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My Name is Earl Fodder

My Name Is Earl: The Trial

Watch the full episode here.

As Bette Davis said in All About Eve, "Fasten your seat belts -- it's gonna be a bumpy ride."

The episode opens, as it has so many times, with Earl and Randy in bed. But this time is a little different. It's the boys' last morning in the Palm Tree Motel, Room 231. See, a couple of episodes ago – BTW I like the way this show uses episode continuity, carrying over a storyline from one ep to another, not like for example The Brady Bunch where one week all of a sudden Greg is into photography – Earl got denied a credit card and he decided that it was time to start living like an adult. So he went back to school (G.E.D.), and got a real job (Get A Real Job). Tonight, Earl hits the trifecta by moving out and getting a real apartment. So Earl and Randy still share an apartment, but they no longer share a bed, or a bedroom for that matter. But Randy still likes his goodnight chats so they talk on their sweet-but-meaty man-child walkie-talkies.

Next morning is the boys' first breakfast in their new digs, and they're eating Kids cereal. They may not be as good as Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs or Rainbow Sugar Bits, but I suppose they're the next best thing. Randy is excited to tell Earl that one of their kind and friendly new neighbors has already given Randy some neighborly advice; to wit, next time you head over to the ice machine wear some pants. Oh, and by the way, there is no ice machine. Learn something new every day, huh?

But things are not all sugar-frosted for Earl. Something's missing. And it's not just that Randy stole all of the marshmallows from the box of Kids cereal. (Man, I hate when my kids eat all the mallows from my box of Lucky Charms.) Earl feels that he's done all of the stuff that's supposed to make him feel like an adult, but he doesn't feel like an adult. Adult movie mustache notwithstanding.

The phone rings, and as Earl goes to answer it, Randy tells him to hold off. Randy wants his latest purchase – a Mr. T answering machine (" -- celebrity voice impersonated -- ") – to get the call. And it does. The message is from Joy. She's in jail – in the good ol' U S of A – and she needs help.

Cue Waylon Jennings' Good Ol' Boys from the Dukes of Hazzard. Joy tells Earl – via Mr. T – that eluding the long arm of the law is not as easy as them Duke boys made it look.

See, way back at the beginning of the season, Joy stole a truck and unintentionally kidnapped a guy. Since, if she got convicted, it would be her third strike and she would go to jail for life (" -- seventeen years -- see my lifeline?"), Joy decided her best course of action would be to head south to Ol' Meh-heeco. Oddly enough, Earl and Randy rescued Catalina from "South of the Border", and now that's where Joy is hiding out. Anyway, Joy is working as a waitress in a bodega when who should walk in but Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Editor's Note – I want to go officially on record as saying that I predicted that Dog would be the one to bring Joy back. Dog is currently under threat of imprisonment himself as he retrieved a convicted serial rapist from Mexico and brought him to justice in the US. Mexico has no extradition agreement with the US, so using Dog to capture Joy is damn funny.

So Dog slaps the cuffs on a very pregnant Joy ("Oh, chasquido."), and it's back to the hoosegow for our girl. And now she's calling Earl because she's freaking out in jail, and her deaf lawyer is telling her that she's going to need some character witnesses if she's going to beat this rap.

Randy, meanwhile, is having a friendly chat with another convict. She's very sad and lonely because she misses her cellmate. "Why are you here?" asks Randy. "Because I killed my cellmate," she says. Ouch.

Darnell, meanwhile, seems to be taking this whole thing hardest of all. I guess new-car-smell Joy isn't quite putting the pep in his step. Dodge and Earl Jr. seem to be getting along just fine. So fine, in fact, that they've devoured an entire truckload of sugary treats and haven't slept in days. Must be Night Ranger's Sister Christian on the boom box driving them to such levels of misbehavior. (I don't know about anybody else, but I had a serious Boogie Nights flashback.) And they've discovered the hidden stash of Fourth of July snappin' poppers. And – horror of horrors – they've taped Mr. Turtle to the ceiling window ("Oh, is that where he got to?") He can't live without his Joy. Even Darnell's usually perky 'fro is flat and disheartened.

