My Name Is Earl: Orphan Earl

For a group of people who celebrate the holidays by decorating passed out drunks as if they were Christmas trees, the cast of clowns in Camden always find a way to enjoy the true spirit of the season. Of course, the story of how they get to that point is the fun part.

Earl used to be the local expert on ripping people off. One time in particular, he and Joy hatched a scheme to exploit generous people by obtaining donations for starving children in Africa. The only money they got was a $100 check from a kindly man named Arthur Hill. When Earl tracks the man down to return the money, he discovers that Joy has been sending letters from a fake child called Umbungo -- she sends pictures of Earl Jr. posing as the child along with everything from report cards to pictures of him with a "really hot American tourist (Joy)."

As it turns out, Joy's gotten two of her friends in on the action as well and Hill is sending three donation checks a month. Upset that the generous man is being taken for a ride and even enjoying it, Earl asks Joy to stop. Guess where that gets him — nowhere. Things seemingly take a turn for the worse when Randy finds out Mr. Hill has died while reading comics/obits, as is his habit. The man has left his considerable fortune to his three favorite (fake) charities. Joy and her cronies follow Earl and Randy as they break into Hill's house to find out who is lawyer is and inform him of the scam taking place.

When Earl gives Randy the will and tells him to go on foot in the hopes that Joy will follow him in his car to the lawyer's office, Joy has other plans. She takes the will from Randy and goes to the lawyer herself, only to find that Earl has spilled the beans already. However, the crooked lawyer offers to make sure they get their money in exchange for a small sum upfront and sex with Joy's friend. After a trip to a loan shark, the deal is done and Joy has won.

Or has she? I have to say I was a little suspicious when Earl gave the will to Randy, but I definitely didn't see Earl's masterful scam coming. Mr. Hill never died, there was no will, the lawyer was Earl's hired gun, and the money Joy got from the loan shark was to pay back Mr. Hill. All of this was jaw-droppingly awesome and one of the coolest things Earl's ever done. Mr. Hill wasn't as impressed as me though — he was more upset that all that he cared for (giving to the charities) was a lie.

Earl takes him to the trailer park to cheer him up by laughing at the wrongdoers, but there's no laughing to be done. They find everyone's homes in shambles due to a set of circumstances stemming from having to use their money to pay back the loan shark. The ever kind and generous Hill sees a new opportunity for charity and renewed purpose and gives everyone the money they need to get back on their feet. But in the end, he's given even more than he knew as the others follow his good example and learn the error of their ways.

It's great to see that even though Earl now uses his powers for good, his skills at being a scam artist and taking everyone for a ride are still intact. I thought this was a very well-written plot in terms of how that big surprise was orchestrated, but part of me wonders if I'm just a sucker and should have seen it coming a little more.

And now for a few funny moments:

Randy's research for his book on tasting non-food items called "I Have A Curious Tongue." "Cactus: Painful, but worth it." "Hair: Tastes like marijuana."

Earl and Joy's shoddy attempt at inventing facts about starvation in Africa. "9 out of 10 African children die every minute."

As a result of Joy's wrath, Earl apparently has only nine toes.

Joy's friend plans on using her new fortune to buy a "fur coat with the head still on it. Yeah, this bitch is real!"

Randy fakes getting into an argument in the car with Earl and yells "How can you say that about the soldiers, Earl, they're fighting for our freedom!"

Mr. Hill explains that his life isn't too eventful: "Sure, I like rodeo, and I do like to whittle, but not all that much."

When Earl gets Joy's refrigerator back, she's happy that she doesn't have to "keep the kids' antibiotics by the air conditioner" anymore.

The accurate depictions of Joy, Darnell, Earl Jr. and Dodge in Christmas cookie format.

Randy is constantly unaware of Earl's scams and compliments him when he finds out the truth. "Oh, man, I cried so much, you have no idea. I can't even tell you about the nightmares I've been having." And at the end, the ultimate show of Randy's gullibility: "I believed in that list for like, three years!"

My Name Is Earl: Reading is a Fundamental Case

So goes another unremarkable episode of My Name is Earl. When the season began, I had high hopes because they were going back to basics. Instead of throwing Earl in front of a lot of obstacles, (jail, coma, crazy girlfriend, etc.) they were just going to have him help the people on his list. And on the surface, that's a great plan. But the problem that's plagued the last half dozen episodes or so, aside from the lack of jokes, is that I haven't had much of an emotional connection to the folks Earl has helped. I'm not saying it's easy, but Earl used to nail these kinds of stories all the time. Hell, the reason why Camden is filled with so many unique and memorable auxiliary characters is because Earl helped them in past episodes and I enjoy seeing them again and again. This season, the characters have been oddballs and nutjobs, but that doesn't make them memorable or interesting.

The show's funniest joke came at the beginning when Earl and Randy first met Raynard, the focus of Earl's help in this episode. Along with Randy and Earl, Raynard was sentenced to Camden County's "Humiliate to Rehabilitate" community service program. The workers were forced to wear pink t-shirts with the name of their crime boldly printed on the front. Randy's read, "Flasher," Earl's read, "Pulled Brother's Pants Down," and Raynard's read, "Set Police Horse Free." The punchline came when a meek little Indian man was falsely labeled "Terrorist." Unfortunately, after those funny sight gags, it was all downhill from there.

The plot involved the Hickey brothers and Raynard tricking local women into believing they were part of a rock band. The guys stole the "Bookmobile," a big purple bus that served as the Camden library, and said it was their tourbus. After partying, they abandoned the bus in the woods, only to retrieve it years later when it needed to be crossed off Earl's list. When Earl and Randy returned, they discovered Raynard had been living inside it, and had turned into a crazy feral natureman, like Tarzan, (or "Trazan", as the cheap knock-off version was called in the Bookmobile.) Years earlier, Earl had refused to let Raynard crash in his trailer when he was homeless, so Earl felt responsible for Raynard's current state. Thus, Earl's karmic duties in this episode were two-fold: return the Bookmobile and rehabilitate Raynard so he could become accustomed to living in the real world. But as it turns out, Raynard wasn't meant to live a 9 to 5 lifestyle, so after trying to capture a wild animal, Earl learned to set him free once again.

