Ahhh, fatherhood. A rite of passage, a state of guaranteed manhood, and source of endless, merciless mockery. Just as Episode One continued the love affair with all things fatherly that began with “Tom Goes to the Mayor,” Season Two, Episode Two, “Dad’s Off,” ups the ante by defining fatherhood in terms of another Awesome Show favorite: unstinting competition.
Themes:
Here, as with many other Awesome Show episodes, we see the idea of fatherhood inextricably intertwined with rivalry. The “Team Wareheim vs. Team Heidecker” saga, Eric’s shortcomings as a father are thrown into relief by Tim’s family of Crocs-wearing, Bluetooth-sporting kids. In the world of Awesome Show, fatherhood is not just a matter of biology--as Joyce unromantically calls it, “a moment of rut,” but rather is representative of being the dominant male in a given situation. Eric’s eventual submission to the Heidecker family signals not only his inability to support his children, but an absence of essential “manliness.” Of course, Awesome Show is eager to deconstruct Tim’s fatherly mystique even as it celebrates it, making easy categorizations or generalizations about gender and its expectations forever impossible to nail down.
Hi-Lights:
Kid Break: I Think My Sister’s Cute
“Kid Break” is always a rare delight. Tim here confesses incestuous desire for his sister, even bragging that he “kissed [his] sis on the lips.” Adding to the awkwardness is Eric’s complete horror at Tim’s confession. Extra points go to Tim for rocking some of the tightest shorts ever seen outside of the Tour de France.
Cinco Style--T’hocks
Thank you, Cinco, for realizing that men need to put a little effort into being sexy. Combining thongs and socks, Cinco Style T’hocks give men a fun, flirty accessory that brings only the tiniest bit of existential horror. This skit is great for its repetition of the lines, “I’m sorry. I messed up,” (a call back to the cringe-worthy final moments of Season One, Episode One) and the absolute despair on both the man and his wife’s faces after the T’hocks have worked their seductive magic.
Spagett
This episode marks the first appearance of Spaghett, the light-hearted prankster who is convinced he is much scarier than he really is. From Tim’s skullet ponytail to the eternal marinara stains around his mouth, Spaghett is a figure of Puckish mirth and unrelenting Beckettesque nihilistic absurdity.
Anatomy of an Episode:
Team Wareheim vs. Team Heidecker (Part 1)
Eric struggles to provide a fun day in the park for his disheveled children as Tim’s family arrives in all their Croc-wearing glamor.
Kid Break: I Think My Sister’s Cute
See Hi-Lights. Tim confesses some taboo desires with the help of 90’s educational hip hop.
Cinco Style--T’Hocks
See Hi-Lights. Express your sexy side, men of America. Buy some Cinco Style T’hocks and show your lady just how much you care.
Team Wareheim vs. Team Heidecker (Part 2)
Eric’s son Patrick defects to Team Heidecker.
Spagett
See Hi-Lights. Spagett wants to scare you--so, so badly.
Where’s My Chippy?
Eric’s disembodied voice searches for his darling Chippy among the remains of a roach-infested dinner.
A Girl Named Rakamma--David Liebe Hart
Featuring the immortal lines, “I love her to bit/I wanna kiss her on the lips,” David Liebe Hart’s stirring duet with his puppet will stick with you long after the episode ends.
Spagett (Part 2)
Spagett tries to scare Eric in the shower, but fails, earning this episode’s freeze-frame and “Great Job!”
Team Wareheim vs. Team Heidecker (Part 3)
Eric has no choice but to concede defeat in light of Tim’s superior parenting.
Winner:
Eric, man, I’m pulling for you to win this season, but I have to give Episode Two to Tim. From having the confidence to pull off those shorts in “Kid Break,” to his turn as the infinitely frustrated Spaghett, to being the ultimate douche-dad and leading the Heidecker clan to ultimate supremacy, I’d say Tim redeemed himself from the first father-themed episode of the series and bagged the victory.
Pennie Sublime