Father of the Pride (review with some spoilers)

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Fri Sep 10, 2004 12:50 pm

Oh, and the plot was actually better this time. Just as predictable, but there weren't any poorly-written pandas in this one. The tone of this one was a little better, too, if you ignore the ditzy bisexual gopher girls' utter lack of positive character attributes.

Trust me, they had other atributes to spare.

Alfador · Post by **Alfador** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 9:51 am

allan_ecker wrote:And I don't CARE that they're written as ditzes.

I can't. I'm sorry.

Me neither. Teh HAWT!!!

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 8:43 pm

Well, Father of the Pride continues to teeter improbably on the razor's edge between suck and rule.

Tonight, there was some truly painful and forced dialog in the first ten minutes, interspersed with a few bright spots, followed by the second half with the deliciously disturbing older generation makeout scene and some truly delightful catnip-induced antics.

It's still anybody's ballgame here, but there's definitely still potential in this show, as evidenced by the mother's getting hit on repeatedly at the rave, and the deliciously messed-up climax, which managed to squeeze more plot twists into itself than even I was expecting.

And, call me self-centered, but "I think I speak for everyone here when I say, Ick" is the sort of line I would be fairly likely to use in a certain comic I'm almost finished with.

Favorite line of this episode, however, has got to be "ROLL ME BACKWARDS!! I WANT TO GO BACK IN TIME!!"

And the Sigfried and Roy subplot was actually good this time.

Lord_foxfire · Post by **Lord_foxfire** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:55 pm

I will agree with you Allan. The pandas were generic but you have to love Sarmodi. The old lion is hoot. In every episode so far he's been the one constant. The second episode was alright, not as much funny as the first. And the third.... Um... Yeah. *cough* It does have potential though. Let's hope they start figuring it out soon!

Fallwind · Post by **Fallwind** » Tue Sep 21, 2004 5:34 pm

i missed the first part of tonights episode... did they explain why Hunter needs the cone?

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 2:52 pm

I don't think they explained it, sadly. Still interested in that story.

As far as where the show's going so far... I have to say I approve of this episode.

Sure, Donkey's stunt double was practically a walking stereotype, but he did have at least one or two distinguishing features, and was honestly expressed. "I could just lose myself in your chest" was cute and heartfelt. I honestly -liked- him.

John Goodman gave another fine performance as the bumbling but well-meaning father, and I liked Donkey's behavior and decisions, all of which made sense and dovetailed nicely with a fourth-wall-open character extrapolation. It was.. well, like seeing the -actor- who plays Donkey, even though we all know the actor is really the gestalt of Eddie Murphy and a handful of digital artists.

And each Sigfried and Roy story makes me like them more. Their inability to cope with the bed "und" breakfast in their glitzy world was cute, and their reactions to it didn't seem at all forced. It also wasn't at all hard to watch, something which happens too often with such contrived and off-the-wall ideas.

Right now I'm very much rooting for this show, and starting to have real hope that it will be good in the long run.

Anyone watch Scrubs afterwards? The psych doctor is a fair approximation of me; bubbly, seemingly scatterbrained, but completely professional when necessary.

Nyamaza · Post by **Nyamaza** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 3:23 pm

I agree wholeheartedly allan, but I must add one thing...

The scene where Sigfried and the old lady are in bed...

I think I speak for everyone when I say IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Wed Sep 22, 2004 3:30 pm

I thought it was cute!

Wierd. But cute.

Randyg · Post by **Randyg** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 10:14 pm

Welp, looks like they decided to skip this week's FotP... good news, however, is there appears to be one scheduled for next week. So it's not canceled. yet.

--Randy

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:23 pm

Actually, if this show keeps getting better, it may yet survive. If the moxie stays where it is, and the humor proves to be as universal as it -seems- to be, Father of the Pride just -might- make it to multi-season-dom.

Although all bets are still in the air as to the show making it long enough that the DVD compilation ends up being more than one box.

Tonight's episode:

All I can say is... RAWK.

Hunter may yet give Bobby Hill a run for his money for "most screwed up kid", and Sarmodi was as predictably crusty as always. His single Yiddish word was deftly placed, and, well, I am coming dangerously close to admiring him. Larry and Kate actually managed to scare me, and Blake and his wife were, as usual, naughty in their own patrician way. The Indian elephant (who as far as we know is still living with that turkey) made another appearance, painting a few more shades on what is beginning to look like a real favorite of a character. Seigfried and Roy were pushed far into the background, but managed to pull a few powerzingers out of the few moments they were on screen.

