Episode Guide:
Life is Precious and God and the Bible- This episode of Mr. Show features a great skit where Bob Odenkirk plays a Jerry Springeresque talk show host stuck at sea with several of his guests and audience members. David Cross continues to play redneck well by playing an erstwhile husband and son-in-law who tries to play both sides on the boat. As well, this episode features a skit about law school where Bob Odenkirk plays an impostor teaching assistant and a skit about medicinal marijuana.
Show Me Your Weenis – Bob and David play members of a band named Wyckyd Sceptre and have to deal with their manager, who finds their party video a bit too racy. Bob also plays an inept kidnapper who can’t seem to get anything right. The final skit is probably one of the best, in which David plays a racist in the year 3000, fighting off the space alien Menocu and trying to keep his white blood pure by mating with his friend Dougie.
Rudy Will Await Your Foundation- One of the funniest skits in the Mr. Show pantheon is in this episode, where Bob and David make a bet about a television show and Bob ends up having to pay David back with phone sex. However, Bob does not know that he has to perform the act and David gets him in trouble at work. As well, one of the more ridiculous skits on Mr. Show deals with David having to use a special toilet at a fancy restaurant while a bathroom attendant watches him do his business.
The Story of Everest- Jay Johnston tries to tell his story of climbing Mount Everest to his parents and friends, but continuously trips over a cart and knocks down his mother’s thimble collection. People from Hollywood decide to make a movie about Jay’s journey, but to his dismay the film is about him telling the story and falling over onto his mother’s collection.
It’s Perfectly Understandishable- Bob and David are competing for the attention of a blind woman, but she ends up lying to the guys to get their attention and David ends up being the blind one to Bob’s dismay. In another skit, Bob plays a 20 something slacker who is whisked away to Tibet and is found to be the next Dalai Lama. David plays his equally lazy counterpart and while his ways upset the monks, it saves them during the monks’ contest against a local fat kid’s camp.
It’s Insane, This Guy’s T***NT- This episode of Mr. Show deals with the most contentious issues of the day: change being stolen from cars, the virtues and vices of pioneering pornographers, and the successes and failures of interventions. The best part of this episode is the invention of a new pornographic magazine by David’s Garry Flank and the ensuing big spending lifestyle of the porno community.
Eat Rotten Fruit from a Sh***y Tree- Bob and David are two angry men who take a bar fight to new extremes, including getting married and into a fight over where a Christmas gift came from. Bob also plays God, who comes down to Earth to record his book on tape, including a hilarious anecdote about Terry Bradshaw and the mistakes he has made.
Like Chickens…Delicious Delicious Chickens- This episode of Mr. Show is particularly strong, with several skits that stand apart from each other as great examples of sketch comedy. David is excited about getting reparations for his Jewish ancestors of World War II but is dismayed at the small amount of money he receives. Bob plays a writer much like Hemingway who describes his safari in very inappropriate terms. Bob also plays an air crash survivor who eats every other survivor from the crash and joins David on Broadway in “The 2000 pound Old Man,” a variation on the Mel Brooks-Carl Reiner “2000 year old Man” skit.
Sad Songs Are Nature’s Onions- Bob and David play competing musicians-writers whose songs feature some of Mr. Show’s greatest spoof songs, including “Mouth full of Soars” by Bob’s character. David plays a character much like James Lipton of “The Actor’s Studio,” and his attachment to actors is played out in a “Land of the Lost” skit.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism- Dave plays a great character in this episode, spoofing Marilyn Manson by playing “Marilyn Monster,” who runs a chain of pizza parlors and provides a hilarious training video.
Special Features:
Ten episodes feature ten great commentaries by most of the cast and many special “characters” like Rudy (voiced by Jay Johnston) from “Rudy will Await your Foundation” and a folk singer played by David Cross. This DVD also has a great blooper reel from the first three seasons called “Crack Me Ups,” with the bloopers often rivaling the great skits from the first three seasons.
