My Name Is Earl

In terms of one-liners and such, this episode was pretty much the most jam-packed of the season. I'll try to sum up the plot as quick as I can so we can get to as many funny moments as possible.

Things got started where they left off — Billie was being a shrew and Earl tried his best to deal with it. Wondering why karma gave him a raw deal, Earl set about trying to find a solution. He decided to throw himself full-throttle into working on the list after realizing that working hard was how his own father had dealt with his mother's quirks over the years. However, this brought him face-to-angry-face with other women who were not so happy with him (namely Joy and Didi, the one-legged girl). After crossing them both off of his list (Didi's finally off, after all this time!), Billie starts being a little nicer. Earl figures that if he corrects all the misdeeds he's committed against women, karma will reward him with a happy marriage.

This brings him to #204: Seduced Seven Virgins. Earl and Randy used to take advantage of local Camdenite (akin to Amish or Mennonite) women who are given 21 days to experience the outside world upon turning 21. All of the girls they seduced decided to not return to their community, so to make up for it, Earl and Randy take the now-21 Greta under their wing to ensure she returns after the end of 21 days. When Billie snaps after Earl appears to be choosing the list over her, she goes on a rampage undoing all of his good deeds. After almost getting arrested, she takes asylum with the Camdenites, whose property is sovereign and out of police jurisdiction. In the end, she joins the Camdenites, obtains an amicable divorce from Earl, and gives him the rest of her money.

Whew, these hour-long episodes pack a lot in. This one is definitely worth it though. It was fantastic seeing most characters from the show reunited while helping to un-tip the trailer (it doesn't get any better than seeing Tim Stack working right alongside Nescobar-A-Lop-Lop). It was great to see Stuart and Kenny settling into their relationship as well. Kenny's come a long way.

Randy, Darnell, and Joy were all at their best. I love Crabman's deserved status as the smartest guy Earl knows. The tension was quite palpable as Joy read Darnell's poetry while husband and ex-husband helplessly stood by waiting for her wrath, which didn't come ("Did you pee a little?" "Yeah." "Me too."). And apart from his being a scene-stealing powerhouse tonight, I enjoyed watching Randy's blossoming romance with Greta. He deserves it, and it provided much needed insight into karma for Earl. Catalina had some funny moments, especially the bit where they used her to try and scare Greta about the outside world. Still, I can't wait for them to get down to a more substantial Catalina subplot.

So it looks like that's about it for Alyssa Milano. It's really a shame — she's been quite an addition. Hopefully there will be a cameo or two down the line. I liked how she was able to become a good person only after being removed from the "evil," non-Camdenite world (especially the part about how it's "hard to be greedy around people so happy to give").
Judging from our little forums here, we've all had our ups and downs with this season. However, I have to admit they wrapped it up in style. For now, it's back to Earl reruns for all of us. See you back here for Season Four!

So many funny moments tonight. Let's get to as many as we can:

• "You should just cut her head off like that King of England guy, or the guy downstairs."

• "There's nothing like a crap and a shower to make you feel better."

• Billie putting Randy through all sorts of embarrassing stunts in exchange for a Klondike Bar.

• Upon seeing an ATM card, Randy says, "Oh . . . there's a special card you got to put in."

• Randy on sleeping outside near the railing: "I feel like I'm in a giant crib, which is nice."

• "A good farmer always finds something to plow."

• So many hilarious references to CSI: Miami: According to Randy, it stands for "Crime Stuff In Miami," and David Caruso is "that creamsicle-looking guy." The send-up of the much-lampooned CSI: Miami intro was fantastic as well.

• Randy's explanations of things to the inexperienced Greta. Alka Seltzer turns water into champagne; "That's phone. Isn't it cool?" "How does it work?" "Nobody knows.".

• Greta wants to stay in the outside world for "Zippers, mirrors, and tampons that are not made of hay."

• I got a huge kick out of Randy and Greta romantically blowing bubble gum and a stressed-out Earl yelling through the window, "C'mon, Randy, you're killing me!"

• "Are you magic?" "Yes."

• Mr. Turtle has "his own little park" due to the tipped-over trailer.

And so much more. Help me out with the ones I can't fit.




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At least Earl got to experience pure bliss with Billie for a little while — he soon awoke to the realization that he had to (gasp!) actually get to know the woman he just married. It turns out she's not his 100 percent dream woman after all. Her hodgepodge of quirks included ruining Earl's chip-to-sandwich eating ratio, intruding on Earl's bathroom breaks, and opining that Sammy Hagar beats David Lee Roth as front man of Van Halen (her biggest sin in my book). While he took Joy's advice to learn to live with little annoyances, Earl found it impossible where karma was concerned.

He was pleased when Billie made a list of her own and decided to cross Joel Maloney (Jon Heder) off — a person Earl, Billie, and countless others stole from while he was at a competitive grocery bagger tournament. However, she considered bringing back the stuff she stole enough to undo the damage whereas Earl knew more was necessary. Upon seeing the damage done to his house, Joel punched a wall and crippled one of his golden bagging hands, ruining his talent and life's passion. After realizing his own bagging potential, Earl agrees to let Joel train him for the next tournament.

Historically, Heder is the type of actor that you either love or hate. Due to his distinctive voice and penchant for playing oddballs, many feel he's constantly trying to rehash is Napoleon Dynamite character. I disagree with that and happen to be a fan. He was quite entertaining tonight, especially during the Rocky -esque montage and while delivering my favorite line of the night ("Some say Jesus had hands like that, and he put all the food from the Last Supper into one bag"). Of course, our go-to goofball Randy made a strong showing with some great scenes I'll touch on in a moment.

