The Funny Stuff: FOX Tuesday(10/8)

Only one show tonight, so this’ll be quick, I’m sure.

Raising Hope

The Chances are visited by a social service worker, saying there has been a complaint of child neglect.  The whole family flits around, trying to figure out why there could have been a complaint.

First, they think of Jimmy using a leaf blower to dry Hope.  Jimmy gets all defensive, and brings up the scooter-stroller.  It is exactly what you think it would be, as made by Burt, so basically, insane.  Then it’s Burt’s chance to get defensive, as he brings up Virginia’s cart antics, how she drug Hope through the store with her hanging off the bottom of the cart.

They finally decide to suck it up and ask the social worker what the incident was, and she asks where the little BOY is.  Turns out, they are way behind, and the incident in question happened 20 years ago at a concert, where Jimmy crowd-surfed at age 5.  So, totally expected.

Anyway, throughout all this, Virginia had been doing her best to keep MawMaw under control in the worst ways possible, and the social worker decides she needs to investigate possible elder abuse, because obviously.

They spend the next week getting ready for the interview and investigation, mostly by lying to MawMaw to get her to do things that are actually healthful, like telling her the state will zap her brain if she doesn’t cooperate at the doctor, or that they will dunk her feet in custard and feed them to animals if she didn’t put her shoes on.  Of course, there is no way THAT will backfire.

When the social worker comes back, they almost have her fooled, with the motion detector light in the bedroom forcing MawMaw to get exercise to read, and removing the lock from the door, but then MawMaw borks the whole thing up.

She tell the social worker about the lies, and the social worker uses the excuse of mental abuse to pull MawMaw from the Chance home.  Surprisingly, they are all sad about it.

This show is so ridiculously cute, it is almost too much.  The physical humor, especially with MawMaw, is great, and the broad strokes rarely fail to crack me up.  This episode was great, and set up arcs for the season that should be great.