Review
“Co-host/Ass-Slap/Helen Keller/Forgiveness”
Season 3, Episode 3
Once again the mighty hand of the universe has intervened so that I may continue to do this important work.
For three years now, dedicated viewers of Review have been pulling for Forrest MacNeil’s life to get better. But everything that has happened to him has been because of his dedication to reviewing life. Say what you will about the man’s other questionable decisions; at least he knows how to work. This week’s penultimate episode moved the character in so many ways that it’d be hard to discuss them all here. Review has been a standout show on Comedy Central. It’s a damn shame it’s almost all over. But, really, how much more can one man take?
MacNeil is a man who knows one thing in life and that’s reviewing. He prides himself on the good job he does, requiring help only as the universe sees fit. What happens when he has to relinquish his duties? He gets agitated and frustrated; unable to sit in the backseat for once. It’s a nice wrench that gets thrown into the cogs that run Review. We get to see what it is that AJ does when MacNeil is out reviewing. As it turns out, not that much but she looks good doing it. Meanwhile, AJ struts out of the door and through the city to review spanking a stranger. It’s revealed that she decides not to do so because of the possible repercussions. In a scene involving many hilarious factors (Forrest narrates as AJ narrates creating a mishmash of jumbled talking; AJ calls her boyfriend to get his take on spanking; the camera focuses on Forrest as he watches AJ’s review; and way more), AJ finds that she has no need to spank nor does she want to review. In that instant, she did MacNeil’s job the way a normal human being would.
MacNeil, not to be outdone by his co-host, sets out to take a look at being Helen Keller. And thanks to his interns, MacNeil can do it perfectly. It’s almost a shame it had to happen while he was still on his murder trial. MacNeil’s entire deal is his dedication and oddly enough he put that on display while dressed in a Victorian era dress and wearing a blinding, deafening helmet. If I was on the jury, I’d feel bad for him as well.
After getting off, MacNeil’s final review of the night is a simple one yet he still manages to screw that up. He heads over to Suzanne’s house in order to ask for forgiveness. She decides that it’s time as well. And, like most things in MacNeil’s life, he gets so close to a good resolution. Finally, everything was looking up. Suzanne approved of this review; MacNeil was on the road to self-recovery; The show was going to have a happy ending...that is until MacNeil says that he forgives her. And it’s not even about the negative side effects on their lives as a result of the show; it’s about what she said at his murder trial. It’s amazing to see how events in the show can go from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. Suzanne -- accompanied by clips from the past -- then lists the things that Forrest did leading up to the very moment. It’s heartbreaking, sad, and all around depressing. MacNeil, still undeterred, asks his producer Grant for forgiveness instead. With that, he’s finally sunk lower than his initial low.
Should you watch “Co-host/Ass-Slap/Helen Keller/Forgiveness?”
If you’ve made it this far, why give up now? Forrest MacNeil cannot escape the situation he’s put himself in. Next week: the final review is called “Last Review.” Maybe he’ll learn something about himself.