Now it's time to review the second season premiere of Raising Hope, also known as the only current network sitcom I follow that doesn’t air on NBC's Thursday night lineup. I'm super excited about it though, because Raising Hope is just the cutest li'l show.
The episode begins with a “previously on”-esque song performed, of course, by Hope’s babysitter Shelly. Shelly is responsible for some of last year’s most memorable televised musical moments this side of glee, and I’m glad to see that Kate Micucci is sticking around.
After the theme sequence, which I'm bummed to see in its truncated form even though it's the season premiere, we find Jimmy watching home movies from his childhood alongside the world's most adorable baby, his daughter Hope. In this particular home movie, Young Jimmy (special guest star Greyson Chance) witnesses his father Burt being nearly pecked to death by a crow, and to escape the trauma he decides to belt out a soulful rendition of Otis Reading's "Hard to Handle," accompanied by himself on the piano. Current Day Jimmy, who clearly did not know he ever possessed these skills, is flabbergasted:
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| Hope can't believe it, either. |
Once this all sinks in, Jimmy shares the newly discovered footage with Sabrina, and after seeing how she swoons for his singing, he realizes that the quickest way to her heart must be through her ears. He consults a doctor about his memory loss (for the first time), and even tapes his fingers to MawMaw's while she plays in hopes that it will trigger muscle memory, but all MawMaw wants to do is use his hands to pick her own wedgies (*shudder*).
Jimmy decides that it's a hopeless cause, and eventually tells his parents that he's done trying to relearn the piano because he feels like he's making a fool of himself in front of Hope (aw). Virginia supports this decision, as she partially blames herself for Jimmy's accident, until Burt reveals that it was actually him who threw the putter that knocked his son unconscious all those years ago. Unintentionally, of course, he chucked his putter in a fit of frustration that was largly caused by his jealousy of Jimmy's talent.
Instead of reacting to this semi-shocking revelation at all, the Chance clan decide to get drunk and bond while discussing each others more ordinary talents, all set to the background of MawMaw battling Death. This leads to a rousing group sing-along of "Never Gonna Let You Go," which reveals that - gasp! - Jimmy is able to recall his lost abilities when he is under the influence of alcohol! Since Burt and Virginia are both also drunk at this point, they react like this:
Burt and Virginia bribe a local music teacher into letting Jimmy perform in an upcoming recital, to which he obviously invites Sabrina. To ensure maximum talent, he gets nice and wasted prior to the performance, supported by Burt, who gets nice and wasted right alongside him. Unfortunately, when he finally takes the stage, he performs about as well as one would expect a drunken 24-year-old with no musical ability to perform, and Sabrina leaves with the hope that he won't remember ever having seen her there. After noticing that the equally inebriated Burt is the only person in the room who doesn't seem to realize that Jimmy sounds pathetic, Virginia accepts that her son's musical skills really are gone forever; The previous night, Jimmy wasn't good because he was drunk; he was good because they all were. Together. Family time, <3
Leftover Observations
- Greyson Chance is fantastic. I want to see more of him as Young Jimmy. Go back in time again soon, plz.
- The episode ends with MawMaw agreeing to teach Hope how to play the piano. I truely hope that Hope inherited her father's gift, and that MawMaw helps her discover it.
- I almost always enjoy watching television characters getting really drunk together.
- Burt retelling his version of the past reminded me of the My Name Is Earl episode "Buried Treasure". My Name Is Burt.
- Sabrina falls more in love with Jimmy the further back in time he is.
- The girls swooning over Young Jimmy's recital performance were very reminiscent of these girls swooning over Greyson Chance's famous talent show performance.
Mr. Jingles - "If I wanted A Flat Minor, I'd have you play with your girlfriend's chest."
Woman at miniature golf - "The sun's really shining today, isn't it?"
Virginia - "You want to see a son shining? You should see my son shine."
Virginia - "You had ambrosia."
Burt - "Anemia."
Virginia - "Anemia."
Virginia - "He could have been an international superstar like David Hasselhoff or Hello, Kitty!"
Sabrina - "I don't know what's harder to believe - that that's you or that you haven't changed your hair in ten years."
Mr. Jingles - "That's the worst "Chopsticks" I ever heard. That could make 3 billion Chinese switch to forks."
Burt - "I'm gonna go warn the manager about some early onset algae I saw."
Burt - "I'll never forget that day - September 11, 2001. The day I threw that damn putter."
Jimmy - "And not for nothing, but I am very, very proud of the fact that I am a very, very, very fast grocery bagger."
Burt - "Gravity does most of the work, but you've gotta know where to put your feet!"
Burt - "Jimmy, as my father, I want you to know that no matter how much you do or do not suck at things, I am never gonna let you go."
Virginia - "Open up the windows so the neighbors can hear. I want the neighbors with the mailbox that looks like a space shuttle to know that we've got good stuff going on over here, too."
Burt - "That sounded like a few notes of... Who's that dude with the Barbara Walters hair, and named after the movie dog?"
Jimmy - "Beethoven."
Burt - "Play "Devil Went Down to Georgia"!"
Highlight of the night:
Virginia - "Oh my god! Jimmy. How old were you when you started sneakin' beers?"
Jimmy - "I think I was thirteen!"
Burt - "GET TO THE PIANO!"
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