Review: Raising Hope, Season 1, Episode 22 - "Don't Vote for this Episode"

Airdate: Tuesday, May 17, 9/8c on Fox

Rating: ★★★★★

Review: Raising Hope, Season 1, Episode 22 - "Don't Vote for this Episode" 1

Jimmy (Lucas Neff) in his "Drakkar Noir" phase

It’s Jimmy’s (Lucas Neff) birthday and he shares it with Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman). While Jimmy busily duct tapes Hope’s diaper, Burt (Garret Dillahunt) and Virginia (Martha Plimpton) start reminiscing about what Jimmy was like five years ago, when he turned 18. From the way they tell it, they seemed to live in an alternate universe. It’s interesting to see where everyone was, because everything was so drastically different then.

Jimmy went through a goth phase, insisting his parents call him “Drakkar Noir.” There is no revelation about what prompted this phase, other than he must’ve been going through your average teenage rebellion. At Howdy’s Market, Barney (Gregg Binkley) was the manager and quite obese, while Sabrina (Shannon Woodward), wearing braces, was applying for a position there. I remember from a previous episode that Shelley (Kate Micucci) lied about how she “killed” her front tooth; here, it’s revealed that an employee threw a canned item that struck her in the mouth. Not a great story to tell so maybe that’s why she fabricated one. Really, her tooth doesn’t look that bad. I mean, it’s not gray or anything.

Five years ago, Maw Maw still had all of her marbles but you could see hints of a decline in her memory when Burt and Virginia, frustrated with living in a basement laundry room (thanks to Rosa, played to brilliance by Carla Jimenez) with cobbled together furniture, return to the house to beg her to allow them to move back. When Virginia realizes Maw Maw is waiting for her husband, Wilfred, to come home for dinner, she says, “She might be getting the old-timer’s disease.” Of course, we know Maw Maw allows them back into the house. The timing is perfect because five years later, she has full-blown dementia, with only a few moments of lucidity every day.

Review: Raising Hope, Season 1, Episode 22 - "Don't Vote for this Episode" 2

Sabrina (Shannon Woodward), in braces, swoons over "Drakkar Noir"

What’s puzzling here is just how different Sabrina was. She actually had a crush on Jimmy as Drakkar Noir (which, by the way, is a rather ridiculous nickname since it’s the name of a popular 80s men’s cologne, and a tacky, stinky one at that)! Jimmy wasn’t a bad kid in this phase, but it’s obvious Sabrina has always been attracted to bad boys, and still is. Consider her current boyfriend, who treats her like crap and gets away with it. Interesting that “Drakkar” barely noticed Sabrina, but then, he did seem pretty apathetic at that time. It’s only when Barney catches him spending nights inside Howdy’s Market that Jimmy wakes up and realizes he doesn’t want to end up in jail. Once the makeup comes off, it stays off. He doesn’t return to “Drakkar Noir” mode again.

I don’t feel this episode was a fitting end to the season. Neither do I feel Raising Hope is improving. It’s been on a downward spiral since the hilarious first episode. Certainly, Greg Garcia is recycling some of his comedic lines from My Name is Earl. What I really want to see in season 2 is an interesting storyline involving Jimmy. Hope takes center stage over her daddy, and she doesn’t even have to say a word. How can she have such a boring dad? Make him appealing. I mean, all the Chances are interesting, except him. Hopefully, the writers will be able to breathe a little more life into Jimmy next season.

All photos © Fox Entertainment Network.

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