For those of us wanting more Joy and Darnell, I guess it's just not in the cards for this storyline. It would be great to see more of how they're dealing with living in the sideways trailer. We did get a little glimpse by way of the revelation that Joy put a seat on the exhaust fan in lieu of a toilet. Yeah, it's pretty gross.

My biggest complaint tonight is that we saw Catalina, but there wasn't any mention of Paco. It seems like anything involving Catalina is handled in a completely out-of-control way by the writers. I would've been happy just to see him sitting with her at the grocery bag tournament. Oh, well, I guess everything will be explained later on in a "clever" flashback sequence — hopefully.

In the end, after Billie almost ruined his chances by breaking his finger, Earl won the tournament in a partnership with Joel. All seemed completely well when she then finally came to agree with Earl's views on not half-assing where karma's concerned. Oh, but wait. Earl needs to shave his mustache? Of course the Hickey brothers aren't going to stand for that. I loved this ending — Earl didn't even think twice about saying "She's gotta go." It looks like he and his facial follicles are going to be back calling the shots in no time flat.

Now for a few highlights:

• While Earl gets yelled at by various people for being openly happy at the motel, a man yells out "Somebody help; my hooker's not breathing!"

• Darnell laughing at the description of Earl's foreplay technique: "You all red-faced, trying to get out of work."

• Randy once hit his head and started treating Earl as his employee. "Aunt Shirley from Accounting" was mentioned.

• Earl running his fingers through an obstacle course with chocolate donuts as tires.

• Catalina clapping and excitedly shouting "We get to go home now!" after Earl wins the tournament.

• Grocery groupies and Miss Bag On Her Head.

• Randy apparently amputated a rabbit's ears instead of getting rabbit ears for a TV set.

• More John Henson. You know you like it.

See you next week for the season finale! I'm considering growing a mustache for the occasion — I'll let you know if I go through with it.




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Well, let's not beat around the bush regarding the big news — Earl and Billie got married. It was great to see Earl in such suave and decisive form in his first post-coma order of business. But as with every enjoyable Earl episode, the real fun is in the journey, not the destination. Let's revisit the main stops along the way.

All of the main characters were out in full force tonight with the Crab Shack serving as the base of operations. At the outset, we learned that Joy, Darnell, and the kids have taken up residence at the bar since Earl tipped over their trailer. But even though the children are using the pool table as a bunk bed and getting homework tips from local derelicts, fixing that problem isn't on Earl's radar for the time being. Since Randy's humorously stream-of-consciousness notes he had kept aren't of much use, Earl decides to enlist the help of Frank (Michael Rapaport) to find Billie.

I really enjoyed seeing Mike O'Malley's Stuart character exerting major influence on tonight's plot. After feeling guilt over hitting Billie (Alyssa Milano) with his car, falling in love with her while visiting her in the hospital, and then making her believe she had killed Earl so she would stay with him, he became Earl's big obstacle. But there's always room to make Earl's life more difficult, and Frank fit that bill after helping Earl locate Billie and then deciding he wanted her back.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but Kenny James (Gregg Binkley) is probably my favorite recurring character on the show — and he definitely kept the laughs coming tonight. Forever loyal to Earl since the series' first episode, he came to bat for his friend again tonight (but with the ulterior motive of trying to seduce Stuart). His overtness and ability to be aggressively passive-aggressive always help his scenes rank amongst the best of any episode he's in, especially when coupled with great lines like "We can grow old together, move to Boca Raton, and be surrounded by Jack Russell terriers."

As if all of the entertaining facets of tonight's installment weren't enough, we were also finally treated to a substantial subplot involving Catalina. After announcing she was turning to lesbianism out of disgust towards men, she ended up "falling for" and trying to seduce Billie. Nadine Velazquez played this scene with a wonderfully brash naïveté while Milano acted out Billie's rebuff to Catalina's advances with a subtleness that showcased what a good comedic actor she is. Of course, the big payoff here was that Catalina and Paco finally crossed paths, ending her lesbian delusions. It will be exciting to see where that goes.

Getting back to Earl, after competing with three other people, he finally laid out his feelings for Billie and won her over. I was pretty relieved that there was no twist at the end and things were allowed to work out for him. Well, it was definitely a little surprising that they ended up getting married in the last minute of the show, but maybe not as Earl pointed out his habit of marrying women he hardly knows. Here's hoping she ends up being the "one" and sticks around for a while.

Time for some more one-liners and scene-stealers:

• Joy on the intelligence of her children: "I'm starting to realize there's no point in saving up for college."

• Randy letting the bird fly out the window, acting like no one noticed, and saying "I'm going to go for a run."

• Earl explains his progress on finding Billie to Darnell, who responds with an annoyed, "Very interesting, Earl. How's the crane rental coming?"

• "Even though most of those words were written by Bret Michaels in the '80s, they're coming straight from the heart."

• Randy on Billie: "Karma wants her to be our girlfriend."

• After making a last-ditch effort to win over Billie, Frank loses interest. "Who am I kidding? I don't even believe that. Best of luck to you."

• By way of Kenny's computer, Earl and Randy discover what a D.I.L.F. is.





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With Earl in a coma for the past few weeks, I've found myself wondering how on earth he can act as narrator so well. Doesn't he need to remember things well in order to recount them? We know that Randy wouldn't be able to tell him what happened with a great measure of detail. Earl even made a funny allusion to it tonight when recounting a key moment in the Killerball game and saying "I wish I remembered it." It was a nice touch to the ultra-post-modern storyline we've been following recently.

As mentioned, Earl was still in a coma this week, but got kicked out of the hospital (as Darnell said, "It's nice to see they throw out white people, too"). So Randy wheeled him around and tried his best to take care of him while attempting to cross more things off of the list in hopes that Earl would awake. As with most of Randy's plans, it was easier said then done. But while he bit off more than he could chew, Randy actually managed to right two wrongs in one episode.

