The League Review: Mommy and Me
Gabrielle Moss at .The League is no shrinking violet when it comes to gross-out humor - remember, this is the show that recently devoted an entire episode to the topic of botched circumcisions.
But somehow, "The Breastalyzer" packed in enough brother-sister make-out sessions, stolen breast milk and accidentally-ingested semen to set a new bar, making it one of the grossest half-hours of television that I have ever seen.
As Taco, Rafi, Jenny and Kevin take center stage this season (with more even-keeled characters like Pete and Andre often inhabiting the sidelines), The League has begun to spin off its axis in a most delightful fashion. Things are getting seriously twisted for the gang, in a way that makes Season Three's fever dream of an episode, "Bobbum Man," look like child's play.
These are no longer surly-but-regular folks who draw the line at obnoxious behavior - like secretly renting out Andre's apartment for a porno shoot. These are people who will steal reality TV starlet-turned-NFL wife Kristin Cavalleri's breast milk or make out with their own sister in order to get out of jam. They have transformed into full-on maniacs who completely flout the rules of society, yet somehow simultaneously remain productive members of society. They are on the verge of out-Always Sunny-ing Always Sunny!
Because this episode was all about family matters, it was only fitting that mothers of all sorts popped up - and not only as punchlines, but as characters with some pretty hilarious jokes of their own. ulia Duffy (from Newhart; yes, I am that old) was excellent as the pinch-faced Martha MacArthur, Kevin and Taco's uptight mom. Sure, she accidentally tasted Rafi's "breast milk," but I still think she came out ahead of Jenny in their mom-war.
I also loved Sofia's reaction to Rafi's "Angelina Jolie at the 2000 Oscars"-style sibling smooch. Those of us who have spent that past three seasons wondering how such a seemingly normal person ended up with Ruxin may finally be getting our answer.
But Rafi was the true star of this episode, and in top-notch sociopath form - ready to start a knife-fight at the kiddie pool or sexually harass his sister at a moment's notice. It was a bold gambit to give so much screen time to a character that is literally impossible to empathize with, but it paid off... though I don't think I'm going to be able to get the mental image of Rafi's "sex cage" out of my head for a long, long time.
"The Breastalyzer" pushed boundaries and buttons, but it was also one of the best episodes in the show's run. And it didn't sacrifice wit in service of gross-out humor; this episode was as jam-packed with brilliant The League quotes as any episode that I can remember.
Over the course of the three seasons, this gem of a sitcom has quietly morphed into one of the most amazingly weird things on television. And I can't wait to see what happens next.
Did you dig this episode's gross-out humor? Or did it leave you you dry-heaving?