The old adage says, "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it." Judging from the show's return to the basic formula this season, it seems like that's what the fans (including myself) wanted after last season's break from tradition. Well, I got what I wanted, and it isn't good. The characters are stagnant and the show has lost the magic it once had. The stories aren't emotionally compelling, nor are they entertaining from a comedy standpoint. Maybe they'll introduce a multi-episode story arc soon, just so these characters can have a purpose once again. And maybe I should stop wishing for things.

My name Is Earl: Nature's Game Show

This episode of My Name Is Earl began with an uncharacteristic scene in which an angry Randy grabbed Earl's list and demanded that they do what he wanted to do for a change. Randy didn't know what he wanted to do exactly, but that was beside the point. As it turned out, other characters were also feeling stressed out as well. Joy was in a fight with Darnell about street smarts vs. book smarts and Catalina was sick and tired of being walked on, both literally and (because of her stripper job) figuratively. From there, the day just got worse as tornadoes struck down and played havoc with the citizens of Camden.

The title refers to the game of "Finders Keepers" the townsfolk play after getting hit by a twister. The rules of "Nature's Game Show" state that any debris found on the ground is fair game, which led to Joy finding a Bible, Randy finding a rowboat and Catalina finding a gun. As the episode went on, a new tornado would blow these items to another character, round-robin style, so Randy, Joy and Catalina all had the Bible, gun and motorboat for a short time to use how they wanted.

As the sole voice of reason in the town, Darnell explained early on that people tend to attribute deeper meanings to random events during times of crisis. That's the question Earl struggled with in this episode as he wondered why he lost his karma list in the tornado. Was karma trying to teach him a lesson about how it feels to lose something, or was it simply a case of him holding a flimsy piece of paper in a windstorm? When Randy, Joy and Catalina all find the same Holy Bible, they think it's a sign from God, but was that really true?

On the plus side, this episode was intricately plotted, considering the number of important characters involved and all of the overlapping events that occurred. Each set of characters used the Bible, the motorboat and the gun a bit differently, to change the course of events during their day. The most important outcome from this episode was that Randy felt like he also wanted to help people, just like his older brother. So Earl and Randy agreed to take turns. One day, they'll choose something from Earl's list. And if Randy felt he had a mission, they'd tackle it the next day. Sure, it seems like they're doing the exact same thing, but don't tell them that.

However, intricate plot or not, this episode needed more jokes. My Name Is Earl has turned into a flat series of awkward, crazy or silly events that might seem humorous on paper, but in the end, aren't really that funny. Aside from an enjoyable MacGyver parody complete with appropriate instrumental music and a freeze-frame, I found myself watching this episode in silence rather than laughing at it. And that's been the case for some time. Unfortunately, I don't think that's what the producers had in mind.

My Name Is Earl - Earl & Joy's Anniversary

The plot of this particular episode revolved around Earl remembering the first anniversary of his marriage to Joy. That day was special because Earl's cousin Blake showed up and made Earl feel jealous and inferior as he bragged about sleeping with Joy. A swarm of killer bees trapped Earl, Randy, Joy, Blake and others inside the Crab Shack while Darnell, Catalina, Kenny and Patty the daytime hooker hid inside a phone booth. The day was also memorable because it was the day Earl and Joy finally decided their sham marriage was over and that they didn't really love each other. He may not have loved Joy as his wife, but Earl did care enough to protect her from a renegade killer bee, stabbing it with a corn dog stick just in the nick of time. You'd think an outlandish plot device like killer bees would inspire some killer jokes. Not really.

Jason Priestly was an odd choice for the role of Blake because he's not known as a comedic actor. Unfortunately, I still don't know if he can do comedy because he wasn't given anything to work with in a thankless role as a male model. Perhaps a sitcom veteran or sketch comedian could've done more with the part, but that seems like a stretch. Unlike Seth Green, Jenna Elfman, and David Arquette earlier this season, Priestley's stunt casting went to waste.

In the midst of forgettable jokes and a mediocre plot, there was one scene that worked really well – Randy had secretly taped Earl and Joy over the past year and took the footage to a wedding videographer to create an anniversary gift. The result was a funny montage of scenes showing Earl and Joy's complete disharmony, accompanied by cheesy video effects and the perfect soundtrack, "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago. Why couldn't the rest of the episode been equally as funny?

My Name is Earl has just become forgettable, which in terms of entertainment, is almost worse than being terrible. With a bland sitcom that was once great, there's not much to do except hope it gets better and long for the past.

My Name Is Earl: Sold a Guy a Lemon Car

Earl is cornered into an unbelievably boring conversation by Kippy, a weird neighbor that Randy finds endlessly entertaining. Catalina helps lure him away with the promise of HBO and a room without killer mold, and Randy chastises Earl for “getting rid of all the cool neighbors, like the guy with that illegal penguin.” Oh, how glad I am that I’m not one of those cool neighbors.

A creepy new neighbor moves into the hotel and wakes Earl and Randy up by making noise at night. To figure out what the man is doing, Randy looks through the bullet hole and sees the man looking back. The guys go to Catalina for help, but she refuses to make him leave because he thinks she’s pretty. Downstairs in the hotel pool, Earl finds Joy trying to catch a fish. She’s trying to help Dodge win a $500 science fair prize so she can use the money to buy a Jane Seymour necklace. Joy dreams that Jane Seymour tells her to “prove evolution is a bunch of bullcrap,” and that’s where she gets the idea. Joy recognizes Lloyd as a guy they conned into buying a lemon car, so Earl asks Lloyd what he can do to make things right.

It turns out that all Lloyd did with the car was con someone else into buying it off him, because Earl basically taught him the ways of the world by conning him. Earl sees Lloyd with a box marked “explosives,” and assumes he’s “created a terrorist.” To solve this problem, Randy suggests cutting off his hands so he can’t light the fuses, proving that Randy should go into law enforcement.

Meanwhile, Joy’s fish (which is really a tadpole) grows legs, proving she doesn’t have to go to church anymore. Lloyd agrees that if anyone who bought the car didn’t con someone else, then people are good, so Earl takes him to find all the car’s owners.

