MY NAME IS EARL: SEASON TWO
(not rated)
MOVIE: **** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5)
STARRING
Jason Lee as EARL HICKEY
Jamie Pressly as JOY HICKEY
Ethan Suplee as RANDY HICKEY
Nadine Velazquez as CATALINA
Eddie Steeples as CRAB MAN
Created by: Greg Garcia
Studio: Fox
BY KEVIN CARR
I know that most episodes of “My Name Is Earl” end with deus ex machina. I know that things always tend to wrap up too neatly in the short 22 minutes. But I can’t help myself. I love this show. I can accept this because the premise of the show is that karma intervenes on Earl’s life, forcing good things to happen when he does good.
Season two takes off with Earl (Jason Lee) having plenty of items to cross of his list. However, instead of just following him and Randy (Ethan Suplee) around to do good deeds, we start to see some growth in the character. His passionate desire to do good for karma’s sake has waned a bit, but his newfound conscience always seems to put him back on the right track. Randy’s also got some issues with being a second banana, and he asserts himself in his own ways.
There’s also a hilarious development in Crab Man’s (Eddie Steeples) character, giving him more depth and showing that he truly loves his trailer trash wife Joy (Jamie Pressly). There is not a weak link in the entire cast. The leads are hilarious, and when they tire, the supporting cast takes over. We get to see more of the beautiful Nadine Velazquez as Catalina (and I mean that in both the literal and figurative sense). Of course, Jamie Pressly continues to be totally hot and hilarious at the same time.
The second season breaks some barriers by featuring part claymation in one episode, and even allows the other characters to narrate part of the show. The DVD comes with commentary on some episodes, deleted scenes, bloopers and several featurettes that highlight the claymation process, the guest stars and even web cam spotlights on the characters (where you’ll learn the truth behind Crab Man’s secrets).