Episode Review: John Oliver Gets Territorial

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After following John Oliver’s show for about half of the current season, I have come to realize, he has to operate under a bit of a handicap, crafted by his own network. Before HBO allows Oliver to vent his spleen on Sunday nights, it gives the same opportunity to Bill Mahar, host of Real Time With… on Friday nights. Both men excel at political comedy and ensuring that we never forget certain words that begin with the sixth letter of the alphabet. Both men also try to put out original copy, but, particularly in the shorter opening segments, there may be some duplication, such as happened with Oliver’s take on the shabby reception President Obama received in his visit to Saudi Arabia. But, if the first part of Last Week Tonight seemed like an exercise in checkmating a defunct stallion, it soon yielded the floor to a far more important matter that, in all the foorah about the election, seems to have become misplaced in the shuffle.

That misplaced thing is the crushing debt facing the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico. There are a number of very complex legal and financial factors that make this situation a lot worse than, say, the crushing debt of Detroit, which, goodness knows, is bad enough to begin with, but at least the people of that benighted city have some protections. Suffice it to say, that Oliver finds a way to go through all these complexities in a way that both entertains us and, more importantly, holds our attention

In his analysis of the situation, Oliver finds plenty of fault where you would expect him to look, such as the United States Congress and various hedge fund managers, but, at the same time, he does not hesitate to allocate a fair share of the blame to Puerto Rico itself. That is to say, to the people charged with the responsibility of governing the island, not the three and a half million citizens, who, through no fault of their own, find themselves trapped in a situation far more miserable than you could ever imagine within whichever state you have situated yourself.

I do not claim to have Mr. Oliver’s erudition, so I will not attempt to badly paraphrase all the legalistic mumbo-jumbo that has gone into making this situation as bad as it is.

I will go so far as to point out one notable highlight, that being a guest appearance by Lin-Manuel Miranda, star of the immense Broadway smash, Hamilton. I will tax you with the chore of catching the entire show when it runs again and again and yet again and maybe again some more on HBO or somewhere on your computer. What I will do is give you a look at Miranda’s guest appearance in the link below. I should add that you will have a better appreciation for what he is going on about after you have seen John Oliver’s slightly-less-hip, but still very amusing take on the matter.

Last Week Tonight, HBO, April 24, 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.