Vince Russo's The Brand

Hello again everyone I’m back again with yet another Trailer Park Boys review.

I decided to change up the format and try something new and instead of just brushing over an entire season, I’m going to dedicate each review column to an entire episode and go more in-depth than before.

And with that here is the first one like this which will be the first episode of season three entitled The Kiss of Freedom.

The episode begins with Bubbles talking about how things are going great with having a good day hauling shopping carts and how Ricky and Julian are getting out of jail that day and are going to have a lot of money when they get out thanks to the success of Freedom 35 from the previous season. Once he’s got them, they head to the bank where Ricky leaves a skid mark in the road parking the car before the opening credits play.

Brandon’s Take: A good intro scene to get people excited about what may happen now that Julian and Ricky are out of jail and have a ton of money and just what they’re going to do with it and what kind of mischief they can get into.

Once we get back to the show, Ricky is already living the lifestyle as he’s carrying a beer and smoking in the bank, not caring about the rules cause he’s rich now. And in true Ricky fashion he’s speaking loud as possible and drawing a lot of negative attention to himself and the boys about how they got the money and that he wants to go on a spending spree while Julian wants to make investments and open up small semi-legit businesses which eventually gets all of them kicked out of the bank.

Brandon’s Take: A very good, humorous scene that you’d expect coming from Ricky, especially when he starts screaming ‘dope’ repeatedly after Bubbles tells him he can’t say that word at the bank in front of a bunch of people. Bubbles and Julian also played their roles very well here with them trying to be more level-headed to contrast Ricky’s over the top behavior.

In the next scene we have Lucy and Sarah talking to the camera crew about how even though Ricky’s returning home rich, neither have any interest in getting back together with him and that he’ll have a surprise waiting for him. Lahey and Randy also discuss that they feel more confident in being able to deal with the boys.

Brandon’s Take: These two scenes did a nice job setting up something for later in the show to look forward to as now you’re wondering just what Lucy and Sarah have in store for Ricky as well as Lahey and Randy.

We then see a blindfolded Bubbles along with Julian as it seems that Julian has bought something for Bubbles. He takes the blindfold off and turns around to see that Julian has bought him a new fully furnished shed to replace the one that was burnt down in the last season. He then starts going over all of the things that are in the shed, very excited about his new accomodations.

Brandon’s Take: Another good scene that pays attention to the continuity of the story and shows the generosity that Julian has toward his friends.

Ricky then stops by Lahey and Randy’s, who taunt him about his time in prison. Ricky though isn’t rattled at all, he’s calm, cool and patient with them, proclaiming himself a new, rich man and that he’s not looking for trouble. He then demands he wants a double wide trailer and gives them a thousand dollars down to pay for it but Lahey wants five grand down. Ricky doesn’t trust Lahey and the feeling is mutual so Ricky offers to kiss Lahey’s bare ass if he doesn’t have the five grand by five o clock the next day which Lahey accepts on the condition that Ricky also signs a lease agreement and agrees to play by the rules and regulations of the park to which Ricky agrees.

Brandon’s Take: Like the scene with Sarah and Lucy, this sets up something nicely for later in the show to keep viewers tuned in to see if Ricky will still have enough money by the time five o clock the next day rolls around. And also a funny scene where Ricky pays Lahey a hundred dollars to “f*** off.”

Ricky finally arrives to Lucy’s trailer to see his family and Lucy and Sarah discuss their disappointment in him for being in jail instead of being there for his daughter while simultaneously praising Julian for investing his money and opening up a business in the park where Corey and Trevor work for him. Ricky and Sarah and Lucy finally see each other and Ricky’s got presents for Trinity but Lucy and Sarah act harshly toward him and he’s not sure why but they tell him he’ll find out in a bit.

Brandon’s Take: Nothing too much here, just a scene that furthers the story of Ricky and his family while also reminding the viewers what Lucy and Sarah are planning for him and continuing to build anticipation for it.

