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So basically, the only thing of any "significance" that occurs in this episode is the crazy overreaction of every other team to the fact that, in accordance with the rules, Dustin and Kandice used the Yield to slow down Eric and Pink in the leg. You'd think that no one could possibly get upset about this, but the most indignant team of all is Charla and Mirna, who were not even involved. What follows is Mirna at her truly pitiable best, believing she is dispensing various spicy rejoinders when, in fact, she is making a complete idiot out of herself with her sparkling wit, evidenced by remarks like "Yield Queens." Although Mirna behaves as aggressively and as rudely as she possibly can, and although Danny and Oswald decide to throw Charla and Mirna a totally uncalled-for assist, Mirna gets dusted in her big battle with the BQs, who get themselves on the standby list ahead of her -- which doesn't really matter, since both teams get on the plane, but it was a moral victory if you don't dig Mirna. Which I don't. In Hong Kong, Danny and Oswald are adorable while taking on a movie-stunt Fast Forward, while the other teams scramble up some scaffolding while trying to avoid flying kung fu guys. Oh, yes. I'm serious. The Roadblock involves kicking doors down, at which Charla turns out to be surprisingly talented. In the end, although they mess up the Detour choice, don't read the clue, don't communicate with their taxi driver, go the wrong way, can't drive, and basically race like idiots, Charla and Mirna come in third, because Eric and Danielle can't get on a good flight and then don't race particularly well either. So Eric and Pink come in last, but are not eliminated, yawn. The entire episode is uneventful and annoying, and it's particularly depressing that there doesn't seem to be a team left besides the BQs that understands what it means to be in a competition and not take it personally. Boo. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Previously on Frankfurt, My Dear, Does Not Give A Damn: The teams proceeded to Malaysia, except for Uchenna and Joyce, who missed their too-tight connection and wound up cooling their heels in the Frankfurt airport while everybody else chomped on cookies and cycled around with old newspapers on the backs of their bikes. When the rules called for each team to decide whether to give itself an advantage over another team currently behind it, the BQs decided they would indeed give themselves that advantage, directing the disadvantage at Eric and Pink on the theory that they were (1) a threat, and (2) behind the BQs at the time. Eric and Pink, and later a typically histrionic Mirna and Charla, concluded that this was an obvious showing of bad character, because the last thing you're supposed to do in a competition is think of yourself at the expense of others. It was all academic, though, because by the time Uchenna and Joyce showed up at the pit stop, everything was long over, and they were Philiminated. Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated...?
Credits. I miss Guido so much already. [BOMP.]
Kuala Lumpur! Those two big towers! We've been here before! The supply of countries is running short! Soon, we will have to try other planets! Phil provides the Founding Trivia Of The Week, which is that this particular city was founded by tin miners. It's too bad we don't have much tin anymore. You basically only hear "piece of tin" in relation to cars that fall apart easily, which, in fairness, are rarely even made of tin. Tin needs better PR. High above the city is a mansion that served as the pit stop for the leg. Phil is still in last week's red shirt, which (spoiler!) is the best shirt he will be wearing this week by leaps and bounds. Phil wonders whether the BQs' decision to Yield Eric and Pink will have any negative consequences, and whether...well, actually, that's all he wonders. Phil is suffering from a dip in inquisitiveness.
12:28 AM. The BQs open their clue, which tells them to fly to Hong Kong. Phil says this is a little over 1500 miles, and when they get there, they'll take a taxi 22 miles to the Sun Wah Kiu Dry Cleaning & Laundry, where they'll get a clue. (Culturally Sensitive Lesson #1: Hong Kong = People Who Do Laundry!) As they leave, Dustin voices over that they don't really anticipate that they'll be best buddies with Eric and Pink, which is a good guess, because Eric and Pink are in fact Eric and Petty. Well, Petty and Petty, but that just sounds like a law firm. A really good law firm, actually. Anyway, the BQs get a cab to the airport. Dustin interviews that the Yield is really just part of the game, and of course, that's what she thinks. It's not really what anybody else thinks. The funny thing is that Dustin and Kandice were infinitely more screwed by stuff like the Intersection than Eric and Pink were by the Yield, and they stopped complaining instantly...in that they never started. Isn't that funny?
Mirna and Charla finally find the scaffolding address. As they run toward the task, Mirna says, "How the heck are you going to climb that? Each step is longer than your legs!" As they get their equipment on, Mirna starts in with the broken English, saying, "One day kung fu fighting, one day fighting beauty queens." Ay yi yi. Once they get going, while it's true that it's tougher for Charla because the rungs are farther apart compared to how tall she is, she scrambles up pretty well. Mirna, on the other hand, is already complaining: "Can you tell these kung fu fighters go away a little?" Yes, she would like a little less task with her task, if that's okay. As Mirna climbs, she barks at them in her affected accent, "Okay, that's enough fighting! We are trying to make love, not war!" Interesting choice of tasks, if this was going to bother her quite this much. If there's one person who brings love into the world, I would have to admit: it's Mirna.
As Eric and Pink look for the dry cleaner, Pink comments that Hong Kong really reminds her of New York City. It's certainly big and busy. Maybe that's enough.
Mirna and Charla keep climbing. At one point, Mirna does her own "Hi-YA!" routine, only hers is more over the top (of course), so the sound effects guy puts in a bunch of fake punching noises -- what Mystery Science Theater 3000 called "the meat slammers" -- and they even speed her up a little. Cute. Of course, she has to ruin it by turning around and doing her "Hong Kong, I love you!" moment, like she's Eva Peron with fewer followers. A lot fewer. Okay, maybe she's more like Angie Peron, Eva's lesser known sister.
The BQs find their way to the Star Ferry and board, noting that it leaves every ten minutes.
Charla and Mirna finish the Detour. What's kind of a bummer is that once Charla is done, rather than hearing Charla talk about the experience, we hear Mirna talk about how Charla feels about the experience, specifically how she's there to challenge people's assumptions about what she can and can't do. Which, in this case, would specifically include Mirna's assumption, expressed repeatedly, that Charla couldn't climb the scaffolding, even after Charla specifically said she could. I'd really rather hear Charla talk about all this stuff instead of hearing Mirna go on about it, since...isn't that obviously better? Anyway, they grab the Star Ferry clue. Ironically, in the cab, Mirna speaks in complete sentences for once, telling the driver that they "need to go to the Star Ferry, to go to Hong Kong Island." Which her driver repeats back as, "Hong Kong Island, Star Ferry." As they head into a tunnel, Mirna wonders aloud whether he's really going the right way, but the driver assures her that he is.