By now, y’all already know the news that was dropped about the sudden shift in the schedule ahead of the summer season. The Great North, along with Bob’s Burgers and also Family Guy, and Grimsburg, are set to move to the Thursday timeslot starting May 29, ahead of the summer season, and this summer only. It’s not a bad decision to move it to the weekday because having to air newer episodes on a Sunday per usual would interfere with the sports programming, like the Gold Cup and the UFL. It’s just that it comes down to turnout since it is the summer season, and most people usually have summer plans and are out and about. The summer months and FOX, when it comes to the lineup, especially with the animation department, don’t go hand in hand like pineapple and pizza, I said it, fight me. Tell that to Housebroken and Duncanville about that in 2021 and 2022. So, let’s see where this little experiment goes, even though we’re only doing this because we really need to burn through the season before the new season begins around September.
In this week’s episode of The Great North, Beef and Judy decides to butt into Ham’s personal life and attempt to cheer him up after falling into a depressive state following the news of Crispin finding someone else to date as Wolf tries to shoot down a ridiculous rumor that got the townsfolk avoiding him like the plague in my spoilerific review of the tenth episode of Season 5 of The Great North, titled “Ham to Lose a Guy Remember”.
Season 5 needs to chill. Season 5 needs to chill the fuck down when it comes to the relationship department. We already had two breakups this season, one expected and one that we all thought things were going to be water under the bridge before seeing the end of an era right before our eyes that lasted for four seasons. And we’re back to that with Ham being the center focus for this week’s episode when having to deal with a depressive state that involves being wrapped in a blanket and having to binge-watch a TV show to get his mind off of things.
Dealing with a breakup is not easy. It mostly stems from having to deal with heartbreak, and that is a difficult process to get used to. Especially when getting out of a relationship that is a long-term one, and thought it was going to continue all the way to their graves, like with Ham and Crispin. It’s just that the status quo had to undergo a massive shakeup, and this was one of them, as if they were mandated to do so. It’s funny enough that it took them seven episodes for Ham to finally fall into a depressive state after coming to a mutual agreement to end the relationship just a few episodes ago, and during that time, he was doing fine. He was doing fine, and yes, we’re following the production order this time around, up until the recent announcement at the start of the episode that led to Ham falling into a depressive state.
But yeah, dealing with a breakup can be hard, and it takes time to get through it before getting back on their feet. And for Ham, it’s gonna be like that, even if he and Crispin did agree to go on a break and will likely, if we do get renewed, get back together. It’s just it’s going to take time and not rush things as if what happened earlier this season didn’t happen. Don’t be like how Season 3 of Rick and Morty was handled regarding the divorce story plot. Give it time. Give it a season or two if we do get renewed. Make it happen, FOX. I’m not going to say it again, even if it’s on a blog post and not on a YouTube or TikTok video/Instagram reel. That being said, we might as well break the episode down piece by piece in this little series of events with this episode. This is “Ham to Lose a Guy Adventure”.
The episode starts with a TV show being shown for a bit that involves a group of students, five guys to be exact, at a private school, and you can already guess that it’s pretty much your typical scripted drama show, your typical teen/young adult drama show where shit happens inside and out of school as what Hollywood would paint as what high school life would be like in compares to what you face what high school life was like in reality. Think shows like One Tree Hill, Dawson’s Creek, Degrassi, or... I guess Euphoria for today’s times, but going for more like the classics back in the day. The name of the show that Ham is watching when being in a depressive state is called “Pancakes and Feelings Club”. Which, the name of the show alone almost gets some flashbacks to various times we've seen a show within a show, to the Crying Breakfast Friends from Steven Universe. I had to get this dumb thought out of my head when typing this. And speaking of Ham in a depressive state when watching this show...
We have Ham in a depressive state, watching the show. Not looking good for the guy since the breakup a few episodes ago with Crispin. But that doesn't seem to be the case for why Ham is in the state that he is at the start of the episode. The breakup isn't what caused him to be depressed, but it has something to do with Crispin. According to Beef, Crispin found a new guy after moving on from Ham. And that, of course, upsets Ham and causes him to wrap himself in a blanket and watch his shows to where we are currently in the episode.
What’s funny about all of this is that we know that Ham and Crispin broke up earlier this season, right? It was a mutual breakup at that, with both of them testing the water on their own to try out the free market in the relationship department. Ham, between the end of “Bots on the Side Adventure” to right now in this episode, was doing fine. Up on his feet, and has no problem whatsoever despite nearly being attacked by Lone Moose’s biggest hater in the form of a rodent, and had trouble getting on his feet at the skating rink. Things were going dandy for the guy after the breakup, a mutual one at best, and thought that he quickly moved on and is waiting for the right moment for him and Crispin to get back together.