Ricky then arrives at Bubbles’ new shed where everyone is hanging out at and he finds out Julian bought it for Bubbles and it’s clear that Ricky is harboring some jealousy toward Julian. He then shows Bubbles the present he bought for him which is a go-kart that he can use to get around and make hauling shopping carts easier. As Ricky leaves, he speaks to the camera crew about the difference between him and Julian and how they’re spending their money as his jealousy toward Julian gets stronger. He then starts talking about how he’s going to buy that new trailer and new car and then burn the current one he’s driving to the ground.

Brandon’s Take: Like the earlier scenes, this only helps to set up what’s to come later in the episode. Another example of good writing as we’re only about a third of the way into the show and already we have Lucy and Sarah’s surprise, Ricky burning his car, the growing tension between Ricky and Julian, and the possibility of Ricky kissing Lahey’s bare ass to look forward to.

In the next scene Bubbles is talking to the camera crew about Ricky and his history with his car and how deep down he doesn’t think Ricky could actually part with it. Ricky does mention that the car has been a big part of his life but then starts going on about some of the negative aspects of it that get on his nerves. The scene cuts back to Bubbles and he mentions that the car originally belonged to Julian’s grandmother before Julian gave it to Ricky and says that she was likely the one who caused most of the damage to it for driving around the park drunk and crashing into things.

Brandon’s Take: Nothing really spectacular here or anything, just a brief background on the car to make you care about what happens in the next scene where Ricky plans on burning it.

It’s now night time and Ricky has a megaphone and everyone gathered to witness him burning his car. Trevor is on top of the hood pouring gas over it(while having a lit cigarette in his mouth) and Julian arrives to try and get Bubbles to go with him to get a pizza and play video games at his shed. Ricky tries to get Bubbles to stay, reminding him that he bought him his go-kart and that there’s already food where they’re at. A bit of a competition breaks out between Julian and Ricky to see who Bubbles will spend the evening with. Julian eventually says that they can stay for the fireworks before returning to Bubbles’ shed. While Corey and Trevor go to get the fireworks set up, Lucy and Sarah arrive with a lawyer and inform Ricky that he owes three years of child support payments to Lucy. Ricky tries to reason with the lawyer that he’s a good father while Lucy retorts that good fathers don’t go to jail every year. They head inside Lucy’s trailer while Julian tries to talk Ricky out of burning the car down but Ricky won’t listen to him. Just as he’s about to light the car on fire, Ricky sees his dad Ray sitting in it, refusing to let him torch it and eventually convinces Ricky to let him have it instead of setting it on fire. Ricky then grabs the megaphone and says the car won’t be burned as Corey and Trevor set off the fireworks while Ricky proclaims that night he is getting “drunk as f***.”

Brandon’s Take: A lot to digest here. The best part about this scene is that even though we saw what Lucy and Sarah were holding over Ricky’s head and how he was talked out of setting his car on fire, those two stories are still not over and will be resolved at the end of the episode. Side note, the lawyer would be back during the re-launch of the series in a much bigger and prominant role.

The next morning Ricky is laying out in the middle of the road, passed out drunk as Bubbles drives by on his go-kart and wagon, getting Ricky in it and driving him back to his shed. Julian is visiting Lucy and Sarah who want to borrow money from him to open up their own salon in the park. Julian asks them what’s going on with the child support and Lucy says she’s doing it to get Ricky to think straight and try to be more responsible while Sarah thinks trying to fix Ricky is a lost cause, all of which is being heard by Trinity who’s sitting outside on the deck. Ricky wakes up to Bubbles vacuuming all of the debris off of him from sleeping in the road. J-Roc and the Roc Pile show up to let Ricky know they got the car for him that he wanted. Ricky then uses Bubbles’ toilet in a humorous scene where both him and Bubbles tell the camera crew to stop filming while he’s taking a leak.

Brandon’s Take: Probably the closest thing to filler we’ll find on this episode as not much was really moved forward here outside of people in the back of their heads wondering when Ricky’s money is going to run out with him making all of these crazy purchases as well as seeing if it will be Lucy or Sarah who is right about Ricky’s potential to be a responsible parent which is threaded throughout the rest of the season.