In my favorite scene of the night, they meet a junkyard employee who agrees to sell Lloyd something that he could use to make a bomb because “I think we’ve established that scruples are not a part of my nature.” If I ever get arrested, I think I now know what to say as I am being dragged away in handcuffs. Thanks, My Name is Earl.

In the end, Lloyd realizes that even though Earl thought he was building a bomb, he still tried to help him, and so some people are indeed decent. Lloyd takes that cross-country trip after all, and Joy uses the spaceship that Lloyd was actually building to win the science fair. Dodge gets a savings bond, but Darnell gets Joy the necklace.

This episode was okay, mostly for Joy’s take on science, but I thought the product placement was really heavy-handed. I liked the Jane Seymour cameo, but I thought the episode could use a lot more Randy and a lot less creepy Lloyd.

My Name Is Earl: Little Bad Voodoo Brother

Halloween is here in Camden County at last. While Randy and Earl argue over who gets to be a sunburned guy this year, they run into Joy, who uses a surprisingly brilliant scheme to scare them. Well, brilliant for Joy, at least. Joy reminds Earl that he has to make up for number 94 on the list, “ruined Dodge and Earl Junior’s Halloween,” which he ruined by sending them out trick or treating alone, and this resulted in Joy getting to drive the speedboat while the cops dragged the lake for their bodies. It’s safe to assume that fun was had by all.

Meanwhile, Catalina’s nephew Oscar has been mailed to the crab shack, which reminds Randy that Earl also owes him for costing him a little brother. When Earl and Randy were kids, Earl says their mom got “fixed” after Earl put Randy in the washing machine. I can’t say I’m all that surprised. Since Randy wants a little brother, he and Earl go to Big Brothers Little Brothers. Randy seems to be an exemplary candidate until he trips a kid in dodgeball. Since Randy is rejected, Catalina says he can look after Oscar. Earl uses his “high-pitched lying voice,” and Randy is determined to prove that he can be a good role model to Oscar.

For the boys’ Halloween party, Earl wraps a blow-up doll in toilet paper (2-ply, Joy says) and Joy criticizes him for his effort since this mummy isn’t authentic enough. In my favorite moment of the night, Joy asks Earl “were you there? Are you Brendan Fraser?” While Earl is at the Crab Shack talking to Joy, he and Randy see Oscar steal money from a table. Randy confronts Oscar, who then goes into a trance and makes voodoo dolls of “Earl and a fat guy who has stains on his shirt.” After Catalina refuses to take the boy back, Earl and Randy decide to take him to the Halloween party, where Joy is dressed as Barbie. By the way, her explanation of the costume was brilliant. Joy, being the astute mastermind I know and love, recognizes instantly that Oscar is doing voodoo because as a child, she had a babysitter who cursed her to an unwed pregnancy after she stole cigarettes from her purse. Seeing Joy as a child was awesome. Earl and Randy flee with Oscar, but Joy forms a witch hunt posse. When Randy refuses to give up Oscar and fights “30 people at once” to protect him, Oscar learns something about goodness and changes his ways.

I liked this episode a lot, but mostly because I got to see Joy as a child, and it was everything I hoped it would be. Randy got a lot of screen time, and his dialogue with Catalina (“I’m sorry other strippers, I’m just mad!”) was hilarious.

My Name Is Earl: Quit Your Snitchin'

This episode involved Earl knocking another Randy-related item off his karma list, but the results were far less impressive. In fact, I would call it a disappointment. Okay, I will.

The episode started out strongly enough. Earl showed up at the Crab Shack with a new car and explained to Catalina that it was a birthday present for Randy. When Catalina commented that it was nicer than Earl's, Earl explained that the car served two purposes: it was a gift and it would let Earl cross another item off his list. I was then treated to a funny set of flashbacks of examples leading to #213 on the list: "Never let Randy have anything better than me."

Unfortunately, immediately afterwards, the car got stolen and Earl spent the rest of the episode dealing with various lowlifes in Camden County in order to get it back. Along the way, he had to accept the ramifications of going to the police and snitching on the people he knew were behind the auto theft.

Here's the thing, after a few years on the air, I know what makes the best Earl episodes: a mix of over-the-top humor with a nice message about redemption, forgiveness or something else to tug on the heartstrings. This episode just didn't provide that emotional component. There have been exceptions to that rule, where they went light on the sentiment, like "Our Cops Is On," for example. But that episode was a fresh idea and absolutely hilarious from start to finish. If they're going to skimp on Earl learning a lesson in the end, the episode better be amazingly funny. This one wasn't close.

But even with the lack of great jokes or sentiment, the most disappointing thing was that it failed at one of its strengths: character development. I'me always learning about the fringe elements of Camden County and what makes them unique. This episode had a few new characters, but unfortunately, didn't do anything with them. Maybe it was the directing or maybe it was the writing, but every new character acted like a cartoon, and that's not a good thing. There are a ton of supporting characters in the Earl universe that I've gotten to know over the years. Sure, they're all wackos and nutjobs, but they've also been flushed out and presented as real people, making them more fun to see in later episodes. This time out, guys like Clyde, Bedbug and Creepy Rodney were just paper-thin caricatures. They weren't funny, they weren't interesting and they brought nothing to the table. Who cares if I see them again.

The last two episodes have both been about Earl crossing an item off his list concerning Randy. And that's where the similarities end. The last episode was funny and touching and made great use of the bond between the two Hickey brothers. This episode was angry and unfunny and wasted a big opportunity to create new and interesting characters. More of the former, please.

My Name Is Earl: We've Got Spirit

This episode started with Darnell attempting to follow an impossible dream: classing up the Crab Shack. Instead of “getting rid of that smell,” Darnell starts offering a variety of cakes, which pleases Randy to no end since German is his favorite flavor. While Earl and Randy are at the bar, Joy’s son draws a picture of Catalina rather than of Joy, and Earl sees a “dude cheerleader” on TV. This takes him back to the list. Years earlier, Earl made fun of Kenny for wanting to be a cheerleader, and he sets about making that right. But unfortunately for Earl, Kenny wasn’t the one who wanted to cheer.

