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OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: From what I'm told, the preview to this episode had half of Canada thinking that it was the series finale. Those in the know (as I'm happy to say I was) would not have been fooled because Corner Gas got an 88-episode distribution deal in the States and this was only the 69th episode of the show, but let's play along anyway. In this episode, Hank comes up with an idea to increase tourism (one much worse than the one he came up with in first-season episode "World's Biggest," it should be noted) and everyone jumps on board (which should have given away the gag for those not aware of the distribution deal right there). Even though the gag was transparent enough to the point where I can't believe anyone could have still been buying it towards the end of the episode, this episode was very well done and is well above average. It's not as good of a season-ender as the second season's Harvest Dance, but it's close - and is definitely better than the episodes that ended the first and third seasons.
By the way, for those who didn't smell a rat when Lacey and Brent approved of Hank's idea, anyone should have been able to figure out the whole thing when the Pump 'n' Go rep told Brent that the prairie dog / gopher idea was really taking off.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: Stephen Harper's cameo. This was a major secret up to its airing, and wasn't as good as those of Paul Martin, Lorne Calvert and Adrienne Clarkson), but I give major kudos to any politician of this stature for showing up on a comedy series, and the fact that Corner Gas got two consecutive Prime Ministers (as well as a former Governor General and other significant dignitaries) to appear on the show is a true testimony to the impact the show has on Canada. Let's hope it catches on in the States just as well.
MEMORABLE LINE: There were a lot of them in this episode, but I'll limit it to four. The first was Lacey's "You know, I hate to say it, but I think Hank is on to something" (followed by Brent's "Me too - good job, Hank"). The level of enthusiasm towards an idea so lame and so unlikely to increase tourism should have made it clear to anyone watching that Hank was still in thought mode and that the "series finale" scam was in fact a scam. At any rate, this scene is the one that gives away the joke, which makes it as memorable as any other line in the episode for me.
The second was Brent's "Really? Wow, that network will put anything on the air." He's referring to CTV, the network that airs Corner Gas in real life.
The third was Davis saying "I thought his concession speech was very brave." It's standard media and political practice, at least in the States anyway, to give such credit to anyone who loses an election, whether the speech is any good or not. As evidence, I submit the last few concession speeches after U.S. presidential elections (Bush 41, Dole, Gore and Kerry), all of which were pure drivel but universally praised in the media nonetheless. Jimmy Carter's and Walter Mondale's concession speeches sucked too, but I had to look up those ones to confirm my assertion - Carter's took place before I even knew the difference between the political left and the political right, and Mondale's took place before I started giving a rat's ass. Both of these crappy speeches were also praised to the skies, and they both sucked royally. Clich� after clich� is the pattern in all of them, and almost any literate political junkie on a barstool could have written any of them. Fitzy's concession speech, of course, was something different entirely - but what Davis said is something we here in the States hear from countless media sources every election year.
The fourth was when Lacey said "Well, that is very interesting - considering that I don't have a sister." Gabrielle definitely has at least one sister, as anyone familiar with the Vela Microboard would know. I have no idea as to whether or not this was one of the crew's inside jokes, but it was memorable nonetheless.
The most memorable moment of the above? It's a tie between the first two. Brent's shot at CTV was the funniest, but Lacey's line gave away the gag (which makes it at least as memorable).
KUDOS TO GABRIELLE: She gets a rare chance to do relatively serious non-comedic Corner Gas acting in this episode and handles it perfectly. Her performance as Lacey was saying goodbye to people in Dog River was just stunning. Each hug Lacey gave, along with each word she said and her final glimpse of the sign on top of The Ruby, would have been more than worthy of any dramatic production that's ever been made. Her comedic performance was superb as well, but the farewell scene was really something else. I've always been amazed by actors who can cry at will (I can't, and I've tried), and I know there are no shortage of those that can do it, but that skill alone doesn't carry you through a scene - even a non-actor like me knows that you've got to bring a lot more to the table than that to truly nail a scene. This is precisely what Gabrielle does in the episode, and she does it to perfection.
FUNNIEST LINE IN THIS EPISODE: From a strictly "laugh out loud" standpoint, it was Seamus O'Regan's sarcastic "Oh, would that we could" in response to Wanda's "Now, of course, I do not want to get into a big discourse about morphology."
