by Mof Gimmers

What does Easter mean? Well, this year, it  means a few things. Firstly the pope denouncing and mooing about Judas, the ‘greedy liar’… just over two thousand years late… It also means that Jesus was seen moping around the Manchester Arndale with some has-beens from the Madchester scene. Better still, this Easter has seen news of Dominic Diamond nearly crucifying himself, but that’s another story entirely.

So, with all this resurrection and redemption floating around, it gave me great pleasure to see My Name is Earl show its funniest episode yet.

For those with lives who have missed the show, let me fill you in. Earl Hickey is a braggart. He won the lottery and then karma nearly killed him. Then, by recalling an old TV show, Hickey realises that karma can make his life better. So he goes around righting is wrongs.

This week’s episode was so funny that I’m afraid I missed half of it due to uncontrollable laughter. So much laughter in fact, that my pelvis turned into dust. And now I’m bed-bound. Forever.

Earl, played by the fantastic Jason Lee, had stolen a laptop which belonged to an attractive female professor. So he went to university to return it, and took Randy, his brother, along for the ride.

And karma bit him on his pink trashy arse.

For fear of spoiling it for anyone who taped it, let me say this. One section, which sees Earl neglecting his cosmic duties, results in a dart in the arm, frisbees and a swarm of bees. Leaving Earl looking like the gorgeous John Merrick. The sequence contains some of the most stunning comedy timing ever filmed. Along with killer gags from the rest of the cast.

I never thought I’d say it about a show, but one of the best things about ‘…Earl’ is the moral. Yep, you heard. It has a moral which really works. It never borders on saccharine, and never preaches. It just makes you laugh so much that by the end, your face is redder than a beet, and all your teeth have fallen out, and trundled under the sofa.

It’s worth it though.