Kenny can’t keep a secret, and he reveals to Earl that Randy was the one who wanted to be a dude cheerleader. To get Randy crossed off the list, Earl pretends to also want to go to Kimmi Himler (nice Nazi reference) Cheer Academy. Once they sign the “No Statutory Rape” contract, they’re in. At cheer camp, the guys meet Kimmi Himler, played by Jenna Elfman, finally in a show that someone wants to watch for a change (remember Dharma and Greg, anyone? I wish I didn’t.) Her face is covered in hideous scars from an unfortunate incident that ended in a badger mauling, and one of her eyes drips all the time. It’s gross, and I thought it was hilarious.

While Earl and Randy are learning about team spirit, Joy tries to convince her son that she’s attractive. “Blond hair and blue eyes is rare, so it’s considered a treasure of the human race. That’s what World War II was about.” Once again, I have to admit that Joy is a genius. Still angry that Catalina is more attractive to her son, she says that he “just likes her because she’s the color of pancakes,” and who could blame him? Pancakes are delicious. But I digress.

Earl and Randy find themselves on a cheer squad with “preggers, headgear, chunk, and black girl,” none of whom take much pride in their cheering until Randy takes charge. Kimmie, desperate for her daughter to be the best, tries to kick them out. Earl decides to pay the ultimate price to help Randy achieve his dream, and he has sex with Kimmie and learns firsthand about that “eye milk.” While Earl is committing disgusting acts for someone he cares about, Joy is still trying to be sexy enough so that her son will need her, which is also pretty gross. To make her feel better, Darnell pushes a fan onto their son, who comes running to Joy.

Now that things are good with Joy, she brings everyone from the Crab Shack to watch the cheerleading. Joy takes this opportunity to tell Earl he’s a douchebag, and this makes Earl realize that he doesn’t want to do this, especially since everyone brought their camcorders so he and Randy will “look stupid and 10 pounds heavier.” But it doesn’t matter how bad they look, they still end up being the best cheer squad Camden has ever seen, which is not at all surprising.

I loved this episode. The more screen time Randy gets, the funnier I feel like the show is, because Ethan Suplee is hilarious. I didn’t really find much fault with this one, since there were some great one-liners in there and everyone got their chance to shine.

My Name Is Earl: Sweet Johnny

Over the past few seasons, I've seen Earl Hickey at his worst. I didn't think it was possible, but in this episode, the writers managed to top themselves in terms of Earl's bad behavior. On its surface, #7 on the list: "Slept with Sweet Johnny's Girlfriend" seems harmless enough. Earl has lied and cheated plenty of times before and has done his best to right those wrongs. But in this case, merely crossing Sweet Johnny off the list seems a bit paltry, considering Earl tried to kill the guy on more than one occasion.

Sweet Johnny (David Arquette) was a local stuntman with a hot girlfriend named Sheila. When Johnny was laid up in bed recovering from his post-stunt injuries, Earl would fool around with Sheila. Earl soon came up with a twisted plan – if he could convince him to do more dangerous stunts, (like "The Human Speedbump" and "The Rocket Unicycle"), Johnny would get more severely injured and Earl would have more time to spend with Sheila. Only after convincing Johnny to try a stunt called, "The Human Wrecking Ball," did Earl put an end to the relationship.

Years later, Earl decided to set things right with Sweet Johnny, but found that it was much more difficult than he had hoped. Due to a non-stunt-related injury, Sweet Johnny suffered brain damage and memory loss. As a result, he would wake each morning not remembering anything from the previous day (think Memento meets Groundhog Day,) and this had been going on for 10 years.

This put a hitch in the plan, because with no memory, Earl had to start fresh each day apologizing for sleeping with Sheila and fending off Johnny's subsequent staple-gun attacks. After a painful week of trial and error, Earl realized he was being selfish. He wanted to cross Johnny off the list for his own benefit, not for Johnny's, because he wouldn't remember it anyway. So instead, he circled #7, knowing that if Johnny could never remember, Earl would never forget.

The humor of the episode lay in the way the plot unfolded like Groundhog Day, with David Arquette perfectly cast as the brain-damaged stuntman. Given that Johnny's memories stopped in the late '90s, this explained his love for Ricky Martin's "La Vida Loca" and his tendency to greet everyone with, "Wazzzzup." Unfortunately, those jokes couldn't hide the fact that, below the surface, this was a really sad episode. Unlike many downer episodes, (which usually border on bittersweet, but ultimately positive,) it's tough to forgive Earl for almost killing someone. His crimes in the past have all been somewhat goofy, but attempted murder is another story. The tone of this episode never felt right, given the severity of his mistake. It's tough to root for a killer in a sitcom.

In "Sweet Johnny," the four main characters didn't have much interaction with each other. Joy and Darnell were busy dealing with Joy's new handgun (which would discharge haphazardly throughout the episode), while Randy was peeling labels off beer bottles in order to prove he wasn't a virgin (as if that were all the proof he needed). Sure, those subplots were funny, but because they didn't relate to the main story, the characters didn't evolve and the emotional core of the episode didn't resonate as loudly.

Similar to the last episode, "Stole an RV," this one had all the pieces that make a good Earl episode, but in terms of jokes and heart, the final result was only average. Plus they may have crossed a line in terms of Earl's evil plan. I know the show can be great, and overall, this season has been an improvement over last season. I just hope this show's best days are in front of it.

My Name Is Earl: Joy in a Bubble / Stole an RV

First off, I have to say the first episode Earl was one of my favorites, because Joy is always hilarious. “Joy in a Bubble” was exactly what it sounded like: Joy is stuck in a makeshift plastic bubble, but it’s because she gets a disgusting flesh-eating toe infection because of Earl. It’s not what you think.

While driving Catalina to work for Disabled Discount Day at Club Chubby, Earl spots a hot tub on the side of the road. This is perfect, since he owes Joy a hot tub from the time he cost her a modeling job at a hot tub convention because he lit a cigarette near her hair. He and Catalina trade a homeless man deodorant for the hot tub, and take it to Joy’s.

Joy is obviously thrilled, saying “for the first time, Earl, you have satisfied me in a way Darnell never could.” Joy spends 24 hours in the hot tub, and a neighbor complains about how loud her music is. Joy uses this opportunity to be a good person, by retorting that you don’t hear her “complaining about how loud that baby’s dialysis machine is.”

