Murphy Brown Season 11 Episode 8 Review: The Coma and the Oxford Comma
Kim Russell
at
.
On Murphy Brown Season 11 Episode 8, we have another solid episode with politics present, but on the peripheral.
Corky's beauty pageant buddy has been in a coma for 11 years, and it's no surprise to anyone that Corky visits her on a regular basis.
That's totally Corky.
What's also Corky is her optimism, which was the underlying current of the storyline.
It was Corky "Pollyanna" Sherwood vs. Murphy "Negative-Nelly" Brown.
We were thisclose to losing what makes Corky, Corky.
Why don't you just hit her over the head with a bedpan?
Corky
Who would've imagined her doing vodka shots in the morning, let alone doing vodka shots at all?
It's a good thing Murphy set her straight. We need naysayers in our society, just like we need Pollyannas to balance out each other.
You could tell Holly remembered what Charles did to her by the look on her face, so that was no surprise to the audience. Murphy's keen reporter skills should've been able to read that signal. She shouldn't have been surprised when Holly revealed the truth on the air.
Or maybe I'm thinking of Law & Order: SVU -- there's no hiding the truth from them.
Okay, Murphy, you get a pass this time; you're not a cop, but your powers of observation are slipping. Tighten up.
At least Murphy knew Charles was a lying, murderous dirtbag, so there's that.
The funniest part of the whole episode was during Holly's protective detail.
Frank and that porn star mustache? Miles and his disinfectant spray? Classic and laugh-out-loud funny.
Well, I'm my own jury, me times 12 and we voted to convict him. Unanimously!
Murphy
The bit about Avery and the sexy promo should've been funnier to me. It had all the pieces of a funny storyline, but it fell flat. The addition of Avery's friends coming over to play video games felt awkward, and the whole thing didn't fly.
It should've, but it didn't.
Although Murphy's comment about the Cheetos and weed was funny.
Maybe it was because of Avery's reaction to it? I don't know. I love a good slow-mo take as much as the next guy, but meh.
In other news, I expected more airtime with Murphy's annoying assistant. She could've stayed around for a little longer to bother the hell out of Murphy, but she was whisked away too quickly. By the time you heard her mention the Oxford comma, Murphy had shoved her in the elevator.
And it was in the title of this episode, for Pete's sake.
Related: Murphy Brown Season 11 Episode 7 Review: A Lifetime of Achievement
Sidebar -- Where's Jim? Aren't he and Phyllis dating now? I want to know.
Back to the show, I can tell now that they've officially revealed Pat is gay; they're going to make it a thing.
Aww, you guys, it's just like high school minus the Cheetos dust and the faint smell of weed.
Murphy
Please, please don't do that.
What made Pat special was his jarring difference from the aging crew at Murphy in the Morning. By that, I'm talking about his tech and social media savvy.
Add to that his quirky personality and great one-liners, and he was instantly likable.
If he's made a poster boy for a group to make a political point, that will ruin the Pat we've come to know.
Give him a boyfriend, have him check out guy's butts with Corky or Murph, but don't make his sexuality the center of his character.
Speaking of one-liners, Murphy and Corky got the bulk of those this episode.
Not that I mind because they know how to pitch 'em. I especially loved Corky's line about the fairytales when she lost faith in everything.
Faith. Faith Ford. See what I did there?
Circling back to Avery, what's up with him saying glasses aren't sexy? I don't wear glasses, but if I did, I might take offense to that.
Well, how 'bout that? Sometimes a fairytale is, well, a fairytale. The big bad wolf eats little red riding hood, Hansel and Gretel get burnt to a crisp, and the little old woman in a shoe has so many children because she didn't have easy access to contraceptives.
Corky
The writers need to give Avery some funnier lines or lighten him up a bit. His jokes aren't hitting the right note.
He's either like a grumpy old man trapped in a young man's body or an angsty teen trapped in a slightly older man's body.
I can't decide which.
Related: Get CBS All Access via Prime Video Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!
Miles is uptight too, but in a funny way, unlike Avery. If his character doesn't lighten up, I think we'll see less and less of Avery.
I like the mother/son banter, so I hope that doesn't happen.
What do you think Murphy Brown fanatics? Does Avery need to lighten up? What was your favorite moment in this episode? Do you think Phyllis and Jim are still dating?
Hit the comments and let your voice be heard.
Have you missed any Murphy Brown? Don't fret; you can watch Murphy Brown online right here and catch up.
While you're here, catch up on all your favorite shows and talk to other TV fanatics who love TV as much as you.
Kim Russell was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in January 2019.