And that's when Earl realizes what's missing in his new adult-oriented lifestyle: an adult relationship.

On the other side of the room, Earl Jr. and Dodge are tickling Randy mercilessly. They're even giving his nipples a good going over over Randy's protestations.

Flashback to the Season One episode titled The Professor. Earl and Randy returned a laptop they had stolen, and Earl met a very attractive college professor named Alex Meyers (played by Christine Taylor). They hit it off great, and would have started dating, but Karma had other ideas for Dud-Earl-y Do-Right.

Back to the present, and Earl digs up Alex's phone number and calls her up. There was great bit here with Earl using a rotary phone – yes, kids, that anitiquated over-sized black plastic thingy with the holed spinning wheel on its face was a phone – and Randy's girlish gleeful giggle providing the high pitch button tones.

So off in search of character witnesses goes Earl. First stop? Lulu, Joy's erstwhile best friend. The friendship dissolved when Joy had a threesome with Lulu's parents. The mind absolutely reels.

Editor's Note – Apparently, Mr. Greg Garcia likes to use the name Lulu. Dale Dickey (aka Patty the Daytime Hooker) played a character named Lulu in an episode of Yes, Dear.

Next character witness nominee? Joy's ex-minister. But he's not willing to stand up for Joy either because Joy used to come to his church dressed in a denim bikini. And when he told her that that attire was inappropriate, Joy's rsponse was, "What? You think Jesus wouldn't want a piece o' this?" Some video would've been nice. Difficult, but nice.

Next up? Notable Camden County celebrity Tim Stack. It is always a great pleasure when Mr. Stack appears and this instance is no letdown. He'd be happy to speak for Joy but he has another appointment. His family has booked him on a new reality show called Intervention.

Last up – and I question the wisdom of this choice – is Catalina. Catalina and Joy have never been what you might call close pals ever since their first meeting when Joy called Catalina a whore. But it's time for Catalina's annual shout-out to the Hispanic segment of the MNIE audience and this year is no exception. In Spanish, Catalina says, "Randy, thank you for writing so many complimentary things about our show and me specifically. I would love to spend an evening with you discussing comedy writing and what turns me on." Okay, maybe I made some of that last part up. My Spanish is not quite what you would call conversational. But I promise you I will scour the internet and jot down her exact quote.

Okay Earl-ophiles...I found the translation. According to Sabrina Rojas Weiss at TVGuide.com, here's what Catalina said: "Thanks for watching our show. We're going to miss you this summer. Don't you think it's funny that Earl thinks I'm talking about how much I hate Joy, when really I'm saying how much I love you guys?"

Back at the new motel – sorry, I don't know that name of the place yet – and there's a message for Earl on the Mr. T answering machine. It's Professor Alex. Bad news for Earl: she's married now. Earl is devastated.

Next message is Joy. She really needs Earl to deliver on the character witnesses. In fact, Joy says, her deaf lawyer is talking so much she's sprained her pinky. I admit it – that line got me.

Earl goes to Joy's lawyer's office. It didn't look like it was raining, but Earl is struck by a thunderbolt when he sees Ruby (played by Marlee Matlin) for the first time. Ruby seems quite pleased by what she sees as well. They all talk. Doug, Ruby's assistant, does the translating, and Ruby tells Earl that she thinks he would make a great character witness for Joy. His list, she says, bespeaks volumes as to how he's turned his life around. Earl says that he'd be honored to speak for Joy. He's never told the truth in court before, so this should be a novel experience.

Earl meets up with Randy at Joy and Darnell's trailer. Randy's been watching the kids. Earl is about to wake one of the boys, but Randy stops him with his best Exorcist voice ("Touch him and die!"). Earl tells Randy that he likes Ruby, but since she's deaf, he doesn't know how to tell her. Randy tells Earl that since she's deaf it doesn't matter what he tells her so long as he looks cool doing it. Just turn up your collar. Boy, I wish I'd known that back in my younger days.

