Bleep My Dad Says – Two very different asshat fathers

What does $80.00 buy you? Within the confines of a Thursday night comedy, would you believe a wedding?

Yes, a wedding. Complete with ice sculpture (ermm, well … ice cubes arranged meticulously on a saucer), an elegant red carpet (hokay … not so red … butcher paper, actually), rose petals tossed behind the bride during her walk down the aisle (uhh … I mean, pilfered tulips from the neighbor’s yard tossed by the housekeeper), a bum pulled off the street that plays a mean fiddle (And for peanuts! Literally!) and a father-in-law adorned in a tie and a fishing vest.

That, folks, is what we were treated to on Bleep My Dad Says last evening. And — truth be told — it wasn’t too shabby of an episode.

We discover Vince and Bonnie were never officially married, so hasty plans are made to get them legal. With no money, frenetic arrangement and comedic moments  to spare, a ceremony is figured out. Complete with Tim the Housekeeper (Tim Bagley) doing the ceremonial honors. (seems he’s been “ordained”) And this is where the fun starts for the audience.

However, I have to moan about Vince and Bonnie. Or, respectively, Will Sasso and Nicole Sullivan. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why the writers continue to dumb down both these actors. Even for the type of comedy Bleep My Dad Says puts itself out there as, the two are just plain ridiculous. Sasso throws a tantrum face down in bed and whines like a little girl when he bemoans the fact he doesn’t look good for the wedding. Sullivan’s lines come off as trite and uninspiring. There’s nothing about the two that makes one want to dig deeper into their characters. They’re so shallow, there’s nothing there to dig for. Writers: Are you listening?

The redeeming part of the show continues to be Ed (William Shatner). Despite his quirky deliveries and “sage” advice episode to episode (which, oft times, hits the mark regardless of the manner in which it’s conveyed), he comes out clean as a whistle. Especially this time around where he’s the hero standing in for Bonnie’s father Terry (Ed Begley, Jr.), a sad sack of a man who is consumed with a gambling addiction so grand he ends up blowing off his own daughter’s wedding … again. What an ass. (But a spiffy role for Begley, Jr.)

There are aspects of this show I really enjoy. It’s escapism at its finest: You don’t have to think at all — you simply have to chuckle at the right moments.

And that’s not hard to do.

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Jan 14, 2011 @ 19:04 EST5EDT