Darnell sees Joy’s massive toe, and they go to the doctor, who tells them that she caught it from the homeless man who lived under the hot tub. This doesn’t upset Darnell, but Joy’s diseased toe does. He lines the floor of the trailer with foil and only allows Joy to walk on the foil. His measures become more drastic, to the point that Joy is “glazed up with Purell like a Christmas ham” and she finally asks him what she has to do not to be treated like a leper. So he makes her a bubble, and she blames Earl, who is forced to be her proxy while she’s in the bubble.

I loved seeing Earl go run Joy’s errands for a week. At 3:00, she buys meat from the trunk of a car. On Wednesdays, Earl has to spend four hours at the salon to hear all the gossip, and he has to hang out with Dodge and Earl Jr., who Joy believes have no friends. At the school, Earl asks Mrs. Woo Hoo why the boys can’t come to her son’s party, and she says it’s because of Joy. While the boys are at the party, Earl lets it slip to Joy that she’s the reason they have no friends.

Predictably enraged, Joy drives to the party. Earl runs to catch up to her, but finds her sitting in the car unable to confront the other moms. In a moment of vulnerability, Joy asks Earl if she’s a bad mom. I thought this was a great part of the episode, because I got to see another side of Joy. She quickly shatters this by telling Earl to wipe off the gas pedal, because she “toed it pretty good.”

In the second half-hour, which I thought was the weaker of the two, Randy finds a hat, which means he takes on a new identity. Somehow, his new fedora makes him an English gentleman. Kenny complements the fedora and I learn that Earl and Randy don’t watch black and white movies because they remind them too much of newspapers.

Joy rushes into the bar, claiming to have seen Pigsquatch, a massive pig that is rumored to live in the trailer park. Darnell says it might have just been an obese neighbor, but Joy says she “knows the difference between a prehistoric pig and Jumbo Sally.”

Joy wants to catch Pigsquatch because tourists would pay to see the world’s biggest anything. She remembers the time she and Earl saw the world’s biggest anthill when they stole an RV from an old man. While enjoying their new lifestyle and fancy wine glasses “on stilts,” the RV explodes.

Earl decides to go back to the man who they stole the RV from, who now lives in a small shed waiting to die. Earl will have none of that, and tries to cheer the man up. He fixes the roof, and buys him a jog to play music with. Earl and Randy realize that the man misses all the mementos that were in the RV, like pictures of his wife.

Somehow, this gives Earl the idea to give the man a sex doll that he and Joy used to use as a babysitter for the kids. Earl goes to Joy’s and finds that she has caught Pigsquatch using sleeping pills and a bucket of slop, and he asks her an insanely long question to ascertain whether she still has the doll. She does, and she gives it to Earl even though she’ll be out one babysitter.

Jerry, the old man, is thrilled with the doll and with the stuffed animal heads that Earl finds for him. Jerry makes Earl take him to see Joe, whose ear he wants to slice off. Joe blasts them for “bringing a killing machine back to life,” since Jerry once killed three Koreans with a single bullet and no gun. Joe realizes that Jerry is doing this because he was left behind enemy lines. Jerry jumps on Joe, but has a heart attack. Joe has one heart pill left, and gives it to Jerry because he doesn’t want to let him down again.

Joy inadvertently kills the pig, and Darnell is too grossed out when her arms end up “in the pig” when she tries to move it to help her. Luckily, Earl, Jerry and Joe come to her rescue and blow up the pig with dynamite. It’s disgusting.

I loved the first half hour, but I thought the second was weak.

My Name Is Earl: The Magic Hour & Monkey Take a Bath

The last time I saw Earl, his marriage had ended and he’d vowed to focus on his list, which was a good move for the show. This season opened with Joy behaving in typical fashion: making her kids wear Make-a-Wish t-shirts so she doesn’t have to wait in line. This takes Earl back to the time he got drunk and stole a pony that was, unfortunately, part of little Buddy’s wish. So Earl and Randy go to Buddy’s house, and discover that Buddy is very much alive. Buddy, played by Seth Green, has a new dream now: to make a movie about a giant squid that tries to destroy the world and kill the president. (It’s called To The Max, and I am not ashamed to admit I really want to see it.)

Buddy and Earl go around town to cast the movie. Randy is cast as the President, Joy is Max’s wife, and Catalina is a “ruthless terrorist.” Randy actually does a great job, and then Ethan Suplee gives us an excellent Buffalo Bill impression that was my favorite part of the show. Buddy makes Joy kiss him in the “magic hour” scene, and she reveals that she “only does tongue if it’s Brad Pitt or Eric Roberts,” and I learned that once again, Joy has hit a new low. After the movie’s climax, a shot of Max karate-chopping a giant squid, falls apart, everyone quits the movie. Earl throws a premiere party anyway, but Buddy, it turns out, has died of his illness. But he did get to follow his dreams, which leads others to do the same. Darnell paints himself and Joy into American Gothic, Joy steals clothes, Randy makes a door sign, and Earl takes up the xylophone again. All seems to be right in Camden County.

In the premiere’s second half, Earl and Randy have to buy back all their childhood belongings from their parents at a yard sale, including a hand puppet that makes Randy tell the truth. Joy finds an “IQ machine” and tries to con Earl’s dad into selling it to her. At the yard sale, the puppet makes Earl decide to cross #87 off his list: scared away his parents’ friends.

Earl and Randy had made Clark Clark cry repeatedly, and thought that this had made him move away. So they go to the Clark’s new house and Mr. Clark reveals that he’d moved because of an affair with Earl’s mom that had happened “because the A&P had a sale on wine coolers.” Earl and Randy make their mother tell their dad, who leaves screaming that his “wife is a whore!” Dad comes to stay with Earl, and they decide to go beat up Mr. Clark.

Despite Earl singing “Eye of the Tiger,” the plan fails, and they are beaten savagely by Mrs. Clark. Earl’s father then decides to get revenge he has to get laid, which makes Earl vomit. Back at the Crab Shack, Randy doesn’t fare much better when his mother tells him how unsatisfactory her sex life was, and Randy says my favorite line: “yeah, that guy sure is bad at touching moms.” A disgusted Randy tells Joy what his mother did, and Joy goes to fight her, but loses when Mrs. Hickey kicks her in the face.