So Earl and Joy and Ruby and Doug get together to discuss strategy. Joy wants to know how Darnell is holding up. If going to work in your bathrobe, serving live crab, and having a deflated 'fro is any indication, Darnell is doing just hunky-dory. While trying to determine just how good a character witness Earl will make, Joy tells a few "flattering" but slightly off-color anecdotes about Earl. Earl tells Doug not to translate those tidbits for Ruby. Incredibly, it is Joy who figures out that Earl likes Ruby. She conveys that information to Ruby as only Joy can. But Ruby's okay with it. She likes Earl. And she's not pregnant with another man's child, nor is her face all puffy and bee-stung. Earl's got Karma's green light.

Earl and Ruby go on a date to a pizzeria. Earl's prepared a bunch of note cards with comments on them. Ruby tells Earl that the cards aren't necessary, that she can read lips. But Earl, ever the thoughtful and considerate swain, tells Ruby that he's prepared the cards because he's shortly going to have a mouthful of food, and he doesn't want her to have to try to decipher through a gulletful of partially-masticated 'za. Earl accidentally drops his note cards, and while helping to pick them up, Ruby comes across one that says, "Your place or mine?" Earl apologizes for that one, but Ruby tells him to hold on to it. Yowzuh.

It must've been really good pizza because next we cut to Earl and Ruby in bed with a post-coital afterglow and smiles all around. Earl holds up another note card, and Ruby replies, "Twice." One can only imagine what that card asked. Earl show Ruby his list. (I don't know about you, but I heard big alarm bells going off here.) Ruby tells Earl that he can cross off # 33 – Been A Lazy Lover. (Now that would've made a GREAT episode.) But then she scans a little further down the list and sees -- herself! That Karma's a wicked bitch-mistress.

Flashback: Back when Earl and Joy were still married, inept sneak thieves Earl and Randy heard that a deaf person had moved into Camden County. Coincidence of coincidences, that deaf person was Ruby. Earl and Randy noisily broke into her apartment and swiped her valuables including her cat.

Back in the present, and Ruby is incensed by this development, and to the Stones' Can't You Hear Me Knocking, she storms out of Earl's apartment. It's just as well that she can't hear Earl begging her to come back.

Cut to the courtroom, and that Sword of Damocles that has been hanging over this entire season has finally arrived. It's the day of Joy's trial. Cue impending doom bass notes here – dumm dumm dummm.

Earl enters the courtroom looking for all the world like Colonel Sanders Porn Star. Earl's choice in suits has improved from Robin's Egg Blue to Egg Shell White. He saves the entire front row so Darnell and the kids can get a good view of Joy's railroading -- I mean fair and impartial trial. Ruby enters, and mouths to Earl (someone help me out here -- my lipreading is about as good as my Spanish) something about a vacuum and a light-hearted reference to Mr. Tim Stack's old TV show Son of the Beach.

Darnell enters and Earl says, "Hey Crabman." Darnell responds, "Hey Crabman." Darnell's 'fro is as despondent and uninspired as a hairstyle can be. Randy and Catalina follow Darnell. Randy has tissue stuffed up his nose and he's carrying a Weeble for the judge to whack with his judge hammer. He must be out of walnuts. The reason for the tissue in his nose, Catalina tells Earl, is because the boys stuffed M & M's up Randy's nose. As the slogan goes, they melt in your mouth, but not in your nose. (BTW – my favorite line of the entire episode.)

Right about this time, Ruby's assistant Doug lets out with a painful shriek. One hundred and one Halloween urban legends have come true, and there's a razor blade in his Lemon Square. Darnell got his delieveries mixed up. The razor blade was intended for Joy so she can shave her legs and cut bitches. (My second favorite line.)

