Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews…
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (S03E04) Kimmy Goes to College!
Airdate: May 19, 2017
Ratings: @netflix only @unbreakablekimmyschmidt
Score: 8/10
**********SPOILERS BELOW**********
If ‘Kimmy Can’t Help You’ was the darker end of 'Kimmy Schmidt’s rainbow, then 'Kimmy Goes to College’ is sliding back to the brighter, opposite end of the Rainbow Road. We might not get Laura Dern, but Kimmy & Titus discovering the wonderful world of 'Task Rabbit’ (sans all the 'porns’), gives both main characters a push into positive directions for both of their characters in their main story arcs… While Lillian’s subplot & entertaining filibuster acts as a centralized cog for both arcs and Jacqueline’s big moment is followed by a rotating absence as she and her Washington Redskins’ saga are nowhere to be found. Honestly, that’s probably for the best as there is a whole lot of groundwork laid out in this 4th episode. Packing it any tighter would’ve definitely been a mistake. While not everyone is included, this is a pretty damn good recipe for a great episode of UKS and hard evidence that the show continues to gear up to take off.
Titus lands a $100 an hour job singing backup vocals for some pretty risqué politically charged songs written by an always hilariously & pseudo creepy Judah Friedlender who plays a controversial song writer & producer, Gordy… A man who champions ideals like 'Milk has an expiration date, We should do that with the elderly’, 'Flouride! Fluoride makes children gay!’, 'Barack Jewsain Obama… He’s a Muslim Jew!’ and even ones as far reaching as 'The Supreme Court wears robes to hide their octopus bodies!’ Titus remained unphased by most of the lyrics even asking Gordy 'Did I pop the P in Hillary Murdered Nicole Brown Simpson?’ Yet the actual song Titus has the biggest problem swallowing is a song celebrating 'Boobs in California’. With the help of Lillian (Carol Kane) and her sworn arch nemeses Peter Riegert (Artie Goodman), enemies that have much more in common than Lillian would like to admit, they encourage Titus to follow his dreams in lieu of sacrificing a bit of Artistic Integrity… And we can get one helluva Titus Andromedon Music Video. What more could we ask for?
Kimmy attacks her 'Task Rabbit’ duties with all the usual enthusiasm and upbeat attitude we’ve come to expect from the now truly bonafide unbreakable 'Unbreakable’ star… One of her tasks even including standing in as a fake girlfriend for a man who’s been lying to his family for the last 10 years… They gladly buy it, because you know, the Canadian Army! Kimmy gets a job from Paige (Olivia Khoshatefah) at Columbia University to assemble rowing exercise equipment. Coincidentally, and don’t you just live coincidences, Xanthippe Voorhees (Dylan Gelula) is Paige’s roommate. As Xan’s old Nanny, Kimmy’s maternal instincts kick in when she sees the All Female Rowing team, who is immediately and unquestionably sympathetic to Kimmy’s random admission that her name is Tony Ravioli (as they assume she’s a transgendered 'handy person’), being cruel to Xan because she’s white, rich, and privileged… And literally lives in the dormitory named after her family, complete with their family crest. The irony isn’t lost on anyone… Excluding the actual SJW’s in the commenting section over at the AV Club, who apparently have a hard time wrapping their brain around this satire. Yes people, the more we define each other outside of our actions, the more damage is done to our world… No matter your race, sexuality, religion, or amount of money in your bank account (or even how it got there).
Kimmy assembles their rowing machine and shows off her rowing skills after a big speech admitting she actually Kimmy (Not Tony) and Xan’s friend. Obviously Kimmy obtained those wicked rowing skills from that famous crank we’ve seen throughout the series that the all the women trapped in the bunker with Kimmy turned constantly, unknowingly giving power to The Reverend’s Secret Man Cave. What doesn’t kill ya, ammirite? Later Xan gets drunk off 'Hard Lenonade’ that Kimmy accidentally buys her thinking it was non-alcoholic. In a drunken rage Xan throws rocks at her family’s crest on the outside of the building, promoting her sex-positive RA Sheryl (Tami Sagher) to take Xan to the Dean… That’s Dean Koontz, y'all (Not really, it’s Vin Knight). Instead of disciplining Xan, they applaud her for her bravery… Now the show has managed to satire both ends of 'Classism’, 'White Privilege’, and 'SJW’s & the ironic self-deprecation and hypocritical aspects of a PC World championed by a group who’s main focus is Social Freedom. That’s pretty savage for writers of '30 Rock’! That’s when Kimmy gets her big break… Coach Tannen (Catherine Curtin - 'Insecure’, 'OITNB’) and her SJW Rowing Team burst into the office and demand that Kimmy attend Columbia (No, not Columbia House) on a full athletic scholarship. When you’re Kimmy and you do the right thing… I guess good things do happen to good people, even if they had to endure hell first.