Due to a brother and sister duo that Earl and Randy wronged as children, and to Earl himself, the handicapped jokes were flying left and right tonight. It's always worth pointing out this show's ability to transcend its audience's hyper-politically correct culture. Oftentimes, the jokes poke fun at political correctness itself, albeit in a roundabout way — when Randy says something like "For someone in a wheelchair, you're not very inspirational," the joke isn't necessarily on those confined to wheelchairs, but rather on the way they're often paraded around by the media.

Goodbye, faux classic sitcom! Earl finally woke up from his coma at the end of tonight's installment — a development I welcome with open arms. However, in a sort of grand finale, some of the best sitcom clichés were riffed upon this last time around. It was especially humorous that they included Cousin Wendell so as to touch on the idea of the oft used random youngster who's brought in to breathe life into a show after the original kids have grown too old to be cute. And how many times have we seen sitcoms of yore make their characters old for an episode and look back on their memories? This was definitely one of the more enjoyable uses of the show-within-a-show plot we've had to endure of late.

All things considered, this was a fairly decent episode. Although she had a great last line ("Oh crap, I think the coma made him gay"), I could still use some more Joy. Now that Earl's awake and able to defend himself, I have no doubt she'll be scheming against him again in no time. And of course, more Joy means more Crabman. It will also be interesting to see how things play out with Billie — the writers ended the dream relationship at the perfect time while leaving us wanting to dive into the real thing.

Whereas Earl learned a valuable lesson tonight about doing good things even though you may not experience a reward, we still got our reward for watching tonight in the form or a few pretty hilarious moments. Let's review a few:

• Randy prepares for Earl an IV drip of Chubby's chicken with fries and a couple beers. "It's going to taste so good in your blood."

• Randy uses a blowdryer and pair of tongs to tend to Earl's unmentionables during a sponge bath.

• Darnell to Randy: "If this ends the way I think it's going to end, I'm testifying against you. No hard feelings."

• Jason Lee's hilarious job playing Earl's twin brother in the sitcoma.

• "What you lookin' at, Risky Business?"

• Randy's long laugh after remembering a dog humping the girl he and Earl wronged "to completion."

• "You don't think it kills me to see his mustache like that?"




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Kudos to Earl for taking a little break from the coma-dream storyline — whether or not you're a fan of that, you have to admit it felt good to watch Jason Lee perform some more traditional protagonist duties. Not only that, but this week was filled with quite a few standout lines and performances.

It was an episode comprised of nearly non-stop flashback and it worked wonderfully. Randy decided to run another karma errand for Earl by attempting to make amends for an incident in which their parents' vacation was ruined. Of course, he had to finally fill them in on the little details — Earl's in a coma, and oh yeah, he was in prison for a while there, too. At Earl's bedside, straight-laced Carl Hickey relives the vacation incident which turns out to be an epic tale involving a duffel bag full of marijuana.

Beau Bridges and Nancy Lenehan always turn in great performances as the elder Hickeys, but they shined especially bright this time around. The scene of them as youths at Woodstock was definitely a high point (no pun intended). In her two inadvertent drug experiences, Kay Hickey packed in a lifetime of hair-hating, cutting off her "dead skull carpet" and accusing it of loitering. Of course, Carl just said no, but I don't think a man more excited to see Sha Na Na ever walked the earth.

Joy, Darnell, and Catalina were all great, but as usual, I wish we got to see a little more of them. Joy got a few good lines in there before the duct tape went over her mouth, and Darnell was his usual diplomatic self while being treated as the obvious go-to guy for marijuana in the eyes of the Hickeys. He points them in the direction of a drug dealer (portrayed amusingly by Michael Pena) staying in the same motel room Earl and Randy would eventually call home. The references to the show itself in this scene were quite entertaining — Randy called "dibs" on Catalina just like in the very first Earl episode and then commented that it would be weird to live in a room like that with his brother, saying "There's only one bed; we're two guys."

Now, through all the action this flashback presented us, I occasionally asked myself how it was all going to get crossed off of the list in the dwindling half-hour. The solution to that was one of the best parts, in my opinion. It's an accomplishment to all involved with this show that it can change gears so effortlessly from being the wacky comedy it is to being truly heartfelt, even by the weightiest drama's standards. This time around, it was Carl who brought on the emotion as he admitted to his comatose son that this seemingly disastrous event had actually been a good one; it made him feel like a hero to his family. A smile then formed on Earl's face after his dad said he'd never give up on him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. It sounds a little corny when I write it here, but as we saw, it's not corny at all when supported by a top-notch acting job. If that doesn't bring Earl out of his coma, I can't wait to see what will.

But let's get back to the comedy. Here are some of the funnier moments from tonight:

• Joy: "Flavored vodka is for sissies and pregnant women."

• Randy on trying to have Earl's tonsils removed: "In my defense, I was pretty drunk."

• The drug dealer says "Easy, Lebowski" to Beau Bridges' character in a little nod to his brother Jeff Bridges.

• "I'm so hungry, I could kill a child!"

• After hearing the Hickeys' strange situation, calm Crabman comments "Say no more; we've all been there."

• Randy's tale of being hit in the head by a "melted popsicle without a stick" falling from the sky. Gross.

• "Oh, snap!" "Snap what?!"




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I try my best to call them like I see them, and after seeing this episode, I'm sadly forced to call it lackluster. More often then not, if the first half of an Earl episode moves a little slow, it gives way to a lightning-quick laugh-fest in the second half. This wasn't one of those episodes.

