Second Lieutenant Tyson Schneeberger tricks the platoon into being test dummies for his experimental automobile, "Mondo Spider," causing its victims to run for the latrine. So Pete attempts to rescue them. Meanwhile, Cody asks Derrick to take his self-portrait, but he turns out to be a very difficult subject.
As you may have heard, FOX is temporarily removing Enlisted from its schedule effective after tonight's episode. It will be preempted by the one-hour Raising Hope series finale next week and then Kitchen Nightmares will return on April 11 in the time slot. FOX claims that Enlisted's final four episodes of the season will air at a later date this year. But it's looker more and more likely that we won't be able to enjoy this brilliant show for that much longer.A lot of that fault can't really be placed on Enlisted either. Some of it can because in this age of delayed viewing audiences could have found this great gem if they wanted too. But so much of the failure has to fall on FOX's treatment of it. First, it scheduled it on Friday nights in the hopes of opening up a second comedy block with Raising Hope. Then, it was postponed to midseason. The network had to have known what to expect with the ratings when it premiere this at 9:30 after the increasingly dismal performance of Raising Hope. A short ray of hope emerged when it was moved up to 9 and had Bones as a lead-in. That show was doing quite well in its transition to the night. For some reason, the network cut that growing momentum by moving Bones back to Monday and slotting the weak Rake in its place.
The network says that they love the show. And yet, they never gave it its best chance to find success. Which is so maddening because it is a great show as well as could have been a great companion half-hour to either Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Surviving Jack. All three of them are effectively cut from the same cloth as very likable comedies that make you feel for the characters while also putting a smile on your face.
But that's just me rambling now. Better get to appreciating the episode at hand as we brace ourselves for an Enlisted-less future.
If "Vets" and "Pete's Airstream," are what Enlisted can do when it explores the darker emotional depths of this universe and the profession that the team commit to, then "Paint Cart 5000 vs. The Mondo Spider" shows just how much fun the show can have in that same universe. There are so many great comedic beats in this episode - Cody's different ways of taking a picture, Randy being the spokesperson for the platoon, anything with J'Mort, Randy being a terrible driver, the Ken Burns-style ending, etc.
And more importantly, it kinda flipped the core dynamic of the show. Enlisted is centered by the story of Pete Hill the perfect soldier who joins this post which he believes is beneath him. The more he interacts with his platoon the more that he enjoys the life that they live. In this episode, Pete is entirely in the right by knowing that Schneeberger is just using the platoon and distracting them by the shiny new toys he has. They realize that too late once they are on the field facing Schneeberger and his poo gun. They climatically and valiantly fall on the field in order for Pete to best Schneeberger. It's all very much a triumphant moment even though they all are hurdled over in pain. It's that kind of mix of seriousness and comedic triumph that I'm gonna miss most of all without Enlisted in my life.
Some more thoughts:
- "Paint Cart 5000 vs. The Mondo Spider" was written by Peter A. Knight & Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal and directed by Phil Traill.
- Derrick finding a direction in his life has also been a very enjoyable running thread this season. He got a stable relationship with Erin and now has this photo journalist gig. It allows him to evolve while also keeping him comedically great.
- Keith David had a lot of fun doing all of those poses.
- Not a lot of Jill this week but she seems to have a lot of fun knowing semaphore.
- Cody: "Outgunned and defenseless, the brave men and women of Alpha Company piled onto a golf cart and hurled themselves headlong into the path of a weapon that knew hot mercy. A great deal came out of them that day. But the most surprising thing... was courage."
