#i might be entering a ‘satisfied with my style’ era which is hilarious since i still have a lot i want to improve lol

[akkivee]

he’ll be covered up by the time i’m done but i thought it was a bit of a shame since he’s working it lmao

[one-of-us-blog]

Marriage on the Rocks, with a Twist (TGP, Episode 10)

Today Eli is forced to watch and recap Marriage on the Rocks, with a Twist, Episode 10 of The Golden Palace.  Roland finds himself confronting some hard truths about his family, while Rose gets drawn into a devious radio prank orchestrated by Sophia…or does she?  You’ll have to keep reading to find out…

Drew is still on hiatus, but I know I’m excited to see him dive into the wild and wonderful (and eventually terrible) films of the Pierce Brosnan era!  For now, however, you’ll have to settle for another recap from yours truly.  But I’m just as eager for the next chapter of the project as any of our presumably dozens and dozens of readers, so without further ado, let’s head to the Palace!

Buttocks tight!

Episode written by Marc Cherry and Jamie Wooten, directed by Peter D. Beyt

We open on Chuy hanging up a banner for a live radio broadcast that will be happening from the hotel, which I guess makes sense?  Roland learns that his parents are coming to visit, and he’s pretty sure they have some bad news to deliver in person.  Oh no, perhaps his beloved pet Taffy has died!  The radio DJs for the upcoming broadcast, Milton and Bill (Tim Conway and Harvey Korman) show up to subject everyone to their insufferable routine.  Sophia, who is well-acquainted with torture and by extension these morning zoo goofballs, suggests setting her dumb friend Rose up for one of Stevie and the Booger’s classic pranks.

Roland’s parents arrive and are impressed by the hotel.  They say they want to go to their room, but Roland is ready to rip off the Band-Aid and hear the bad news right away.  His mother and father concede and admit that they are getting a divorce.  Roland doesn’t take this news well.  Oh, and Taffy is also super dead, so it’s shaping up to be quite the day.

That evening, P.J. and Toenail are delivering their famous banter with a couple of handheld mics and some sight gags, which is totally how radio production works.  They interview Blanche, and hit her with a hilarious (nope) gag suggesting she is either a transvestite or a transsexual…I mean, who can be bothered to keep these labels straight?  Certainly not Ollie and the Bandit.  Blanche, to no avail, insists that she is a bog standard woman, but she has to settle for whatever publicity she can get.  The wacky duo then decides to play a game with the audience, and suckers Rose into participating by offering up some magic beans.  Everything seems to be going according to Sophia’s plan.  We learn that Jojo is going to ask Rose a series of questions while Pancake is submerged in a tank of water (which no doubt makes for some excellent audio).  If Rose can answer all of the questions successfully, his life will be spared.  Thankfully, the topic is farm trivia, but Rose is soon given the impossible task of quickly naming fifty different crops, and is then convinced that Lunchbox has drowned while she struggled.  Rose apologizes and runs away crying, while Sophia follows to watch.

In the kitchen, Chuy scolds Sophia for pranking Rose, who enters the scene to reveal that she has dedicated the rest of her days to the preservation of life.  She releases an innocent moth into the wild, and directly into a bug zapper, which doesn’t bode well for her new mission.  When Rose leaves, Sophia finally agrees to tell her the truth of the matter.  Meanwhile, Blanche thinks that she can help Roland’s parents reconcile and sits down with them to provide counseling.  Roland keeps interfering in the process, but it becomes clear that Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have some very deep problems.  Finally, Roland accepts that this chapter of their lives, and his, has reached its end.

Chuy takes Sophia to confess to Rose, but before she can, the hotel is invaded by the “ghost” of Milton (the old man in a sheet).  He has arrived to haunt Rose in another gag that has no real payoff for a listening audience, and pursues her into an adjacent room.  A moment later we hear gunfire, and Rose returns to the lobby with a pistol in hand, satisfied that she has sent a foul specter back to Hell.  Since this isn’t Rose’s first trigger-happy rodeo, Sophia freaks right out.  In a total panic she confesses that the whole ordeal with the water tank had been a joke.  With a devilish glint in her eye, Rose tells Sophia that the joke is actually on her.  That’s right, Rose knew exactly what was going on the whole time!  Gino and Tugboat re-emerge to share in the merriment, and Sophia fakes a heart attack.  Everyone laughs at her and leaves.

The End

My take on this episode might be a bit controversial!  While I thought the previous episode was kind of boring, there was definitely a lot happening this time around, and I’m sure that plenty of people ate it right up.  Unfortunately, I personally found the comedic stylings of Tim Conway and Harvey Korman to be annoying and completely unfunny.  I’m sure the writers and showrunners knew exactly what they were getting when they signed these two up, and I’m likely in the minority with my opinion, but it all just came off as trying way too hard.  The subplot with Roland’s parents, despite providing the episode title, seemed to exist solely to give Don Cheadle something to do for a while.  And even though I liked the performances given by the girls, the presence of the radio hosts just kind of soured me to the episode as a whole.  Unfortunately, I have to give Marriage on the Rocks, with a Twist a rating of 2.5 poofy hairdos out of 5, but as I said, I’m sure that other viewers would feel differently.

It’s nearly time for Drew to share hit hotly anticipated recap of GoldenEye, and then I’ll be back with a review of Camp Town Races Aren’t Nearly as Much Fun as They Used to Be, the next episode of The Golden Palace.  Until then, as always, thank you for being a friend, and for being One of Us!