« Cheers & Jeers
Reader's Jeer of the Week: Wake Up, Earl!
Posted by TheTenthDoctor...
Jeers to My Name Is Earl for it taking five episodes (almost a quarter of a season!) to wake Earl back up from his coma. The plot should've been resolved by the end of the two-part episode that aired after the writers' strike. Bottom line, the whole coma/sitcom story should have been taken care of then, not three episodes later.
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May 2, 2008 3:05 PM
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Cheers to My Name is Earl for spending 5 episodes focusing on the rest of the cast.
Showing Randy's love for Earl by "caring" for him while he was in a coma was touching and heartwarming.
Randy's realization that the list was keeping Earl alive was uplifting and inspiring.
Watching Darnell and Joy's alarm at Randy's "care" for Earl was funny and revealing.
I'm glad Earl is back, but I'll look back on the coma episodes fondly.
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May 2, 2008 8:11 PM
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I have to disagree. I think curluplw hit the nail on the head, and I will also add that I think they had enough clever ideas for all the coma-sodes they did. Like the prison episodes, it didn't seem too stretched out to me. I like that the show periodically shakes things up. I also enjoy how they use the wide and rich cast of characters they've developed over the years.
A lot of my friends have drifted away from Earl for the same reasons this Jeer points out, but when I catch them up on DVD, there are always gales of laughter.
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May 3, 2008 5:28 PM
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I disagree with the Jeer. I think this did give a chance for Randy and the rest to shine and to show some interaction with other people. I liked it and I loved the classic sitcom aspect. I thought the length was about right and I'm glad Earl is back, but I wouldn't have changed it at all. Plus - that murder ball game with that pimped out wheelchair was too classic to miss. I laughed until I cried.
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May 5, 2008 12:23 AM
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Really?
TV Guide posts a reader's jeer, and it's a "Why isn't my show formulaic and predictable" screed?
Really?
The post-strike episodes of Earl have been entertaining and funny, with new twists on the old formula. Shows like Earl NEED new takes in order to remain fresh.
JEERS to TV Guide for giving dullards a platform to complain that a program has gone outside its safe zone.
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May 5, 2008 12:49 AM
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You should expect no less that being treated like cow manure by writers and networks. People moan and grown sitting lifeless in front of the TV...and life goes on.
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May 5, 2008 1:14 AM
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High concept shows like Earl need to vary their take fairly frequently. Taking the same approach to the list would have gotten boring and tiresome, just as having Earl and Randy win enough lottery money so that they would not have to work would have. The coma episodes were handled well - kept the show fresh. Loved Catalina's 'lesbianism', Joy and Darnell having to move into the Crab Shack and seeing Earl's parents again. The only thing missing was Giovanni Ribisi.
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May 5, 2008 2:29 AM
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