The fact that we see Ham in this episode in a depressive state upon hearing the news that Crispin found a new boyfriend in Sean is odd. It almost feels like it’s the writers' way of saying they’re starting to regret breaking Ham and Crispin up earlier this season. It’s not like Ham, after hearing the news and seeing that his ex-boyfriend is with another guy, mind you, after they broke up earlier this season, still has feelings for Crispin, and whether or not he might be planning on winning him back, which would make the single life feel rushed and would have to treat this little arc like it’s the divorce subplot from Season 3 of Rick and Morty. That has to be the only answer for why Ham is acting like this at the start of this episode after hearing that Crispin is with another guy, despite that they both mutually agreed to go on a break and test out the free market. And mind you, Hamuel...
This all started with you falling for an animatronic yeti at your part-time job because you got the notion from Judy that he had never tasted the single life before meeting Crispin. The week of that part-time job that led to the foundation of your relationship crumbling to the ground, leading up to getting caught kissing a robot that resembles a furry cryptid. He’s still not beating the furry allegations to this day. That week of trying to fight your feelings for someone else who is not Crispin, even if it’s an animatronic, is what led to the breakup at the end of that episode. And besides, if anyone is partially to blame, and I know it’s a reach and a long one at that, for the downfall of that relationship...
It’s Judy. You had to bring up that he never had the taste of the single life and feeling a bit jealous that he found, or had found, a soulmate for the long run, while she is still in the single life. Granted, she did have a point that Ham had never had the taste of falling for someone before Crispin came into the picture, other than looking at a guy in a tractor magazine, which led to him realizing that he’s gay and Crispin was his first serious relationship that lasted for four seasons before this season rolls around. But did you really have to say stuff like not having the taste of single life and bringing up the animatronic yeti as a prime example that got Ham to start falling for the bot, despite at the time he was with Crispin? I’m not in a relationship, I don’t give a shit that if I end up with a girl or a guy as long as they’re not an asshole, so I pretty much don’t have a say in that matter other than it’s a complicated thing that you might as well treat it as a choose your own adventure game where consequences is the set of prizes left in the ground.
Beef calls Judy up to the panic room, where they talk about Ham’s current state. They are worried about the guy and his well-being upon the news that Crispin found another boyfriend while he’s there, sitting and lying on the couch, and sulking while watching TV. And they should be, because according to Beef, Ham picked the wrong time to fall into a depressive state because when it comes to the any of the twelve months of the year for Lone Moose, February is depressive as fuck. Sure, Valentine’s Day is there... unless you’re Ham, and also the Super Bowl, but yeah, February is a depressive month out of the twelve for the year. Although I’m sure y’all would call cap on that one and say it’s probably January is the depressive month, since it’s the first month of the new year, but it’s also in the heart of winter. But Ham, according to Beef, was the Tobins’ positive member of the bunch who always had a positive outlook on life. A ray of sunshine to survive through the month that is now covered in thick layers of clouds because he got out of a relationship, and now hearing that his ex-boyfriend is with another man.
So depressed that he’s willing to skip out on the town’s upcoming talent show, and I had to pull out the transcript for this one because that is a word twister right there, the Lone Moose Toast of the Town Toasty Town Talent-tacular Talent Show. Or the T.T.T.T.T.T.S. for short... or just say the talent show so don’t have to fuck up saying the event’s name. It was the only beacon of light out of the depressive mood for Lone Moose and for the Tobins. And if that’s not problematic enough for the Beef and Judy, since they’re dealing with a depressed Ham, the event is only a few days away. This leads Beef and Judy to decide to get Ham off the couch to get his mind off of everything and get back on his feet once they leave the panic room. In short, they’re going to force Ham to be happy and get his mind off the gutter. Yeah, like that would ever work for someone who is currently knee deep in a romantic slump.
We go out of the house and into the store with Wolf and Honeybee, getting some food, when out of nowhere, people in the store and presumably the town start to avoid Wolf as if he had the plague. Starting with Vera, though, it’s technically Vera being Vera, so that’s practically normal to the course. But once the other townsfolk start seeing him as if he has a demon hiding inside him, starting with a mother pulling her daughter away from Wolf, and the other townsfolk talking behind his back, Wolf and Honeybee question why all of a sudden they decide to treat him (Wolf) like a second class citizen.
