For anyone who hasn’t seen any of the episodes of “Vice Principals”, it’s an exceptionally funny sitcom on HBO starring Danny McBride and Walton Coggins as Neal Gamby and Lee Russell respectively. You might remember McBride from “Alien: Covenant”, “Eastbound & Down”, “This is the End”, and a string of other majorly funny fare. And, Walton Coggins is probably best known for playing the very colorful and brilliantly evil Boyd Crowder in “Justified”, and the sexy transsexual, Venus Van Dam, in “Sons of Anarchy”, as well as starring in “The Hateful Eight”, “The Shield”, “Django Unchained”, and more . Put them both together and true hilarity ensues. And, that’s what “Vice Principals” does and very effectively. The pair play, of course, vice principals at the fictitious North Jackson High School in South Carolina.
Season 1 Finale
Season 1 ended with Gamby being shot by a tall stranger in a weird mask. Audiences everywhere wondered if that was the end of Gamby and also “Vice Principals”. I, for one, was devastated since it’s one of my favorite comedy shows. And, everybody also wondered who hated Gamby enough to actually shoot him? Well, take your pick. From the principal, whose house Gamby and Russell burned down shortly before they got her fired from her job, to the majority of the students, his angry ex-wife, and so many more folks who would have to say that Gamby is definitely not their all-time favorite person.
Vice Principals Season 2
Vice Principals Season 2 starts with Gamby still alive, of course, and recuperating in the home of his ex-wife and her new husband. He’s obviously milking his condition for all it’s worth and is even still using the stair-chair long after his doctor says he doesn’t need it and the rental company has called for its return. So, his best friend, Russell, takes him out for an outing to the duck pond in his wheelchair and pushes him out of it, telling him to get up and get on with his life. He does so begrudgingly and heads back to work but with only one thing on his mind, revenge!
Not the Old Gamby
But, although Gamby’s back, nothing’s the same as it was before the shooting, including Gamby. He’s whiny and feeling sorry for himself, nothing like the old Gamby that everybody knows and loves, or maybe just loves to hate. And, the school itself has also changed dramatically. Now that Russell is the Principal, it’s become Tiger Town with metal detectors, an armed guard, and even a gift shop full of merch devoted to the school’s mascot, which is, of course, a tiger. Russell also has a tricked-out new office much to the chagrin of the head of the school board. It also has Gamby wondering, however, if his friend Russell could be behind the shooting since he seems to have somehow benefited from it. A heart-to-heart between Gamby and Russell clears all of that up and Russell vows to help Gamby to get revenge on the shooter. Through it all, though, Gamby’s still that downtrodden pitiful shooting victim. It had us wondering where the real Gamby has disappeared to.
He’s Back!
But, when the students start acting up and lawlessness seems to have taken over the school, Gamby comes to his senses, throws away his cane, and starts kicking ass and taking names just like the old days before the fateful shooting. His staff members are relieved and his girlfriend is dazzled by his macho prowess. And hey, even the unruly students are impressed and happy to see the old Gamby come back to life. Can’t wait to see what next week’s episode brings but also really sorry that this is the final season of the show. Two seasons was definitely not a long enough run for a show as funny as “Vice Principals”.
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