Episode Report Card M. Giant: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Break It Down
By M. Giant | Season 15 | Episode 2 | Aired on 10.04.2009
Zev and Justin are off at 6:04, with Meghan and Cheyne out at 6:10 and Maria and Tiffany right behind them at 6:11. All three of them hit the village, and end up together in a group as Justin finds a local who a) speaks English, b) tells them it's a two-hour taxi ride to Ho Chi Minh City, and c) is even willing to call a cab for them. Shouldn't she call three?
Mika and Canaan take off at 6:14, in eighth place. By the time they're in town, Zev and Justin are in their cab and officially in third place. Meghan and Cheyne are in fourth, with Maria and Tiffany in fifth. So I guess the local did call three cabs. I hope they appreciate the hospitality in My Tho, which might as well be called Your Tho.
Marcy and Ron are leaving in ninth place at 6:15. It never bodes well when the oldest team is at the back of the pack. As they leave, there's a solo interview with Marcy, in which she talks about how her father, a General Robert Malloy, was shot down over Vietnam in 1968. Obviously he was rescued, because according to my research, at the time he was only a colonel. Marcy figures he survived his ordeal by "sheer adrenalin, will and determination. I've always thought that's what I am made of." Okay, by that logic, I was in the Navy with Tom Hanks's character in Apollo 13.
Dan continues to be a complete Debbie Downer, but they finally get a cab and head off to Ho Chi Minh City in 6th place. Even Sam is whispering, "Dammit." Although it's hard to tell whether that's because they've fallen in rank or because he failed to ditch Dan.
Lance yells, "English?" until a woman comes up to them, probably just to shut him up. When Keri asks, "Where's that dragon theater," she's like, "Go to Ho Chi Minh City!" with a barely-unspoken "Duh!" They learn it's a two-hour ride, but at least they've walked far enough by now that they're able to quickly get a cab. "It's like being dropped on the planet Mars," Lance complains in the taxi, "because we don't know where we were dropped off at." I've heard it's much harder to get a taxi on Mars.
Marcy uses a whistle to flag down a passing cab. Mika just uses her waving arms and her voice, but both women and their partners are soon on their way. "Sounds like you gotta try and charm the dragon puppet," Canaan misreads their clue. Mika says she'll kiss it. "Uh, yeah," Canaan stammers uncomfortably, making a mental note to get a clue to stick down his pants at the earliest opportunity.
Finally, Brian and Ericka leave at 6:29, in last place but less than 45 minutes behind the leaders. It's anyone's leg at this point (well, except Lance and Keri's, obviously). They're happy to be going to Ho Chi Minh City, and seem to get a cab almost instantly. So far so good.