Shirtless Burt (Garret Dillahunt) flaunting his assets

Jimmy (Lucas Neff) is as annoying as ever. How his parents have not bonked him over the head by now is beyond me. How can they tolerate his incessant whining? At work, he’s upset that Sabrina (Shannon Woodward) doesn’t have the chore of cleaning the trout because she’s putty in manager Barney’s (Gregg Binkley) hands. What caused this, however, is seeing Burt (Garret Dillahunt) with—gasp!—his shirt off while mowing a female client’s lawn. Not only that, but Burt flirted with her!

Of course, Virginia (Martha Plimpton) is none too happy about this, but she has nothing to worry about. We know Burt has no interest in other women, but even if one is married, one likes to know the opposite sex still finds him or her attractive. I personally have never thought Burt was particularly hot, but by the end of the episode, you see his appeal. Not only is he loyal to his wife and family, but he’s also kind and funny. Those are really important qualities in a husband.

After Virginia tells Burt, “So you’re Burt Bigalo, the Lawn Gigolo,” she confides in her neighbor, Sylvia (Tichina Arnold), who tells her being overly nice and flirty helps you get what you want. It’s not really lying, it’s just about being complimentary and finding nice things to say about people. As a test, Virginia flirts with the barista, Gary (J.P. Manoux), to see if this “method” works. Sure enough, she gets two scones “on the house.” Never mind that she doesn’t know what scones are. This characterization irked me because she’s sitting in a café. Wouldn’t she have at least looked at the menu?

Jimmy (Lucas Neff) buttering up Barney (Gregg Binkley)

Meanwhile, Jimmy, none too happy that Sabrina is Barney’s favorite employee, tries to butter up the boss by flattering his “guns.” This might be a mistake because working out with the boss is not what Jimmy had in mind. (Shaking weights to a Foreigner song in Barney’s office?) Sooner rather than later, though, it’s Sabrina who gets stuck cleaning the trout. Now the competition is on!

But there’s trouble with Gary. Convinced that Virginia is in love with him, he lures her to his apartment. When he refuses to get the message that she’s a married woman, he ends up at the Chance household, where Burt consoles him and they share a beer. Now, while we know Burt is a nice guy, who knew he was actually sort of… smart? In a somewhat touching scene, he assures Gary he will find the right woman. After sending him on his way, he decides that his “flirting” days are over so he “passes the torch” to Jimmy.

The thing is, shirtless Jimmy is nowhere near as hot as shirtless Burt. I’d still go with Burt any day. Besides, didn’t I tell you Jimmy is whiny?

Watch Raising Hope Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.

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