Last week, Randy watched as crossing an item off of Earl's list led to a miraculous upswing in his vital signs. Determined to help his brother emerge from his coma, Randy spent his time this week trying to make up for another of Earl's misdeeds — he and Randy once stole a motorcycle from the Teutul family of American Chopper fame, appearing here in a cameo which almost made the Hilton appearance seem good by comparison. Almost.

The slant on this mission was that Randy and Earl went on an alcohol bender after stealing the bike, so Randy (with Joy and Darnell) had to piece together the night detective-style in order to locate it. Now normally, this is the part of the blog where I inject a few funny lines because I'm too excited to wait until the end. Not so this time around. There were even a few jokes that seemed a little forced. The little exchange at the Crab Shack about witch hunts comes to mind. The characters that were introduced for this storyline seemed wasted as well — for instance, I became excited to meet Homeless Joe and Shopping Cart Kim, but it didn't turn out as well as I expected.

Meanwhile, Earl is still sitcom-atose in the hospital. I appreciated this last week, but I should've anticipated how I'd feel after realizing this could go on a while. The classic TV mock-up wasn't 100 percent unfunny this time around, but it was dangerously close. This storyline may even be problematic when the coma is finally finished — if the real romance doesn't pan out, we may be more disappointed than we might have been; even worse, we may be kind of over it when the time actually comes.

"General jackass-ery" is how the Hickey brothers' father apparently once described their behavior. I'll stop short of applying that term in respect to this Thursday's Earl installment, but I do hope things pick up a bit next week. This episode was most likely just a small hiccup along the way to having our Thursday night favorite back in full force. Let's all do an extra good deed or two meanwhile and see if karma rewards us next week.

But hey, we're still talking about one of the best comedies on television. Here's some of the funny moments that did happen:

• "Check out the hawg." "Dibs! Where is she?"

• "My comedy always has a message."

• In the too-perfect world of the classic sitcom, Billie seems footloose and fancy-free with her flawless hair and makeup as she smiles and reports that her water just broke.

• Randy, doing his best Lenny from Of Mice and Men, almost good-naturedly kills Earl twice in one episode.

• The way Earl yelled "Time to die!" before hurling Randy into traffic.

• Randy's peanut butter and jelly analogy.

• While Earl and Billie consult a book of baby names, Randy peruses one of uncle nicknames.

• One word: pantenna.



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Well, it's been a while, but now that all the poster boards have long been collecting dust, a new episode of Earl has finally been unleashed — and it did not disappoint. After NBC President and CEO Jeff Zucker got the ball rolling with a quick recap and a good-natured joke or two about the writers' strike, we were back in Camden County.

Earl and Billie were, of course, right where we left them — unconscious in the street. As Randy commandeers an ambulance in order to rush him to the hospital, Earl dreams of starring in a sitcom since TV has always been a source of solace. This was an excellent way to kick off Earl's return. I think the onscreen dichotomy between the actual episode and a farcical send-up of classic TV really drove the point home that these writers are right on the cutting edge. Also, it was in this imagined show that the big buzz surrounding tonight's installment played out. Paris Hilton, fresh off of her latest box office flop (The Hottie and the Nottie), made a small cameo. It was admirable that she was able to poke fun at herself, but I was very thankful that she had one recurring line and only had to play herself. The real joke for me, though, was that it took head trauma and the power of suggestion while in a coma for Earl to think of her.

The more enjoyable and necessary cameo was performed by the fantastic Jane Lynch as Sissy, the mentally unstable truck driver. Not only was she hilarious, but the situation with her character provoked some of the best lines of the episode. As she kept the blissfully unaware Earl as a love slave, Joy tried to convince her that they were going to take him for a perm and to make him a little bigger downstairs ("We'll pimp your ride, don't worry"). In his best man-child shtick, the oblivious Randy followed this up by saying, "Earl with a perm? Not with those cheekbones."

As usual, Randy, Joy, Darnell, and Catalina were in top form. However, it would be a disservice to not mention a few of this episode's minor characters who ended up bringing a lot to the table. Earl's doctor was a standout, being sure to mention all of Earl's symptoms (including an involuntary orgasm) and making such wild assertions as "I'm Indian. We're the new Jews." The scenes with the young faith healer and his father were also very much up to snuff.

After seeing this episode, I'd say it's a safe bet that we have a lot of good things to look forward to in the coming weeks — not that I ever doubted it. The last scene placed karma definitively in Earl's corner, so maybe we can look forward to some old-fashioned list-tending. That and the Billie storyline should keep us primed, and some of the best comedic actors on television won't hurt either (famous socialites aside).

Mentioning all of the high points from this hour-long gem in limited space is a pretty tall order. I'll trust all of you to touch on anything I miss. Here we go:

• Joy on Sissy: "That crazy bitch tried to constipate the marriage!"

• Randy pleading with God: "Don't take him, Your Majesty."

• Darnell after a defibrillator shock to his brain: "Actually, it's not a bad buzz."

• Randy on Earl's injuries: "Well, at least they're internal."

• In church, Joy makes a reference to the "Father, Son, and The Friendly Ghost."

• Darnell's shady mention of making propaganda films in the third world.

• Joy tries to use her femininity to bring Earl out of the coma and says "C'mon, you're a vegetable, not a fruit!"

• A short John Henson cameo. He's still my favorite Talk Soup host.

• "Let me see you limp." "Okay, but you're only going to look, right?"




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I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. Of course, we all missed Earl during the holiday season, but we couldn't miss the holiday season during Earl's much-anticipated return — we rejoined the gang just as they were getting ready to celebrate Christmas.

