or...

That Guy From The Movie Caveman!!!

Despite the fact that I am 41 years old as I write this, I am still young enough to where the Beatles were never all that big of a deal to me. That's not to say that I don't find them to be untalented and am in no way trying to deny their influence on music or culture in general, I never like them more than just enjoying their music whenever I came across it without ever really seeking out their work to listen to on my own terms.

Because of this indifference towards Ringo Starr's claim to fame, I went into this viewing with very low expectations especially since I was actually a fan of his horrible acting in the movie Caveman which is actually referenced in a joke at one point in the show and made me a little happy.

Other than that, I found this episode to be extremely boring because of Ringo's bizarre attempt to come across as humble and silly that just don't work with the British dryness and the fact that he's an extremely famous millionaire who, try as he might, just can't relate to the average man and this comes across in every one of his scenes whether or not it's intentional.

Not only did I take issue with the unintentional arrogance of the host, but this season, in particular, has been the worst at repeating the same characters weekly to where it feels like their beating a dead horse. Though Ed Grimley has a developing storyline that keeps me interested, he's still a bit of a one trick pony but then add in the weekly visits from Willie and Frankie who share what they hate the same exact way only in different outfits, it can feel like you're stuck in an endless loop especially when watching the show daily.

Even though this episode was on the boring side, I'd still say it's on the average side of good because I wouldn't necessarily say that I hated it. Now that I've explained my views on this viewing, it's time to move on and share what I actually viewed as I give you...

The Wicker Breakdown:

The week's show starts with a Beatles Memorabilia Auction where Paul's toothbrush goes for $110,000 while the actual Ringo Starr can't even keep people in the room, let alone draw in the minimum opening bid until he proves that he can actually talk by announcing, "Live from New York..."
Ringo Starr then officially opened the show with a monolog about being the boring Beatle with the big nose and then talks about living the life of a legend and how he's hosting the show just to get out of the house and meet some people before calling "Sammy Davis Jr." out to the stage and the two ramble on about their fictional relationship during the recording of old Beatles albums until the two sing a medley of songs.
Ed Grimley returned once again where this week he has to wait for the bus while it rains and finds himself sitting next to Ringo as they wait. As Ed rambles on trying to make small talk, Ringo keeps getting struck by lightning but doesn't even budge because it happens to him all the time. At first, Grimley finds it interesting but then goes back to his rambling small talk.
Do What We Say, & Nobody Gets Hurt was a repeat of the fake ad for Texxon from a couple seasons ago.
Willie & Frankie returned once again for more complaining about things that they hate only this time they are construction workers doing the same exact routine that again is fun but extremely repetitive especially for an almost weekly fixture of the season.
We then got a follow up to the Beatles Memorabilia Auction where the family who bought Ringo Starr for $800 finds out that he managed to escape as if he were a dog and continues to get treated puppy-like upon his return with Belushi as the Alpha family member who tries to keep him in line. Julia Louis-Dreyfus then shows up as the curator of a Beatle's Museum to offer the family $1700 to take the former Beatle's drummer off their hands but they decide to keep him around.
Strictly From Blackwell was a cable access sketch where fashion list making legend "Mr. Blackwell" interviews crazy wine expert who's promoting a book and the two ramble on about wine for what seems to be forever with a discussion that is almost too legitimate to be all that funny. Finally, after what seems to be an hour, Mr. Blackwell turns to interview a Chippendale dancer who is there for his looks just to tell him they ran out of time.
Massacre on 34th Street was a parody of Miracle On 34th Street where Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Terminator Santa to massacre everyone on Christmas Day.
We then got a parody of the movie A Bridge Over The River Kwai where the enemy leader tries to use reverse psychology to trick the captured soldiers into building the bridge to get around wartime slave labor laws and then the captured soldiers try reverse psychology to get out of it until everyone involved is confused.
Herbie Hancock then took to the stage to perform Junku.
Fernando's Hideaway returns and this week he interviews Ringo Starr and his wife Barbara Bach, other than the constant, "You look marvelous," catchphrase, the interview is almost too realistic to be either fun or funny.
We then when to a job interview where Jim Belushi was applying for a job where Christopher Guest questions him about being dismissed from the military for being mentally ill. Upon further questioning Guest finds that the illness was a lie to get out of the war and says that he can't hire Belushi for the job which leads Belushi to shift gears and claim that he actually is crazy and we eventually find out that it's Christopher Guest who is the true crazy person as he breaks down Belushi's ploy to get the job.
Herbie Hancock then returned to the stage to perform Rockit.
Finally, Ringo Starr closed the show by thanking the audience and saying his goodnights.

Though this episode was a bit on the boring side, I was still able to find these favorite moments. First, I love the Reverse Psychology Bridge Over The River Kwai sketch because I love comedy that based on intelligent confusion. Next, I really liked Ringo getting struck by lightning while talking to Ed Grimley because the special effects involved were hilarious. Finally, I was a fan of Ringo at the family home of the people who bought him at a Beatle's Auction because Ringo's self-deprecating humor is an actual humbling trick that he actually pulls off rather well.