is somewhat endearing (especially when they leave crucial bits out,
like when Dolemite escapes and when he kills the sheriff's deputy),
but the viewer gets very little out of this Dolemite parody that
he/she didn't get out of the first two ones (except, of course, for
Earth, Wind and Fire). Moreover, this one definitely drags on too long
(admittedly, this season leveling this complaint is like beating a
dead horse, but in this case, it's certainly a legitimate complaint).

Earth, Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind and Fire perform another song. The
sad thing is, I remember when this music was popular. This music
sounds too much like disco for me, although this band does at least
have a horn section, resulting in a somewhat funkier sound. This
was OK although with two musical segments in the show "Mad TV" is
becoming more and more like SNL; it's also questionable whether or
not the majority of the show's viewers (and the producers are aiming
for ever-younger demographic groups) even know who Earth, Wind and
Fire are.

Closing Segment: Michael McDonald asks the studio audience if they
got a couple of giggles. Brooke Totman is on stage, but both Nicole
Sullivan and Phil LaMarr are absent. This was OK.
==========================================================================
MD-517 was certainly not the worst-ever episode of "Mad TV," but it
didn't match the expectations I had for a February sweeps period show
either. The presence of Earth, Wind and Fire shows that the producers
are definitely making an effort in February. But the musical segments
also definitely detract from the comedy at a time when the show already
has its share of filler - note that most of the time, only one sketch
aired before each commercial break, and most of those sketches dragged
on too long. And the animated segments, once a regular staple of the
show, have been discontinued almost entirely. In fact, almost every
element that made the show worth watching in the old days - short, focused
sketches, animated segments, and the presence of Nicole Sullivan and
Phil LaMarr - were not present in this week's show. [It's questionable
whether any segments with LaMarr will air during the rest of the
season; perhaps Sullivan will tape some additional segments once "Talk
to Me" wraps up but I'm not holding my breath.] And in spite of all these
deficiencies, the show was not a total disaster - the Disney sketch
and the opening show that the writing staff is capable, though often
inconsistent. Brooke Totman was also good in her second appearance
on the show, suggesting that the show may still have a future even
if more veteran cast members depart (although the material didn't really
give the viewer a sense of how much comedic talent she has). Still, I would
like to see shorter sketches, less commercials, and hopefully less frequent
musical guests once sweeps period is over. [5/10]


==========================================================================
      Number Six         | 
     dzien@nic.com       | http://www.nic0lesullivan.org
          OR             | (The Unofficial Nicole Sullivan Tribute Page)
info@nic0lesullivan.org  |
==========================================================================