But first they celebrated Earl's release from prison in true style, complete with eggnog (make that "martini with an egg in it"). The festivities were lost on Earl though, as he quickly began reassessing his relationship with karma once he got his list back. Losing faith, he dragged his feet during his next outing as a do-gooder. Unable to understand why he'd recently been dealt such a rotten hand, he was one step away from going back to his old ways.

Enter Ralph. We haven't seen him in a while and his return was glorious. As usual, Giovanni Ribisi churned out a stellar performance. Part of the reason he's so enjoyable to watch in this role is that you can plainly see how much fun he's having — and he had some great material tonight. In this most recent escapade, he's avoiding the authorities by living with a senile old woman who believes he's her deceased husband, Stan Johansen. Seeing his scoundrel friend living the high life is too much for Earl and he paints karma completely out of the picture. Soon he's in all sorts of trouble; a tap on Catalina's behind earns him a smack on the face and, with the help of Randy, Ralph and a few strippers, he drunkenly tips over Joy and Darnell's trailer.

There are many moments while watching Earl when I feel that Darnell (Eddie Steeples) makes the show his. Often, just when you think a scene is simply "all right," Steeples takes control and makes it rise above — and when a scene is extraordinarily good he can sends it into the stratosphere. This happened a few times tonight. For instance, the tipping-the-trailer scene was funny enough, but the look on Darnell's face while saying "What's up, you know, in regards to our home being turned on its side and whatnot?" is what made it a big highlight of the episode for me. Plus, his earlier riffing on what an adult Linus van Pelt must be like tagged a hilarious end onto a generally run-of-the-mill scene at the Crab Shack.

"It's called an invention," Randy explains as the whole crew tries to convince Earl to quit being a jerk and go back to karma. Running out, he eventually ends up where the series started — getting hit by a car. Unlike the first time, he's run-down by karma so he can receive his reward in the form of Billie (Alyssa Milano), who momentarily gets plowed by a car herself. If anything can get Earl back on track, it's this. Seeing how it plays out will definitely make Thursday nights my top priority again. Welcome back, Earl!

Ah, word limits. This episode had enough highlights to last me well into another blog. Let's see how many we can fit in:

• For all the times I said I'd never see Jason Lee in heart-shaped pasties, I stand corrected.

• More wisdom from Catalina's youth: "Men are only interested in one thing — raping your mother."

• After Earl steals the Stan Johansen disguise he makes Randy sleep in the truck on Christmas Eve. "I'm just like Jesus' baby," he sighs.

• Two favorite Ralph lines: "What good eyes you have, grandma" and "Stan's going on dialysis, sugar; don't wait up."

• During the "invention," everyone convinces the old woman they're her family, Joy being "my sister who died in 1973."

• Randy has had a candy corn stuck in his ear since childhood which occasionally attracts ants.

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Tonight's Earl definitely delivered. Last week we saw the warden shred Earl's time-off certificates — bad move. In one of the best showings of the ensemble cast so far this season, the entire crew got in on a plan to break Earl out the prison we've patiently watched him languish in for months. And it couldn't have been funnier.

To start things off, Earl was thrown into solitary after confronting the warden. A clever montage followed, my favorite part being Earl's participation in various prison activities while in a smaller, portable solitary confinement box. After being brought back into the prisoner barracks with the warden assuming Earl would play ball, he instead begins plotting his breakout, along with Randy, Paco, and the hilariously inept Frank.

With that crew, I'm surprised the plan to spring Earl was so clever. But come to think of it, all the daring and cleverness was actually pulled off by Joy and Darnell, with a little help early on from Catalina. That scene where they held the prison prayer service was nothing short of a showstopper. Darnell's singing voice coupled with Joy's tambourine wielding, cheerleader-type nun act was hilarious. I can't quite remember all the phrases she had the prisoners chanting, but "when I say 'Springer,' you say 'host.' Springer, host, Springer, host" sticks out.

Of course, I've recently been on the edge of my seat waiting for clues about Darnell's past, and this episode offered a few good ones. When he saw Frank and Paco in the duct and discovered Earl and Randy were in the warden's office, he chastised them, saying "Never leave a man behind. Civilians . . . ," which hints further at his possible involvement in a government agency. Hysterically, Crabman also felled a security guard by breaking out the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, which he's apparently also used on Joy. I then thought we were going to receive a huge revelation when Darnell recognized the warden. Instead, it was humorously disclosed that the warden was a porn actor who once shot a film in Darnell's apartment. And instead of Mr. Turtle, there was a Mr. Parrot.

Keeping this a hush-hush matter is the price Earl ended up paying for his freedom. Interestingly, though, Earl finds himself questioning karma in the end — he was free, but Frank and Paco were back in prison, even though all three "did bad things." I really hope this is just a small hiccup in Earl's relationship with karma and that he realizes this next week. It seems he doesn't yet fully understand that there are gray areas where good and bad deeds are concerned — trying to flee prison is a societal no-no, but Earl deserves his freedom for all the good he's done in prison. It could also be payback to the warden for being sheisty and underhanded. But fair or unfair, this was a great Christmas gift for a man who checks his own list twice. What kind of cookies do you leave for Karma Claus?

Highlight time:

• Earl and the warden remember a handshake because they're hands were both wet and it "made that farty noise" and they both giggled.

• Darnell: "Nobody loves pudding more than me, but you got to pick your battles."

• Frank once "spent seven hours spooning a dead guy for nothing."

• The warden as a cable guy in his porn video delivers some great cheesy dialogue: "I'm here to turn on your box."

• Joy recalls when she and Darnell tailgated at an execution. Darnell says, "For the record, I was protesting."

• The Warden: "As for my lack of clothes, you happened to have caught me in a moment of self-pleasure."