This leads us to Cheesecake’s trailer in the next scene, with Wolf asking Cheesecake what is going on and why people are talking and at times avoiding Wolf as if he did something wrong. And right off the bat, Cheesecake says that someone was spreading a rumor that got the town’s attention, and it revolves around Wolf as the target of the said rumor. So what’s the rumor that got people to avoid Wolf as if he had the bubonic plague? It’s revealed that there’s a rumor that Wolf eats worms. Not gummy worms, but actual worms. The mysterious person accuses Wolf of going to the bait shop and buying a bucket of worms, and instead of taking it to the boat for fishing, the accuser accuses Wolf of going to the back of the shop and eating it like it’s a bowl of spaghetti. Yeah, just reading about it makes you sick in your stomach as if we’re about to expect another pandemic to come out from this. The type of shit that makes RFK Jr feel giddy since the worms are pretty much raw. Wolf denies the rumor. Stating that he had never eaten worms in his life, and brought up that he had been held down by a bully back when he was young, by having a caterpillar on his lips. Barely tasting it. But that’s behind the point; the rumor had been spread like wildfire, and Wolf is pretty much stuck living with the accusations for the rest of the episode.
Going into the next scene and already it seems we’re in the new day with Judy and Beef coming downstairs to get Ham out of the couch after deciding that he should get his ass up and pushes him to get this mood up and out of his depressive funk. Didn’t take long for Ham for once to get up on his feet and take up Judy and Beef’s offer to join them to go across town in their attempt to cheer him up, but with a few demands before leaving the house: he has to continue wrap himself in a blanket, he’s gonna be stuck wearing his sleepwear when going out. Meaning that he won’t wash up and get a change of clothes. And also, he has to continue watching his show on the phone since that’s his only source of entertainment to get through everything he is going through. The two Tobins agreed...
And they’re trying their best in attempting to cheer Ham up when dragging him to certain places to cheer him up. They’re trying their best here. Whether it’s at the movie theater to watch a movie, going to a Hibachi restaurant, or at a trampoline park, funny enough, that it’s the same trampoline park site where, back in Season 3 was just a construction site where Moon buried the coconut that he drew a face on and declare it as his brother, not one smile on Ham’s face throughout the trip. However, once we get to the laser tag place...
It looks like a slight smile is starting to form. Judy noticed the smile that was forming on Ham’s face, signaling that he was slowly getting out of the funk that he was currently in. A sign that shit is about to be sweet and is finally going to get Crispin out of his mind. And a game of laser tag might be the trick to cheer the guy up, and he is about to be up on his feet and off the couch and leaving his show behind. Things were about to go great for Ham and both Beef and Judy for the rest of the day... if it weren’t for the fact that we’re only five minutes into the episode and about to wrap up the first act of the episode. Mind you, the first freaking act of the episode and only five minutes in.
We see a cameo of Crispin with his new boyfriend Sean walking by, and he happens to be in the same building as the Tobins. Talk about bad, bad timing for the Tobins and especially Ham, who is now planning on going back to the couch and in a depressive state once the family heads back home. Once again, the way Ham reacts to Crispin having a new boyfriend after they both agreed to have a mutual break a few episodes ago almost feels like the writers are starting to show signs of regret in making the decision. Like letting your star player go to another team and go on a run type of regret. Looking at you, New York Giants and Dallas Mavericks. So, all that progress has been wasted because it is only the first act of the episode. We’re five minutes in. It’s too soon for Ham to get on his feet. So now, ending the first act of the episode...
To the start of the second act of the episode with the kids are being dropped off at school. Surprising that they allow Ham to go to school while being in a depressive state and not allow him to stay at home for the day... or a few days. Especially when having to come across Crispin in the classroom or the lunchroom. Yeah, March 2, 2025, for the Crispham shippers (people who ship Ham and Crispin) was pretty much their 9/11. It was their 9/11. And after seeing Crispin with Sean, that led Ham to fall back to his depressive state, as we saw at the start of the episode, Beef and Judy now realize that in order to get Ham back to his positive state so they don’t feel uneasy and uncomfortable to survive through the month, they need to set him up with a new guy.
It’s obvious that him being depressed on the couch is all caused by the news of Crispin getting a new boyfriend and him struggling to get back in the saddle, so Beef and Judy think that pairing him up with another guy should be the way to go. Or... or... or... and hear me out on this one, leave him be. Y’all are pretty much pushing him out of the slump instead of giving him time. Y’all are treating this as if he plans on offing himself, which is not the case at all. Especially when having to tackle the guy, just get him off of his bed so he can get ready to go to school, that led to Judy having her hand bandaged and quite the bite coming from Ham in retaliation. But Judy knows a guy named Ezra, in her attempt to pair Ham up. And Beef plans on doing the same by bringing in his friend’s kid named Casey.