Earl’s father has no luck picking up women at the pharmacy or the bank, but Patty from the diner agrees to sleep with him. Not because she likes him, but because she’s a “daytime hooker and a nighttime waitress.” Dejected, Earl’s dad cries. Earl reveals that “there are two things I never thought I’d see with my own eyes: a real bear carrying a picnic basket and my dad crying.” This brings back the pain of Joy’s infidelity, and the two men spend the night crying and talking. This changes things, and Earl’s father goes back home. Earl forgives Joy for cheating, and she returns the postman’s glass eye.

I thought it was a great premiere, and I’m glad to see the show back on form.

My Name Is Earl: The Camdenites

In the entire run of this series, I have never been more sympathetic to any of Earl's situations than the one he is in now. What is a man to do when he has a new wife and everything she does drives him nuts? I see now why Billie and Frank got along so well.

The sad part is that it seems like Earl is destined to be shackled to women who are just plain evil. Karma takes him to Billie, he can't seem to get away from Joy and any time he meets a woman who seems half way sane, his list gets in the way. I can only hope this is all part of karma's master plan.

As a brief aside, I want to say how much I love the kids who play young Earl and Randy. They are perfectly cast as they look just like the trouble-making kids I grew up with. I don't know what they tell those boys to give them the look of malicious boredom, but it works.

I can't wait to see how many people were offended by Earl's hopping adventure. A few weeks ago, all the wheelchair-bound characters seemed to rub a lot of people the wrong way. I guess the writers either like to make folks feel uncomfortable or just don't care if they piss people off. In truth, it's probably a little bit if both.

It makes perfect sense that karma has a special set of rules for past wrongs done unto the opposite sex. We all know the guy who is a great person and treats everybody with respect and kindness except his wife. It's these guys for whom the addendum to the big book of karma was written.

How great is it that the strict religious population of Camden County are just as stupid as the rest of it? The consistency is one of the things about Earl that I admire most. You'd think with all the recurring characters and flashbacks some continuity errors would be inevitable. I, however, have yet to see even one.

I don't know what was more brilliant: having Billie become the evil version of Earl or the CSI:Miami reference “the creamsicle-looking guy’s name is Horatio.”

I had a feeling that Billie was going to become a permanent resident of the Camdenite community. I'm sure I wasn't the only who saw it as the perfect way for Alyssa Milano to exit the series and for everything else get back to normal. While the season has certainly had its ups and downs, the soundtrack for this season's finale was awesome.

My Name Is Earl: Girl Earl

"And Barry Schmo heads home with an empty sack!" - Announcer at Bagging Competition

I would think now that Earl and Billie are married, Earl would expect some changes. Of course, everyone has little annoying habits, but I know compromise is what makes a marriage work. I have to admit, though, the Van Halen thing would be a deal breaker in my house.

That fact that Earl is already getting irritated by Billie just proves the old adage, "Show me the most beautiful woman in the world and I'll show you a guy who's tired of F-ing her."

I find it a little hard to believe, however, that after being married to a nightmare like Joy, Earl would complain about someone because they're annoying. Maybe someone should point out that Billie isn't cheating on him or expecting him to raise kids that aren't his.

I enjoyed seeing Jon Heder bag those groceries almost as much as I was horrified by his deformed hand. I'm guessing he went to the hospital but Camden County's lackluster medical community had nothing to offer. It was also nice to see Jon Henson again. Now I can finally stop asking whatever happened to him.

I didn't see the bagging training coming and I really enjoyed it. All the inane exercises and how seriously Heder was made it really funny. Of course, Earl eventually got the hang of it. Once again, the good folks of Camden come out to support their favorite "athlete." I guess the Killerball league didn't have a game that night.

When I saw Saviero Guerra as the referee, I hoped he would have more to do than wave his flag. It wasn't much but his line about the web address where he got his license made me laugh out loud. Now I just have to hope that they bring that character back for repeat visits.

Bagger Lance was pretty damn funny. I have always loved Pat Kilbane and there was a time when he was on his way to having his own sitcom. I don't know what happened but his performance tonight was proof that he still is a very funny dude.

I thought this was a damn good episode. It gave me the basic plot of the karma list while advancing other story lines at the same time. It seems clear things won't be working out for Earl and Billie, but if the show is going to continue the way it should, that's probably just as well.

My Name Is Earl: Love Octagon

"I'm a new lesbian!" - Catalina

In most places, knowing that a family of four is living in your favorite restaurant might make you think twice about eating there. However in that wacky Camden County it just makes the place feel more "homey."

The beginning of this episode was the most exciting two minutes. Randy's account of what Earl missed made me laugh out loud, seeing Joy's kids actually trying to learn something was refreshing and learning that Catalina is a lesbian. Welcome back Earl!

There was a slight change in theme this episode. Instead of doing something good for someone else because he wants to atone for his past bad deeds, Earl actually did something good in order to benefit from it. What that's you say? It's impossible to benefit from a good deed? Well, clearly, you have been watching too much Survivor.

Seriously though, while I am a fan of the list (mainly because of the nutty characters it introduces us to), I think it's smart to have Earl and company make a few changes in their lives, Shake things up a little bit.

Having Billie staying with Stuart was pure genius. Not only does it make perfect sense, but it adds a whole other level to the show. It's sort of like The Fugitive if Richard Kimble was a hot lady and Phil Gerard was a possibly brain-damaged redneck.

Watching Earl and Billie drive away in wedded bliss made me feel so happy for so many reasons, not the least of which was that the show is finally back on track. Not only was Earl able to find his own happiness but he now has an assistant with a normal I.Q, which gives Randy more time to catch that damn bird.

I loved this episode and I can't wait to see what happens with the rest of the season.

My Name Is Earl: Killerball

Since the show's return from the writers' strike, Earl has gotten stronger and funnier with each episode. This show was jam-packed with some hysterical dialogue, flashbacks both real and imagined, as well enough items crossed off the karma list to help Earl's condition.

The episode began when the hospital decided it needed its bed back, so they kicked Earl out and into Randy's care. Not surprisingly, this led to a few dicey situations, not the least of which was when Randy gave Earl a bath and then used a blowdryer to dry him off while he was still in the bathtub. Earl never knew the danger he was in because he wa still comatose, but his mind was exactly as it's been these past few episodes: wide awake in an imagined TV sitcom.