Yup, she's ramping up nicely. Father of the Pride is well-paired with Scrubs, an equally demented surreal sit-com. (Tonight's Scrubs was pretty clever, too; the scene with TJ breifly fantasizing about Turk, only to snap out of it shouting "I DO NOT HAVE GAY JUNGLE FEVER" was... inspired.)

Maximuscoolman · Post by **Maximuscoolman** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:03 am

Bah, damn Americans getting everything before us

/rant
(sorry)

Randyg · Post by **Randyg** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:27 am

Just watched the latest FotP... probably the first one I'd call really good. As to the most screwed up kid award... quite possibly. :)

--Randy
(althoug, the TiVo logo was just a _little_ too large...)

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:55 pm

"Are we still pretending he's not gay?"

Beautiful.

WolfFur · Post by **WolfFur** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:11 pm

I want to see the return of Chimi and Changa. I think the series jumped the shark already with Donkey, though.

Nyamaza · Post by **Nyamaza** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 12:33 am

I do agree that I think the Donkey episode was a low point so far, at least in origionality... hardly a part of the episode didn't follow the set formula for the "X lies to Y about knowing Z, tries to cover for himself and in the end someone comes through." Same formula from "I Love Lucy"

Still, I LOVED this last episode, though I'm still a bit bitter about missing the lesbians. I want to see a rerun of that episode!

Lord_foxfire · Post by **Lord_foxfire** » Sat Oct 16, 2004 3:53 pm

To anyone who either A) Wants a rerun of the second episode or B) has a good connection speed (the second being most advisable)...

http://www.btefnet.com/ is the place where I've been downloading the feeds. Bittorrent is required.

Or if anyone needs a specific one, I've got them available, just either PM me or send a message to lord_foxfire@yahoo.com and we can arrange a download session.

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:38 am

For the reccord, I really liked the Donkey episode.

(Incidentially, it got censored in the re-broadcast last week; they took out most of Sigfried's bedroom scene with Gradma Willson which is a colossal shame. However, it was still -quite- obvious what was happening, so I'll forgive them. Barely.)

The underlying plot -was- done to death way back when I Love Lucy used it, but the execution was enough to save it. They might have been better off not bothering, but the jokes were still quite nice and while it was by no means the strongest episode (not the weakest, either, that dubious honor goes to the first episode, as the pandas were written -too- broken), the Donkey episode was really FUN. Donkey's stunt double was a walking stereotype, but a walking stereotype with a heart. "I could just lose myself in your chest" is really, really cute, and "my pottery arm" just made me want to hug him.

Despite my love for the Donkey episode, the Mumbassa episode kicks it's ASS. Like, all OVER the court. Blake REALLY burns it up a notch (which is awesome because I always loved J. Peterman from Seinfeld), the Blake/Victoria makeout scene wasn't at all forced, and Kate's character got improved by several points by her reactions. Hunter did something... I believe it's called RULE. We learned a LOT about Sarmodi, too. Suh-weet.

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 1:29 pm

On the censorship front, the re-broadcast of the Donkey episode (really carried more by the Sigfried and Roy vs. Grandma Wilson's Bed and Breakfast storyline) had a significant fraction of the sure-to-live-in-infamy Sigfried/Grandma Wilson post-coital discussion scene re-shot. In the new version, we only get "you're such a nice boy" before the scene cuts to an exterior shot of the B&B.

The episode can survive without the raunch, and without the indelible image of Grandma Wilson's bra on the floor, but nevertheless I think it was cowardly to remove it, and the show was better with it in there.

Allan_ecker · Post by **Allan_ecker** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:16 pm

AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

SNACK IS DATING MRS. BRISBY!
SNACK IS DATING MRS. BRISBY!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Lemon juice?

LEMON JUICE?!?!

Bughdfdrghlsdkh dlhsglsdk fjosdinlgskdngsdiflk ofisdoajsdl...

-thud-

Okay. I'm fine now.

Good character development on Sierra this time around. It's nice to see a little more depth there. No Hunter at all, but after last week's Hunter-fest, I can't blame the writers. I'm actually starting to -miss- Sigfried and Roy; they are genuinely good characters and I want more.

Fallwind · Post by **Fallwind** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:36 pm

*pout* they were watching baseball in the TV lounge *pout*