Back to the subplot we go, hours later, after school, with Wolf calling for a crisis meeting with only Honeybee, Moon, and Dirt in attendance for the said meeting about a crisis that Wolf is dealing with, hence, why it's called a crisis meeting. And, of course, it all ties in with the rumor that he tries to deny that he eat worms and wants to prove to the town that it’s all bullshit. Though what Moon is saying isn’t helping Wolf’s case when wanting to shoot the rumor down. Honeybee steps in and tells Wolf that he should face the rumor head-on so that everyone can forget it. And they do so by bringing everyone but Beef, Judy, and Ham, to dinner outside of the house. Human food, to be exact, so that he can tell the townsfolk that him eating worms is nothing more than fake news.
Going back to the main house with Judy and Beef preparing for Ezra and Casey’s visit, so Ham can choose either of the two to be his new boyfriend, and what better way to do that is to have a private game night in the living room. Judy texted Ham to go downstairs for a surprise waiting for him. It didn’t take long for Ham to go downstairs and meet up with his sister and father, thinking that she had found the lost episode of Pancakes and Feelings Club, before finding out that he was called down to participate in game night with a few guests who would be dropping by. And speaking of the incoming guests paying Ham a visit for game night...
Here are the two people that Judy and Beef invited respectfully, with Judy’s invite, Ezra, voiced by Sam Pancake, who’s in Judy’s improv and has a habit of positively complimenting people, so in short, a glazer; and Beef’s invite, Casey... who is not a boy in Ham’s age but instead, is a 36-year-old lesbian who is a geologist and is also Beef’s friend’s daughter. So I guess the son isn’t available, and Casey would have to be the fill-in for this game night.
They have quite a game night in their attempt to find Ham a date. Nothing says a little meet-up like playing a board game, as if this is how people in the 1950s would do when finding someone new in life, like it’s a night at a bingo hall. Casey leaves the house as she is being picked up, leaving Ezra as the lone individual in the Ham relationship sweepstakes, as if Judy found a new boy for Ham to date ahead of the Vatican planning on getting a new Pope in the coming weeks. RIP to a real one in Pope Francis.
And I’m not kidding about the fact that Ezra is a glazer when saying positive compliments, like it’s a habit of his. He compliments on everything from the house to Judy to, of course, Ham, who had to sit next to him throughout the whole night. To the point where Ezra, without asking a question via invite, decides to take Ham as his date for the talent show. Which, for Judy, it’s a score for her that she may have matched her brother up with another guy that should get him out of the slump. But Ham, however, he doesn’t want any of this; he rescinds Ezra’s invitation and storms back upstairs to his room. But if you think that the whole plan to match Ham with another guy just to get Crispin out of his mind would fall flat on Judy and Beef’s face, Judy has a trick up her sleeve to not let the plan go to waste. Pulling out her phone, and opens up a teen dating site for her to create a profile for Ham to find him a match.
And it didn’t take long for Ham to notice a flood of notifications interrupting this show while sulking on his bed from the dating app that Judy set up for him to use, which I question how the fuck Judy got a hold of Ham’s e-mail that led to him getting a flurry of notifications popping up while watching his show but regardless, Ham saw the notifications from the teen dating app that magically appeared on his phone from Judy’s and already getting annoyed with what his sister and faher are doing in trying to push him out of his funk. And rather than trying to ignore everything that Judy and Beef are doing and should be what they’re supposed to be doing, which is to leave him alone and let him process...
He decides to play Beef and Judy’s little game by clicking one of the notifications from the teen dating app for a profile that belonged to a guy named Kenzie, and ends up pressing the camera button for a late-night chat. Plotting to give Judy and Beef a taste of their own medicine in retaliation for butting into his business during his days of sulking and their attempts to push him out of his depressive funk. And a choice that is going to give Beef and Judy a hard time going into the second half of the episode.
We switch over to the restaurant with Wolf, Honeybee, Moon, and Dirt getting a nice, normal dinner at the Russian restaurant for Wolf to have a nice, normal dinner so that he can prove to everyone that the whole rumor of him eating worms is nothing more than bullshit. Apparently, him ordering a plate of fettuccine doesn’t help his case to dispel the rumor train to park at the station. Because fettuccine has noodles. What looked like noodles? Worms. In the same way, some people don’t want to drink apple juice because of how it looks in the glass and how it looks similar to pee. Hell, I’m one of them and never touched a glass or box of apple juice. I’m a picky eater, sue me. But Wolf ordering the plate seems not to help his case. Especially when taking a few bites and looking like a mess with the sauce and leftover noodles spreading around his mouth like how a toddler would eat.
