Last Week Tonight Episode Review: John Oliver Rates a Cheer and a Boo

review

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The most recent edition of Last Week Tonight got off with a bang, so to speak, as host John Oliver seemed to take on the NRA. He spent the first part of the opening segment telling us why the organization is so inherently evil, but then he switched his focus to where it belongs: to the rest of us, who don’t worship at the feet of NRA president Wayne LaPierre.

What Oliver pointed out was that the rest of us get only slightly bestirred to action only after a mass shooting atrocity, then go on to business as usual, while the True Believers are ready to harass their local and national politicians anywhere, anytime and for anything that offers the slightest hint of thwarting a toddler’s right to blow away his sister with daddy’s gun. Oliver has told us in no uncertain terms that, if we want even the most reasonable change, we need a lot more commitment and zeal.

It is not only a point well-taken, but a point that applies to all the bad ideas fighting for a place in our system, including Donald Trump…especially Donald Trump. Being a Marylander, I do not have the need to harangue my representatives who most of my conservative friends consider to be Bolsheviks, but the rest of you should give this segment some serious thought. As for me, I will let others debate over our second amendment rights, while I focus on the preservation of our third amendment rights. Hit the bricks, dogface!

The show’s second segment was much the same as it has been for the past two episodes, consisting of nothing more than a number of clips showing broadcast journalists repeating the same thing, over and over. I can sort of understand the idea of doing this bit three times in a row, since there is that famous rule of three in comedy: do a joke once or do it three times. Don’t do it twice and, with certain exceptions (like “Who’s on first?”), don’t do it more than three. That’s fine as far as it goes, but this show has overlooked one very rudimentary concept: the joke has to be funny in the first place.

Oliver’s main segment was on the subject of the upcoming vote in Great Britain about whether or not to stay in the Eurozone. I will admit, I had been mox-nix about the issue, until Oliver pointed out the worldwide drawbacks of a British withdrawal. All in all, there was nothing wrong with his diatribe. Then, as he often does, he turned to a troupe of players to sum it up in a skit or (in this case) a song. Admittedly, the song was also clever enough, but here is my objection: it was loaded with profanity (much of it starting with the sixth letter of the alphabet) and the lead singer was a grade-school age boy. John, whether you swear too much or just the right amount is not such a momentous issue. One would hope you might want to show a little class, now and then. But involving clearly underage boys and girls (This is not the first time he has pulled a stunt like this) goes way beyond failure to show class. It is outright vulgarity. If you can ask the NRA to yield just a little ground on the most reasonable matters, then why can’t you ask yourself to yield on this?

Last Week Tonight, HBO, June 19, 2016

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Thomas Cleveland Lane

Thomas Cleveland Lane is a semi-retired freelance writer for pay and a stage actor for nothing more than the opportunity to make a fool of himself. Well, he does get a small stipend from the Washington Area Decency League, after playing the role of Hinezie in The Pajama Game, to never, ever appear on stage in his underpants again. When he has not managed to buffalo some director into casting him, Thomas can often be found at his favorite piano bar, annoying the patrons with his caterwauling. Thomas is the author of an anthology called Shaggy Dogs, a Collection of Not-So-Short Stories (destined to become a cult classic, shortly after he croaks). He is also the alter-ego to a very unbalanced Czech poet named Glub Dzmc. Mr. Lane generally resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was last seen in the mirror, three days ago.
Thomas Cleveland Lane
Thomas Cleveland Lane
Thomas Cleveland Lane is a semi-retired freelance writer for pay and a stage actor for nothing more than the opportunity to make a fool of himself. Well, he does get a small stipend from the Washington Area Decency League, after playing the role of Hinezie in The Pajama Game, to never, ever appear on stage in his underpants again. When he has not managed to buffalo some director into casting him, Thomas can often be found at his favorite piano bar, annoying the patrons with his caterwauling. Thomas is the author of an anthology called Shaggy Dogs, a Collection of Not-So-Short Stories (destined to become a cult classic, shortly after he croaks). He is also the alter-ego to a very unbalanced Czech poet named Glub Dzmc. Mr. Lane generally resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was last seen in the mirror, three days ago.