What a very odd episode. First of all we have the usual Dick Loudon thing where he has been asked to speak and gets all serious and intense. He is to address a group of Academy students at their graduation ceremony. Meanwhile, Larry and the boys remind Dick and Joanna that four months previously, they invited them to a dinner party. Because of Dick's speech the slowly declining Michael agrees to accompany Joanna. Of course, they are expecting it to be disgusting. It turns out that the boys, while having some interesting customs, are quite sincere. I enjoyed the pre-dinner cocktails, which were actual cock's tails thrown in the air. The high point is a dual piano rendition of the theme from Exodus by the two Darryls. Pretty weird. Meanwhile, Stephanie (who has not spent a Saturday night without a date since she was 13, has popcorn and TV with George.
3 Reviews
The Shark is Officially Jumped
writeronfirelife27 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The ridiculous saga of a perpetually failing Michael who breaks up with Stephanie until the inevitable reunion and the intro of the ridiculous Scooter Drake character happened just before but the series Shark is officially jumped in this episode when Daryl and Daryl...play pianos. And not just play them but play at concert level. And the three brothers, rock poor and simple throughout the entire series, suddenly become meta supermen. How did they get the money to even own grand pianos? We were never meant to see them doing amazing things; just to get fun, enticing hints that these three idiots just MAY have a lot more to them. Not knowing was the fun. With the piano playing started a cycle where Larry, Daryl and Daryl were suddenly super capable people all along who knew rich celebrities and even went to school with them! Seriously, they changed Larry's backstory from a guy who never went to HS (Summa Cum Larry) to him being classmates with ultra rich Scooter Drake! Did the writers think we wouldn't remember Larry's past? The brothers are long time friends with Johnny Carson? Really? It's like a group of fans got hold of the writing and just decided to go full meta by completely changing the characters to what they were hinted to possibly be and not what they were. Because that's fun fan service! Episode 147 began the decay that would plague the last two seasons (with the occasional excellent episode) but the shark was jumped here.
Dick the guest speaker
Jimmy_the_Gent46 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Dick is asked to deliver a commencement speech to a graduating class while Joanna and Michael have dinner at Larry and the Darryls.
A very funny episode with some good surprises. The graduating class for Dick's speech turns out to be a pre Kindergarten class. He has to sing the school song with them, the song about the dog B-I-N-G-O. Joanna and Michael have a bigger surprise in store at their dinner party when Darryl and Darryl perform a stirring version of Exodus on two pianos. This is the first post breakup episode for Michael and Stephanie, she spends it drinking wine and eating popcorn with George. While they have broken up before, they always get back together at the end of an episode, but it appears this time the breakup will last.
A very funny episode with some good surprises. The graduating class for Dick's speech turns out to be a pre Kindergarten class. He has to sing the school song with them, the song about the dog B-I-N-G-O. Joanna and Michael have a bigger surprise in store at their dinner party when Darryl and Darryl perform a stirring version of Exodus on two pianos. This is the first post breakup episode for Michael and Stephanie, she spends it drinking wine and eating popcorn with George. While they have broken up before, they always get back together at the end of an episode, but it appears this time the breakup will last.
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