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I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! It was somewhat of a blessing that there was no new Earl last week — I was definitely in the middle of a good nap at the time.

Thankfully, there was nothing at all drowsy about tonight's episode. Once again, Earl has the opportunity to shave time off of his sentence by coming to the aid of the warden. However, this was for all the marbles — his last six months are to be wiped away (give or take ten days). All he needs to do is successfully implement a convict-victim reconciliation program, originally ill-conceived by the warden as a face-to-face fight opportunity ("Two men enter, one man leaves").

While it seems easy enough, Earl has his hands full with John "the Artist" Clevinger and his parents (the mother being played by Connie Ray, whom I always associate with my days of watching reruns of Torkelsons on The Disney Channel). I have to say, though, that my favorite part involving the parents was Darnell convincing them to meet their son. Apparently, Mr. Turtle once set fire to the house, possibly out of "pent-up turtle hostilities," which led to months of awkwardness between the two.

Joy came through in a big way with planning the prisoner prom (using her vast experience, since she started going to proms at age 12). However, I'm not happy that she's set Earl up for some problems in the future, having offered up the last of his savings to fund the prom. Of course, he was more than willing, considering it was also to be his "freedom celebration." With this in mind, Earl went the extra mile pleasing John "the Artist" — he even gave up his prom king crown and broke out his Robot moves on the dance floor.

The cleverest aspect of this episode came forth after John refused to own up to his bargain with Earl and apologize to his parents. It's always fun watching Earl hit his limit and assert himself, especially when he gets a punch or two in. But it was interesting that he was acting as a vengeful agent of karma, teaching John that he has only himself to blame for the consequences of his actions and that one has to fix his or her own problems.

It would be good if someone could pass this message along to the warden, who shredded all of Earl's certificates in the end, realizing that without Earl, he'll have no one to cover up all of his mistakes. From the looks of the preview for next week's installment, he'll have to learn this the hard way. It should be awesome seeing Earl's plans for a jailbreak play out. Of course, I'm also a little anxious to get back to some old-fashioned list action.

Here are a few nuggets culled from Earl's dialogue gold mine:

• Earl offers to make his World Famous Cheese Omelet for the warden in exchange for extra time off. "That does sound good; we'll talk."

• Randy's high point tonight: "Remember when I hugged that baby duck to death? That was fun, until it was sad."

• "No one makes meth with anything but the best intentions."

• John complains that his parents "never got me cargo pants and didn't even let me go to the prom cause they said I was too stoned to drive, which I don't even think is possible."

• After organizing the prison prom, a proud Joy claims," I bet this is what it feels like to be Oprah."

• The warden, marveling at Earl's success with the prisoners: "You're like the scumbag whisperer."

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Tonight's continuation episode was well worth the wait, pulling out all the stops in the laugh department. What better way to get the ball rolling than having that tongue-in-cheek, action-packed recap bring us back up to speed? It kind of reminded me of all those internet movie trailer mash-ups that are so plentiful these days, but of course, with much better editing. What followed was one of the most rapid-fire Earl episodes I've seen in a while, hitting all the right nuances of the plot, cramming it with humor, and not wasting a second.

If I had an MVP award to hand out, it would undoubtedly go to Ethan Suplee . It's interesting that Randy, the simpleton of the bunch, somehow consistently emerges as the most multi-faceted character of the show. Last week we saw his vindictive side, and this time he showed a sad, introspective side. I couldn't help finding the crying, I'm-not-good-at-anything scene quite touching (albeit in a funny, this-is-a-comedy-show kind of way). I'm glad that Earl didn't try to sugarcoat anything for him; rather, he largely let Randy figure out his own self-worth. And it's true that Earl wouldn't be where he is if it weren't for Randy (no, not prison &mdash you know what I mean).

Oh, snap! Joy and Darnell were on top of their game tonight as well. Especially during the hospital scenes, there were so many great one-liners it was actually a little hard to keep up. After enjoying her massage and "crudi-tray," it was fun to watch the ever-tough Joy with her flippant, let's-get-this-over attitude toward childbirth. She fits well with Darnell, who's calm and collected even after accidentally getting dosed up with oxytocin. Well, at first anyway.

Rounding things out nicely was the sideline story of Catalina babysitting Joy's kids. For a second there, I thought they were just going to harp on her dreadful childhood memories the whole time. However, we ended up with some of her funniest moments this season. While opting to not learn the children's names (calling them "white one" and "black one"), it was a hoot watching her beat them at children's games, rubbing it in their faces the entire time.

While both main storylines were handled expertly, they can really only be justifiably summed up in a highlights fashion &mdash definitely a classic how-about-when-that-happened kind of episode. The future's looking good for Joy, now that she can resume causing mischief unfettered. But the big questions remain: how much longer will Earl be in the big house and what will he need to do to get out? For now, it looks like man does not remain free solely by the grace of good karma.

But now, on to some of those highlights:

• In the faux-serious intro recap, Joy is described as someone "who'll stop at nothing to get her sister's surrogated, biracial baby out of her womb." Also, the intro hit its tension-filled climax with footage of an atomic blast.

• Darnell: "Without illicit sex, shame is just shame."

• Apparently, Joy's a Nancy Grace fan.

• After the police dog runs off, Randy decides to try picking up Frank's scent on his own and becomes disgusted when smelling his dirty clothes.

• Joy on giving birth: "All I need is gravity, a bucket, and a wet nap."

• Having won musical chairs, Catalina yells, "Suck on that, white one!"

• Darnell once performed a Caesarian on his cat, Miss Kitty. "I was nine; I did the best I could."

• Randy asserts that not only did Frank not trip on the rock that always gets him, but he "walked right over it like the Fonz."