Also, gotta put this out there, it looks like Mrs. Tuntley got a new voice actress, or an understudy filling in, for this episode, and hopefully this episode only, and not a permanent thing. It’s not Megan Mullally voicing Dorothy for this episode, and instead, it’s an actress named Anne Yatco who is taking the mic for the character. And for voice-by-voice comparison, it sort of sounded like Mullally when doing the character, but the difference is there when it comes to how she sounds and when having to compare the two actresses voicing the character.
So, after that little mishap that didn’t help Wolf’s case in trying to shut the rumor down, going back to the cabin late at night with Wolf and Honeybee getting ready to go to sleep after Wolf making an ass of himself because he thought a night out to the restaurant would help him get the people to forget about the rumor but what happened back there didn’t help his case and instead, pretty much makes things worse for the guy. Honeybee suggests that Wolf can try again tomorrow to shut the rumor down, but unless there’s another rumor that overshadows the current one with Wolf as the victim, it looks like he’s stuck being the victim of the rumor. Just as Wolf and Honeybee are about to give each other a good night kiss before going to sleep, it looks like Honeybee’s mind decided to play games with her for a bit by seeing a worm crawling out of Wolf’s mouth as if they’re about to kiss Lady and the Tramp style in the most disgusting way possible. Causing her to skip the kiss and go for the handshake before going to sleep.
On the next day, we go with only Beef, Judy, and Moon at the breakfast table as they prepare to deal with another day of Ham sulking and having to fight the guy to get him ready for school for another cold and depressive February day in Lone Moose with everything frozen in place. So frozen that even the animals are caught in the freezing weather and their bodies paralyzed into ice, as according to Moon, when hearing a squirrel falling and shattering into pieces. Just as Judy prepares to tell Ham to add another layer onto him before leaving for school...
Out of nowhere, Ham is dressed back in his casual clothing and on his feet as if him in a depressive state never happened. Excited that he found a new guy, thanks in part to Judy setting him up through a teen dating app to be paired with another guy to get Crispin off his mind. Judy tells Ham if he is being sarcastic, thinking that he’s pulling Judy and Beef’s legs because he doesn’t seem too happy over the idea of the two butting into Ham’s life and pushing him off the couch just to benefit them, but Ham states that there’s no leg pulling, no tricks or traps and clearly on his feet. Not knowing that it’s exactly that since last night, when seeing the flood of notifications from the dating app that Judy set up for him to use. And so it begins for Ham to give Judy and Beef a taste of their own medicine as he tells the two and Moon that he’ll be bringing his newfound boy toy, Kenzie, to dinner later tonight. And even though Judy and Beef should be glad that Ham has found another guy for him to no longer become a free agent, this is where this shit is about to completely bite them in the ass and bite them hard as we soon find out who Kenzie is. The profile picture alone speaks for itself.
Hours later, at the mall and all eyes are on Wolf as he, along with Honeybee, Moon, and Dirt, takes a stroll through the building following what happened last night at the restaurant, which ends up adding more fuel to the fire of the rumor and making things uncomfortable for Wolf since he is the victim to all of this and just wants it to end and to find out who started it in the first place. He gets a phone call from a mysterious voice, only to end up being Cheesecake, who is calling next to him, who finally figured out who started the rumor in the first place. And it’s revealed that it’s none other than Mayor Peppers himself who lights the flame to make Wolf the victim. How does Cheesecake know that Peppers was the one who started the rumor? Because he told him to his face without hesitation or trying to divert the question, so he doesn’t have to answer it. It’s just saying, “Oh yeah, no. I started the rumor. No bullshitting. I did it and got the whole town’s attention.” Upsetting Wolf and now has to go to the source of the rumor, the Mayor’s Office, to question Peppers why he did it. But that’ll have to wait until we get to the second half of the episode.
We go back to the Tobin household with the Tobins setting the table up for dinner as they await Kenzie’s arrival. As the final preparations take place, Ham decides, rather, continues to play being smug by telling Judy that she should like Kenzie because of his love for musicals and having a theater background, which got Judy’s attention and thought that if he has a theater background as Ham stated, she wants to do a little duet performance. And that is going to have to wait when ending the first half of the episode and going into the second half...
Here comes the man of the hour, Kenzie, voiced by Brian Gattas, who snuck into the window of the upstairs bathroom rather than knocking on the door like a normal person would. And he said that he made that dramatic entrance because his dad works for a security company and thinks that him doing that was a test to see if the house is safe... and failed. And already you can see that Kenzie can be quite the hassle for Beef and Judy to deal with now that he has entered Ham’s life via a dating app. And I mean that literally when watching this episode the first time around. And it’s quite a to-do list to state the problems with Kenzie.
