25 Days of Christmas Episodes – Day 5: My Name is Earl – “White Lie Christmas”
And so, in order to save Christmas, Earl sets about lying to Joy’s parents. At night, Darnell slips in through the window, and Earl goes home for some rest. Eventually, he walks in on Joy’s mother Connie, who it turns out does not need the wheelchair that she’s used for the last year. She’s faking her kidney problems so that she can get dialysis money from her husband and then use it to gamble. Earl agrees to keep her secrets, saving Christmas once again.
Catalina wins the car contest, but she’s ineligible for the prize since she’s in the country illegally. (Surprisingly, this fact wasn’t mentioned until this episode.) This means second place Randy wins the Neon, which Earl leaves at Joy’s trailer in the night. Before anybody else even wakes up, Connie has already taken the car to the Indian casino and lost it on a spin of the roulette wheel.
And then, in a great scene, everybody’s secrets come out. Connie can walk and has a gambling problem. Joy’s not married to Earl. And Buzz isn’t a racist after all. He wouldn’t let Joy date African-Americans when she was in school, because he’d had enough affairs that the chances were fairly high of her dating a half-brother. Joy, Darnell, Buzz, Connie, and Darnell argue all night, everybody betrayed by at least one other person. When morning comes and the boys wake up, all the bickering is forgotten, as they all settle in and enjoy Christmas with the people they love. It’s really a sweet moment, as they realize how much they care about the people they’ve been lying to. I don’t know about you, but lying to loved ones spells “Christmas” to me.
Best Line – Randy: “It’s Christmas. Feliz Nabibla!”
Catalina: “That doesn’t mean anything.”
Randy: “Maybe not to you, but in America, it means ‘Merry Christmas’ in Mexican.”
Christmas Tropes:
Gifts – Besides the Dodge Neon and the new bikes for the kids, in a flashback we see what Earl gave Joy for the last three Christmases. 2002: AA Batteries 2003: Condoms 2004: Her own missing car keys.
Nativity Scene – Darnell hides out in one every night until Earl gives him the ‘all clear’ to come home. Crabman hiding behind the baby Jesus – that’s funny right there.
Celebrity guests – Harland Williams appears as the DJ, Johnny Bubblewrap. (“KKAM – Rockin’ Camden 12 Hours a Day”) Brett Butler plays Joy’s mother.
Learning a lesson – Anybody who’s worth lying to can probably handle knowing the truth. Also, if you’re an illegal immigrant, at least learn how many digits are in a Social Security Number.
Cheer-o-meter Score: Usually, Earl has its heart in the right place without getting cloying. That’s a 9 in my book.
