Quick Thoughts: RAISING HOPE, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Me What to Do"

Raising Hope is a show that I enjoy more often than not but don't take the time to write about it because it's consistent and knows what kind of show it wants to be. While I commend it for being so steadfast, that kind of self-awareness doesn't make for the most interesting write-up, so you know "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Me What to Do" had to be great since I'm going out of my way to jot down some thoughts.

First off, Burt in a gay bar was a pure genius. I've been on my soapbox clamoring for Garrett Dillahunt to get some kind of recognition for his work on Hope because he's by far the funniest of a very entertaining cast. I get why Martha Plimpton's the face of the show at this point, but I challenge anyone to watch this episode and not laugh when Burt dresses up as a Village People version of a mail man because he brings the biggest package. That, along with the fact that he and Jimmy never made fun of the gay community, and instead they poked fun at themselves for being so uninformed made for a laugh-out-loud and enjoyable episode.

If I had to poke holes in "Don't Ask," I'd have to say that I wasn't 100% in love with Jimmy and Sabrina's plot about being egg/sperm donors for her gay friends. All of the insecurity and hair-brained schemes came off as very tired and unoriginal, and I felt bad for the guys who kept getting their hopes up just to be disappointed by these two. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure deciding to help someone start a family is not something one should take likely, but the show was a little reckless with this one. I suppose it's a good thing that we just met these people and haven't had the time to invest in them.

I still don't think I'll be dedicating that much time to Raising Hope, but I do enjoy showing it some love from time to time, especially when it churns out solid episodes like this one.