For me personally, though, the funniest line was "If you take a problem gambler's money away, problem solved..." by Oscar. This is an extremely obtuse way of looking at the problem, but it made me laugh pretty hard, because although Oscar's analysis is way off (problem gamblers often tend to turn to other forms of crime to cover their losses), and although I have no interest in gambling myself (other than the occasional office football pool or March NCAA bracket), I don't want something to be illegal for EVERYONE just because SOME people might abuse it. Everyone I know who gambles bets within his limits, and those who don't are a minority that shouldn't be allowed to ruin things for everyone else who wants to do it. If we outlaw everything that CAN be abused, there are lots and lots of things that all of us enjoy every day that we could lose. Not that this is the best example out there, but if you want to know what I mean you should rent a copy of the 1993 film "Demolition Man" (Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Denis Leary). I don't know about Canada, but in the States the film is in the discount bin - you could probably buy a new DVD copy for roughly what it'd cost to rent it. At any rate, Oscar and I have one thing in common - we're both extremely against the Nanny State - but Oscar always sums things up in a hilarious way that I'd never think of when talking about things such as gambling, traffic lights and so on. This particular way of arguing the gambling point from Oscar is the last weapon I'd bring to the debate table, but it sure was funny to hear. It always makes me crack up to hear Oscar take a stand I agree with and then use the most dimwitted logic imaginable to support it.
FUNNIEST SCENES IN THIS EPISODE:
1.) Karen saying "Geez, I don't normally slam Hank, but it's just so easy."
2.) Lacey's reaction to Brent's suggestion of playing pinochle for matchsticks.
3.) When Hank mispronounced "Seamus."
4.) Seamus's "Oh, would that we could."
5.) Emma's interview.
6.) Beverly intentionally mispronouncing "Seamus."
7.) Lacey bluffing her way through her answer to Wanda's question about the show, Wanda catching her in the act and then complimenting her.
8.) Brent's reaction upon learning that selling his gas station would get him a new shirt.
9.) The sight of Wanda in a Pump 'N' Go shirt.
10.) Oscar's reaction to the idea of selling the station to Pump 'N' Go.
11.) Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying that neither prairie dogs or gophers were given the respect they deserve under the previous liberal government.
12.) Beverly's reaction to Wanda saying "Oh, but I've got more fun facts."
13.) Wanda's answer to Seamus asking "So, what will Emma Leroy bring to the office of mayor?"
14.) Wanda's signoff to Beverly.
15.) Fitzy's "brave" concession speech.
16.) Karen's "Stand down, Constable" to Davis.
17.) The imaginary scene in which Emma gives Davis a pony.
18.) Seeing Davis as a Wullerton (*spit!*) cop.
19.) When Seamus calls security on Beverly.
20.) When Lacey calls Oscar a jackass during their goodbye hug.
NOTES:
1.) Brent refers to Doyle Brunson in the episode. Brunson is a poker legend who is one of the few players to win consecutive main events at the World Series of Poker. He did that in 1976 and 1977, but remains active and successful today. He was the first person to reach $1 million in career tournament winnings, and as of this writing nobody has won more World Series of Poker bracelets than he has (he's won 10, tied with two other players).
2.) For those too young to remember, Fitzy's "concession speech" is a reference to what Richard Nixon said on his way out, and Fitzy's gesture with the peace signs (along with the scowling facial expression) was a reference to Nixon as well.
3.) For my American readers, Canada AM is a real show, and the hosts you see in this episode - Seamus O'Regan and Beverly Thomson - are both actually hosts on the show.
4.) Wanda's claim that the Greek national anthem ("Hymn to Liberty") has 158 verses (stanzas, actually) is correct - however, officially and in public practice (such as during Olympic ceremonies and the like), the first two stanzas serve as the official anthem.
5.) The song you hear as Lacey says goodbye to Hank, Oscar, Emma and Brent is "Bad Timing" by Blue Rodeo, from the band's 1993 "Five Days in July" album. New CD copies are readily available on eBay, and as of this writing a few copies are left on amazon.com and amazon.ca. Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band which has been releasing albums since 1987 and whose most recent album was released in 2005.