When they first introduced this sitcom gimmick, it felt flat and uninspired. Since then, however, the writers have injected life and humor into the idea. My Name Is Earl already uses flashbacks as a way to show who the Hickey boys were before they discovered karma. But the writers did themselves one better by having Earl's sitcom alter-ego have his own (fake) flashbacks, which allowed for even more great sitcom clichés to be included. The intentionally hacky device they used to pull it all together was to have an elderly TV Earl and Billie look at an old photo album and recall all the funny adventures they never really had.

Given Earl's love of television as a boy, it makes perfect sense that he'd imagine some of these situations taking place in his imagination. For example, TV Earl remembered when his kids were no longer cute, so a new smart-mouthed cousin moved in. Another flashback was when he and Billie were having a fight, so they drew a line down the center of the room and each person was barred from crossing to the other side. And finally, TV Earl had a "very special flashback" where Randy admitted that a bad man touched him inappropriately. I swear, if Diff'rent Strokes didn't use all of those as plot devices at one time or another, I'm losing my memory.

The rest of the episode was packed with more great jokes, many of them coming during a game of quad rugby that comatose Earl was forced to play in order to appease karma, (Randy controlled his wheelchair via joystick.) Earl has never been a politically correct show, which adds to its charm. Last year they got away with some dark comedy at the expense of guest star Marlee Matlin, and this time around, wheelchair-bound athletes don't fare much better. In a nod to Friday Night Lights fans out there, guest star Kevin Rankin played yet another quad rugby player, only this time he was the ex-boyfriend whom Earl had to reunite with his ex-girlfriend in order to cross an item off his list.

There was almost too much plot stuffed into this one half-hour of television to provide a suitable synopsis. Suffice it to say, this was the funniest, most well thought out episode in a long while and it ended on a high note as Earl finally woke from his coma. Upon waking up, Earl tells Randy, Joy and Darnell about his dreams of growing old and still hanging out with Randy, Joy and Darnell, which everyone agrees is just about perfect. But the line of the night followed immediately afterward as Earl then told them how he imagined he was married to Billie was great. "Billie? Who's he?" said Darnell. Joy added, "Oh crap, I think the coma made him gay."

My Name Is Earl: Stole a Motorcycle

The last week episode I was introduced to Earl's life after prison, which wasn't much of an improvement seeing as he was now in a coma. While his body lay lifeless in a hospital bed, his imagination was busy living inside a classic three-camera sitcom. It was nice to see the show returning to form this week with an episode that took advantage of all those timeless sitcom clichés wrapped around some creative non-linear storytelling.

I learned that crossing items off the karma list improves Earl's health. As a result, Randy decides he'll work on the list in order to help his brother. When it's determined that his first item is "stole a motorcycle," Randy begins his quest to not only return the bike, but to remember all the craziness that surrounded the theft as well.

The chronology of events was a bit confusing at times because one third of the episode took place in the present day, one third took place in flashbacks and the last third took place inside Earl's imaginary TV show, "The Hickeys." It was like a sitcom version of Memento only with a Scooby-Doo-type mystery. That's not an insult, but rather a compliment given the time constraints and the fact that this is a comedy after all.

Once the show unfolded and pieces were put into place, it became evident that a lot went on that night, including a drunken limbo contest, an assault with a "pantenna," (a TV antenna with panties hanging from it), and a mini-car chase through Camden County. However, the funniest exploit of the night had to be when Randy, dressed in a chicken suit, entered the Crab Shack and threw customers' chicken dinners on the floor while screaming, "You're eating my baby!"

Whereas the last episode didn't execute the idea fully, there was no escaping the very funny and self-aware laundry list of sitcom clichés on "The Hickeys" this time around. There was 1) the classic husband/wife misunderstanding due to someone overhearing a double entendre-filled conversation. 2) A perfect freeze-frame right before the commercial break with the actors in mid-smile staring into the camera. And of course what sitcom parody would be complete without the crème de la crème of clichés: 3) a pregnant woman giving birth in an elevator. This episode took full advantage of all the built-in humor a sitcom parody provides and it was great to see the show fully embrace the idea, now that it seems to be a running gag in these next few episodes.

The decision to have Randy work on the karma list is an interesting twist. It's still a show about redemption, but now it gives Randy more of a purpose other than playing second banana to Earl. This opens up a new realm of comic possibilities as well, given that Randy is a dim-witted buffoon who tackles problems much differently than his brother. Earl can't stay in a coma forever, but it will be interesting to see where they take this idea and for how long.The producers should get credit for going in a slightly new direction, while still staying true to the spirit of the show.

Hopefully I'll soon be able to learn about Billie's fate and explore her present day character as well as her June Cleaver alter ego. Overall, this was an improvement over the last show. While not at the level of the series' best episodes, they executed some interesting storytelling devices and delivered some solid jokes throughout the episode.

My Name is Earl: I Won't Die With a Little Help from My Friends

Due to a long delay from the writers' strike, I nearly didn't remember where My Name Is Earl left off. But thanks to a quick and funny re-cap at the beginning of the show by NBC president Jeff Zucker, I was caught up to speed. Unfortunately, there were as many great jokes in that prologue as there were in the remaining 58 minutes of a show that has really lost a step in its third season.

As Jeff Zucker informed me, both Earl and his potential love interest, Billie lay unconscious in the middle of the street. What followed was a comedy of errors as Randy stole an ambulance to take Earl to the hospital, picked up Joy, Darnell and Catalina along the way and together gave Earl even more injuries than he already had.

When Earl was a boy, he'd deal with his messed up life by immersing himself in television shows to drown out the pain and suffering around him. That coping mechanism came in handy in this episode because as his body dealt with excruciating pain, his mind escaped to an imaginary sugary-sweet sitcom where Earl was the perfect husband, Billie was the perfect wife, and they lived in the perfect house. As a result, events going on in Earl's real life would affect those in his imaginary one. For example, as his condition worsened and the doctors were sizing up his organs for donation, his sitcom alter ego got a promotion in another city that would mean saying goodbye to all his friends and family. It was an interesting but depressing way to deal with a dire situation.

