Review of 12-9-2000 episode (MD-609; some spoilers) This review can also be found at: http://www.nic0lesullivan.org/md609.txt ========================================================================== E! Behind the Scenes: Arnold Schwartznegger (Christian Duguay) talks from the set of his new movie, "Stolen Identity III," whose plot is suspiciously similar to many of his earlier movies (like "Terminator 2," "The Sixth Day," "Total Recall," etc.) The movie is cynically titled "Stolen Identity III" beacuse sequels make more money. There are scenes in which his clone confronts the "real" Schwartznegger; then another clone confronts both of them; in another scene, two of them are seen with a clone baby. The initial concept was not bad - the idea is that all Schwartznegger action films are the same; therefore he makes a film which is a blatant copy of the others, knowing that it will make a lot of money anyway. But it is hardly an original idea; Schwartznegger parodies are nothing new. This could have been compensated for if the parody was especially funny or well-executed but it is neither of these; in fact, this can't hold a candle to "The Greatest Action Story Ever Told," which in many ways is the mother of all Schwartznegger parodies. This segment has its moments, but not enough of them to justify inclusion in this show. Boogie Bass II: This is a take-off on the animatronics toy which tells one liners; these talking bass serve different purposes; one is profound, another one is a marriage counselor; yet another tells people they have cancer. This was not the most brilliant commercial parody I've ever seen - in fact one waxes somewhat nostalgic for the old Spishak parodies - but I've seen worse; this was OK. The Depressed Persian Tow Truck Man: Foreign tow truck driver (Michael McDonald) talks about his depressing life with a man (Andrew Daly) who has a flat tire. His complaints include being married to a woman who he compares to Sasquatch, having ten children, and having to work eighteen hours a day. There were a few good lines here (especially the line about the L.A.P.D.), but this was not a particularly inspired segment. Hopefully they won't recur this character. Considering that the man (Andrew Daly) only lived a mile away, it seemed to take a long time to get to his house (this sketch seemed to run for about five minutes). The Psychic: Vera Mangus (Stephanie Weir) shares her psychic insights with the audience, which consist of wrong predictions and generalizations. The character seems somewhat similar to the old woman in the hospital played by Weir in the previous episode, but this segment wasn't as funny, although it seems to fairly accurately epitomize those who pass themselves off as psychics. Still, the accuracy of the parody didn't translate into many laughs, at least in my opinion. Richard Lewis I: Liz Goldfarb (Mo Collins), the new executive producer, welcomes Richard Lewis (himself). Lewis is overwhelmed by her congeniality; he doesn't seem to pleased at the fact that he's doing a sketch about the Pope's poop, though. There was one good exchange here: Lewis tells Goldfarb that if she looks too long, there's a danger of sterility; she replies, "too late;" and her assistant (Michael McDonald) adds "[s]he's serious. She's sterile." The rest, for the most part, did not live up to its comedic potential, and by and large this was yet another wasted celebrity guest appearance; the writers and producers completely failed to take advantage of Lewis, just like the fake producer Liz Goldfarb. Art imitates life. Shaunda: The lounge singer (Alex Borstein) is back, and she's returned to her roots: doing her act in the restroom. The absence of "Crazy Fingers" (Phil Lamarr) is explained; most of the humor here as in the first sketch revolves around the toilet, something that can be overlooked since this is one of the more original characters in sketch comedy land right now. The pretensions of both Las Vegas and show tunes are derided here; Shaunda makes a song out of a Roto Rooter jingle and even starts singing about how she has to go to the bathroom and can't hold it in. This was the first really solid sketch of the show; it doesn't really add anything to the character that the first two sketches didn't cover but the material is good, and equally important, this character isn't used very much so it doesn't grow tiresome. Al Gore and Bill Clinton: Al Gore (Michael McDonald) has handcuffed himself to the Oval Office desk because he doesn't want to admit defeat; he trades insults with President Clinton (Will Sasso). There's some good insults here. Gore: "Don't talk to me about dignity. At least I didn't stick a cigar in some fat chick's hoo-hoo." Clinton: "Well at least I didn't marry one." Gore: "Yes you did." Clinton: "Fair enough." And however much one may have liked Kilbane's Gore, one has to admit that McDonald's Gore is better suited to the somewhat desperate Gore of recent months, as he has watched his chances of becoming the next president slip away - Al this-isn't-supposed-to-happen-to-a-sitting-Vice- President-during-an-economic-expansion Gore. To prove my point, imagine both Kilbane and McDonald delivering Gore's signature line - "I will fight for you" - and ask yourself which one is better. Also give credit to the writers: unlike the writers on "Saturday Night Live," who can write sketches about the election debacle which are up-to-date (head writer Tina Fey has admitted that they wait until the end of the week to commit to sketches, because sketches written earlier are sometimes already out-of-date), they had to write a sketch for a show which is taped at least a week before airing and which would have a reasonable probability of not being out-of-date by the time it aired. The ending, in which Gore sets off a nuclear device and we see stock footage of a mushroom cloud, brings the sketch to a suitable conclusion. Richard Lewis II: Richard Lewis talks with Dixon (Will Sasso), who showed up just to hang out with Richard Lewis. Although he claims to be a comedy writer, he doesn't even know that the name of the Robin Hood parody in which Lewis appeared was called "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," not "Robin Hood: Men Without Tights." When Lewis corrects him, Dixon becomes apoplectic. This was probably the funniest of the Richard Lewis segments, although even this fails to really take advantage of Lewis's comedic talents. Tiger's Caublasian Eatery: Tiger Woods (Aries Spears) opens a restaurant which celebrates his European, black and Asian ethnic backgrounds by serving dishes that are an amalgam of dishes from all three of the aforementioned ethnicities. This segment fairly accurately captures the commercialization of diversity: it is not enough to celebrate diversity; it should be used as a marketing tool. Overall it was not the most brilliant parody but was still good and didn't overstay its welcome. Tito: Tito (Nelson Ascencio) is a gay mail clerk who dispenses motherly advice to his peers and who has a crush on another postal worker (Michael McDonald); he also tells off an irate customer (Andrew Daly). Once again it's a sketch that wasn't the most brilliant sketch I've seen but had some good one liners; Tito is unlikely to stack up well against some of the better gay parodies like Buddy Cole from Kids in the Hall but he's still funny in his own way. Richard Lewis III: Richard Lewis tells off Goldfarb and her assistant; they get the last laugh by locking him out of the building. This was passable, but hardly a spine-splittingly funny segment. Mad TV Encore: This is that "Come to Canada: Anything Goes" segment from season four which seems to suggest that lesbianism (even mother-daugher lesbianism) is commonplace amongst our neighbors to the north. I will not factor it into my evaluation since it is a repeat. Closing Segment: Nelson Ascencio closes the show - in Spanish. This was OK. [What was he saying?] ========================================================================== Another week goes by, and we get another uninspired episode. This episode deserves to be elevated to the level of "mediocre" (as opposed to "bad") primarily because of the inclusion of the Al Gore sketch, which was very good. The rest of the show ranges from passable to pathetic. Interesting is that this was yet another Nicole Sullivan-less show; I've gotten used to the idea of Ms. Sullivan doing 20 (or less) episodes a year out of 25, but I didn't expect it to happen this early on in the season. [5/10] ========================================================================== Number Six | http://www.nic0lesullivan.org dzien@nic.com | (The Unofficial Nicole Sullivan Tribute Page) ==========================================================================