Sunday, March 12, 2023

What I’m Watching: History of the World Part II

History of the World Part II: Season 1, Episode 4 “Part IV” (B)

There’s nothing quite like a short sketch, one that doesn’t go beyond its initial premise, like the one that opened this episode set in Mesoamerica with the girl who was very intent on claiming that she wasn’t a virgin so that she wouldn’t end up being sacrificed. It seems we’ve reached the end of the Russian Revolution storyline, which I think is fine since it about exhausted its life. Trotsky suggesting a particular way of marching didn’t go all that well, and I enjoyed Stalin expressing that he knows a particular version of CPR that sounds a whole lot like an acronym for the Communist Party. The odor-infested ending to this sketch wasn’t very impressive, but I did appreciate the nod to the fourth wall as Shmuck worried about the people who have Hulu+ and would have missed the commercial break during which the kids got engaged. I don’t think I’ve properly praised Pamela Adlon, one of the best parts of this whole era. I don’t know what to say about the JackRasp bit that was very startling and unpleasant, but I did enjoy the Jesus focus mostly because of the origin story of Easter. I love seeing Quinta Brunson in projects where she’s playing someone very different than her “Abbott Elementary” character, which she certainly was here, and being paired with Zazie Beetz and J.B. Smoove was absolutely a recipe for success. It was somewhat obvious, but Fred Armisen playing Glorp, who was hawking a pyramid scheme literally involving pyramids, was moderately entertaining.

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