Episode Report Card Sara M: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Monkey Sex And Strumpets
By Sara M | Season 2 | Episode 20 | Aired on 04.26.1998
Upstairs, RevCam tells Ruthie that he got her the tickets. She goes to change into the dress and says she'll be back in a "monosecond." Mary and Lucy come in, and Mary -- overjoyed to finally seem, even if she'll never be, smarter than Ruthie -- corrects her by saying that she means "nanosecond." Lucy and Mary then lay compliments on RevCam so that he'll agree to let them have dates over to watch movies. RevCam thwarts their stupid plan when he tells them to ask their mother. Their faces fall. In unison, of course.
Simon enters the house, and tries to sneak around, but RevCam catches him and says that he wants to talk to Simon after the Snappy show. Simon doesn't see a need for this. RevCam creepily says that there's some "new information that [they] should go over together." RevCam, the only parent in the universe who's excited at the prospect of talking to his kids about sex. Ruthie runs downstairs and Annie comes in to see them off to the show. She reminds them to come home soon so they can see Matt and Connie off to the prom. RevCam says that he'll try, but they are invited backstage. Annie puts on her sad clown face and wonders if this is a good idea. RevCam tells her not to be jealous and they leave.
Annie waddle-walks into the living room, where she compulsive-disorderly rearranges the couch cushions as Mary and Lucy come in. They ask if she wants help, which immediately alerts Annie that they want something, since no one in this rude-ass family ever offers help or compliments unless he or she has an ulterior motive. Mary and Lucy ask if two guys from school can come over and watch a movie. They say that because they've never met the guys before, they want to have a date at the CamPound instead of going out. That way, if "anything happens," their parents will be in the next room. I have visions of Annie and RevCam spying on their daughters through eyeholes in family portraits on the living room wall, hoping desperately to catch some steamy couch make-out scenes.
Matt and Connie come in. Connie holds up a small brown paper bag containing her underwear and says that this is all she has for the prom. Matt quotes from Star Wars, and does George Lucas even care about preserving his franchise's good name anymore? Annie demands that her daughter-slaves and Connie get to work, then stops on the way out of the living room to admire the green velvet curtains. And if you think that this isn't followed by her ripping the curtains off the wall and a musical montage of measuring and dress making, then you're probably watching a different show. There are two odd things about this montage: first is that the music played is ska music, which seems too modern and alternative for this show's soundtrack, and second is that when Annie measures Connie's bust, she takes a second to look into Connie's eyes and smile. Hand-held camera shots of Annie sewing and Mary and Lucy applying make-up do little to add spontaneity to the scene, although the shot of Annie sewing in fast-motion while we see the sun going down through the window shade was kind of cool. Throughout the entire thing, they keep cutting back to Matt napping in his bed, not doing anything to help. That just disgusts me.