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So instead of a one-hour special, this week we're treated to some tried-and-true to-be-continued fare. There's a reason why comedies have historically been kept to a half hour while dramas get the hour-long treatment — those are the formats in which each work best. This episode's storyline probably had enough substance to hold up in an extended form (unlike last week's), but isn't it more fun to have a little suspense?

The prison warden (Craig T. Nelson) was up to it again tonight, offering Earl a five-weeks-off certificate in exchange for organizing a "scared straight" event at a local school. Of course, Earl's up for the challenge and begins holding inmate auditions. But when he hurts Randy's pride trying to protect him, his bumbling brother begins to make things difficult by exacting revenge in an effort to prove he's top dog.

I say good for Randy. He's definitely been playing it a little smarter recently — maybe due to Joy's coaching earlier this season — and he more than held his own in a battle of wills with Earl. But he probably picked the wrong time to let his pride get injured. We're talking prison, where people are stealing his weapons regularly and doing questionable (to say the least) things with his hand when he tries to feed them. Earl was in the right.

This whole situation highlights my favorite aspect of Randy in Season 3 — he's become much more assertive, yet he expectedly uses his new confidence in the goofiest ways possible. For instance, late in the episode, he decided to take some prisoners for ice cream. Concerned that they might mess up his order, he talks tough, saying, "Don't screw me on this." Also, while torturing Earl by making the cafeteria worker serve him unusual meals, he says, "Kosher meal. Enjoy your Muslim food."

Meanwhile, Joy's more than fed up carrying her past-due pregnancy, and I'm right there with her. It'll be nice to see her back to normal. And only Joy would come up with some of the labor-inducing ideas she had. Eating peppers, angry trampoline jumping, and furiously screaming, "Get out, get out, get out, get out!" But I knew the birth wasn't happening when blasting "Magic Carpet Ride" didn't work. If Steppenwolf won't convince a baby to emerge into the world, I don't know what will.

There's no convincing necessary, though, to get me tuned in next week. Will Randy and Earl make amends? I have no doubt they will, but of course, especially in comedy, it's the journey and not the destination that counts. I'm definitely excited for more Michael Rapaport, whose escape was surprising to me. And will Joy be truly happy when the baby's finally born and given to its parents, or will she have trouble letting go and try to pull some sort of power play? There are as many humorous possibilities as there are hours to spend waiting for next week. I'm looking forward to some old-fashioned to-be-continued anticipation.

More highlights, anyone?
• For his audition, a rather sizable prisoner says, "Do you like to cuddle? I like to cuddle." Earl immediately hires him.
• Joy doesn't like the idea of having a birth scar to match her "prom scar."
• Darnell scoffs at the Apollo 11 mission. "Alleged moon landing." Who doesn't love a conspiracy nut?
• The warden calls the prisoner escape "not the kind of thing that's going to get me laid at home."
• When the warden sends Randy to get Earl, Randy says, "The principal wants to see you again."

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After last week's episode got down to some serious karma business, I had high hopes for this one. Personally, though, this one left a little to be desired as we were "treated" to another flashback gimmick episode. Not even a year ago, "Our Cops Is On!" aired, which was hysterical while providing great insight into the characters. "Our Other Cops Is On" runs twice as long with half the appeal.

Kathy Kinney and Mike O'Malley were back as the stars of another fictional episode of Cops, along with Billy Gardell, who you might remember from O'Malley's Yes, Dear years. They try to keep the peace at the local Fourth of July carnival but are no match for Earl, Randy and the rest of the gang's criminal behavior. Eventually, they get their hands on $50,000 worth of Homeland Security equipment the cops showcase at the carnival.

There were all sorts of 9/11 and terrorism jokes right from the get-go. I'm usually all for pushing the envelope, but when dealing with a topic that is serious for many people, the jokes better be pretty funny. I feel they fell a little short. Probably the smartest play on the terrorist theme was having Earl and Joy's neighbor, an immigrant who the characters might wrongly pigeonhole as a possible "terrorist," be the only character to actually be terrorized — by his wacky neighbors.

Now, I can't be completely glum about the episode because I can say this: It's still Earl and, of course, every week can guarantee us a fair amount of creative and humorous moments. The clear standout this time was Randy. Tim Stack, who cowrote the first "Cops" episode and wrote this one, had quite a few outlandish moments himself. But while quite good on screen, I just hope he doesn't cross the picket line if the much-rumored writers' strike does indeed happen. Much more could've been done with an hour-long episode, and while I'm not opposed to flashback episodes, they should be done with more purpose at this point in the season. Earl may be in the stir, but he can still move forward without stopping to look back every other week.

But without further ado, let's get to the many undeniably laugh-out-loud moments this episode had to offer:

• Joy gives Earl quite the lesson in his marital duties when she yells "... feed me, do me, and die!"
• The patriotic toaster slogan: "French toast? Not anymore!"
• As Earl and Randy play with the thermal camera, Randy exclaims, "Wow! Turns everything into a fruit roll-up!"
• Kenny recounted details of his unhappy childhood, once being forced to play catch with his dad for a full hour while his mom cooked without using the pot holders he'd made her.
• Excited about learning a new fact about Michael J. Fox, Randy yells "MJF is from Canada?"
• Instead of commenting on a wartime tour of Vietnam, Tim Stack recalls his Vietnam "sex tour in the '80s."
• Randy and an inmate end up doing their own rendition of the Cops theme song. The lyrics? "Tim Stack, Tim Stack, set him on fire. Set him on fire, watch him burn to death."
• A multitasking Catalina strips while babysitting, as a patron yells, "Take it off! Take the baby off!"
• Randy yells at the immigrant neighbor: "You need to cool it, Magic Genie!"
• The thermal camera provided the funniest and most creative sight gag I've seen in a long time, and Randy adding his own sexual glow at the end made the scene.


