Television and cinematic humor so often rely on the stupidity or ignorance of a narrative’s protagonist, or, at the very least, a powerful self-deception bestowing the aforementioned protagonist with delusions about their place in the world.
Problems with Eastbound
Television and cinematic humor so often rely on the stupidity or ignorance of a narrative’s protagonist, or, at the very least, a powerful self-deception bestowing the aforementioned protagonist with delusions about their place in the world.
Such is the case with so many Will Ferrell ventures; such is the case with Eastbound and Down, a new HBO comedy starring Danny McBride. McBride was last seen in Tropic Thunder as Cody Underwood, the explosives technician who blew a tree line to holy hell exclaiming, “Mother Nature just pissed her pantsuit!”
Of course you likely won’t be surprised to find that Ferrell serves as an executive producer on the show (along with longtime associate Adam McKay), and shows up occasionally as a character.
Eastbound and Down is the brainchild of Jody Hill, the writer/director behind The Foot Fist Way (McBride’s first starring role) and the upcoming Seth Rogen vehicle Observe and Report. Hill, along with co-creators McBride and Ben Best, center Eastbound around former MLB superstar pitcher Kenny Powers.
Powers, played with a curly mullet and a choleric attitude by McBride, is a long-faded star, oblivious to his failures, convinced of his greatness and longing for the sweet embrace of the fame and fortune he once knew.
It is not immediately evident as to what, other than impudent audacity and “several shitty years,” has forced Powers from his life of baseball super fame and returned him to his hometown of Shelby, N.C., with nothing but a truck and a Sea-Doo to his name.
The only insight by Powers is offered through his motivational/self-help audio book You’re Fucking Out, I’m Fucking In, in which he intones, “Sometimes when you bring the thunder, you get lost in the storm.”
Powers listens to the audio book constantly (another sign of his self absorption), thereby surreptitiously offering bits and pieces of narration.
The series follows Powers after he is hired as a substitute P.E. teacher at a local middle school. There he is surrounded by ambivalence on the part of students, who he ostensibly believes should worship him, as well as a collection of faculty primarily comprised of old acquaintances.
One such acquaintance is April Sullivan (played by Katy Mixon), an ex-girlfriend of Powers’ and a teacher at the school. So far in the series, Sullivan has served in small capacities, always dressed in low-cut shirts exposing her impressive cleavage and persistently rejecting Powers’ sexual advances.
Sullivan’s fiancé and principal of the school is Terrence Cutler, played by the always humorous Andrew Daly, perhaps best known for his role as Dick Pepperfield in the disastrous Will Ferrell vehicle Semi-Pro. Cutler is a genuinely nice guy, unaware that his wife-to-be lost her virginity to the crude, rude Powers.
When he’s not working, or avoiding working, Powers lives with his brother Dustin (John Hawkes of Me and You and Everyone We Know fame) and Dustin’s family. Dustin’s wife Cassie, played by Jennifer Irwin, finds Powers’ presence distasteful, partially due to the uninhibited nature of the former baseball player’s lifestyle and habits.
One scene features a lethargic Powers lazily sipping a beer and using Cassie’s cell phone to arrange for a blow job from some hooker, all while Cassie, irritated, stomps around the room cleaning up Powers’ wasted beer cans. After failing to negotiate an acceptable price with the hooker, Powers hangs up, informs Cassie that her cell phone sucks and extends his hand with another empty beer can.
The character of Kenny Powers is one that can be likened to Steve Carell’s Michael Scott of The Office. Both the characters are absurdly delusional, totally unaware and inconsiderate of people around them, but they are both protagonists at the same time. The writers of The Office succeed in humanizing Michael far more than the writers of Eastbound succeed in humanizing Powers.
Even though he’s a bumbling idiot who makes awkward, oftentimes offensive comments, one can’t help but feel sorry for Michael Scott and his crushing loneliness, illustrated masterfully by the subtle nuances of Carell’s performance.
Powers, on the other hand, is a major league asshole who seems to possess no redemptive qualities. Often he self-medicates when upset and continues being a total dick. Sympathy is not something that comes easily for the character of Kenny Powers.
That’s not to say that the show itself is without humor or emotion. There are moments here and there where you feel for Powers and far more frequently moments where Danny McBride makes you laugh your ass off.
A particularly enjoyable scene features Powers, dejected after a miserable promotions event at a car dealership run by Ashley Schaeffer (a surprisingly funny Will Ferrell in an absurd white wig that makes his face look like a bloated, ripened tomato), drops ecstasy with a friend, then hits up a middle school dance, where he boogies down with disastrous results.
Ultimately, what Eastbound needs is a Kenny Powers who is slightly more likeable (not much, just a little) and a badly needed injection of funny. The show is off to an OK start, as Powers carries some of that potential with him, but it’s not there to the level it should be.
And perhaps there’s more to come, but with only six episodes ordered by HBO and a relatively poor critical reception, it’s hard to see a second season of Eastbound being a reality.
That said, halfway into the season, the show is slowly picking up, but even if it does reach fastball speed, I have a hard time seeing Eastbound and Down‘s premise stretching much further than two or three seasons.
