Season 4 Episodes
404: COMEDY IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
Missions:
3: Stand Up Comedy Contest
My comments:
As usual the group has to leave out Oscar, which is really sad.
After getting the letter from Home Oscar seems to be felling much better about the whole trip.
It would seem that Jake can not stay in his clothes.
END: Vince talks to Erika about his girlfriend’s sex drive
What Bonnie had to say about the episode:
Original Air Date: July 28, 1997
Segment #1
It's morning at the RV Park on Balboa Island. Vince is looking around the park for Oscar who seems to be missing. They all made a point to get up early to leave for Wilma's Patio, and Oscar's nowhere to be found. Scenes of Oscar jogging in the park. Vince complains that Oscar is always late and is being inconsiderate.
Vince catches up with Oscar and tells him to be showered and ready because the group is leaving in fifteen minutes. Erika says if Oscar doesn't respect them then there's gonna be a problem.
They all walk to the next destination - with Oscar in the lead now. They arrive at Wilma's Patio and the manager tells them that they are going to be contestants in a stand-up comedy contest.
Mission 3: Stand-Up Comedy Contest
The 1st place winner will win $250 and the 2nd place winner will win $100. She tells the group that they will have to break up into two teams and their skits will have to be 3 to 5 minutes long. Kalle says that the way things have been going lately, it wouldn't surprise her if the teams ended up as herself and Jake, and Vince and Erika. The only problem is that no one wants Oscar in their group.
Kalle says she feels bad for Oscar because it reminds her of children picking teammates for a game, and he's the last one picked.
What MTV had to say about the episode:
404: COMEDY IS NO LAUGHING MATTER
It's rise and shine on a sunny morning in the glamorous Balboa Island RV center! That stands for RECREATIONAL VEHICLE, in case you haven't heard. The Roadies are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, showered and groomed, ready to head off to WILMA'S PATIO where the next mission will be revealed. But where the heck is Oscar? Vince volunteers to act as search party. He scours the RV park, looking for the lost Latin. Finally, he crosses paths with the Puertorican Powerhouse - Oscar out for his morning jog and dripping sweat. Vince reminds him, "we're leaving in fifteen minutes." Oscar assures Vince he'll be ready - and then jogs on! Vince is furious - there's no way Oscar will be ready in time.
Florida sunshine-boy reports back to the others in the winnie and all decide they will leave Oscar behind if he isn't ready in time. Oscar hits the showers, but he's too late. Vince wants to take off - we can leave him a note and he can meet us there. Kalle insists they wait and all go together - "he's part of the group too." Erika reminds everyone that if Oscar continues to disregard the others in the future, there will be lots of problems.
The Roadies hike it over to Wilma's - turns out it's a cute little restaurant. There they discover they are to perform live in a stand-up-comedy amateur night. When? Tomorrow night! Instructions: break into teams of two or more, write an introduction, the act must be from three to five minutes. Vince and Erika decide to become a team. And of course, Jake and Kalle are already a team or sorts - they'll just ad some giggles to their repertoire. But what about Oscar? Kalle privately confesses that no one wants Oscar on their team. (Oh, and by the way - first prize gets $250 and second prize gets $100. And you know our favorite punks are down to $400 for 14 days. Do the math - that's SIX DOLLARS PER DAY PER PERSON. Impossible! The Roadies need to win this money so they can buy food!)
Our cast pulls up to a table at Wilma's to have lunch and iron out some comedy routines. Of course, Oscar has nothing to iron because he's not on any team. He exits to use a pay-phone. Jake explains that Oscar is cutting himself off from the group. Oscar privately confesses that his road-mates are nothing like his friends back home and it's really frustrating - he feels he must spend some time alone because he is about to explode.
Later that afternoon Oscar is alone at the RV park, kickin' it in the winnie. A park messenger motors up in a golf cart and delivers a letter to Oscar. It's from his family. As Oscar reads the letter, huge tears drop from his eyes, splattering across the encouraging words his parents have written. You are not alone, I am here with you... Oscar is suddenly inspired to give the winnie a good cleaning. He scrubs and sweeps 'till it's shiny and new. Then Jake, Vince, Erika, and Kalle return to the winnie and lapse into a collective state of shock - our house looks beautiful! Jake guesses that Oscar exerted himself in an attempt to make amends with the group.
Later that night, Jake and Oscar have a heart-to-heart while sitting on the picnic table at their campsite. Jake reminds Oscar that it was Oscar's encouragement that allowed him to remain on the Coast Guard boat when he was preferred to bail. Jake proceeds to give Oscar a pep-talk, explaining "I'm glad you're here with us, I want you to be here, and we'll all have a good time." Now Oscar is almost crying again, "that really means a lot to me."
The next morning, Erika and Vince practice their comedy routine. Vince will be the disgruntled husband and she'll be the obliviously supportive wife. Jake and Kalle ask Oscar to join their team. He will be the Puerto Rican interpreter as Kalle delivers a menagerie of bad jokes. Jake will make a surprise appearance wearing only a napkin. Do you think he has the guts...
Night falls and it's time to drive over to Wilma's. Holy doo-dee, look at the line of people - it wraps around the block! Now everyone's heart is beating quite a bit faster. Vince confesses, "I'm so scared!" Jake places Kalle's hand on his heart, "feel it, it's beating out of my chest." Now lower, lower... that's it...
The roadies are ushered backstage to wait for their entrance call. Oscar is so terrified, he can't shut up! Vince and Erika are called to the stage. With a twist on the old husband and wife routine, the partners take the audience by storm. Vince tells the jokes, Erika laughs supportively, Vince tells her to shut the hell up, "you're ruining my act!" Erika kicks her abusive husband right off the stage in the big finale, earning a thunderous round of applause.
Now Oscar and Kalle are called to the stage. Kalle offers up some of her goofier monologues as Oscar "interprets" in Spanish, jokingly explaining that Kalle is talentless and cheap. The Spanish-speaking audience members are cracking up. Now Jake waddles on stage totally buff. No, he still doesn't have muscles - he's fully naked! Just a serving tray covering Jake Junior.
After Jake changes back into his street clothes, everyone moves out to the sidewalk to await the results of the challenge. Drum roll please... Erika and Vince have taken second place! Erika is thrilled, "that's a hundred bucks more than we had 20 minutes ago!" Every penny counts, at this point. Now the roadies have SEVEN DOLLARS PER DAY PER PERSON. Now you can get fries with that meal...
Now all run back to the winnie where another clue is waiting on the kitchen table. Vince removes a small model airplane from a shopping bag and reads the attached message out-loud: travel to Miami to walk on the wind at 5000 feet! Be afraid, be very afraid...
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