Full Frontal Episode Review: Samantha Bee Does Marc Antony One Better

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“I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” Shakespeare had Roman Senator Marc Antony say in The Merry Wives of Windsor. I note that because, in last night’s Full Frontal, Samantha Bee did the bard one better by appearing to praise her subject, not to bury her. What, do you mean that, after all these years, Ms. Bee has decided to take on the scheming triumvirate of Brutus, Crassus and Cassius…oh, OK, Mohammed then.

More to the point, the host’s target was Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. While seeming to speak of her in terms of unbounded admiration, Samantha Bee somehow managed to get her point across—and it is exactly the point you might figure she would want to make. It was all crafted in a very witty manner with a few jabs at Ms. Conway’s boss and a quick dope-slap to Ted Cruz. Remember him? Let’s hope not. Because it was so well-presented, this segment will be the one I have selected for you to wrinkle your nose and sniff at.

The first segment was about Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s pick for the fox who will guard the chicken coop (which is to say, Secretary of the Treasury). It was also amusing, even if it didn’t jibe with my experience with one of the subject’s past projects: Financial Freedom. I have used their services and found them to be entirely reasonable. I’m only putting that out as an observation. I am sure everything Samantha Bee had to say about Mr. Mnuchin’s sleaziness was right on the money, so to speak. You can probably take this tidbit of wisdom away from the segment, regarding Financial Freedom’s principal product. If you, the official owner of a home, wish to look at a reverse mortgage, and you are the only one living in your home, you may find it to your advantage to take one. On the other hand, Grandpa, if the house is in your name and you take the same advantage, Grandma will be tossed out into the street, shortly after you move in with the angels. But then, they tell you that up-front.

The third segment, as it often is, was the weakest of the three, consisting of an interview with former Russian journalist Masha Gessen. OK, it wasn’t terrible, but it was more depressing than comedic, and I’m not quite sure how informative it was. What, you say Putin and Trump are bad news? I am shocked, I say, shocked!

Finally, the little blurb at the end was better than it has been recently. True, it contained a plug, but it also contained a nice bit of comedy as the spoonful of sugar that helps the other part go down. All in all, not a bad show.

 

Full Frontal, TBS, January 18, 2017

 

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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.