Right away, he snuck into the house unannounced by breaking and entering through the upstairs bathroom window. He’s also an anti-vaxxer because he claims that he’s unvaccinated when Beef attempted to shake his hand, and believes in that whole “vaccines having nanotechnology” bullshit. You could say that he’s pretty much “immunized,” and he might be getting up there with Aaron Rodgers. He’s pretty much the teen version of Aaron Rodgers. I don’t know what else to say about the guy that Ham picked up from the video call on the dating app. He showed off his performance, so that’s an upside from the guy, but he doesn’t like to be interrupted, and judged Judy for not knowing what the song from a show is. And to top it all that, he pulls out his phone and records himself for his audience on social media. The guy is a TikTok influencer. What else to say about the guy other than being unhinged and a hassle at that? And this is only the start with him in Ham’s life, with Judy and Beef having to deal with someone who is unhinged, self-centered, egotistical, and can be quite the hassle for anyone who pretty much looks at himself in the mirror or is just fishing for compliments. And this is just the start for Beef and Judy in having to deal with Kenzie in what is pretty much Ham’s getback for butting into his time of moping.
We switch over to the Mayor’s Office with Mayor Peppers already admitting that he was the one who started the rumor of Wolf eating worms. As for why he started the rumor in the first place that might’ve ruined Wolf’s reputation? The reason is simple, and it stems back to what Beef said at the start of the episode when noticing Ham had previously been in a depressive state. The month of February is cold and depressive as fuck. The citizens of Lone Moose need something to lift their spirits, especially when leading up to the night of the talent show in the coming days. So what’s Mayor Pepper’s suggestion to flip the switch on everyone’s mood? Create a rumor so that people don’t feel bummed and for the person who became a victim of the rumor to either laugh it out or experience the victim complex. But it did at least help the city to get a tourism boom for a bit during this miserable month of the year.
Wolf, of course, falls on the victim complex aisle because even though what Peppers was doing in spreading rumors is to, in his words, spread some cheer during this time of year, he doesn’t think so. He’s the victim in all of this. His reputation is pretty much ruined for all of this and is about to have himself a crashout because of one silly little rumor caused by the mayor, so that the citizens don’t develop a sudden case of seasonal depression. He just wants the thing to die. He is fighting for his life. Especially when finding out that the little rumor started by Peppers got the people’s attention and their asses coming to the talent show, just to see Wolf in-person to see if the rumor is true. And that’s more than enough for Wolf to quote Michael Jordan in The Last Dance documentary, saying that it became personal, and decides to throw his hat into the ring for the upcoming talent so he can once and for all dispel the rumor. Something that is definitely not going to bite him in the ass once the big night arrives. And speaking of things that are backfiring to their faces...
We go back to the Tobin household with Beef, Judy, and Ham having a nice private dinner with Kenzie and trying to get to know him now that he’s in Ham’s life. Judy asks the two how they met each other and what attributes that got them to be attracted. For Ham, it’s him (Kenzie) being handsome. And for Kenzie, it’s Ham’s good nature and giving him compliments, and also likes hearing stuff about himself. He wants someone who glazes him. So things were going fine at least for everyone at the dinner table, but once Kenzie calls Judy to compliment him, calling her the wrong name by calling her Jessica, and putting on the clock, that’s where Beef gets the signal to call for an emergency meeting between him and Judy to the panic room.
And it’s no secret that Beef and Judy don’t like Kenzie, since this is what the emergency meeting is all about. They know that he is a nightmare to deal with. It’s their first meeting with him, and already, they don’t like him and start questioning how Ham even landed a guy who is an unhinged, self-centered, egotistical nightmare of a human being who probably only cares about him and only likes the guy who glazes the fuck out of him like it’s Krispy Kreme making a fresh batch of glazed donuts when opening up shop. And Beef and Judy should know what is going on and why Ham chose Kenzie as his potential new boyfriend, as if they’re the ones being punished for butting into his personal life. Which is pretty much the point.
Ham comes into the panic room unannounced, spooking Beef and Judy, looking all smug and everything when checking up on the two as if he knew that Beef and Judy are already getting a taste of their own medicine. Beef and Judy come up with an excuse that the dessert that they placed in the closet has gone missing, and they have the other dessert waiting in the wings inside the fridge. And of course, Ham, as smug as he is, thinks Beef should pull it out to consume since they’re going to be watching Kenzie performing his Krav Maga hip hop dance. Only to be interrupted upon returning, and now has to do it again from the start. A full 35 minutes just to get back where he left. 35 minutes. I know that he has a bit of a theater background when having to perform a dance like what he is doing before being interrupted, and has to do it all over again.