Ricky then looks over the car while Trinity wants him to buy some ice cream from Corey and Trevor. Annoyed with them riding their bikes around, Ricky grabs a hockey stick and goes after them, throwing that an another stick into the bike wheels to trip them up and crash. Julian shows up and gets upset about the damage Ricky did to the bikes, demanding he pay for it and Ricky just throws the money into Julian’s car. The tension between the two reaches a fever pitch as Ricky now thinks he owns the ice cream bikes and starts shooting at them. He starts telling the camera crew he owns those bikes so he can do what he wants to them and not care about it and then Julian starts shooting at Ricky’s new car and in retaliation Ricky shoots at Julian’s new car. Bubbles quickly jumps in between the two of them, demanding they hand over their guns which they do and mentions that money has changed them and not for the better. Lahey and Randy arrive on the scene and demand that Julian get Ricky under control and reveal that they’re collecting evidence on Ricky to get him removed from the park. After they leave, Trinity comes back and tells Ricky that she doesn’t want to grow up to be drunk and stupid like he is and he assures her that will never happen as he explains to the camera crew that someone’s gotten into her head and in true Ricky fashion, deflects the blame elsewhere while mentioning that she’s already smarter than he is. Randy and Lahey then leave finally while Ricky reminds Lahey he better have his trailer ready by five and Lahey reminds Ricky what will happen if he doesn’t have the money.

Brandon’s Take: Quite a few things happened here that will set up what happens at the conclusion of the season in regards to Lahey gathering evidence on Ricky and the way he’s raising Trinity. Things between Ricky and Julian blew up but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed later on while also reminding people of what’s to come at the climax of this episode with Ricky’s deal with Lahey.

At Bubbles’ shed, Ricky arrives asking to use his phone and orders a full set of encyclopedias for Trinity to be delivered at the same time he’s supposed to pay Lahey. He then goes to Lucy’s trailer to tell everyone there to meet him at the lot where his trailer’s going to be at and mentions that the encyclopedias are a gift for Trinity. Everyone’s at the lot waiting to see Ricky’s new trailer but it’s not yet there as Lahey says he’s can have it there in two minutes, Ricky just has to give him the money. Before he can though, Lucy, Sarah, Trinity, and the encyclopedias arrive at the same time and he tells Trinity he bought them for her so she won’t be stupid like him. When it comes time to pay however, he finds that he cannot afford both the encyclopedias and the trailer thanks to his reckless spending throughout the episode and must make a choice. Ultimately he chooses the encyclopedias for his daughter, much to everyone’s shock as Lucy and Sarah get Trinity out of there so she doesn’t have to watch him kiss Lahey’s ass but not before telling him that he made the right choice. Everyone looks on as Ricky holds up his end of the deal and kisses Lahey’s bare ass. Ray shows up in the New Yorker and gives it back to Ricky, having had a father’s intuition that Ricky would screw up and didn’t want the car to be lost to a bad decision. Bubbles commends Ricky for what he did and tells him he was a good father for doing what he did for Trinity. The episode then concludes with Ricky watching TV in his car and Lucy and Trinity come to visit him and Lucy saying the lawsuit is dropped and the most important thing for Trinity is for Ricky to be a part of her life.

Brandon’s Take: A very very good payoff to the thread that was built throughout the episode with Ricky ultimately choosing his daughter over his own social status in a very strong effort to prove to everyone that he is a good and loving father. Just excellent stuff all around with Julian and Bubbles offering him their support as well as a blanket and TV to Lahey gloating over how he scored a big victory.

Final Thoughts: Ultimately, this episode was designed to set the table for the rest of the season and it did a fantastic job in that regard. It also served as a major character development episode for Ricky as he played the most prominant role with most of the stories revolving around how much he cares about his daughter and what he’s willing to do for her to make sure she has a good life and doesn’t end up like him. This episode was a bit lighter than usual on the comedy but I thought it was fine cause the mission this episode set out to do was accomplished perfectly.

Rating: 9/10