After last week’s episode, where Zorn single-handedly destroyed his son’s love life “The War of the Workplace” show’s Zorn as office savior…Not. It also follows up on the animated lower half of Alangulon (Alan) and his being bullied at school.
In the gym, Alan has a been wearing track bottoms rather than shorts and at swim class he wears a wet suit. The class bully makes fun of Alan. After taking his step-dad’s advice on how to defuse the situation he gets a black eye.
(Craig’s advice is to tell the bully he/she is loved.)
At work Zorn spies an office worker from another company taking the hot sauce from their break room without asking.
This is war.
Zorn has been missing the “blood and guts” atmosphere of a good war and he is keen to get into action. Linda stops Zorn in his tracks and tells him to relax as it is only hot sauce.
Linda tasks Zorn with copying documents and “overnighting” them. He messed up the first batch by giving them to “the raven” on the ledge. She tells Zorn that it was a pigeon and that the papers are now part of its nest.
As Derek has not returned the hot sauce, Zorn scouts enemy territory by climbing through the air ducts. Edie calls him to reveal that Alan is being bulled at school.
Zorn backs out of the duct and his sword is cutting through the ceiling tiles. “I’m getting some drag,” says Zorn as he co-workers watch the yellow weapon slice its way across the office ceiling.
Edie, Craig and Zorn try to teach Alan how to deal with the bully. Zorn favors killing the boy, Craig suggests Alan lay on his back waving his arms and kicking his feet like “a turtle.”
Alan’s mother shows him how she would solve the problem. (She used to be a bully.) Edie asks Alan to punch her. After some persuasion, Alan tentatively throws a punch. Edie grabs his arm, forces him to his knees and gives Alan four of five “death taps.”
The teenager is, understandably, freaked out. Zorn explains that if Edie touches him again, Alan’s head with explode. Later, in his bedroom, Alan’s mom approaches him and he leaps back in panic. She tells him that she may never be able to touch him again.
Back at the office, Zorn has been banished to the hallway. Jakton tells Zorn that Derek has moved on from stealing the hot sauce to “pilfering the yoghurts.” He also reveals that the man is now taking the cranberry juice drinks.
Zorn reacts by filling one of the bottles with blood. Dereck drinks it and goes nuclear. He rushes into the other office and demands to know who put blood in the bottle.
Jakton cringes behind an office partition as Zorn moves forward for battle. Derek grabs a coat rack and the two prepare to fight. Derek’s boss arrives just as Linda comes in the room. The two de-escalate the fight and Derek is made to apologize.
Zorn is frustrated.
Alan’s mother gives him a note that says he is allergic to chlorine. The coach reluctantly accepts the excuse. “The last time I didn’t believe a note, the kid really was being kidnapped.”
As Alan takes off his trousers, the bully arrives and starts making fun of his animated legs. The teenager calls his large tormentor a whale and when the bigger lad moves in, Alan lays on his back, a’la Craig.
One of his flailing legs comes in contact with the bully knocking him across the locker room. The bully runs off yelling that he will never bother Alan again.
There is much celebration by Alan’s parents and Zorn makes up a song. Craig starts to sing along and Zorn breaks his lute.
Son of Zorn continues to tickle the funny bone. The storylines are amusing and all of the cast play their parts to perfection. Kudos to Johnny Pemberton as Alan, each week he manages to make his character incredibly nebbish and likable.
Sudeikis is still spot on as Zorn and the writers keep delivering the comedy.
Son of Zorn airs Sundays on FOX.
CAST:
- Jason Sudeikis – Zorn
- Cheryl Hines – Edie
- Johnny Pemberton – Alan
- Tim Meadows – Craig
- Artemis Pebdani – Linda
Guest starring Bryce Johnson as Derek and Bobby Lee as Jakton.
Mikes Film Talk 