That’s more than enough for Beef and Judy to call for another emergency private meeting in the panic room and drag Ham with them, going into the next scene. Telling him that they don’t like Kenzie and they want him out of the house and out of Ham’s life. Saying as if they have learned their lesson in having to butt into Ham’s life. Ham knows it and says it smugly that he sees that his father and sister are starting to regret their action in trying to push him out of his depressive funk. Which ultimately leads to Ham giving Beef and Judy an ultimatum to make their choice. It’s either keep this charade going and be stuck with Kenzie, or they admit that what they’re doing is wrong so that Ham could kick Kenzie out of his life but as a result, Ham would have to back sulking and wrapped in his blanket like he did in the first half of the episode. Of course, Beef and Judy won’t pick the latter option and instead, decide to continue to play this little charade.
Especially once Kenzie shows up in front of the door, telling the Tobins that he clogged their toilet. And now, ending the third act of the episode and going into the fourth, since Beef and Judy don’t want to admit their actions in trying to push their son out of his depressive funk and leave Ham alone in his time of sulking, the nightmare continues for Beef and Judy. Ham asks Kenzie to be his new boyfriend, and Kenzie agrees to the offer and makes a quick video for the world about his newfound “relationship” with Ham. It’s not good for Beef and Judy, who will now have to deal with him, and the montage going into the fourth act shows it leading up to the night of the talent show after picking him up from his place.
Going through the same places we’ve been throughout the montage earlier in the episode when they tried to cheer Ham up. All of this was because they tried to force Ham to get out of his depressive funk because of how depressive February is in Lone Moose. Whether it’s him criticizing the film and saying that it’s not real regarding the film they’re watching, getting pelted by a lone shrimp at a Hibachi restaurant, or drop kicking Beef at a trampoline park and giving him a black eye, it’s a nightmare for the duo because they don’t want to accept the option of letting Ham go back to being wrapped in his blanket. Now dealing with the consequences of their actions. But it looks like Beef and Judy won’t be alone in the hating Kenzie train once the night of the talent show arrives.
Ham finally realizes that Kenzie is a nightmare. He thought shit was going to be sweet in response to Beef and Judy interfering with his personal life and attempting to push him out of his depressive state following the news of Crispin in a new relationship with Sean. That was before meeting the guy and knowing that he is seriously unhinged. And his facial expression in a few scenes in the third act and the end of the second act shows it. He’s trying to hide his hatred just so he can give Beef and Judy a taste of their own medicine in response to what they’re doing. He didn’t expect that this would blow up in his face. And here we are, they’re stuck with him for the long while, and that’s more than enough for Beef and Judy to accept that what they did was wrong, and they shouldn’t bother him during his time of grieving. They should’ve let him settle this on his own but no, Beef and Judy had to butt in because Ham chose the wrong fucking time to grieve during one of Lone Moose’s depressive time of the year over the news of his ex-boyfriend moving on to another guy as if you think you still have feelings for the guy. Again, all this is because you fell for an animatronic yeti because you were never given the single life a chance that led to you and Crispin becoming free freaking agents.
The consequences of their actions is what the three Tobin members of the family are dealing with thanks in part to Beef and Judy being total dumbasses in interfering in Ham’s life and until Ham find a way to break up with Kenzie, they’re stuck with him for the time being. But since we’re now less than three minutes left in the episode, Judy has an idea to get Kenzie out of Ham’s life. And it all ties in with one of Kenzie’s personalities when meeting the guy about him being self-centered, and he is fishing for compliments to fuel his ego. Luckily for the Tobins, especially Judy, to help with Ham’s little problem, she knows a guy who has a habit of glazing people.
Which brings us to Ezra, whom Judy has to bring in to take Kenzie away from Ham so he can be out of the Tobins’ lives. Ezra has a habit of giving people compliments. Kenzie is fishing for compliments to fuel his ego. So it’s pretty much a match for Kenzie and more than enough to break up with Ham and have a new relationship with Ezra. Finally putting an end to the Kenzie Saga in Ham’s life. And for Ham, it’s back to the single life he goes.
So now that’s out of the way, we have the subplot that needed to be taken care of once Santiago finishes his performance by doing some sock puppets with Mayor Peppers announcing Wolf to be next to take the stage with worms as his talent, getting everyone’s attention since they paid the big bucks to watch the rumor to be true of Wolf eating the squirming creatures. But Wolf, once he’s on stage with a bucket of worms next to him, tells everyone that the rumor is total bullshit. Telling everyone that he doesn’t eat worms, as he carries one worm from the bucket and dips it in Hollandaise sauce and has people think he’s about to eat but doesn’t and reminds everyone that the rumor is bullshit as if he’s taking that shit personality. Of course, passing the two-minute warning of the episode...
