Last Week Tonight Episode Review: Watch Out for Flying Swine: Oliver Agrees with Trump

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last week tonight review

 

Please, for your own sake, while you are distracted with amusing thoughts of Satan shivering miserably under a blanket, retain enough alertness to prevent getting bopped in the head by a low-flying pig. Yes, in his May 22nd broadcast of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver actually agreed with something the Republican hair apparent said. Whew! Maybe that is why the host is giving us two full weeks to digest news of this magnitude. Come next Sunday, Mr. Oliver will be buckin’ against the tide, as they used to sing in swim class.

Of course, the host then showed us how Mr. Trump took his momentary venture into perspicacity and tossed it into the same garbage pit where most of his thoughts have made a home. Now let me get to the specifics. No pigs were actually injured in this broadcast, by the way.

The main topic of the most recent edition of Last Week Tonight was the hodge-podge way in which both our major parties go about selecting a candidate to run for President. As in the case of the shameful, mendacious political attack ads we will soon be deluged with, both parties are guilty of the abuse. We had all imagined that our nominating processes are a little bit quirky, but, in this segment, Oliver managed to show us that, taken as an entirety, they are nothing short of bat-guano crazy. At one point in the segment, he compared a football game to an Easter egg hunt, and, in the context of the entire piece, that made perfect sense. You will see if you check out the link provided below.

Oliver’s agreement with Trump came when Trump the contender stated in no uncertain terms that the Republican’s nominating system was unfair. His justifiable disappointment with the selfsame politician came when Trump the successful candidate indicated he did not really care how the system worked, just as long as it got him the result he wanted. I have to wonder, though, why would Oliver or anyone else be at all surprised at that turn of events.

As with any broadcast of Last Week Tonight, there were other, shorter segments. This time, there was a slight change of format. Instead of leading with two shorter bits, the show featured several of them, both before and after the main segment. So many subjects were covered, it would take up less space to list the excluded items, which were:

  • The Treaty of Westphalia
  • Old Doughface
  • New Doughface
  • Merkin shortages in the third world
  • Dog biscuits
  • Cat biscuits

No, seriously, there were a lot of shorter bits, some more amusing than others, but none entirely without some entertainment value. If it is your wish that I had given you the entire menu, let me remind you that a John Oliver broadcast is not like a partial eclipse of the Planet Neptune, visible only once every 1,562 years. You will have ample opportunity to see a re-broadcast of this show, as well you should.

Last Week Tonight, HBO, May 22, 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.