The only problem is that dire and depressing is not exactly what I'm looking for when I turn on My Name Is Earl. There had been such an undercurrent of sadness running throughout the season already with the prison storyline and Earl's rejection of karma, it was frustrating to see it continue for another hour. All I was looking for were some funny jokes and that just didn't happen.

Earlier this season, there was an episode titled, "Creative Writing" that did a great job of skewering Sid and Marty Kroft-style television shows, as well as Spanish telanovellas and cartoons. In that episode, the jokes came fast and furious and were all on target. With this parody, the jokes felt half-finished, which is a shame because the family sitcom parody is still a funny idea. But like the rest of the episode, the execution left something to be desired.

Since I am an avid fan of the show and have watched since the first season and know that the potential for great comedy is in every episode, this show was a huge let-down.

Maybe if the writers' strike hadn't happened and maybe if there weren't so much advance hype about Paris Hilton's appearance and maybe if this episode didn't have the added pressure of being NBC's return to original comedy on Thursday night, this episode wouldn't be seen as such a disappointment. Unfortunately, that's too many "maybes". The sad truth is, the show wasn't funny. Hopefully it will return to form in these last remaining episodes of season three.

My Name Is Earl: Bad Earl

"There's no room at the motel and it's Christmas eve. Just like Jesus' baby." -- Randy Hickey

I don't know about you but I really have a problem watching holiday episodes after New Years. I guess, like many people, I have just had enough "holiday cheer" and when I see those references, I feel like I'm watching an old episode. Maybe I should just be happy that there are new episodes at all.

As I've said before, I always love to see recurring characters. Seeing Ralph and gay Kenny actually crossing paths was one of the high points of this episode.

This episode answered a lot of questions for me. The biggest being, "Is everyone in Camden County a complete idiot?" Clearly, the answer is yes. More importantly, it seems that idiots migrate to the area. Case in point, Tim Stack. Once a Hollywood TV personality, now a drunken wash out living in Camden County. It's the only place that a mental deficient like Ralph can actually outsmart someone.

Personally, I think it's about time Earl gave up on the list. It's clear that he is no longer karma's bitch and the line between making up for something bad you've done and humiliating yourself isn't really all that fine. It seems that it's time for the list to be shelved.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Earl shouldn't try to be a good person. He just doesn't need the list anymore. There are plenty of ways he can assuage his guilt and still live a normal life. Watch Joy's kids, feed Mr. Turtle, help Catalina become a citizen; in addition to getting a decent job and being a functioning member of society, any of these are worthy goals for a fulfilling life.

Adding Alyssa Milano to the cast is a stroke of genius. Now Earl can live a more normal life with a girlfriend who is trying to achieve similar goals. Together, they can strive to be better people and make the world a better place. Of course, along the way, their white trash leanings will offer a few rough patches but that's to be expected.

Overall, I thought this episode was a little light on laughs but you have to expect that with a transitional story such as this one.

My Name is Earl: Frank's Girl

I was wondering when they would get around to conjugal visits. This storyline is exactly what I have commented on previously. Earl doesn't need a list to do good things. List or no list, he has to help people with their problems and now that he's locked up, he can spend more time helping his friends and family.

Even at the ten minute mark, I was pleased with how many actual jokes were in this episode. Randy's "half-circle" joke, Earl's "wrote on a pillow case" joke and especially the "good for pillow" line. It's lines like these, the witty throw-away kind of comedy that shows how witty and clever a sitcom can be.

Then when I think about the other storyline with Joy's incontinence problem, I have to wonder. Is this an effort by the writers to even out the script with some solid toilet humor or am I overthinking it because sometimes a pregnant woman crapping herself is funny? In any event, the truth is I am kind of over the animosity between Joy & Catalina. They don't really have any reason to be around each other so why don't they just avoid one another? I know Joy has an excuse with her being crazy and all but I thought Catalina was the nice one.

John Farley as Annie was a funny take on an old joke. I wasn't surprised when Earl's date turned out to be a dude, but I was surprised that he was so funny.

All in all, I enjoyed this episode. I've never been a huge Rapaport fan but I think he's a welcome addition to the show. I know many haven't enjoyed the new direction of the show for a number of reasons but I think it's clear that you really only have two choices...get over it or stop watching.

My Name Is Earl: Early Release

When I first found out that the warden was going to burn Earl and keep him in prison I was intrigued. However, when Earl found out about it and kneed the warden in the groin, I was ecstatic. Apparently, I have secretly been waiting for Earl to revert to his dastardly ways for some time now. Now, it seems that time has come and it has brought me a newfound interest in the show.

I knew when I saw the look in Earl's eyes as he let Randy in on his plan to escape that this was going to be a great episode.

As I watched this episode, I got the feeling that many of the cast members decided that this was their turn to be like Jaime Pressly and get themselves an Emmy. Randy's delivery was extra hilarious and Darnell's performance leading the prison church services was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.

Over the season, I have grown so fond of Craig T. Nelson's character that I actually felt bad for him when Earl held him at gunpoint. I know he totally screwed Earl but, give the guy a break. His job comes with a lot of stress.

I had a hard time picking a favorite quote for this weeks episode. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so often in one half hour. Not to get on a soapbox, but that's the kind of quality that only comes from union writers.

I don't know what was funnier, Darnell's line about Mr. Parrot, his fro or the awesome pimp walk he did when he walked out of frame. All those things, along with "Richard Jammer's" ridiculous toupee has me laughing so hard I had to rewind the scene to watch it again.

One of my favorite things about My Name Is Earl is how past characters and plotlines are often brought back. I had all but forgotten about Paco and Catalina. It's almost as if the show's storylines were planned out before the season began. This gives me hope that I'll be seeing the warden, Frank, Paco and maybe even church guy again before the season is over.

I'm really glad that Earl voiced his concern about how karma was treating him because I couldn't help thinking the same thing. Will this cause Earl to abandon his path of goodness altogether? I mean, things are drastically different from when the show began. He's got no money, no place to live and because of him, all his friends are accessories to a felony. I have a feeling that some major changes are going to take place before this season us over. Let's just hope the current strike is resolved so I can see those changes take place.

Usually I end each review with one or two things I didn't like about the episode but nothing qualified. This episode was as good as a sitcom gets.