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Finally, Earl and karma are reunited. Sure, the original list was confiscated, but where there's a will — and a pillowcase — there's a way. He even discussed karma with some characters and got Frank to do the right thing. I have to admit, I was getting a little antsy recently, but touché, writers.

Of course, it's probably difficult to do the right thing when it means giving up a girlfriend played by Alyssa Milano. She didn't get an extreme amount of screen time as Billie, but what she got was pretty funny. Watching her go from swiping candy to armed robbery complete with a ski mask was a real treat. And while I'm not sure Michael Rapaport is worthy of putting off your career ambitions, he was fantastic as usual.

Jason Lee has great onscreen rapport with Rapaport (sorry, I had to say that). One of the most entertaining parts of the episode for me was watching Earl and Frank making their online prison relationship videos. It was a great send-up of all those jailhouse romances you hear about in the news. Earl mentions his affinity for long walks in the prison yard, while Frank states that he loves children and explains that that's not why he's in prison, thank god. You'd think that their friendship might bother Randy, who was pretty much on the sidelines, but of course he's just happy to be there. He even sets up Earl and Frank with a conjugal-visit apartment. What a guy.

Outside the slammer, Joy was back doing battle with her nemesis Catalina. It's always fascinating to see the way Earl's kooky characters grow and change. We all remember Joy's poison-cookie recipe from way back, but there was a humorous ingredient substitute this time because, as Earl put it, "Joy no longer has that killer instinct." I love seeing that slight tinge of humanity in Joy. For my money, she's one of the most liberated female characters on television — as smart and tough (maybe more so) as any male character on the show, yet not afraid at all of showing her motherly traits or sex appeal.

One could say that liberation was the big theme of this episode, as Billie was able to let go of her need for Frank in pursuit of her aspirations. However, being free isn't always easy for everyone involved. I felt for Frank, but was glad he did the right thing (while refraining from murdering Earl in the process). For Earl's part, he may be behind bars, but it doesn't seem to be holding him back that much. Aside from a few obstacles, he's free to go about his karma business as he pleases, leaving us free to let out the laughs — definitely a win-win.

Let's get to some highlights:

• One inmate goes through a pre-conjugal visit shirt-buttoning conundrum. "Throat scar, or no throat scar?"

• Joy snaps at Catalina, "I'm retaining so much water, I'm afraid you might swim over me to get your green card."

• A cameo by the great Mr. Turtle, who "throws up a little" because of Joy shaking the bed.

• Earl reluctantly makes friends with his pre-op transsexual date, but still samples the post-op top half.

• A poster on the door during the conjugal visits features smiling prison warden Craig T. Nelson with thumbs up saying, "Enjoy yourself. You've earned it!"

• Randy unwittingly got José killed when he took "the skinheads' radio and put it in his bed," and laughs hysterically at the prank.

• Frank's creepy quote: "I think it's 'cause my grandmother breast-fed me too long."

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Well, it looks like I'm eating my words like a tasty dinner at the Crab Shack. I got my hands on some bad information last week regarding tonight's episode and passed it on to you. My apologies.

But what better surprise could there be than this awesome episode? It's amazing how far this show can go outside the box while working 100 percent perfectly. Tonight, Earl struggled to find his voice in a jailhouse creative-writing class while every character took turns at churning out their own hilarious short stories.

And speaking of voices, how about the pipes on Darnell? If he had a CD out, I'd be first in line. (Oh wait, look what I found.) Of course, we all know how talented Eddie Steeples is, but who knew Crab Man could put paper to pad and spin a creative yarn complete with lyrics? Darnell might have the biggest heart out of everyone in the show — I just didn't know he felt so strongly for crustaceans.

Catalina's tale was a humorous take on the Spanish-language telenovela format. Thankfully, she had some extra time to write it while hiding from her creepy stalker (who has a "curfew at the halfway house"). The fantastic part is how her story, and all the stories, highlighted the psychology of the character who wrote it. She really hates working at the motel. We even saw how she views her archenemy Joy, complete with the most humorously maniacal laugh I've heard in some time.

Joy's archenemy? Stupidity. Her greatest weapon? Her oddly charming high opinion of herself. Only in Joy's fantasy would God say, "Looking good there, Joy." Of course, her real charm comes from the undying love she has for her children. The entire inspiration for her story is her desire to better her children. And it's just her style to take them flying through fairytale land while punching a crow and killing off Earl along the way.

My favorite story of the evening has to be Randy's. It's refreshing to see a world in which he's everybody's hero. In his childlike way, he paints himself doing everything perfectly right (even ripping money out of a thug's chest and dropping it in a jar for needy cats and dogs). He also gave himself a few choice catchphrases like, "Now trouble's in trouble!" and "I don't ruin things. I make them rock!" Well, as Earl let us know, the doctor always said Randy was "borderline artistic."

If Earl could've gotten that gymnast out of his head, I'm sure he would've come up with an equally outrageous story. But his simple tale is what centered the episode with its moral: Appreciate the finer details of your life, which are what matter in the end. I wanted to stand up with the rest of the prisoners as he simply described some great chicken wings with the celery being "warm and bendy, like I like it." It's definitely the little things that count.

Some of the great moments tonight have already been accounted for. Here are a few more:

• "Get Mama's panties off your head. You got pink eye last week."
• "Now I cry Tears for Fears."
• Darnell's music video came complete with raps from Earl and Joy. He was also the "commissioner" in Randy's adventure.
• During Randy's story Earl confesses, "This mustache is really Randy's. He lets me wear it sometimes."

Is it just me, or does this season keep getting better?

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