With Doug's vocal translating skills seriously handicapped, a Chinese lady and our old friend Escobar-a-lop-lop are called upon to help translate. Resembling an old I Love Lucy bit, they translate for Ruby while she has a field day discrediting the prosecutor's case. Escobar even manges to steal a pen.

Earl is about to take the stand. As he passes, Ruby tells him to " -- pretend you're not an ass -- " Cruelly, as Earl tries to explain, she puts her hand over her eyes and says, "I'm not listening." (My other fave line.)

Earl's voiceover informs us that, according to Ruby, you can tell when a jury is on the fence because they lean forward and take notes. When the jurors have made their decision, they lean back. Earl looks at the jury. They are leaning forward with pens and pads in hand.

Earl relates several instances where Joy showed herself to be an upstanding and contributing member of society. Well, not really. For anyone else they would've been borderline at best, but that's about as good as it gets for Joy. I think it was Earl's enthusiasm in delivering his character assessment of his ex-wife that went a lot further in convincing the jury. Escobar closes Earl's testimony by telling the prosecutor, "Your witness, bitch." The jurors lean back, a satisfied smile on their collective face.

The sun is shining once again in Joyville.

Cue The Who's Baba O'Riley. And no, it's not called Teenage Wasteland.

But behind every good Joy story there lurks ten tales of a madwoman. The prosecutor takes the floor and plays a slew of 911 calls that Earl had made when he was married to Joy and afraid to shut his eyes for fear of pinking shears finding their way into his solar plexus. Earl, being on a first-name basis with the 911 operator, ends his final call with, "This whore should be locked up!"

Earl sees the despair on Joy's and Darnell's and the boys' faces. He realizes that they are a family, and he simply could not stand to be the cause of their being separated. He reaches a decision.

Earl announces to the court, "I did it. Joy's innocent. I stole the truck." Whuh-huh?!?

You know, I saw that coming a mile and a half away, and still I was shocked.

In Earl's mind, confessing to and going to jail for a crime he didn't commit is Karma's way of leveling out the books for Earl's not getting caught for all the crimes he did commit. Ruby holds Earl's hand while the judge sentences Earl to two years in jail. She tells Earl that confessing to the crime showed great character. Earl's VO finds it ironic that the thing that made Ruby like him again was the very thing that was going to keep them apart.

Cut to Earl at booking. A couple of episodes ago, Earl closed out the Little Chubby episode by saying, "What would I sacrifice to be loved? Not my balls." Earl is prophetic. Maybe he's not sacrificing his gonadicals, but Earl has to give up his new girlfriend, his new apartment, his job (nice cameo for Chelcie Ross at Waadt Appliance looking for Earl, and when he doesn't find him says, "Once a docker, always a docker."), and, yes, even the list.

With House of the Rising Sun by The Animals playing in the background, Earl hands over his belongings to the booking officer. Personally, I would've loved to've seen Frank Oz behind the desk but that didn't happen. And I would've like to've seen Earl's booking photo with his eyes closed. But that didn't happen either.

The guards lead Earl to his new home. A distraught Earl grabs the bars in typical convict fashion only to hear a voice from the shadows. The voice belongs to none other than Earl's old friend Ralph (played by Giovanni Ribisi), who's managed to tick off a skinhead who is now hell-bent on revenge. Ralph hands Earl a sock filled with batteries and tells him to be on the lookout for an angry bald white supremecist. Or two. FTB.

And so ends TV Fodder's My Name Is Earl Season 2 recaps. As time permits, I would like to recap the first season of MNIE. We didn't start this blog until well into the second season so there's lots of Earl yet to be recapped. I'll be back in the fall ready and eager to begin a new season of recapping, and I hope to hear from you. Look forward to seeing you in the funny pages.

-- Randy Welk


Posted by Randy Welk on May 11, 2007 1:11 PM
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When Ruby walks into the courtroom and sees Earl after the revelation that he was the one who stole her cat, she says "Don't look at me like that, you son of a bitch."

Helps that I can sign and work with Marlee.

-- Posted by: Jack Jason at May 12, 2007 10:38 AM

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