Did you all catch Molly Shannon this weekend reprise her famous role as an overly clingy school psychopath?! No, not Mary Katherine Gallagher, but Millie, Louise's self-proclaimed arch nemesis/ best friend who runs for class President to enforce her best friendship upon the littlest Belcher. Yet, who is really pulling all the puppet strings in this political intrigue? Super genius Henry Haber, voiced by Jim Gaffigan who sounds way less recognizable when he isn't singing about hot pockets. Meanwhile, Bob splurges on an expensive knife and enters into a competition with Teddy and his top-of-the-line hammer to see who has the best-performing tool. If you know what Linda means.
Sunday night had so many Saturday Night Live alums, from Shannon to Slate to Dratch, it was practically a reunion! Except slightly overshadowed by the actual Saturday Night Live reunion...but nevertheless the recap must go on!
Louise
Louise: "Why do you even want to be president, Jimmy Jr.?"
Jimmy Jr.: "To pick songs at dances. I hate it when it goes fast song slow song, medium song. I want ten fasts then ten slows!"
It has to happen every once in a while; Louise must occasionally be beaten at her own game. And yet, this inevitability presents viewers with the unsettling reality that the mastermind we've been watching take down enemies for seasons is actually a little girl. Louise is always 100% sure of her decisions, so when each and every one of her campaign strategies for Jimmy Jr.'s Presidency backfires, it's almost too real. CARTOONS CAN'T BE REAL!
Luckily, Louise's failure turns out to be a direct result of Millie running. Henry proves that Millie is her Achilles Heel, and that all along he was the true enemy. This saves Louise's grade for the episode, proving ultimately that she had been bested by a worthy opponent and not just an unbalanced kid who uses alphabetical order to get her way.
Millie
Millie isn't completely at fault. Who wouldn't want to be best friends with Louise at all costs? However, a desperate takeover plan full of mistakes will not accomplish these goals. Millie is too passionate to have a clear direction of attack, and therefore is not an worthwhile sparring partner for Louise. She came close to the sun, but burned up. Let's hope it's a while before she frazzles Louise again.
Henry Haber
Henry: "Chess I can."
Now here is a worthy opponent to our candidate "with four ears." Though Gaffigan's vocal range was sorely underused with this character, it made Henry's maniacal plan truly as stealthy for audiences as it was for Louise. To use another human being as a weapon against your enemy is an attack worthy of Louise. If she was to be taken down, Henry being the mastermind was a much more believable outcome. Hopefully, revenge is in the works.
Bob
Bob, on buying the knife: "Are we doing this?!"
He loves a good tool. Almost as much as he loves a good piece of meat. Soo... when our invariably apathetic Bob gets bashful over a $300 hand-crafted knife, his reaction to purchasing it is straight-up adorable. However, the battle royale with between his knife and Teddy's hammer may just have been the apex of the episode, with a competition that only Linda could dream up and that no one should ever recreate. Though, tragically, the knife is lost when Teddy smashes it with his hammer, Bob quickly moves on to desiring the hammer instead, thus proving that when it comes to tools, shape and size doesn't matter to him. Neither does how one uses it.
The Millie-churian Candidate.
The episode was enjoyable, but not so much for Louise's trials and tribulations, as much as its enjoyable subplot and Jimmy Jr.'s revealed passion for musical order at school dances. Louise had two enemies as it turned out, but neither of them fully satisfied that dynamic. Perhaps now that Henry is President, we will see some true chaos reign, and Louise will earn back her title as TV's most conniving adolescent.
Extra Credit
- Linda at kitchen store: "Lotta ladles! Lotta ladles! Lotta ladles! Lotta ladles!"
- Teddy: "They're like the Meryl Streep of hammers."
Demerits
- Jimmy Jr. not winning. He could have really changed those playlists around...
- The knife being destroyed! It chopped onions so well!
Episode Grade Points:
3.33333