He still can’t beat the allegations. He’s not beating the allegations and had the perfect opportunity to dispel the rumor in front of everyone, even if it was an accident, because one of the worms fell into his mouth courtesy of it being covered in Hollandaise sauce. And yes, in front of everyone who is in attendance who, again, paid a lot of money just to see a grown ass man eating worms because of the rumor started by the mayor of the city. I can’t tell if this is Mayor Peppers’ idea of starting the rumor backfiring at him, or if Wolf backfired and will now have to live with the rumor, that is now true, when trying to dispel the rumor, but ultimately failed once getting on stage, but here we are. And it’s going to stick like glue for what I guess is the rest of his life. Good luck telling your future kid in the event you and Honeybee decide to have one.
And so, the final scene of the episode with Ham back on the couch and being cozied up in a blanket, now with Beef and Judy, and, of course, back on his feet and no longer in a slump. And even though the notion of Crispin getting a new boyfriend is still fresh on his mind, at least we know that he’s slowly starting to move on as he now fully begins to embrace the single life. Even though we all know that we have to give it a season or two, renew this show, you assholes, are going to get back together, at least he’s taking the process well and is back on his feet. And for Beef and Judy, they sure did learn their lesson not to intervene in Ham’s life while he was sulking. So, moral to this story, don’t interrupt someone during a time of grieving, especially when it is during the most depressive month of the year, in your opinion. And don’t eat worms. Otherwise, you might end up getting one somewhere in your body, as if you’re becoming RFK Jr.
Reaction/Thoughts:
So all and all, what do I think about this week’s episode of The Great North? Opinions are mixed when watching this episode. I don’t hate the episode, but at the same time, I don’t like it. It’s average at best, but it might as well be the weakest of the season so far. Especially since this is a follow-up to Ham’s romantic life since breaking up with Crispin at the start of the season.
Ham does have a point in all this that you don’t disturb someone who is in a grieving period, like he is after finding out that Crispin is with another man, despite that they broke up earlier this season. And the way Ham grieved over that is as if he still has some feelings left for the guy. Treating it as if the writers are slowly starting to regret the idea of breaking them up, even though, once again, renew this show, a season or two to decide to have them back together. You can’t be like Beef and Judy and rush things like we saw with them, trying to force Ham out of his funk because he picked the wrong time to grieve during Lone Moose’s coldest and depressive months of the year. I know that they should be worried about his well-being, and it took him seven episodes to finally fall into a depressive state, and all it took was his ex-boyfriend finding a new boyfriend.
The subplot with the rumor of Wolf eating worms... why? Just why? This might’ve downplayed the episode in my opinion because this feels like it went nowhere, and also unnecessary, other than tying in to the theme of getting through Lone Moose’s coldest and depressive month of the year, and the mayor needed to create the rumor just to lift the townsfolks’ spirit unless you’re Wolf. Yeah, this subplot feels unnecessary to have in this episode and feels like... well, filler. So, final thoughts, it’s an average episode with mixed emotions, with this being a follow-up to the Ham single life arc, but this might as well be the weakest of the season so far. So I’ll give “Ham to Lose a Guy Adventure”...
A 5 out of 10. It’s pretty much a safe bet decision for giving this episode a rating. But that’s my opinion, and I wanna hear yours in the comments below. We got a brand new episode this upcoming Sunday, and hopefully this next one is a good one with Moon and his friends hosting a Dungeons and Dragons game night and Aunt Dirt wants in and the rest of the Tobins try out bead crafting in the eleventh episode of Season 5 of The Great North in “Dungeon Aunt Dragon Adventure”.
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Mastodon, BlueSky, and Threads for updates and behind-the-scenes stuff. The 2025 Battle of the Week Voting Tournament is already underway with another set of double matches for this week, with Group C between Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender) and Hilda (Netflix’s Hilda), as well as Cole Tillerman (Central Park) and Morty Smith (Rick and Morty) in Group D. The poll for these two matches closes on Saturday. And y’all should know the drill by now with the reviews now back and running...
- PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/yahoo201027
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/yahoo201027
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/Y8Y8K4OP
Donate over at PayPal, Patreon, and Ko-fi pages to help your boy out in both improving the bills and keeping the lights on to pump some content for y’all to embrace my BS. And until next time, stay safe, get vaccinated, and a reminder that you’re loved, you’re beautiful, ignore the haters, and I’ll see y’all later.
***The Great North is owned by 20th Television Animation, Bento Box Animation, and Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, and Minty Lewis. Please Support the Official Release***
No comments:
Post a Comment